Abstract

This study compares various test methods and estimation procedures that are available for determining the fracture toughness of steels. The ASTM Test for Plane-Strain Fracture Toughness of Metallic Materials (E 399), the energy rate test, and the multiple identical specimen crack growth resistance R curve test for elastic-plastic fracture toughness JIc determination are compared. Various formulations for plane-strain fracture toughness KIc and JIc estimation are also compared. Comparison of the test methods indicates that, for ductile steels, the multiple identical specimen R curve test is the most promising. It is suggested that the total areas be used for calculation of J from Rice's approximate formulation for three-point bend specimens of ductile steels and crack-contributed areas for brittle steel three-point bend specimens.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Keywords:
fracture (materials), toughness, mechanical properties, cracks, steels, elastic-plastic fracture, linear elastic fracture, tests, estimation methods

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