Experimental verification of RV-MTS model for fracture in soda-lime glass weakened by a V-notch

Fracture phenomenon was experimentally investigated in a soda-lime glass weakened by a V-notch under tensile-shear loading. Fracture tests were conducted using a new test sample called the V-notched Brazilian disc (V-BD) specimen. The fracture resistance and fracture initiation angle were obtained initially from the test results. Afterward, a fracture model was utilized to estimate the experimental results. Very good correlation was found between the experimental and theoretical results both for the fracture resistance and the fracture initiation angle in notches having different notch angles and various notch tip radii. Experimental results revealed that for a constant notch tip radius, the failure load under pure tensile loading conditions decreases as the notch angle increases. For a constant notch angle, as the notch tip radius increases, the fracture load in the soda-lime glass V-BD specimens enhances in the whole domain from pure tensile to pure shear loading. Moreover, for a constant notch tip radius, the notch angle has almost no effect on the fracture initiation angle when the specimen is predominantly under tensile loading conditions.