A preliminary study of the modelling and microstructural requirements for brittle fracture of martensitic materials

The main aim of the proposal is to undertake preliminary work in specific areas, to facilitate the start of two research proposals which are to be resubmitted to EPSRC. A review of the experimental methods available to measure crack resistance will provide the most appropriate technique(s) to determine the propagation resistance of: (a) martensitic/bainitic interfaces; and (b) grain boundaries in mixed grain size microstructures (particularly at the nano-scale). Similarly, the extension of the 3-D geometric models to accommodate a martensitic transformation product and the development of specific experimental techniques to characterise the microstructures and interrogate the initiation of brittle cracks in these microstructures will facilitate the start of the proposed work programmes. A key element of this approach is that it will retain the developed expertise of the two PDRAs, namely Drs Gillian Smith and Gareth Hughes.