Dynamic fracture testing of ferritic steels using direct current potential drop method

To apply leak-before-break (LBB) concept to nuclear pipes, the dynamic strain aging of low carbon steel materials has to be considered. For this goal, the J-R tests are needed over a range of temperatures and loading rates, including rapid dynamic loading conditions. In dynamic J-R tests, the unloading compliance method can not be applied and usually the direct current potential drop (DCPD) method has been used. But, even the DCPD method was known to have the problem in defining the crack initiation point due to a potential peak arising in early part of loading of ferromagnetic materials. In this study, potential peaks characteristics were investigated for SA106Gr.C piping steels, and the definition of crack initiation point was made by back tracking from final physical crack length, and it was proposed that this technique could be applied to DCPD method in dynamic loading J-R test