Cleavage fracture toughness data display normally large amount of statistical scatter in the transition region. The cleavage toughness data in this region is specimen size-dependent, and should be treated statistically rather than deterministically. The Master Curve (MC) methodology is a procedure for mechanical testing and statistical analysis of fracture toughness of ferritic steels in the transition region.
The methodology accounts for temperature and size dependence of fracture toughness. Using the Master Curve methodology for evaluation of the fracture toughness in the transition region relaxes some of the over-conservatism that has been observed in using the ASME-KIC curve.
The authority has in an earlier project sponsored research to evaluate the technical basis for the Master Curve (MC) concept, see SKI Research Report 2005:55. In the current report, the implementation of the MC concept into the program code ProSACC is described.