A Weibull stress model to predict cleavage fracture in plates containing surface cracks

This study applies recent advances in probabilistic modelling of cleavage fracture to predict the measured fracture behaviour of surface crack plates fabricated from an A515-70 pressure vessel steel. Modifications of the conventional, two-parameter Weibull stress model introduce a non-zero, threshold parameter (σ_w-min ). The introduction of σ_w-min brings numerical predictions of scatter in toughness data into better agreement with experimental measurements, and calibration of this new parameter requires no additional experimental data. The Weibull modulus ( m ) and scaling parameter (σu ) are calibrated using a new strategy based on the toughness transferability model, which eliminates the non-uniqueness that arises in calibrations using only small-scale yielding toughness data. Here, the Weibull stress model is calibrated using toughness data from deep-notch C(T) and shallow-notch SE(B) specimens, and is then applied to predict the measured response of surface crack plates loaded in different combinations of tension and bending. The model predictions accurately capture the measured distributions of fracture toughness values.