Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Energy Efficient Technologies for Sustainability–ICEETS’18.

St.Xavier’s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil, TamilNadu, India, from 5th to 7th April, 2018.
Available in SSRN eLibrary of ELSEVIER

Analysis Of Ductile-To-Brittle Transition Temperature Of

Stainless Steels
1 2
S. V. Ajeesh , Prof. V. Kumeresan
1
PG Engineering Design Scholar, Dept. of Mechanical engineering,
Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, India.
2
Asst. Prof (Sr.Gr), Dept. of Mechanical engineering,
Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, India.

Abstract
All ferrous materials exhibit a transition from ductile to brittle when tested above and below a certain temperature, called as
Transition Temperature. The Ductile-to-Brittle Transition Temperature is a phenomenon which is mainly observed in
metals. Below the particular temperature the material suddenly losses its ductility and it changes from ductile to brittle
material. This paper mainly deals with the analysis and comparison of „Ductile to Brittle Transition Temperature of
Stainless Steels TP 304 and 316. Work is carried out in the Charpy impact test experiment, The Charpy impact test is a
standardized high strain test which determines the amount of energy absorbed by different materials. The amount of energy
absorbed gives the material‟s toughness and this property is used to study the ductile-brittle transition. The specimens then
keep in the dry ice for cooling for soaking time of 15 min. Then the sample pieces are loaded into the apparatus and the
pendulum hammer strikes the notched sample. The notch is put in the sample to initiate the crack propagation. After the
impact the sample is removed and examined. If the material breaks on a flat surface then it is classified as brittle, if it is a
jagged surface then it is classified as ductile. The graph of energy absorbed vs temperature is plotted to get the range of
transition temperature.

Introduction
Over 5000 Liberty ships and T-2 tanks were mass produce in the world war II. Of there 1000 suffered significant failures
(some of there broke into two) between 1942 – 1946 because of low temperature, while 200 suffered serious fractures
(1942 - 1952). Failure rate is astronomical in North atlantic because of very cold water, but the failure rate is non existent in
south pacific because of warm water. In Rivet ships the weld should be very weight, but because of mass production they
reduced the weight of weld and thus leads to failure. Failure should be analysed to understand the design and Construction
how it is constructed. In 1943, T2 tanks broke into two in cold water (4.5°C) of swan island while tied to a dock. These
calamities focused attention on the fact that normally ductile steel can become brittle under certain conditions.

Fig.1 Liberty Ship & Brittle Fracture Seen In Liberty Ship

The failure of many of the World War II Liberty ships is a well-known and dramatic example of the brittle fracture of steel
that was thought to be ductile. Some of the early ships experienced structural damage when cracks developed in their decks
and hulls. Three of them catastrophically split in half when cracks formed, grew to critical lengths, and then rapidly

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 Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Energy Efficient Technologies for Sustainability–ICEETS’18.
St.Xavier’s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil, TamilNadu, India, from 5th to 7th April, 2018.
Available in SSRN eLibrary of ELSEVIER

propagated completely around the ships‟ girths. Figure 1 shown is one of the ships that fractured the day after it was
launched.
Major Accidents Happened In Indian Navy
 January 2008: INS Sindhughosh, a Kilo-class submarine, collided with a foreign merchant vessel MV Leeds
Castle while trying to surface in waters north of Mumbai.[9] The submarine was taking part in fleet-level war
games, when the accident occurred. The Navy termed it a minor incident with no casualties reported.

 December 2013: INS Konkan, a Pondicherry-class minesweeper under the Eastern Naval Command, caught fire at
the naval dockyard at Visakhapatnam while undergoing repairs. The fire engulfed much of the ship's interior
before it was extinguished. No casualties were reported.

 March 2014: INS Kolkata had a malfunction on board which led to a toxic gas leak killing Commander Kuntal
Wadhwa instantly. It seems that the ship suffered malfunction in its carbon dioxide unit while undergoing
machinery trials, leading to gas leakage. Since the ship was not commissioned at the time of the incident, the
enquiry into the mishap will be done by Mazagon Dock Limited, where the ship was constructed.

