Analytical and experimental evaluation of double-notch shear specimens of orthotropic materials

A finite-difference analysis of the state of stress in a double-notch interlaminar shear strength specimen is developed. The effects of geometry and material parameters on the stress distributions are investigated. It has been found that, in agreement with previous determinations,^1–7 a uniform distribution of shear stress on the fracture plane does not exist. The shear stress distribution becomes more uniform for increased material anisotropy and for small (L/T) ratios, whereL is the distance between the notches andT is the specimen thickness. Also, it has been determined that the notch size (W) and the distance from the notches to the loaded ends of the specimen (h) do not influence the stress distributions significantly. The effects of variations in the (L/T) ratio, the notch size (W), and the length (h) were investigated experimentally. For a graphite/epoxy laminate of 0/90-deg square wave it has been found that the apparent shear strength determined by double-notch shear tests decreases significantly with an increase in (L/T) ratio. The decrease in the apparent shear strength with an increase inh, however, is very small. Also, the apparent shear strength is not affected significantly by increasing the notch sizeW.