SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1994
STP13706S

A Theoretical Framework for Addressing Fracture in the Ductile-Brittle Transition Region

Source

Fracture in the ductile-brittle transition region of ferritic steels is complicated by scatter, produced by local sampling effects, and specimen geometry dependence, which results from relaxation in crack tip constraint. Scatter and constraint are interrelated in that each influences the magnitude of the other. This article summarizes recent research on fracture in the transition region and presents a unified framework for addressing size effects and scatter.

A stress volume model for quantifying constraint effects is described briefly, and a comparison between theory and experiment is presented. This model has been applied only to stationary cracks in plane strain, but methods to account for ductile crack growth and three-dimensional effects are described.

The inadequacies of the weakest link model for cleavage fracture are discussed, and an improved statistical model is introduced. This new model considers the probability of propagation and arrest of cleavage microcracks.

A number of recommendations for analyzing cleavage fracture toughness data are presented. Transition region data for a given material should be viewed as a statistical distribution rather than a single value. However, these data should be corrected for constraint effects and ductile crack growth before applying statistical analysis. One of several statistical distributions may be applied to cleavage data; each of the proposed distribution functions has advantages and disadvantages. One of the unknowns in transition region fracture is the threshold toughness of the material, that is, the absolute lower bound.

Author Information

Anderson, TL
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Stienstra, D
Rose-Hullman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN
Dodds, RH
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Price: $25.00
Contact Sales
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Developed by Committee: E08
Pages: 186–214
DOI: 10.1520/STP13706S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5270-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-1990-1