TITLE

Impact Toughness of Metallic Materials

OBJECTIVES
Study temperature dependence of toughness of medium carbon steel.
Determination of percentage ductility by observing the fracture surface.
Discuss the importance of toughness in selection of materials in engineering applications.
INTRODUCTION
In material engineering, impact toughness is a property which describes the ability of the material to
resist facture, and is one of the most important mechanical property for structures or components
subjected to shock loading. The absorbed energy is a measuring unit of a materials toughness or impact
strength which was used to derive temperature dependent ductile to brittle transition or fracture point.
THEORY
Toughness is the ability of the material to absorb energy before fracture. For this test Charpy Testing
Machine is used. In the impact test performed, the fracture is made by using potential energy stored in
the pendulum. When the pendulum is released from a height the potential energy stored is converted into
kinetic energy, heat energy, sound energy. The energy lost as heat, sound and air resistance are ignored.
During the impact of hammer against the test specimen placed in the anvil, some of the kinetic energy
stored in the pendulum is absorbed by the specimen
during the fracture and rest of the energy used to
swing the pendulum to the other side of the machine.
The reading (in Joules) shows the amount of energy
used to fracture the specimen by determining the
difference in potential energy of the hammer before
release and at the peak of its upswing after rupture.
This is given by the equation fracture energy = mg (h h), where h is the original height of the hammer, h is
the peak of the first upswing after fracturing the test
specimen, m is the mass of the hammer, and g is the
acceleration due to gravity.
Impact test causes a region of plastic deformation to
occur around the notch in the test specimen. The notch
tip acts as stress concentration point. Some materials
are more sensitive towards notches than others. The notch depth and tip radius are therefore very
important.
Figure 1: Charpy Test
MATERIALS AND APPARATUS

55x10x10 mm medium carbon steel rod with a V-type notch (3 pieces)

Charpy testing machine
Centering device
Notch cutting machine
Heating machine
Cooling machine

Figure 3: Charpy Testing Machine

Figure 2: medium carbon steel rod with a V-type

notch

PROCEDURE

Before the test

was conducted the
samples
were
prepared.
One
mild
carbon steel was
placed was placed in the cooling machine and the other
in the heating
machine until the specimens reached a certain temperature.
A notch of 0.025mm was cut using a notch cutting machine.
Figure5:4:Cooling
Centering
Device
Figure
Machine
The pendulum was mounted and locked in an initial position.
Specimen was placed in the machine with the use of centering device such that the notch was
facing opposite side of the impact.
The pendulum was release from a fixed position.
Then the effect of the impact on the specimen was observed and the toughness reading was
determined by using the scale.
This process was repeated with the other two specimens of temperatures -33C and 150C
respectively.
Then the fracture surfaces of the broken specimen were observed.

OBSERVATION

Figure 6: Specimen after impact test

RESULTS
40
35
30
25
20

Toughness

15
10
5
-50

50

100

Temperature

150

200

Figure 7: Toughness versus temperature

CONCLUSION
From the test conducted I can conclude that as the temperature increases the ductility of medium carbon
steel increases. The toughness and percentage ductility of a materials on its temperature.
REFERENCES

Anon., (2013). AZoM.com. [Online]

Available at: http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2763
[Accessed 22 8 2014].

Wikipedia, n.d. Wikipedia. [Online]

Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility
[Accessed 22 8 2014].