Averaged strain energy density criterion to predict ductile failure of U-notched Al 6061-T6 plates under mixed mode loading

The well-known Averaged Strain Energy Density (ASED) criterion, which is basically a brittle fracture criterion, is employed in conjunction with the Equivalent Material Concept (EMC) to predict the experimental failure loads of some U-notched ductile Al 6061-T6 plates reported in the literature under mixed mode I/II loading. While the EMC-ASED criterion does not claim that it is able to predict the fracture plane, the growth path of the crack emanating from the notch border, etc.; it is shown to be successful in predicting the load-carrying capacity (LCC) of the U-notched Al 6061-T6 plates, that fail by the large-scale yielding (LSY) regime, without performing time-consuming and complex elastic-plastic analyses.