Advances in Material Property Characterization using Small Punch Tests

Small Punch Test (SPT) is used to calculate change in tensile and fracture properties of structural materials during service life of the materials of the plant components. This book compiles research work to convert load-displacement data of small-punch tests to material properties. It calculates J-R data of aged materials employing experimental data of pre-cracked miniaturized specimens. Application of cohesive-zone finite element to model semi-brittle SPT specimens is explained via case studies.Features:Presents exclusive material on remnant life assessment of in-service materials using small punch testing.Assesses fracture toughness of ductile material using experimentally measured bi-axial fracture strain.Provides new equations to calculate yield and ultimate stresses of copper and titanium alloys using measured small-punch-test data. Explores functions to correlate load-displacement data of p-SPT specimens with fracture properties. Includes case studies with direct relevance to the degradation of plant materials. This book is aimed at researchers, professionals and graduate students in materials science and engineering, mechanical property characterization and testing, and small-scale experimentation.

B.K. Dutta, BE (presently NIT Raipur), MTech (IIT Kanpur), PhD (IIT Bombay), served Department of Atomic Energy during the period Aug 1977- Dec 2018. Subsequently, he was associated with departmental programs as Raja Ramanna Fellow and Academic consultant. As Distinguished Scientist, Head HRDD (BARC) and Dean (HBNI), he served the department as a researcher, an academician, and an engineering practitioner. The primary thrust of Dr. Dutta’s research is linked to structural safety of Indian nuclear reactors.