SEDL / STP / STP711-EB / STP27454S

Fast Fracture Toughness and Crack Arrest Toughness of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel

Hahn, GT
Professors of materials, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn

Hoagland, RG
Professors of materials, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn

Lereim, J
Research engineer, Det norske Veritas, Oslo,

Markworth, AJ
Principal researchers, Battelle Columbus Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio

Rosenfield, AR
Principal researchers, Battelle Columbus Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio

Pages: 32    Published: Jan 1980

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Abstract

Crack propagation and arrest measurements have been made using six pressure vessel steels and a submerged-arc weldment. The base-metal crack arrest toughness, K^Im, is found to increase linearly with temperature above nil-ductility transition (NDT), and between NDT and (NDT + 100°C) is substantially greater than K^IR. NDT is found to be a more consistent reference temperature than room temperature NDT (RT^NDT). It is suggested that the absolute value of K^Im at any temperature is composed of cleavage and dimpled-rupture contributions, with regions of dimpled rupture being contained in shear walls normal to the crack plane and parallel to the direction of crack travel. Shear walls which do not completely fracture are the source of unbroken ligaments observed on the fracture surface. The arrest toughness of the weldment is significantly lower than that of the baseplate and displays little evidence of unbroken ligaments or shear walls.