Estimation of fracture loads in AL7075-T651 notched specimens using the equivalent material concept combined with the strain energy density criterion and with the theory of critical distances

The main goal of this paper is the application of the Strain Energy Density (SED) criterion and the Theory of Critical Distances (TCD), both of them in combination with the Equivalent Material Concept (EMC), to predict the fracture loads of aluminum alloy Al7075-T651 Compact Tension (CT) specimens containing U-shaped notches. For this purpose, 45 fracture tests were performed combining two rolling orientations (transverse and longitudinal) and 6 notch radii, which cover from crack-type defects (0 mm) up to 2 mm-notch radius. Crack-type specimens are used to define the fracture properties of the material and the rest of the tests are used to check and compare the experimental fracture loads with the loads predicted using the different aforementioned criteria: SED, EMC-SED and EMC-TCD. The theoretical results of the fracture load predictions for the virtual brittle material obtained employing the EMC are in good agreement with the experimental results reported for real samples.