Strain Rate Effect on Fracture Mechanical Properties of Ferritic-Pearlitic Ductile Iron.

Abstract: This study investigates the effect of strain rate on fracture properties of Ferritic-Pearlitic Ductile Iron. A series of dynamic three point bending tests, with various load application rates, are conducted on Charpy V-notch specimens, in room temperature and approximately -18 °C. The tests are performed in a custom-made fixture and during the tests, force and displacement data are recorded. A XFEM (Extended Finite Element Method) model of the test setup has been established and material data from the tests are used as input to the model. The test results show a strong dependency of the strain rate regarding the force needed for crack initiation. Moreover, it can be concluded that low temperature makes the material very brittle, even at low load application rates.