 March 2016: A fire broke out on the soon-to-be decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat which resulted in the
death of one and the injury of three others.

 January 2017: A minor fire broke out at 11.40am on 10 January in the Gyro compartment of INS Pralay during
welding work at Mumbai naval dockyard. The fire was extinguished by the ship's staff and the Naval Dockyard
fire station and no one was injured during the incident

From the above data we can observe that major accidents have been occurring in winter season for the above
mentioned and such similar problem it becomes necessary to find out at what temperature the transition occurs and which
material is best to use at cold atmosphere or at polar region. I.e. the material loses its toughness and ductility and loses its
strength. The proposed project deals with finding out transition temperature and comparing strength of following material
below room temperature and also below zero degree temperature.

Ductile to Brittle Transition temperature

The notched-bar impact test can be used to determine whether or not a material experiences a ductile-to-brittle transition as
the temperature is decreased. In such a transition, at higher temperatures the impact energy is relatively large since the
fracture is ductile. As the temperature is lowered, the impact energy drops over a narrow temperature range as the fracture
becomes more brittle. The transition can also be observed from the fracture surfaces, which appear fibrous or dull for
totally ductile fracture, and granular and shiny for totally brittle fracture. Over the ductile-to-brittle transition features of
both types will exist. While for pure materials the transition may occur very suddenly at a particular temperature, for many
materials the transition occurs over a range of temperatures. This causes difficulties when trying to define a single
transition temperature, and no specific criterion has been established. If a material experiences a ductile-to-brittle transition,
the temperature at which it occurs can be affected by the variables mentioned earlier, namely the strain rate, the size and
shape of the specimen and the relative dimensions of the notch.

Fig.2 Ductile to Brittle Transition Graph

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 Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Energy Efficient Technologies for Sustainability–ICEETS’18.
St.Xavier’s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil, TamilNadu, India, from 5th to 7th April, 2018.
Available in SSRN eLibrary of ELSEVIER

Fracture toughness of ferrite steels change drastically over a small temperature range. At low temperature steel is brittle and
fails by a cleavage. At high temperature steel is ductile and fails by plastic collapse and micro coalescence. In metals,
plastic deformation at room temperature occurs by dislocation motion. The stress required to move a dislocation depends
on the atomic bonding, crystal structure, and obstacles such as solute atoms, grain boundaries, precipitate particles and
other dislocations. If the stress required to move the dislocation is too high, the metal will fail instead by the propagation of
cracks and the failure will be brittle. Thus, either plastic flow (ductile failure) or crack propagation (brittle failure) will
occur, depending on which process requires the smaller applied stress.

Specimen Test by Charpy Impact Method

The Charpy impact test, also known as the Charpy V-notch test, is a standardized high strain-rate test which determines the
amount of energy absorbed by a material during fracture. This absorbed energy is a measure of a given
material's notch toughness and acts as a tool to study temperature-dependent ductile-brittle transition. It is widely applied in
industry, since it is easy to prepare and conduct and results can be obtained quickly and cheaply. The apparatus consists of
a pendulum of known mass and length that is dropped from a known height to impact a notched specimen of material. The
energy transferred to the material can be inferred by comparing the difference in the height of the hammer before and after
the fracture. The notch in the sample affects the results of the impact test, thus it is necessary for the notch to be of regular
dimensions and geometry. The quantitative result of the impact tests the energy needed to fracture a material and can be
used to measure the toughness of the material. There is a connection to the yield strength but it cannot be expressed by a
standard formula. Also, the strain rate may be studied and analyzed for its effect on fracture. The ductile-brittle transition
temperature (DBTT) may be derived from the temperature where the energy needed to fracture the material drastically
changes. However, in practice there is no sharp transition and it is difficult to obtain a precise transition temperature (it is
really a transition region). An exact DBTT may be empirically derived in many ways: a specific absorbed energy, change
in aspect of fracture (such as 50% of the area is cleavage),
According to ASTM A370, the standard specimen size for Charpy impact testing is 10 mm × 10mm × 55mm. Subsize
specimen sizes are: 10 mm × 7.5 mm × 55mm, 10 mm × 6.7 mm × 55 mm, 10 mm × 5 mm × 55 mm, 10 mm × 3.3 mm ×
55 mm, 10 mm × 2.5 mm × 55 mm. Details of specimens as per ASTM A370 (Standard Test Method and Definitions for
Mechanical Testing of Steel Products).

