Fracture of Metals

Fracture of Metals

Ductile Fracture
Brittle Fracture
‘Cup & cone’
 Brittle Fracture

Ductile Fracture
‘Cup & cone’
 Stages of
Fracture:
•Crack Initiation
•Crack Nucleation

CHEVRON
MARKS AND
RIVER
MARKS
Theoretical Cohesive Strength

E
 max 
2

NOTE: Observed fracture strength of

crystals are much lower than the
theoretical value!
Why is Actual Fracture Strength
Lower than Theoretical?

ANSWER:
“Presence of Volume Defects Lowers
Fracture Strength of Metals”
(proposed by Griffith)

DEFECTS ARE STRESS

CONCENTRATORS!
 Stress Concentration

  a 
2
 a = length of crack

 max   1  2   = 0.5a when inside

 
     = radius of curvature

 Griffith’s Theory

“In materials, cracks are omnipresent!

What does it take to propagate a crack and

cause failure?

“A crack will propagate when the decrease in

elastic strain energy is at least equal to the
energy required to create the new crack
surface.”
Griffith Equation

 2 E s 
1/ 2

c   
 c 
For Perfectly Brittle Material

2 E  s   p  E p
c  
c c
For Ductile Material
 Ductile Fracture of Metals

Hydrostatic
State of
Stress
 Stress Intensity Factor, K
K I / II / III   a
• is a dimensionless parameter that depends on
both the specimen and crack geometries.
•Carries the unusual units of Mpa(m)1/2

Modes of Fracture
 Fracture Toughness, KIc
Typical values of KIc
Material Yield Fracture
Strength toughness KIc
1/2
MPa MPa m
4340 steel 1470 46 Fracture Toughness is
Maraging 1730 90 not directly related
steel
Ti-6Al-4V 900 57 to YS
2024-T3 385 26
Al alloy
7075-T6 500 24
Al alloy
Fracture Toughness
Geometry Factor, 
Geometry Factor, 
 Factors Contributing to Brittle
Fracture
• Type of Loading
• Presence of Volume Defects
• Presence of Notch
• Temperature
• Corrosion
Ductile to Brittle Transition
Temperature
Impact Tests
Izod Impact Test
and Charpy Impact
test
• heavy pendulum
breaks a notched
specimen
• striking energy is
absorbed in breaking
the specimen and
absorbed energy is
taken to be the notch
toughness index
 Sample Problem

A structural material has a fracture toughness

of KIc is 60 MPa.m1/2 and a yield strength y
of 950 MPa. The design stress is y/2.
Calculate the critical crack size (in mm) in
an infinitely wide plate for
(a) a through-thickness crack within the
material and
(b) a through-thickness edge crack
 Leak-Before-Break Case

A pressure vessel made of 4340 steel has an

outer radius of 60 cm and a thickness of 2 mm.
What is the maximum allowable internal pressure
if the pressure vessel is to leak first before
breaking? Assume =1.90.