Influence of notch orientation on ductile tearing in SENT specimens

There is a growing interest for the use of spiral welded pipes in strain based design related applications. Since the influence of the spiral weld on the plastic behaviour of the pipe is not yet fully understood, further research on this topic is required. An important aspect of this plastic behaviour is the effect of mixed mode loading on weld defects located in the helical weld. This paper elaborates on the first experimental trials to evaluate ductile tearing by means of single edge notched tensile specimen (SENT) testing with slanted notches. Tests were performed on two SENT specimens, one with a slanted notch and another with a straight notch in order to investigate the influence of mixed mode loading. The crack mouth opening displacement and crack extension were determined experimentally by means of digital image correlation and potential drop measurements respectively. The crack extension and the potential drop measurements were related by means of finite element simulations