SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1998
STP37998S

Using Small Cracked Round Bars to Measure the Fracture Toughness of a Pressure Vessel Steel Weldment: A Feasibility Study

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The research objectives were to demonstrate the feasibility of using small fatigue precracked round bars to measure the initiation fracture toughness of ductile nuclear pressure vessel steels and weldments and to refine and validate experiment and analysis procedures. Initiation fracture toughness values were measured for a duplicate of HSSI Weld 72W, unirradiated, in the temperature range -150° to 50°C, using small cracked round bar (CRB) specimens. The results were compared with the values obtained with 1T-CT specimens. The good agreement between the toughness values measured with CRB and 1T-CT specimens indicates that using small CRB specimens (possibly cut from Charpy bars) to measure fracture toughness is feasible. A relationship between J and the displacement due to the crack δcr, where δcr is obtained from extensometer measurements, was established experimentally. Fracture initiation in CRBs of the size investigated here occurred at or near maximum load, with the crack growth prior to maximum load being less than 200 εm. This observation, together with the unique relationship between J and δcr, open the possibility of greatly simplified testing and data reduction procedures for fracture experiments with CRB.

Author Information

Giovanola, JH
Poulter Laboratory, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
Klopp, RW
Poulter Laboratory, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
Crocker, JE
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Alexander, DJ
Metals and Ceramics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Corwin, WR
Metals and Ceramics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Nanstad, RK
Metals and Ceramics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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Details
Developed by Committee: E10
Pages: 328–352
DOI: 10.1520/STP37998S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5565-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-2476-9