Fig.3 Typical Specimen for V-notch Charpy Test

The impact energy of low-strength metals that do not show change of fracture mode with temperature is usually high and
insensitive to temperature. For these reasons, impact tests are not widely used for assessing the fracture-resistance of low-
strength materials whose fracture modes remain unchanged with temperature. Impact tests typically show a ductile-brittle
transition for low-strength materials that do exhibit change in fracture mode with temperature such as body-centered cubic
(BCC) transition metals. Generally high-strength materials have low impact energies which attest to the fact that fractures
easily initiate and propagate in high-strength materials. The impact energies of high-strength materials other than steels or
BCC transition metals are usually insensitive to temperature. High-strength BCC steels display a wider variation of impact
energy than high-strength metal that do not have a BCC structure because steels undergo microscopic ductile-brittle
transition. Regardless, the maximum impact energy of high-strength steels is still low due to their brittleness.

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 Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Energy Efficient Technologies for Sustainability–ICEETS’18.
St.Xavier’s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil, TamilNadu, India, from 5th to 7th April, 2018.
Available in SSRN eLibrary of ELSEVIER

Material Specification
After studying the applications of various materials the materials selected for DBTT determination are following
STAINLESS STEELS

Chemical composition
TP 304 TP 316
Carbon max.0.08 Carbon max.0.08
Manganese 2.0 Manganese 2.0
Phosphorus max.0.045 Phosphorus max.0.045
Sulfur 0.03 Sulfur 0.03
Silicon max. 1.0 Silicon max. 1.0
Chromium 18.0 – 20.0 Chromium 16.0 – 18.0
Nickel 8.0 – 11.0 Nickel 11.0 – 14.0

Mechanical Properties
TP 304 TP 316
Tensile strength- 505 MPa Tensile strength- 580 MPa
Charpy Impact- 325J Charpy Impact- 105J
Rockwell Hardness- 70 Rockwell Hardness- 79
Modulus of Elasticity- 193- 200 GPA Modulus of Elasticity- 193 GPA

Heat Treatment
TP 304
Stainless steel 304 cannot be hardened by heat treatment.
Solution treatment or annealing can be done by rapid
cooling after heating to 1010-1120°C
TP 316
Type 316 cannot be hardened by heat treatment. For the
Type 316 alloy the solution anneal is accomplished by
heating in the 1900 to 2150° F (1040 to 1175° C)
temperature range followed by air cooling or a water
quench, depending on section thickness.

Speciman Preperation
The specimen for the charpy impact testing of required dimensions and tolerances are prepared as per ASTM A370
standards. The drawing of the specimen is as shown in fig Specimen have 10 *10 mm crosssection, 55mm length having a
V-notch at centre. V-notch has 2mm depth and 45° notch angle.

Fig.4 Specimen Drawing As Per ASTM A370 Standards

Experimentation
Check that the operating of the impact testing machine is at the “Brake” position and that the Release stop is installed.
Study the Charpy Impact Testing Machine and the two energy scales. Practice the proper method to grip the specimen
using the special purpose tongs provided. Also learn to mount the specimen properly in the impact testing machine. Turn

