Mechanistic Prediction of Fracture Processes in Ferritic Steel Welds Within the Transition Temperature Regime

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Busso ◽  
Y. Lei ◽  
N. P. O’Dowd ◽  
G. A. Webster

This work examines the fracture behavior of ferritic steel welds in the transition temperature regime, where failure can occur either by ductile tearing or cleavage fracture. A computational and probabilistic-based mechanistic approach to cleavage fracture and ductile crack growth is adopted to model the fracture processes. The softening effect of ductile damage close to the crack tip is described by a Gurson-type material model. A statistical approach linked to both the Weibull stress and the initial void volume fraction is employed to determine the probability of cleavage fracture and the coupling between both fracture mechanisms. Finite element results are relied upon to interpret experimental fracture toughness data for the welds and to examine the effects of near crack tip damage and crack growth on the cleavage failure probabilities and cleavage and ductile fracture toughness distributions. The scatter in the weld experimental fracture toughness data is well reproduced by the proposed cleavage and ductile tearing models.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Pothana ◽  
G. Wilkowski ◽  
S. Kalyanam ◽  
J. K. Hong ◽  
C. J. Sallaberry

Abstract A new approach was implemented to confirm the start of ductile tearing relative to assessments by other methods such as direct-current Electric Potential (d-c EP) method in coupon specimens. This approach was developed on the Key-Curve methodology by Ernst/Joyce and is similar to the ASTM E-1820 Load Normalization procedure used to determine J-R curves directly from load versus Load-Line Displacement (LLD) record of the test specimen. It is consistent with Deformation Plasticity relationships for fully plastic behavior. Using this Experimental Key-Curve method, crack initiation can be determined directly from load versus LLD data or load versus Crack-Mouth Opening Displacement (CMOD) obtained from a fracture test without the need for additional instrumentation required for crack initiation detection. It is based on the fact that plastic deformation of homogeneous metals at the crack tip follows a power-law function until the crack tearing initiates. Crack tearing initiation is determined at the point where the power-law fit to the load versus plastic part of CMOD or LLD curve deviates from the total experimental load versus plastic-CMOD or LLD curve. The procedure for fitting of the data requires some care to be exercised such that the fitted data is beyond the elastic region and early small-scale plastic region of the Load-CMOD or Load-LLD curve but include data before crack initiation. An iterative regression analysis was done to achieve this, which is shown in this paper. The iterative fitting in this region typically results with a coefficient of determination (R2) values that are greater than 0.990. This method can be either used in conjunction with other methods such as direct-current Electric Potential (d-c EP) or unloading-compliance methods as a secondary (or primary) confirmation of crack tearing initiation (and even for crack growth); or can be used alone when other methods cannot be used. Furthermore, when using instrumentation methods for determining crack-initiation such as d-c EP method in a fracture toughness test, it is good to have a secondary confirmation of the initiation point in case of instrumentation malfunction or high signal to noise ratio in the measured d-c EP signals. In addition, the Experimental Key-Curve procedure provides relatively smooth data for the fitting procedure, while unloading-compliance data when used to get small crack growth values frequently has significant variability, which is part of the reason that JIC by ASTM E1820 is determined using an offset with some growth past the very start of ductile tearing. In this work, the Experimental Key-Curve method had been successfully used to determine crack tearing initiation and demonstrate the applicability for different fracture toughness specimen geometries such as SEN(T), and C(T) specimens. In all the cases analyzed, the Experimental Key-Curve method gave consistent results that were in good agreement with other crack tearing initiation measuring method such as d-c EP but seemed to result in less scatter.


