Fracture toughness properties in the transition region of the Eurofer97 tempered martensitic steel

A fracture toughness database obtained on the Eurofer97 steel (25 mm plate, heat 83697) is presented. The material has been tested in the 'as-received' condition in the lower transition region at temperatures ranging from 173 K down to 123 K. Sub-sized (0.35T) compact tension specimens, 0.35T C(T), have been used in this study. The database is analyzed in the framework of ASTM E-1921-03 standard. The results indicate that the median toughness- temperature curve of the Eurofer97 is steeper than the master curve for 'ferritic' steels used in the ASTM E-1921 framework. This database is also compared with fracture toughness data obtained on different Eurofer97 heats and previously reported in the literature. Modest variations in the reference temperature T-0 used to index the fracture toughness-temperature curve were found between the different heats. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.