Dynamic ductile fracture of a low-strength steel

The upper-shelf dynamic fracture properties of a low-strength high-toughness steel, A533 Grade B Class 1, have been investigated with a coupled pressure bars techniques, using small compact specimens. Toughness data were generated from numerical simulations with a dynamic viscoplastic finite-element fracture code. The dynamic ductile fracture process was found to involve a larger critical microstructural distance than that associated with quasi-static loading conditions.