Advances in Fracture and Damage Mechanics XIII

This paper presents 25 new experimental results from gray cast iron notched specimens tested under torsion loading. V-notch (with an opening angle of 120°) is considered with a root radius ranging from 0.1 to 2.0 mm. Plots of torque loads versus twist angles are recorded varying the notch root radius. Such results can help in evaluating numerical and theoretical models of the fracture of notched components under mode III loading. The second part of the paper deals with a discussion on the experimental results. A non-conventional application of the strain energy density is carried out showing a good agreement between experimental results and theoretical fracture assessments and it is used to justify the link between nominal and local fracture approaches.