Concept:
In brittle materials, fracture strength is highly sensitive to surface flaws such as scratches, cracks, and micro-defects. This phenomenon is known as the Joffe effect.
Step 1: Understand brittle fracture behavior.
Brittle solids fail due to crack propagation, and surface defects act as stress concentrators.
Step 2: Define Joffe effect.
The Joffe effect states that:
\[
\text{fracture strength of brittle solids depends strongly on surface condition}
\]
Even minor surface damage drastically reduces strength.
Step 3: Evaluate other effects.
• Hall-Petch → grain size strengthening
• Bauschinger → reverse loading plasticity
• PLC effect → serrated yielding
Final Answer:
\[
\boxed{\text{Joffe effect}}
\]