The Effect of Notch Geometry on Tensile Strength at Low and Intermediate Strain Rates

Mechanical behaviour of notched components can significantly be influenced by notch geometry. In this work, triangular, circular and square notches are examined by experiment. Two materials including a st52 steel and brass are employed for the investigation. The experiments are conducted at low and intermediate strain rates. It is observed that: (i) the yield stress of the brass and the specimens with circular and square notches decreases as the notch length increases such that for 8 mm notches, the value of yield stress converges to the yield stress obtained for plain specimens at the same strain rate. (ii) For triangular notches the yield stress rises with the increase of notch length up to a minimum and then begins to decline. (iii) The effect of notch geometry on yield stress is significant such that for triangular notches, in particular for higher notch lengths, the increase of yield stress is much more profound than the other two notch geometries.