1993 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-645
Author(s):  
N. Nakajima ◽  
J. L. Liu

Abstract The effect of gel on the fracture toughness of four PVC/NBR (50/50) blends was characterized by two different J- integral methods. Three of these blends are compatible blends with 33% acrylonitrile in NBRs, and the fourth with 21% acrylonitrile content, is an incompatible blend. Two types of gel are involved in this study microgels and macrogels. The J-integral methods are (1) conventional method proposed by Bagley and Landes and (2) crack initiation locus method proposed by Kim and Joe. The same load-displacement curves are used in both methods. However, the latter eliminates the energy dissipation away from the crack tip in the determination of Jc, while the former does not. Both methods produced almost the same results indicating that the energy dissipation away from the crack tip is negligible in these samples. The fracture toughness of a macrogel-containing blend is much greater than that of a microgel-containing blend, which, in turn, is only slightly greater than that of a gel-free blend. This implies that the two gel-containing blends have different fracture processes. The incompatible blend has the lowest fracture toughness due to weak interaction at the boundaries of the two phases.


Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guian Qian ◽  
Wei-Sheng Lei ◽  
Zhenfeng Tong ◽  
Zhishui Yu

It is a conventional practice to adopt Weibull statistics with a modulus of 4 for characterizing the statistical distribution of cleavage fracture toughness of ferritic steels, albeit based on a rather weak physical justification. In this study, a statistical model for cleavage fracture toughness of ferritic steels is proposed according to a new local approach model. The model suggests that there exists a unique correlation of the cumulative failure probability, fracture toughness and yield strength. This correlation is validated by the Euro fracture toughness dataset for 1CT specimens at four different temperatures, which deviates from the Weibull statistical model with a modulus of four.


Author(s):  
Ali N. Mehmanparast ◽  
Catrin M. Davies ◽  
Robert C. Wimpory ◽  
Kamran M. Nikbin

High temperature components generally undergo cyclic loading conditions. Prior tensile/compressive loading of a fracture specimen can induce compressive/tensile residual stress fields at the crack tip. These residual stresses will influence the subsequent fracture behaviour of the cracked body. This work forms part of a project to examine the influence of creep induced damage at a crack tip on subsequent fatigue crack growth and fracture toughness properties of austenitic type 316H stainless steel. Creep damage is introduced local to the crack tip of a fracture specimen by interrupting a creep crack growth test, performed at 550 °C. Prior to testing, the material was pre-compressed in order to strain harden the material. The compact tension, C(T), specimen geometry has been considered in this work. Since residual stresses are known to influence fatigue and fracture toughness properties of a cracked body, it is important that the residual stress levels at the crack tip are quantified. Neutron diffraction (ND) measurements have therefore been performed to quantify the extent of residual stress in these samples after initial loading, and compared to finite element model predictions. Two specimens have been considered with the crack plane orientated in parallel and perpendicular to the pre-compression direction. Compressive residual stresses of around 100 MPa have been measured directly ahead of the crack tip. Reasonable predictions of the principal residual stress distributions have been obtained by the simplified FE analysis. Though the tensile properties differ significantly in for specimens orientated parallel and perpendicular to the pre-compression direction, no significant differences in the residual stress field are predicted in the C(T) specimens orientated in both directions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 197-198 ◽  
pp. 1595-1598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Xu ◽  
Yu Fan

This paper studies the effects of temperature and crack tip constraint on cleavage fracture toughness of the weld thermal simulated X80 pipeline steels. A large number of fracture toughness (as denoted by CTOD) tests together with 3D finite element analysis are performed using single edge notched bending (SENB) and tension (SENT) specimens at different temperatures. Coarse-grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) is considered as the material microstructure in preparation of the weld thermal simulated fracture mechanics specimens.


Author(s):  
Frank Abdi ◽  
Cody Godines ◽  
Michael J. Presby ◽  
Amir Eftekharian ◽  
Jalees Ahmad ◽  
...  

