Paper Title:

Evaluation of Critical Fracture Stress in Low Alloy Steels by Finite Element Analysis of Small Punch Test

Periodical Key Engineering Materials (Volumes 353 - 358)
Main Theme Progresses in Fracture and Strength of Materials and Structures
Edited by Yu Zhou, Shan-Tung Tu and Xishan Xie
Pages 416-419
DOI 10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.353-358.416
Citation Min Chul Kim et al., 2007, Key Engineering Materials, 353-358, 416
Online since September, 2007
Authors Min Chul Kim, Jae Bong Lee, Yong Jun Oh, Bong Sang Lee
Keywords Critical Fracture Stress, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Reactor Pressure Vessel, Small Punch Test
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Abstract

The critical fracture stresses (σ* f(sp)) in various low alloy steels for a reactor pressure vessel(RPV) were evaluated by a small punch test (SP test) and a finite element analysis (FEA) in the cleavage temperature region(-150~-196 ºC). The load-displacement curves and distances from the center to the fracture surface (Df) of the FEA results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The maximum principal stresses (SP fracture stresses, σf(SP)) were determined from the FE analysis, when the maximum load was applied to the SP test. The SP critical fracture stress, σ* f(sp) in various reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels was found to have a linear relationship with the values obtained from the precracked specimens (σ* f(PCVN)). The σ* f(sp) shows a lower value than σ* f(PCVN) because the SP specimen had a lower triaxial stress condition. However, this result indicates that a small punch test could be a useful method to evaluate the cleavage fracture behavior of low alloy steels.