Innovative Fixture for the Buckling Measurements of the Notched Plates under Monotonic and Cyclic Tensile Loading

In the current work, an innovative fixture was designed and made to test local buckling of the notched plates under tensile loading. The conducted experimental measurements include the symmetric and for the first time the anti-symmetric modes of the buckling. Both monotonic and cyclic loading were applied on the specimens and the effect of the buckling on the fracture capacity and fatigue life of the specimens were investigated. The main interest of the paper is to describe the fixture and some experimental techniques. The buckling load was obtained from the tests as well as fracture capacity and fatigue life. Based on the obtained results, the buckling can reduce the fracture capacity as well as the fatigue life by 35% and 59%, respectively. Due to the mix mode of I-III, the anti-symmetric buckling shows a greater effect on the fracture capacity, however, the sliding crack closure due to mode III prevents the crack growth in the case of anti-symmetric buckling.