Constraint-corrected fracture failure criterion based on CTOD/CTOA

In engineering design, a difficulty has always existed in those standard laboratory tests that cannot accurately predict the behavior of large structures like pipelines due to the different constraint levels. At present, extensive work has been done to characterize the constraint effects on fracture toughness by introducing a second parameter, while the systematic research on constrained transformation is inadequate. To address this issue, the ductile fracture process of X65 SENB specimen is simulated through the finite-element method coupled with the Gurson–Tvergaard–Needelman model. The parameters crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) and crack tip opening angle (CTOA) are chosen to characterize the fracture behaviors. The effects of specimen thickness on fracture toughness based on CTOD/CTOA and constraints ahead of crack tips in SENB specimen are studied. The results indicate that the critical values of CTOD/CTOA decrease with the increase of specimen thickness, but the constraint parameters are opposite. Furthermore, it finds that there is a near linear relationship between critical values of CTOD/CTOA and the stress constraint ahead of the crack tip. Thus, a constraint-corrected fracture failure criterion based on CTOD/CTOA is proposed, which can be used for the prediction and simulation of stable tearing crack growth in specimens and structures, made of this steel with any thickness value.