Determination of strain gage locations for the accurate measurement of opening mode stress intensity factors

The accuracy of measurement of opening mode stress intensity factors using the strain gage techniques largely depends on location of the gages. The radial position of the strain gages is a major issue in mea-surement of the stress intensity factors. This paper describes an approach to resolve this problem. The present work proposes a method for practically accurate determination of a vital parameter designated as (rmax) which in turn is extremely useful in judging the valid positions of the strain gages. The results of the present investigation clearly show that the proposed method is simple and accurate values of rmax can be determined. 1.