Relating Charpy energy to fracture toughness in the lower transition region using a Weibull stress dependent energy scaling model

Abstract

Accurate prediction of fracture toughness from Charpy energy is challenging due to the differences between fracture toughness tests and Charpy tests, such as geometry (deep sharp crack vs. shallow blunt V-notch) and loading rate (quasi-static vs. dynamic). This paper uses experimental and numerical approaches to investigate whether the Weibull stress can be used to scale Charpy energy to fracture toughness in the lower transition region. A Weibull-stress based energy scaling model is proposed which is shown to accurately predict cleavage fracture at quasi-static loading rates. An extension of the energy scaling approach to dynamic loading conditions indicates that the Weibull modulus is independent of strain rate, and that quasi-statically derived moduli can be used to predict fracture toughness from a dynamically tested Charpy specimen. The paper concludes that the proposed energy scaling approach, and its extension to dynamic loading conditions, provides a suitable basis for relating Charpy energy to fracture toughness in the lower transition region.