ABSTRACT
We conducted tensile tests on notched steel specimens. From the test results, we derived maximum strength ratio β. β is the net stress at maximum load divided by the tensile strength of the material, where the net stress is the average stress divided by the cross-sectional area of the portion of the smallest cross-section. Considering both the results of finite element analysis and the tensile tests, we found that the COV of the elastic stress distribution δ, width-thickness ratio W/t, and area-reduction ratio γ are factors that influence strength. For our test results and those of others, we computed the maximum strength ratio β by our evaluating equation. The evaluated values showed close agreement with test results.
