A notch is basically each change of the cross-section of a component.
It may come from drill holes, grooves or cross-sectional variations. Notches result in uneven stress distribution, leading to stress peaks – known as the notch effect.
The notch effect reduces the loading capacity, which makes it a crucial parameter when calculating the mechanical strength of components or constructions.
It especially appears when the component is under tensile, compressive, bending, shearing or torsional stress.
The notch effect or the stress peaks can lead to early failure, so it is normally considered a negative impact.
A solution is to design the component sufficiently large.
Surface effect is just the change in micro view of surface texture, pattern and roughness due to external loading.