Effect of Notch Root Radius on Fracture of Glass/Epoxy Laminates (under Tensile Loading)

Tensile tests were conducted on specimens of plain woven glass cloth/epoxy laminates with a notch. The effect of the notch root radius p on fracture was investigated. In the previous study, the three-point bending tests were carried out to make clear the effect of the notch root radius on fracture. In this study, the experimental results were compared with those of the previous study. The F. E. M. simulation was performed, and compared with the experimental results. The following results were obtained: (1) As the notch root radius increased, the smaller p specimen showed the fracture behavior which was caused mainly by the propagation of a stable crack, but the larger p specimen showed the fracture behavior which was caused mainly by the spread of the damage. (2) The spread of the damage zone was different from that of the three-point bending test, but the effect of the notch root radius on strength remained unchanged for the tension and the bending test. (3) The F. E. M simulation explained the experimental result of the larger p specimen well.