The influence of loading rate on fracture resistance of notched and precracked ISO-V-specimens

Abstract Higher loading rates are expected to have a disadvantageous influence on fracture parameters. This opinion derives probably from experience with ductile-cleavage transition whose temperature increases with increasing loading rate. As far as results on the influence of loading rate on crack resistance are published in the literature they show mostly increasing initiation values as well as increasing crack resistance with increasing loading rate. The paper deals with the influence of loading rate on fracture resistance of notched and precracked ISO-V-specimens measured on different materials. The crack resistance of notched specimens has been determined in analogy to that one of the precracked specimens. The influence of loading rate was separately investigated with regard to initiation as well as to tearing modulus. The results demonstrate that the ratio of dynamic to quasi-static values decreases with increasing toughness, the initiation values for dynamic loading may drop at high toughness below those for quasi-static loading, the slope of the crack resistance curve for dynamic loading is mostly larger than for quasi-static loading and the ISO-V-specimens fall well into line with the results of valid tests.