scholarly journals Variability and Lower Bound of Fracture Toughness of Welds in the Ductile to Brittle Transition Regime

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 732-737
Author(s):  
H.J. Schindler ◽  
D. Kalkhof ◽  
H.W. Viehrig
Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1224
Author(s):  
Maria S. Yankova ◽  
Andrey P. Jivkov ◽  
Rajesh Patel

Ductile-to-brittle-transition refers to observable change in fracture mode with decreasing temperature—from slow ductile crack growth to rapid cleavage. It is exhibited by body-centred cubic metals and presents a challenge for integrity assessment of structural components made of such metals. Local approaches to cleavage fracture, based on Weibull stress as a cleavage crack-driving force, have been shown to predict fracture toughness at very low temperatures. However, they are ineffective in the transition regime without the recalibration of Weibull stress parameters, which requires further testing and thus diminishes their predictive capability. We propose new Weibull stress formulation with thinning function based on obstacle hardening model, which modifies the number of cleavage-initiating features with temperature. Our model is implemented as a post-processor of finite element analysis results. It is applied to analyses of standard compact tension specimens of typical reactor pressure vessel steel, for which deformation and fracture toughness properties in the transition regime are available. It is shown that the new Weibull stress is independent of temperature, and of Weibull shape parameter, within the experimental error. It accurately predicts the fracture toughness at any temperature in the transition regime without relying upon empirical fits for the first time.


Author(s):  
Z. X. Wang ◽  
H. M. Li ◽  
Y. J. Chao ◽  
P. S. Lam

Finite element method was used to analyze the three-point bend experimental data of A533B-1 pressure vessel steel obtained by Sherry, Lidbury, and Beardsmore [1] from −160 to −45 °C within the ductile-brittle transition regime. As many researchers have shown, the failure stress (σf) of the material could be approximated as a constant. The characteristic length, or the critical distance (rc) from the crack tip, at which σf is reached, is shown to be temperature dependent based on the crack tip stress field calculated by the finite element method. With the J-A2 two-parameter constraint theory in fracture mechanics, the fracture toughness (JC or KJC) can be expressed as a function of the constraint level (A2) and the critical distance rc. This relationship is used to predict the fracture toughness of A533B-1 in the ductile-brittle transition regime with a constant σf and a set of temperature-dependent rc. It can be shown that the prediction agrees well with the test data for wide range of constraint levels from shallow cracks (a/W = 0.075) to deep cracks (a/W = 0.5), where a is the crack length and W is the specimen width.


Author(s):  
Sarah Gehrlicher ◽  
Michael Seidenfuss ◽  
Xaver Schuler

In nuclear power engineering failure has to be excluded for components with high safety relevance. Currently, safety assessments mainly use fracture mechanics concepts. Especially in the transition region of fracture toughness where limited stable crack extension may appear before cleavage fracture the currently applied methods are limited. This Paper deals with the development and verification of a closed concept for safety assessment of components over the whole range from the lower shelf to the upper shelf of fracture toughness. The results of classical used local damage mechanics models depend on the element size of the numerical model. This disadvantage can be avoided using an element size depending on microstructure. With high stress gradients and small crack growth rates usually smaller elements are required. This is in conflict with an element size depending on microstructure. By including the damage gradient as an additional degree of freedom in the damage mechanics model the results depend no longer at the element size. In the paper damage mechanics computations with a nonlocal formulation of the Rousselier model are carried out for the evaluation of the upper transition area. For the prediction of fracture toughness from the ductile to brittle transition area the nonlocal Rousselier model is coupled with the Beremin model. Thus ductile crack growth and failure by brittle fracture can be described in parallel. The numerical prediction of the behaviour of fracture toughness specimens (C(T)-specimens and SE(B)-specimens with and without side grooves) and the experimental results are highly concordant. The load displacement behavior of the specimens and the developed crack front from the ductile to brittle transition area can be well calculated with the nonlocal damage model. The instability in relation to temperature calculated with the coupled damage mechanics model predicts the variations of the experimental results very well. For further application of the nonlocal Rousselier model experiments and numerical calculations of specimens with different stress states and multi-axiality are carried out. Modified fracture toughness specimens like CTS-specimens (compact tension shear specimens) are taken to investigate the applicability of the nonlocal damage model of Rousselier to mixed mode fracture.


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