Objective: The student will be acquainted with brittle fracture analysis based on

linear elastic fracture mechanics.

Module 4.4: Design against brittle fracture
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Scope: Fracture toughness, Critical stress intensity, Critical crack size, Temperature
and material toughness

Overview of calculation methods in a relevant design guidance document, e.g., EN
1993 Eurocode 3-part 1-10: Design of Steel Structures: Selection of materials for
fracture toughness and through thickness properties
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Expected results:
Review theory of fracture mechanics and brittle fracture.
Explain relationship between material fracture toughness and temperature.
Review calculation procedures in a relevant design guidance document.
Compute critical crack size for structural element with typical material properties.
Compute stress intensity factor for a welded connection.
Brittle fracture
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Characterized by the failure occurs without prior plastic deformation

Some form of fracture is required (e.g. micro-cracks in a weld) to start
the crack

A material that is ductile have less risk of brittle fracture.

Risk for brittle fracture when

The stress level is high
Low temperature
Multi axial stress state (= large plate thickness)
Stress concentrations
Brittle fracture
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Brittle fracture in Liberty ships due to sudden decrease in temperature
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Impact Toughness
The steel used in the Titanic hull had adequate strength but low toughness in
cold temperatures. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, instead of the steel
bending and causing small cracks (ductile failure), a crack grew very fast and
very large (due to brittle failure).
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Tensile testing stress strain diagram ductile material
10 mm
SEM photo of a ductile
metal failure surface
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Tensile testing stress strain diagram brittle material
Fig 2.1 Stress-strain diagram
for a typical brittle material.
10 mm
SEM photo of a brittle
metal failure surface
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Impact Toughness
Depending on:
Temperature
Material thickness
Chemical composition of the material
The Structures design
If there are notches in the structure
If impact is precent
Then the failure could either be ductile of brittle

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Impact Toughness testing
The toughness for a material is characterized by a Charpy V test

The specimen, 10x10 mm in cross section, is impacted by a hammer and
the applied energy is registered as function of temperature
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Impact Toughness testing
Charpy V test:
Measurement of the energy absorption in a notched specimen
Rule of thumb: If the energy at service temperature 27 J the risk for
brittle failure is small
Defines at which temperature (ITT) the test speicmens is failed at an
energy of 27 J (alt. 40, 50...)
ITT = Impact Transition Temperature
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Impact toughness
Relation between transition temperature for impact toughness and
lowest service temperature without risk for brittle failure for C- and CMn
steels according to British Standard 4741
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Toughness
With regards to the risk for brittle fracture the steels are divided in
different quality classes (toughness classes) from A to E where the highest
requirements are E
General structural steels
SS EN 10027 -1:2005
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Choosing toughness class (BSK07/SS-EN 10025-2)
Toughness class is varying based on the risk for brittle fracture. It is determined
according to this:
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Execution class (utfrandeklass)
(BSK07/SS-EN 10025-2)
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Cutting class (skrklass) (BSK07/SS-EN
10025-2)
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Toughness
Besides the requirements for yield stress and ultimate strength, the
material should fulfill three requirement regarding the thougness
according to Eurocode 3

f
uk
/f
yk
1,10

Elongnation 14%


u
15f
yk
/E
k


All the steels in the following tables fulfill these three requirements
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Excercise 4.4.1
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What toughness class is required for an un-alloyed steel S355 (SS-EN
10025-2) with the following conditions:

Plate thickness 30 mm
Lowest service temperature -30C
Fatigue, but no impacts
Joint class (frbandsklass) C = 50
Execution class (utfrande class) GB

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Chooice of toughness class (Eurocode 3)
One reference temperature is determined
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= Lowest design temperature (EN 1991-1-5). Given for all Swedish cities
= Radiation loss (= 0, EN 1991-1-5).
= Adjustment for geometry, design and material (could be set to = 0 if
table 2.1 is used)
= Extra safety margin (normally = 0)
= Adjustment if the strain rate is higher than , see next page
= Adjustment for cold forming, see next page
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Chooice of toughness class (Eurocode 3)
Adjustment for strain rate other than:


which is base for table 2.1

This could for instance be impacts where the real strain rate is known





f
y
(t) = the materials yield strength as function of the plate thickness


When cold forming



where
cf
= is the cold forming grade in %
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Chooice of toughness class (Eurocode 3)

Ed
= External design stress

f
y
(t) = the materials yield strength as function of the plate thickness
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Crack growth of macro cracks
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Region 1: Threshold
Depends on the R-ration
For welds K
th
= 2 MPam
Region 2: Linear stable crack
growth
a = crack length
N = number of cycles
da/dN = crack growth/cycle
K = SIF range
C and n are material dependent constants
Paris law
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Region 3: Instability final failure
Fracture toughness K
c
depends on:

Material quality (increases with increase quality)
Thickness (decrease with increased thickness)
Temperature (decrease with lower temperature)
Threshold region Paris region
Instability
region
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Region 3: Instability final failure
Fracture toughness K
c

Plane stress Transition area Plane strain
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Fracture toughness K
ic
testing

CT-specimen
3 point bending
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Fracture toughness K
ic
testing

The test is carried out in two stages:
First stage is fatigue to develop a fatigue crack. The crack length is
determined after the fatigue test (0.45W < a < 0.55W)

A slowly increased load P is applied. The Crack tip Opening
Displacement (COD) is measured and plotted vs. P.

Tensile test, CT (Compact Tension)
Bending test
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Fracture toughness K
ic
testing

Stress intensity factor - CT
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Fracture toughness K
ic
testing

Stress intensity factor 3 pt bending
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Stress Intensity Factor, SIF
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a S K
y C

K
c
is a material parameter called
the critical stress intensity factor
or fracture toughness
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Apporximative relation between impact toughness
and fracture toughness

According to SSAB
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KV = Impact toughness according to charpy V testing in
Joule
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Problem 4.4.1
Change to a High Strength Steel
Assume that a component in the shape of a large sheet is to be fabricated C-Mn Steel. It is
required that the critical flaw size be greater than 2 mm, the resolution limit of available flaw
detection procedures. A design stress of one half the tensile strength is indicated. To save
weight, and increase in the tensile strength is suggested, from 1520 to 2070 MPa. Is such a
strength increment allowable ? (assume plane-strain conditions in all computations)
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