Session: CS-19-04 European Project FRACTESUS for mini-CT Master Curve - 2

Paper Number: 105596

105596 - Methodological Alternatives When Dealing With Mini-Ct Specimens to Characterize the Ductile-to-Brittle Transition Range and the Upper Shelf Regime 

In recent years there have been significant research efforts toward the miniaturization of specimens when characterizing the fracture toughness of ferritic steels. In particular, the nuclear sector has been especially interested due to the strict structural integrity controls to which the different nuclear components are subjected, with the reactor pressure vessel being one of the most critical. In this sense, the use of the mini-CT specimen (a compact tension 4 mm thick specimen) constitutes a promising alternative that has been widely studied together with the Master Curve approach to characterize steels within the ductile to brittle transition range. Additionally, this type of specimen has also been used to characterize steel operating within the upper shelf regime. The majority of the results reveal an excellent correlation between the results obtained using mini-CT specimens and those obtained when using well-known conventional specimens (e.g., 1T-CT specimens or PCCv specimens). However, testing such a small geometry brings a series of peculiarities that are necessary to consider. This work intends to briefly gather the knowledge found in the literature and to expose the alternatives and/or best practices when testing this type of specimen. The effect of the specimen geometry, the possible use of side grooves, the measurement of the displacement (front face vs load line), or different conditions during testing (e.g., selection of testing temperatures) are analyzed and discussed.

Presenting Author: Marcos Sánchez University of Cantabria

Presenting Author Biography: Marcos Sánchez is a second year PhD student at the University of Cantabria after completed his Master`s Degree in Structural Integrity at University of Cantabria (2020). He is currently a researcher at Laboratory of the Materials Science and Engineering Division (LADICIM) of the University of Cantabria since 2019. He is focusing mainly on polymer metallic materials characterization of tensile and fracture properties, and lately in Mini-CT fracture testing of RPV and structural steels, collaborating in the european FRACTESUS project, which is also his focal point in his PhD.

Authors:

Marcos Sánchez University of Cantabria
Sergio Cicero University of Cantabria
Sergio Arrieta University of Cantabria