Abstract The objective of this effort is to predict ceramic matrix composites (CMC) interlaminar Mode II Crack Growth Resistance (CGR), and the design of ASTM test specimen. Currently, there are a number of test standards and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for CMC’s at both ambient and elevated temperatures; however, there are no standardized test methods for determination of interlaminar shear (Mode II) fracture toughness in CMC’s. Although research work exists on interlaminar Mode II fracture toughness of CMC’s, the test methods applied showed definite drawbacks and limitations. Delamination Crack Growth (CGR) tests of CMC Mode II may exhibit zig-zag pattern, wavy cracks, fiber bridging, and premature specimen failure under bending load. The experimental parameters that may contribute to the difficulty can be summarized as specimen width and thickness, interface coating thickness, mixed mode failure evolution, and interlaminar defects. Modes II crack growth resistances, GII, were analytically and numerically determined at ambient temperature using end notched flexure (ENF) and the end-loaded split (ELS). Finite Element (FE) based. Multi-scale progressive failure analysis (MS-PFA) a combined Micro-mechanical damage and fracture mechanics Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) algorithms. Modeling of melt-infiltrated SiC/SiC CMC of ENF specimen (Laminate: with initial crack length was accomplished using a MS-PFA and VCCT approach. Test data were compared with MS-PFA prediction: a) Force vs. Crack Opening Displacement; and b) Mode II crack tip energy release rate vs. crack extension length for both edge and center line due to formation of Micro Crack Density Contribution, Crack Tip Stiffness Reduction; and c) zig-zag crack growth behavior (adhesive/cohesive). Next the ASTM Standard Proposed linear SGR equation was developed based on interpretation compliance technique from both MS-PFA Analysis and Test.


Author(s):  
Colin J. Madew ◽  
David W. Beardsmore ◽  
Richard O. Howells

Current assessments of pressurised components use fracture data collected on conventional size, 25 mm and 10 mm thick fracture specimens. It would be advantageous to be able to measure fracture toughness on what has commonly been termed miniature specimens (i.e. smaller than 10mm) as this would allow a more economical use of available plant material. However, tests on miniature specimens generally produce values of fracture toughness which over-estimate the fracture toughness of the material (as evaluated from the 25 mm or 10 mm specimens). In particular, the measured scatter in the data exhibits lower-bound values that are higher than the values obtained with conventional size specimens. A study has thus been undertaken in order to examine a methodology to derive fracture toughness from miniature specimens and allow a better determination of the lower-bound values. When cleavage fracture toughness tests are carried out using miniature specimens, the values of critical J obtained do not directly determine the cleavage fracture toughness of the material. This is because a loss of crack-tip constraint will generally occur before fracture. In such cases, it is necessary to apply an appropriate constraint correction to map the measured values to their equivalent small-scale yielding values. This paper uses a method for carrying out constraint corrections in order to assess data obtained from a recent UK miniature fracture toughness specimen testing programme. The method is based on the notion of matching areas enclosed by a same-stress contour of maximum principal stress around the crack tip in the specimen and small-scale yielding geometries. In applying the method, two-dimensional, plane strain finite element models of the specimen geometries have been developed together with a boundary layer model of the reference small-scale yielding condition to determine the appropriate areas.


Author(s):  
Robin J. Smith ◽  
Andrew H. Sherry ◽  
Anthony J. Horn ◽  
Adam C. Bannister

This research develops an engineering approach which permits the treatment of Charpy specimen absorbed energy data in the lower transition of Charpy specimen fracture behaviour. The procedure has been shown to be applicable to a ferritic steel study material. The calculation method comprises several steps to correct the input Charpy data to the equivalent material fracture toughness of a ferritic steel under consideration. The engineering procedure develops existing methods for constraint and notch correction to data [Sherry et al, EFM 2005] [Horn and Sherry, IJPVP 2012]. Micromechanical modeling of cleavage fracture behaviour has been applied in conjunction with sequential experimental testing. This work addresses the important geometric differences between a single edge notch bend, SEN(B), fracture toughness specimen and the standard Charpy V-notch specimen. The engineering approach is demonstrated using a suitable study ferritic steel material and by undertaking an experimental laboratory testing programme comprising standard fracture toughness specimens and non-standard U-notch and V-notch Charpy sized specimens with a range of notch geometries. It has been found that constraint and notch assessment methodologies premised upon micro-mechanical modeling of cleavage fracture offer an accurate probabilistic description of fracture behaviour in these specimen geometries. Refinement of a notch angle correction is necessary within the procedure. These findings permit the extension of the approach to develop a material specific guidance to practitioners undertaking structural integrity assessments. The final extension of the research to Charpy impact data requires the measurement of ferritic steel material flow behaviour under dynamic conditions and represents further research.


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