Modes Of Failure
1. Scope This Note summarises essential features of brittle fracture a mode of failure by fracture with little or no
yielding. It occurs with brittle materials e.g. high strength steels, cast iron, glass, ceramics etc.
2. Features Sudden, extensive cleavage fracture with negligible distortion; under tensile stress (residual & applied);
usually at defects; in ferritic steels usually in thicknesses over 12 mm and temperatures below 20C or the transition
temperature. Often catastrophic.
3. Main Examples (at welds) underlined occurred in winter
Others:
4. Fracture Features
Macro: 90 to surface, bright crystalline appearance, small shear lips on edge;
may have some shear fracture (grey velvety); chevron pattern usual on long
fracture points to crack initiation site.
Micro: Transgranular in ferritic microstructure.
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM): Transgranular with river marks.
Notch 2mm
10mm
10mm
10mm +
lateral
expansion
Fractured Charpy V Specimen
5. Contributing Factors
Low fracture toughness of steel at minimum service temperature: e.g. strain aged, high carbon.
Tensile stress (total) > 50 MPa e.g. applied stress and/or high residual stress (no or inappropriate postweld heat treatment).
Thickness typically > 12mm (i.e. increased triaxial stress).
Local stress raiser, e.g. weld defect (with high residual stress) or fatigue crack.
Increased risk with rapid or shock loading or strain rate > 0.1/sec (e.g. ballistic attack on tanks or explosive attack on
submarine).
8. Tests
Toughness: Charpy V (Joules, % crystallinity, lateral expansion) is main control test;
KIc; Jc; c; wide plate tests; explosion bulge; drop weight.
NDE for defects: UT, MT, PT, RT, VT, ET.
Criteria:
See Standards or use Fracture Mechanics e.g. Joules/Re -MPa >0.16 for Charpy test.
9. References
WTIA Technical Note 10; WRC Bulletin No 430; BS 7910; AS/NZS 3788; API 579.