Ductile-brittle transition behavior of nodular cast iron under low temperature and impact loading

To enhance the service safety of nodular cast iron structures such as the spent nuclear fuel storage and transportation vessel under low temperature and dynamic loads, the mode I dynamic fracture toughness of nodular cast iron was experimentally investigated at ambient and cryogenic temperatures (20℃, -40℃, -60℃ and -80℃) using an improved split Hopkinson pressure bar technique. The ductile-brittle transition behavior of the material was specially investigated. The crack initiation time of the specimen was determined by the strain gauge method. The dynamic stress intensity factor (DSIF) at the crack tip and the mode I dynamic fracture toughness (DFT) of the material were determined by the experimental-numerical method. The results show that under the same impact velocity, the DFT and fracture initiation time of nodular cast iron decrease significantly with the decrease in temperature. Through quantitative analysis of the microscopic fracture morphologies, it is revealed that there is a failure mechanism transition at different temperatures. As the temperature decreases, the number of dimples on the fracture surface decreases, while the river patterns as well as cleavage steps increase, which indicates that the ductility of the material is weakened but the brittleness is enhanced at low temperatures. This ductile-brittle transition phenomenon is consistent with the tendency of the measured toughness of the material.