Jc DETERMINATION FOR SHALLOW NOTCH WELDED BEND SPECIMENS

— Methods are presented for the determination of J from 3 point bend specimens having 0.1 ≤a/W≤ 0.5 using the load versus crack mouth opening displacement trace. It is intended that the procedure be used to determine Jc, J at unstable fracture in the brittle to ductile transition, from specimens and test procedures which conform to the CTOD test standard BS5762. Elastic‐plastic finite element computations are used to demonstrate the adequacy of the proposed estimation procedures for J and to show that it is still possible to apply them to specimens containing welded joints. The problems of defining a centre of rotation for plastic deformation in shallow notched bend specimens are discussed.