Notch sensitivity of combined mode I–II fracture behaviour of a rolled magnesium alloy

Fatigue pre-cracked four-point bend specimens of a rolled AZ31 Mg alloy are loaded asymmetrically and their mixed-mode (I and II) fracture behaviour is contrasted with pre-notched samples. In-situ mapping of displacement and strain fields is performed through optical imaging coupled with digital image correlation analysis. The fracture surface morphology and the deformed microstructure are also studied. The fracture toughness Jc for both types of specimens is highest for mode I and drops steeply with increase in mode II component. Furthermore, at the same level of mode-mixity, Jc for the notched samples is between two to three times the value pertaining to pre-cracked specimens. This is primarily attributed to quasi-brittle failure, irrespective of mode-mixity, for the latter, whereas the former display a combination of ductile and brittle fracture surface features. At the crack-initiation stage, more profuse tensile twinning is perceived at the far-edge of the ligament in the notched specimens, which also contributes to the observed toughness enhancement.