The authors wish to present an all-fracture mode specimen with which it is possible to conduct fracture mechanics tests for pure mode I, pure mode II, pure mode III, as well as for all possible combinations of the above-mentioned. By means of a finite element analysis of this specimen, the stress intensity factors KI, KII, and KIII were computed. It was discovered that KII and KIII are coupled for in-plane shear and anti-plane shear loading, i.e. a mixed state occurs locally. The integral mean along the crack front yields however only to a KII factor for in-plane shear and to a KIII factor for anti-plane shear loading. Fracture experiments under mixed-mode loading, using this new specimen, demonstrate the influence of the loading type on the orientation and on the structure of the fracture surface. © 1990.
