Demonstration of freedom from brittle fracture – Validation of the Master Curve Methodology for Deriving Material Fracture Toughness

ASTM A 350 LF5 steel is used in the manufacture of transport flasks. In order to satisfy regulatory requirements for demonstrating this materials’ resistance to brittle fracture during flask operation, fracture mechanics data are required. The normal requirement for generating fracture toughness data is that testing must be carried out on material of equivalent thickness to the component under investigation and that the test must be carried out at the appropriate temperature and loading rate. Satisfying these requirements becomes very difficult for thick materials. In particular, routine dynamic testing of 300 mm thick steels could not be done on any known facility and would require a significant effort to develop one.