EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL STUDY OF CRACKS IN MIXED MODE CONDITIONS

Fracture tests were performed on X- H- and L- shaped specimen. Thus, the fatigue precrack is loaded in mixed mode (I + II) condition. The recorded load-displacement curves are compared with those obtained by a finite element computation. The influence of the temperature on the fracture energy of a specimen loaded by tensile and shear stresses is also studied. The contour of the plastic zone at the crack tip is determined experimentally and compared with published formulae.