Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/N11759/01
Title:	EFFECTS OF GEOMETRY AND LOADING ON FRACTURE TOUGHNESS THE USE OF LOCAL APPROACH CONCEPTS (BIRMINGHAM)
Principal Investigator:	Knott, Professor J
Other Investigators:	Bowen, Professor P Burdekin, Professor M Bowen, Professor P
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Nuclear Decomissioning Authority
Department:	Metallurgy and Materials
Organisation:	University of Birmingham
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 April 2001	Ends:	31 March 2003	Value (£):	91,925
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Energy - Nuclear
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
The nuclear industry has a data-base which allows correlations to be made between fracture toughness values in testpieces of size greater than 25mm but surveillance specimens have to be small and in-service degradation has to be assessecj from smaller specimens, typically of 1OmmxlOmm cross-section. The data obtained from testpieces do not incorporate the full effects of constraint experienced in chicker sections and the present research is proposed to address this issue by determining local criteria for brittle and ductile fracture as functions of the constraints developed in small testpieces so that these physically-based criteria can be incorporated into predictions of the behaviour of larger pieces. Appropriate local criteria will be determined for both as-heat-treated and degraded material through fracture tests on precracked and notched bars for which the local stress/strain distributions will be calculated by finite element analysis. The validity of existing local approach fracture models will be examined and the models will be modified if necessary. Calculations will be made to predict the behaviour of larger pieces and will be validated experimentally. The aim is to develop a methodology which will allow predictions to be made for full-scale structural components including weld mis-match and biaxial loading effects
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Organisation Website:	http://www.bham.ac.uk