Scatter in Charpy Data Considered As a Transferrable Parameter

Abstract

characterizing the brittle fracture resistance of structural steels using Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact test data. CVN test specimens are smaller in size than most other fracture test specimens, have blunt notches rather than fatigue starter cracks, and are impact loaded rather than monotonically loaded as in most fracture mechanics-based test methods. These differences result in CVN tests being much less expensive with significantly less time required for specimen preparation and testing. This has led in part to CVN tests becoming the most widely used method for characterizing material toughness for many applications. However, these differences between CVN tests and other fracture mechanics-based test methods result in limitations of the usefulness of CVN data for performing fitness-for-service or remaining life calculations. To address this shortcoming, correlations between mean Charpy energy data and other fracture parameters at a given temperature have been widely used for at least 30 years. However, these correlations are known to have limitations, particularly for cases in which modern steels exhibit high upper shelf energy.