and A. V. ShiyanThe interrelation between ductility and cold resistance characteristics is considered, as which can be established by using a special characteristic, mechanical stability coefficient (a universal measure of the resistance of metal to ductile-brittle transition). It has been found that ductility cannot ensure the required brittle fracture resistance of metal, but only creates prerequisites for the attainment of the required mechanical stability. A condition for high mechanical stability is a wide stress range between the current strength of metal and brittle rupture strength.1. Formulation of the Problem. Strength and ductility are primary mechanical properties of metal alloys, ductility (in combination with strength) giving the metal one more property, toughness, which provides for it brittle fracture resistance under the action of such embrittlement factors as notches, cracks, dynamic loading and operating temperature decrease. In the last case, the low-temperature embrittlement resistance of alloy characterizes its cold resistance. However, in the modern science of the mechanical properties of structural alloys there is no clear under-standing of how ductility (ψ is reduction of area at fracture) affects cold resistance, i.e., how the required toughness can be retained at extreme climatic temperatures, i.e., at temperatures that are lower by 100°C than room temperatures (T r ) (ΔT T T r c = − , where T c is the critical ductile-brittle transition temperature of metal according to the accepted brittleness criterion). Thus the object is to find out in what measure ductility ψ affects in rupture tests cold resistance ΔT c , which is determined, e.g., in serial Charpy impact tests according to the existing brittleness criteria. To achieve the object in view, a special characteristic must be introduced into consideration, which combines two properties: strength and ductility, i.e., just the properties which actually determine unit rupture work or impact toughness. This characteristic is mechanical stability coefficient K ms , proposed in [1-4].
Mechanical Stability -a Measure of the Resistance of Metal to Ductile-Brittle Transition.References [3,4] present in detail the physical fundamentals of the mechanical stability concept. However, to get the substance of this concept clear, it is sufficient to analyze the simplified tensile strain hardening diagram for metal (Fig. 1).The reserve of metal ductility under uniaxial tension is described not only by the characteristic ψ, but also (with allowance for strain-hardening exponent n) by the ratio of two force characteristics of the diagram: S k σ 0 2 . . Although this correlation between the strength ratio S k σ 0 2 . and ductility ψ (via the exponent n), which is obvious for uniaxial tension, is not of great interest, the above idea proves to be useful for the analysis of more complex fracture conditions in a local region (notch apex or crack tip).In the ductile zone under the notch, the smallest value of the brittle strength of metal R mc [5, 6], but no...