Theoretical Predictions and Experimental Assessments of Fracture in Round‐Tip V‐Notched Orthotropic Samples Under Pure Compression

ABSTRACT In this paper, the fracture onset of rounded V‐notched orthotropic specimens under pure compression, made of Canadian maple, is assessed. Compressive fracture tests are conducted on the square‐shaped samples containing double‐edge RV‐shaped notches characterized by three different notch tip radii and a constant notch opening angle, up to fully development of cracking at the notch root is achieved. It is observed that the fracture loads across all specimens are nearly identical, despite noticeable variation in notch tip radii. It means that the fracture load may be independent of the notch radii. Moreover, the values of load‐bearing capacity for tested samples are predicted by two conventional stress‐based criteria, namely the point stress and mean stress integrated by the equivalent material concept for considering the notable nonlinear behavior and the virtual isotropic material concept to represent the orthotropic behavior of tested wood as an equivalent isotropic material. A good consistency between values of load‐bearing capacity predicted by all fracture criteria employed and the experimental results is observed.