Experimental and theoretical investigation of mixed mode I/III brittle fracture of U-notched polystyrene components

Brittle fracture of components made of the general-purpose polystyrene and weakened by an edge U-notch under combined tension/out-of-plane shear loading conditions (mixed mode I/III) has not been studied yet experimentally or theoretically. In this research, a recently developed loading fixture is employed for experimentally investigating the fracture of U-notched general-purpose polystyrene samples with various notch tip radii of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mm when they are subjected to different combinations of tension/out-of-plane shear. The samples are fabricated with four different notch tip radii with the purpose of assessing the influence of this geometrical parameter. The experimental values of fracture load and out-of-plane fracture angle are theoretically predicted by the two stress-based criteria of point stress and mean stress lately extended to general loading case of mixed mode I/II/III. It is shown that both the point stress and mean stress criteria provide acceptable predictions to fracture behavior of U-notched general-purpose polystyrene specimens. The critical distances needed for the point stress and mean stress criteria are determined based on the experimental results of the U-notched samples tested under pure mode I loading. No meaningful difference is found between the fracture loads and fracture initiation angles predicted by the point stress and mean stress criteria. It is also observed that as the mode III contribution in the applied mixed mode I/III loading increases, a larger total external load is needed for the fracture of U-notched general-purpose polystyrene specimens to occur.