Fundamental problem in optimizing the biaxial testing specimen

Most of the elements in structural design are subjected to the complex loading conditions that need to be predicted in advance for a reliable design. The failure prediction of these structural elements is based on the failure theories that employ the experimental data of the uniaxial, the biaxial and the shear tests. Among these tests, the biaxial testing is used to model the behavior of the structure loaded in more than one direction. In this study, we discover an interesting fact for the biaxial tension specimen that the thickness reduction of the measuring region cannot increase the stress to a high level. This behavior of the biaxial testing is different from the uniaxial testing where the thickness reduction of the measuring region always increases its stress to a higher level. Therefore, we further investigate the biaxial testing specimen via related fundamental problem, i.e., an axisymmetric plate with varying thickness under axisymmetric tension. We perform the shape optimization based on our analytical solution and the FEM results. For an infinite axisymmetric disk, the optimized design should include a low slope diverging section connecting the inner to outer region. On the contrary, the larger inner measuring region for finite axisymmetric disk would result in higher corresponding stress. These conclusions can be used as a guideline for the design of a biaxial testing specimen.