1.34. DUCTTLE-to-BRITTLE TRANSITION The temperature of a material can affect its behaviour when subjected to stress. Many materials, which are ductile at high temperatures, become brittle at low temperatures and vice-versa. For example, a steel may behave as a ductile material, above, say 0°C, but below this temperature, it behaves in a brittle manner. In other words, the ductile to brittle transition has taken place at a particular range of temperatures. Refer figure 1.52. The reason for this transition is that, at higher temperatures, the atoms in the material vibrate with greater frequency and amplitude. This increased vibration allow the atoms under stress to slip to new places in the material, i.e., break bonds and form new ones with other atoms in the material. This slippage of atoms is seen on the outside ofthe material as plastic deformation —a common feature of ductile an However, when 7 temperature decreases, the reverse takes place, where the atoms due to decreas a want to slip to new locations in the material. So, when the stress on the oe ae . ‘ enough, the atoms just break their bonds, but do not form new ones. This oahien in . ula causes no plastic deformation, or sometimes little plastic deformation before aah fe material behaves in a brittle manner at low temperatures. Ductile to brittle transition or vice-versa, is commonly observed in metals having BCC and HCP structure, but is almost missing in most of the FCC metals (aluminum and copper based alloys etc.). Fracture (Impact) energy absorbed (J) Range Ductile Brittle -40 0 +40 Temperature (°F) Figure 1.52 Ductile-to-Brittle transition