Stability of End Notched Flexure Specimen

Abstract: This paper deals with two-dimensional Finite Element Analysis of the End Notched Flexure (ENF) specimen. The specimen is known to be unstable if the crack length is shorter than some critical crack length acr. A geometric linear two-dimensional Finite Element (FE) analysis of the ENF specimen is performed to evaluate acr for isotropic and orthotropic elastic materials, respectively. Moreover, the Mode II Energy Release Rate (ERR) JII and the compliance of the specimen are calculated. The influence of anisotropy is studied. Comparisons are made with the results from beam theory. This work is an extension of previous work.