Rationale

The purpose of this work item is to consider potential changes to the requirements of paragraph 6.2 (shown below) which describes how the notch is formed for specimen in this method. The current method prohibits the forming of the notch via machining. Data should be developed to evaluate the effect of a machined notch vs. the current requirement for a pressed notch. 6.2 The notch shall be pressed to the depth shown in Fig. 1 with a sharp tool-steel chisel with an included angle of 45° ± 2°. Machined notches are prohibited. NOTE 4—The notch radius obtained with a sharp tool-steel chisel is normally between 0.013?mm to 0.025 mm. When many specimens are to be tested, it is helpful to use a jig that will guide the chisel and stop it at the proper depth.