Inverse Fracture in DWTT and Brittle Crack Behavior in Large-Scale Brittle Crack Arrest Test

The drop weight tear test (DWTT) has been widely used to evaluate the resistance of linepipe steels against brittle fracture propagation. Although there is an ambiguity in the evaluation of DWTT results if inverse fracture appears on the fracture surfaces, the cause of inverse fracture is not yet fully understood. In the present work, DWTTs were performed with X65, X70, and X80 steel linepipes. In addition to the conventional DWTT specimen with a pressed notch (PN), PN specimens with a back slot (BS) and specimens with a chevron notch (CN) or static precrack (SPC) were also examined, and the fracture appearances in different strengths and different initial notch types were compared. Although the frequency of inverse fracture in these DWTTs was different with each material and each specimen type, there was no material or specimen type that was entirely free from inverse fracture. The purpose of the DWTT is to evaluate the brittle crack arrestability of the material in a pressurized linepipe. Therefore, the DWTT results should be examined with a running brittle crack arrest (BCA) test. A large-scale BCA test with temperature gradient was also performed with the X65 mother plate, and the shear area fraction measured in the DWTT fracture surface was compared with the local shear lip thickness fraction in the BCA test. Based on the results, the count of inverse fracture in the DWTT was discussed in comparison with the long BCA behavior in the BCA test.