Use of the sent specimen in pipeline design

Abstract

International audienceEngineering critical assessments have been developed based on fracture mechanics principles to determine whether or not a given flaw is safe from failure under specified loading conditions. Several parameters are required as inputs, such as the geometry of the flaw, the stress acting at the vicinity of the flaw and the material properties (toughness, tensile properties). To do so, advanced fracture-mechanics testing (critical K, CTOD or J) are usually required to guarantee an accurate measurement of the material toughness. It is accepted that the Compact Tension (CT) and the Single-Edge Notched Bending (SENB) may lead to unnecessary conservatism in safety assessments. The Single-Edge Notched Tensile (SENT) specimen could be the most acceptable substitute since it is shown to lead to less conservatism