Wide-Plate Testing of Weldments: Introduction

No one single source currently exists which gives an overall picture of the meaning and usefulness of wide-plate test data. The intent of this series of papers is to provide a summary of the status of available knowledge—attained by the author as the result of almost 20 years of experience and study of the literature in the field of wide-plate testing—relating to the prevention of (brittle) fracture initiation.

In terms of organization, this series of papers begins with a short general introduction to show why the papers were written. The wide-plate test is then reviewed from various viewpoints. As the reader will see, the subject is presented in three self-contained papers, bearing the following titles: Part I—Wide-Plate Testing in Perspective Part II—Wide-Plate Evaluation of Notch Toughness Part III—Heat-Affected-Zone Wide-Plate Studies

Part I is concerned with a brief review of the historical development of wide-plate testing in relation to the major achievements of wide-plate/small-scale test correlations. From these considerations, the future role of wide-plate tests in fracture performance evaluations and design practice are discussed. Part II presents the various wide-plate and defect designs for evaluating the overall stress/strain behavior of plain and welded plates. Furthermore, the performance requirements in relation to the purpose of the test are critically reviewed. Part III considers the present state of the art in heat-affected-zone wide-plate testing procedures. The presentation provides a step-by-step analysis of the actual testing requirements. Particularly, emphasis is given to detailed metallographic posttest validation requirements for the crack tip location.