Application of the Normalization Method to Dynamic Fracture Toughness Testing of Alloy 718

Abstract

The fracture toughness and tensile properties of Alloy 718 were measured at quasi-static and dynamic loading rates for two different heat treatments and two product forms. Two different methods for conducting the dynamic tests were investigated; one involving interrupted tests and the other utilizing a single impact. The interrupted test method used multiple impacts with displacement limits to enable measurement of crack lengths at intermediate points. The normalization method was used to generate tearing resistance curves for the dynamic tests following the guidelines in ASTM Standard Test Method for measurement of Fracture Toughness (E 1820). The analysis pointed out the importance of obtaining a good measurement of load, displacement, and crack length at the point of maximum displacement (the anchor point). As the amount of ductile crack extension increased, the uncertainty in the plasticity function fit also increased. Methods to improve the fit were investigated, including the addition of anchor points from multiple tests, and use of a tangency point to estimate initiation. The resulting curves are compared to ascertain the variability obtained from nominally identical specimens, and to evaluate the effect of loading rate on the plasticity function. The normalization tearing resistance curves are compared with curves generated from the interrupted tests using compliance measurements during unloads to determine crack extension. Good agreement was obtained between the two methods of measuring tearing resistance, thereby validating the normalization analysis. The tests showed that multiple impacts drive down the tearing resistance, which may be significant in applications where a dynamic event causes load fluctuation.