Experimental and Numerical Investigation on Specimen Geometry Effect on the CTOD Value For VL-E36 Shipbuilding Steel

There are special cases in the marine industry, where additional material tests, such as the fracture toughness test, must be performed. Additional fracture toughness tests, such as CTOD (Crack Tip Opening Displacement), are typically performed on three-point bend specimens. The dimension that defines all the specimen dimensions is the thickness of the material to be tested. It is recommended by classification societies (e.g. DNVGL) to test specimens that are twice as high as the material thickness. The width determines the length and, therefore, the weight of the specimen which, for a 100 mm plate is over 140 kg. Current ASTM E1820, BS7448-1 and ISO 12135 testing standards also allow for proportions other than those recommended. This results in a much smaller test piece. Reducing the specimen size allows the testing machine to achieve lower forces than a specimen with a width to thickness ratio of two. This paper presents the effect of changing the specimen geometry on CTOD test results. Research was performed for specimens with a height to thickness ratio of one and two. Abaqus software was used for numerical calculations. The numerical results were, at selected points, verified experimentally.