Assessment of in-plane size effect for nuclear carbon steels using damage models

The present work deals with an applicability of the local approach to assess in-plane size effects among different sized compact tension (CT) specimens. To characterize ductile crack growth of typical nuclear materials, SA515 Gr.60 and SA516 Gr.70 carbon steels, finite element analyses employing modified GTN and Rousselier models as well as fracture toughness tests were carried out. Material damage parameters were calibrated using standard CT specimens and reflected to predict fracture resistance (J-R) curves of larger CT specimens. Since comparison results between numerically estimated J-R curves and experimentally determined ones corresponded well, it is anticipated that the local approach might be used as a promising tool for ductile fracture evaluation incorporating the in-plane size effect.