• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.62-68
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• 2015

This study investigates the appropriate range of reverse bending load for the CTOD test of thick weld by observing improvement of pre-crack shape and determination of the limit applicable load. In order to do it, the effect of the amount of the reverse bending load on the maximum deviation of the pre-crack length was investigated by the extensive tests, and the variation of plastic zone size in way of the crack tip under reverse bending load were evaluated by FEA. With the results obtained by the experiments and FEA, the proper range of reverse bending load was suggested. The effectiveness of the reverse bending method was verified by examining the pre-crack straightness after CTOD tests of thick weld specimens with various thickness and strength.