Modifications of the Beremin model for cleavage fracture in the transitionregion of a ferritic steel

A numerical model based on the 'local approach' of Beremin for predicting c leavage fracture in the transition temperature region of a ferritic steel i s presented. For that purpose, two modifications of the Beremin model are i ntroduced. The first modification accounts for the decreasing number of cle avage initiation sites due to preceding ductile void formation. The second modification concerns the parameter determination. The Weibull exponent is fixed a priori to avoid numerical problems. Compared to the original Beremi n model, the new model is better suited for a material characterisation whi ch is, to a great extent, independent of geometry, temperature, and strain rate. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.