An engineering methodology for constraint corrections of elastic–plastic fracture toughness – Part II: Effects of specimen geometry and plastic strain on cleavage fracture predictions

Abstract This work extends a micromechanics model for cleavage fracture incorporating effects of plastic strain to determine the reference temperature, T 0 , for an A515 Gr 65 pressure vessel steel based on a modified Weibull stress ( σ w ) . Non-linear finite element analyses for 3-D models of plane-sided SE(B) and PCVN specimens define the relationship between σ w and J from which the variation of fracture toughness across different crack configurations is predicted. The modified Weibull stress methodology yields estimates of T 0 from small fracture specimens which are in good agreement with the corresponding estimates derived from testing of larger crack configurations.