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 Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Energy Efficient Technologies for Sustainability–ICEETS’18.
St.Xavier’s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil, TamilNadu, India, from 5th to 7th April, 2018.
Available in SSRN eLibrary of ELSEVIER

the operating lever to “latch” position raise the pendulum to the lower energy or higher energy position depending upon the
temperature at which the test is to be done. Keep all parts of your body well away from under the pendulum until the test is
completed. Adjust the recording pointer on the energy scale such that it touches the moving pointer at the proper scale.
Gripping a EN-19 specimen with the tongs‟ immerse it into the dry ice provided and hold until the liquid nitrogen stops
boiling. Remove the specimen from the dry ice bath and, without any loss of time, mount it into the impact testing machine.
Keeping a good distance from the machine, Turn the operating lever to “Release” position. The pendulum will swing down,
hit the specimen, break it and swing up to the other side. Turn the operating lever to “Break” position. Read on the scale the
value of the impact energy absorbed by the specimen for the fracture. Repeat the steps for the various temperatures. The
temperatures can be achieved by keeping the specimen into constant temperature baths of dry ice and boiling water. Repeat
the steps for the different steel specimen specified at the beginning. The values thus obtained is noted and the graph is
drawn between energy absorbed and temperature.

Test Temperatures
To attain the required temperatures for testing specimens was been kept in dry ice for soaking time of 10 min. After
attaining required temperature, specimen was placed on anvil of test rig within 5 sec.
DRY ICE -35
ROOM TEMPERATURE +35°C

Maximum Impact Energy(joules) 300

Pendulum drop angle (degree) 140
Pendulum effective weight (kg) 21.300
Striking Velocity of pendulum (m/sec) 5.308
Min. scale graduation (joules) 2
Distance between specimen anvils (mm) 40
Fig.5 Impact Testing Machine & its Specifications

Results
Temperature Vs Energy absorbed graph for Stainless Steels TP 304 and TP 316,

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 Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Energy Efficient Technologies for Sustainability–ICEETS’18.
St.Xavier’s Catholic College of Engineering, Nagercoil, TamilNadu, India, from 5th to 7th April, 2018.
Available in SSRN eLibrary of ELSEVIER

Temperature Vs Energy
200
TP 304
150
TP 316

Energy
100

50

0
-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0
Temperature -50
Conclusions
From above graph we can conclude that for Stainless Steels (TP 304 and TP 316), the energy absorbed by specimen is very
low between -20°C to -30°C so DBTT is in between -20°C to 30°C. Also the graph shows that the energy absorbed during
impact loading is higher in TP 304 whereas in TP 316 lesser enegy absorption is found under the same condition. So on
using TP 304 stainless steel over TP 316 stainless steel can prolong the lifespan of the component used in specific
applications.

References
[1] M.Bruchhausen, S.Holmstrom and J. M.Lapetite et. al (2017) “On the determination of the ductile to brittle transition
temperature from small punch tests on Grade 91 ferritic-martensitic steel” Vol. 155, pp 27-34
[2] Stefan Holmstrom (2016)“Defining a negligible creep temperature curve for Gr. 91 steel” Vol. 146, pp 198-202
[2] Arya Chatterjee et.al ( 2014 ) “Effect of Heat Treatment on Ductile-Brittle Transition Behaviour of 9Cr-1Mo Steel”
Vol.86, pp 287 – 294
[3] B. Tanguy, J. Bensson R. Piques A.Pineau (2004) “Ductile to Brittle Transition of an A508 Steel Characteristics by
Charpy Impact Test Part: I Experimental Result”Engng Fract Mech in press.
[4] Dr. Aniruddha moitra Material Technology Division “Study of Ductile-Brittle Transition Temperature of 9Cr-1Mo
Steels”.
[5] Alexande C. Edrington, Illinois institute of technology “Effect Of Intermediate Precipitation Treatments on The
Temperature Embrittlement of 4140 Forging- Grade Steel”.
[6] M.L. Hamilton and P.H.Jones “Effect of Heat Treatment and Test Method On DBTT Of V-5Cr-5Ti Alloy Steel”
[7] Standard Test Methods (Designation: A 370 – 02e) and Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel Products.
[8] Dr. V.D. Kodgire and S.V. Kodgire “Material Science and Metallurgy”, Everest Publication.
[9] (Source: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_Naval_accidents)

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