Application of Pipe Ring Notched Tensile (PRNT) Specimens to Fracture Mechanics Testing of Ductile Metallic Materials

This paper presents the results of experimental and numerical analysis of fracture mechanics testing of ductile metallic materials using a non-standard procedure with PRNT (pipe ring notched tensile) ring-shaped specimens, introduced in previous publications through analysis of 3D-printed polymer rings. The main focus of this research is the determination of the values of the plastic geometry factor ηpl since the specimen is not a standard one. Toward this aim, the finite element software package Simulia Abaqus was applied to evaluate the J-integral (by using the domain integral method) and the F-CMOD curve so that the plastic geometry factor ηpl can be evaluated for different values of the ratio of crack length to specimen width (a0/W = 0.45 ÷ 0.55). In this way, a procedure and the possibility of practical implementation on the thin-walled pipelines are established.