PLANE STRAIN FRACTURE TOUGHNESS

TEST METHODS:

This test method involves testing of notched specimens that have been pre-
cracked in fatigue by loading either in tension or three-point bending. Different
types of testing specimens configurations are :
Bend Specimen SE(B)
Compact Specimen C(T)
Arc-Shaped Tension Specimen A(T)
Disk-Shaped Compact Specimen DC(T)
Arc-Shaped Bend Specimen A(B)

After the notch is machined in the specimen,the sharpest possible crack is

produced at the notch root by fatiguing the specimen in a low cycle high strain
mode (1000 cycles with a strain of 0.03). Load versus displacement
across the notch at the specimen edge is recorded autographically.

The type I curve represent the behaviour for a wide variety of ductile metals.

The type II curve has a point where there is a sharp drop in load followed by a
recovery of load . The load drop arises from sudden unstable, rapid crack
propagation.

The type III curve shows complete “pop in “ instability where the initial crack
movements propagate rapidly to complete failure. This type of curve is
characteristics of a very brittle “elastic material”.
The ASTM procedure is to draw the secant line OPS from the origin with the
slope that is 5% less than tangent OA. Now we draw a horizontal line at a load
equal to 80% of PS and determines the distance x1 along this line from the
tangent OA to the actual curve. If x1 exceeds one-fourth of xs, the material is
too ductile to obtain a valid KIC value. The KIC value is calculated from the load
PQ by equations that have been established on the basis of elastic stress analysis of specimens of the types
described in this method.

SIGNIFICANCE
1. The KIc value of a given material is a function of testing speed and
temperature. Crack extension under cyclic or sustained load will be increased
by the presence of an aggressive environment. Therefore, application of KIc in
the design of service components should be made with awareness to the
difference that may exist between the laboratory tests and field conditions.
2. Clearly it will not be possible to determine KIc if any dimension of the
available stock of a material is insufficient to provide a specimen of the required
size. In such a case the specimen strength ratio determined by this method will
often have useful significance.