Using Mini-CT Specimens for the Fracture Characterization of Ferritic Steels within the Ductile to Brittle Transition Range: A Review

The use of mini-CT specimens for the fracture characterization of structural steels is currently a topic of great interest from both scientific and technical points of view, mainly driven by the needs and requirements of the nuclear industry. In fact, the long-term operation of nuclear plants requir...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sánchez Matías, Marcos, Cicero González, Sergio|||0000-0002-3950-6071, Kirk, Mark, Altstadt, Eberhard, Server, William, Yamamoto, Masato
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Cantabria (UC)
Repositorio:UCrea Repositorio Abierto de la Universidad de Cantabria
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unican.es:10902/31158
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10902/31158
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Mini-CT
Ductile-to-brittle transition range
Reference temperature
Master curve
Descripción
Sumario:The use of mini-CT specimens for the fracture characterization of structural steels is currently a topic of great interest from both scientific and technical points of view, mainly driven by the needs and requirements of the nuclear industry. In fact, the long-term operation of nuclear plants requires accurate characterization of the reactor pressure vessel materials and evaluation of the embrittlement caused by neutron irradiation without applying excessive conservatism. However, the amount of material placed inside the surveillance capsules used to characterize the resulting degradation is generally small. Consequently, in order to increase the reliability of fracture toughness measurements and reduce the volume of material needed for the tests, it is necessary to develop innovative characterization techniques, among which the use of mini-CT specimens stands out. In this context, this paper provides a review of the use of mini-CT specimens for the fracture characterization of ferritic steels, with particular emphasis on those used by the nuclear industry. The main results obtained so far, revealing the potential of this technique, together with the main scientific and technical issues will be thoroughly discussed. Recommendations for several key topics for future research are also provided.