Examination of the effects of specimen geometry on single edge-cracked tension specimens

•Single edge notch samples have complex K-solutions.•Two single edge notch geometries are evaluated for load distance introduction effects.•Non-dimensional correction factors were validated for one of the geometries. Single edge notch samples are popular for fatigue crack growth rate testing, particularly in aggressive environment because the geometry is very easy to place into a chamber and the material used is minimal. Several publications have highlighted K-solutions related to a variety of single edge notch geometries and several have highlighted concerns about how the K-solution for these samples is dependent on the exact loading geometry and stiffness. This publication focuses on the validation of K-solutions published for the Modified Single Edge-Crack (MSE(T)) specimen with uniaxial loading without rotation. Specifically, the effect of the gripping distance (H) to width (W) ratio of the sample is evaluated.