Prevision of the cleavage fracture properties using a local approach: application to the welded joint of a structural C−Mn steel

Abstract The local approach of cleavage fracture developed by Beremin is applied to the weld metal of welded joints prepared with a fine-grained structural C-Mn steel. The two parameters of the model (cleavage stress and inhomogeneity exponent) are determined by tensile testing of axisymmetry notched specimens. The analytical application of this approach predicts successfully the fracture toughness values found on precracked specimens. The transition and the scatter of the fracture toughness measurements as a function of temperature are correctly estimated for very different specimen geometries (type and in-plane dimensions). It is thus shown that a realistic estimation of the statistical distribution of fracture toughness can be obtained by testing single tensile specimens.