Review of fracture toughness test methods for ductile materials in low-constraint conditions

2016 ◽  
Vol 139-140 ◽  
pp. 173-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
Ductile Materials ◽  
Toughness Test ◽  
Low Constraint

Assessing Low-Constraint Fracture Toughness Test Methods Using Clamped SENT Specimens

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu ◽  
Tom McGaughy
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
Single Edge ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
End Conditions ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Low Constraint

Abstract The low-constraint fracture toughness can be measured using a single edge-notched tension (SENT) specimen in the clamped-end conditions. The SENT specimen has been used in the oil and gas industry in the strain-based design and the crack assessment for transmission pipelines. Since 2006 when DNV published the first SENT test practice, many investigations have been done, and various SENT test methods were developed, including CANMET and ExxonMobil methods in terms of the J-integral and CTOD. The effort led to the first SENT test standard BS 8571 being published in 2014. However, the experimental evaluation methods remain in developing, and different methods may determine inconsistent results. For this reason, the present paper gives a brief review on SENT fracture testing and assesses the available test methods, including progresses on study of stress intensity factor, geometric eta factors, elastic compliance equation, and constraint m factor as well. The difference between J-converted CTOD and double clip gage measured CTOD is also discussed. On those bases, agreements and challenges in SENT testing are identified. The results provide a direction for further investigation to improve the current SENT test methods.

Methods to Determine Low-Constraint Fracture Toughness: Review and Progress

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Kui Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Standard Test ◽  
Initiation Toughness ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
Crack Tip Opening Displacement ◽  
Test Procedures ◽  
Opening Displacement ◽  
Resistance Curves ◽  
Low Constraint

Fracture toughness is often described by the J-integral or crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD) for ductile materials. ASTM, BSI and ISO have developed their own standard test methods for measuring fracture initiation toughness and resistance curves in terms of the J and CTOD using bending dominant specimens in high constraint conditions. However, most actual cracks are in low constraint conditions, and the standard resistance curves may be overly conservative. To obtain more realistic fracture toughness for actual cracks in low-constraint conditions, different fracture test methods have been developed in the past decades. To facilitate understanding and use the test standards, this paper presents a critical review on commonly used fracture toughness test methods using standard and non-standard specimens in reference to the fracture parameters J and CTOD, including (1) ASTM, BSI and ISO standard test methods, (2) constraint correction methods for formulating a constraint-dependent resistance curve, and (3) direct test methods using the single edge-notched tension (SENT) specimen. This review discusses basic concepts, basic methods, estimation equations, test procedures, historical efforts and recent progresses.

Evaluation of Fracture Toughness Test Methods for Linepipe Steels

2014 ◽  
pp. 101-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jidong Kang ◽  
Guowu Shen ◽  
Jie Liang ◽  
Kyle Brophy ◽  
Andrew Mendonca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
Toughness Test ◽  
Linepipe Steels

Practical Application of Low Constraint SENT Fracture Toughness Testing for Pipeline Girth Welds

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter B. Schamuhn Kirk ◽  
Victoria Chum
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Temperature Shift ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Fracture Toughness Test ◽  
Brittle Behavior ◽  
Temperature Regimes ◽  
Adjustment Factors ◽  
Toughness Testing ◽  
Low Constraint ◽  
Girth Welds

Fracture mechanics methods for engineering assessment of acceptable flaw sizes in pipeline girth welds have been widely and successfully embraced by the pipeline industry. Advancements driven by strain-based design have identified elevated conservatism in assessment of material toughness by standardized high constraint fracture toughness test methods. Methods of reducing conservatism include the use of constraint adjustment factors or constraint-matched test specimens. Variants of the single edge-notched tensile (SENT) specimen have been widely reported as appropriate constraint-matched laboratory-scale specimens. This paper presents the results of SENT and SENB toughness testing of pipeline girth welds in both ductile and brittle/transitional temperature regimes. Testing of 19.2mm weldments was conducted at room temperature (RT) and −5°C, with the intent of assessing the practicality of the single-specimen SENT methodology for low constraint fracture toughness assessment of typical high toughness production welds. Typical SENT specimens exhibited up to 50% higher upper shelf toughness results compared to SENB specimens. The majority of specimens failed E1820 crack straightness validity criteria, while the majority of specimens met E2818 (ISO 15653) criteria. Testing of 10.4mm weldments was conducted on pipe known to exhibit low HAZ toughness (brittle pop-ins) at −5°C in the SENB configuration. SENT testing was conducted over temperatures spanning typical operating, design, and winter construction lowering-in temperatures (i.e. RT to −35°C), with the intent of investigating material sensitivity to brittle response under constraint-matched conditions. Brittle responses were observed in SENT specimens at both −20°C and −35°C, and ductile (upper shelf) behavior at −5°C and warmer; SENB specimens exhibited consistently brittle behavior at RT and −5°C, suggesting a HAZ transition temperature shift of at least −30°C for the constraint-matched test geometry.

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