Spin tests to determine brittle fracture under plane strain

The feasibility of using cyclic thermal stress or hydrostatic pressure to generate a fatigue crack in a large test-rotor blank is demonstrated. Test rotors, having test notches with fatigue-crack terminations, were spun to fracture to determine optimum test-notch design. It was found that, for the other test-notch dimensions held, it was necessary to extend the fatigue crack a minimum of 0.1 in. from the machined portion of the test notch to obtain a most effectively notched test rotor. In another series of tests, the influence of temperature on brittle-fracture strength of a Cr-Mo-V steel under plane strain was evaluated. It was found that, although there is a significant increase in fracture strength with increasing temperature, no knee in the curve is apparent in the vicinity of the conventionally measured transition temperatures ofNDT andT₅₀. Also, design against brittle fracture is still required at temperatures aboveNDT andT₅₀.Paper was presented at 1968 SESA Spring Meeting held in Albany, N. Y., on May 7–10.