[en] This paper presents a theoretical and experimental work carried out by the Aerospace Department of the University of Rome and ENEA-DISP on local approach. The main goal was to apply the local approach criteria to cleavage fracture prediction in a structural material. The material considered was a low alloy steel used in the nuclear industry, type 22NiMoCr37, of German production provided by KWU in the framework of an international round robin on local approach to fracture in steels, promoted by the European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS). Twelve tension tests on round notched bars were performed at low temperature (-90 C) in order to get the experimental data needed to calculate the theoretical Weibull stress and exponent and infer the probability of failure by a finite element analysis. Results have been appplied to a three point bend specimen of the same material to predict cleavage fracture. (orig.)