Observation of Cleavage Fracture after Substantial Dimple Rupture in ASTM A710 Steel
A major concern often arising in structural integrity predictions is the possibility that low-energy brittle fracture could result as a consequence of cleavage either under normal operating or design accident conditions. This can be especially troublesome when the leak-before-break (LBB) approach shows an additional safety margin of the design. For LBB to be applicable, the fracture process must remain ductile (dimple rupture), and not change to cleavage. The American Society for Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Code) provides guidelines for avoiding cleavage fracture for Code-accepted materials. Experimental results for a non-Code steel are provided, and show that cleavage may occur for a thickness under16 mm (where the code suggests it will not) after stable crack growth (∆a) of up to 20 mm. This work is still in progress; test results are provided along with possible reasons for the mode transition, but complete explanations are still being developed.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 910693
- Report Number(s):
- INEEL/CON-00-00298; TRN: US200802%%70
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Plasticity 2000,Whistler, BC, Canada,07/17/2000,07/21/2000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Improving the fracture resistance of irradiated martensitic steels
Numerical modeling of ductile tearing effects on cleavage fracture toughness