The application of constraint based fracture mechanics to engineering structures

Elastic-plastic crack tip fields can be characterised by two parameters, J and T/Q which describes crack tip constraint. This forms the foundation of a constraint based fracture mechanics in which toughness is expressed as a function of constraint in the form of a J–(T/Q) locus. The enhanced toughness associated with shallow cracks and defects can be used in a systematic manner by constraint matching, and implemented through a simple modification to a failure assessment diagram. This methodology enables the conservatism associated with the use of deeply cracked fracture toughness measurements to be relaxed. In this work these methods have been applied to a tubular welded joint.