An investigation of the loading rate dependence of the Weibull stress parameters

This paper examines the dependence of the Weibull stress parameters on loading rate for a 22NiMoCr37 pressure vessel steel. Extensive fracture tests, including both quasi-static and dynamic tests, are conducted using deep- and shallow-cracked SE(B) specimens. The fracture specimens are carefully prepared to ensure the crack fronts are placed at the location where the material is homogeneous. Three dynamic loading rates (in terms of the stress intensity factor rate, in the low-to-moderate range are considered. The load-line velocities for the dynamic tests are chosen so that the resulted values for the deep- and shallow-cracked specimens are the same. Independent calibrations performed at each loading rate (quasi-static and the three dynamic loading rates) using deep- and shallow-cracked fracture toughness data show that the Weibull modulus, m, is invariant of loading rate. The calibrated m-value is 7.1 for this material. Rate dependencies of the scale parameter (σ_u) and the threshold parameter (σ_w-min) are computed using the calibrated m and the results indicate that σ_u decreases and σ_w-min increases with higher loading rates. The demonstrated loading rate invariant of m, when combined with the master curve for dynamic loading, can provide a practical approach which simplifies the process to estimate σ_u as a function of loading rate.