A Combined Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Influence of Defects on the Mechanical Behavior of Double-Notched ABS Specimens

Abstract

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is widely used in structural applications where geometric discontinuities could significantly affect mechanical performance. In this context, tensile tests were performed on smooth and notched samples machined from ABS plates in order to investigate the residual stresses presence in the material. This work aims to study the mechanical behavior of ABS polymer samples with combined defects (hole + double notch) under tensile loading conditions and to predict the evolution of the damage as well as the reliability. To perform this, static tensile tests were carried out on samples that have been intentionally damaged with varied defects lengths. The experimental results showed the stress-strain curves obtained from samples subjected to partial loading, full unloading, and repeated loading. A gradual accumulation of plastic deformation was observed for the thermoplastic studied. A finite element model for testing tensile samples was developed and validated. A multilinear isotropic hardening law was obtained. The thermoplastic measured mechanical properties are consistent with those reported by the original raw material manufacturer.