Taekyung Lee, Chong Soo Lee

Fatigue & Plasticity Lab.,

Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, POSTECH


δ
t

 A parameter that can be used to calculate a

driving force for a fracture.
 Characterize the resistance of a material to
crack initiation and early crack extension at a
given temperature.
 1. Sample
Preparation 3. Fracture

2. Pre- 4. Data
Cracking Analysis
3-Point Bend Specimen Notch Compact Specimen
 Fatigue crack is produced at the base of the
starter notch.
 The crack must be of sufficient length to
bypass any area of plastic deformation.
 The process requires minimum/maximum
loads, which makes the step difficult.
 The pre-crack is produced by a fatigue test.
 Three choices during the fatigue test:
◦ Constant load method: is general in a fatigue test,
but not practical to make the pre-cracks.
◦ Decreasing load method: can save time if it is done
carefully.
◦ Constant K method: results in a constant load drop
prevents a crack arrest.
 The sample is under increasing load until
fracture.
 It may be conducted in a liquid alcohol bath
with CO2 to maintain the temperature.
 A clip gauge is used to measure the opening
at the mouth of the fatigue crack
 Dimensions
◦ S: span length
◦ B: sample thickness
◦ W: sample width
◦ z: clip gauge height,
 Experimental Values
◦ F: load
◦ a: crack length
◦ ν: Poisson’s ratio
◦ σys: yield stress
◦ E: elastic modulus,
◦ Vp: plastic component
corresponding to the
load at the critical event
 Effects of welding in C-Mn steels.

• “Fracture toughness of the welds in all cases was

lower than the base metal.”
• “The actual force applied during the present
welding process did not have any significant
influence on fracture toughness values of the
weld in all cases studied.”
 More detailed information is noted in:
1. ASTM E1290, “Standard test method for crack-tip
opening displacement (CTOD) fracture toughness
measurement”
2. British Standard 7448: Part I, “Method for
determination of KIc, critical CTOD and critical J
values of metallic materials”
3. Tom Jarvie et al., “Crack tip opening displacement:
using materials testing to control cracks”
4. Chludzinski et al., “Fracture toughness of friction
hydro-pillar processing welding in C-Mn steel”