RESISTANCE OF LOW-CARBON STEELS TO BRITTLE-CRACK DEVELOPMENT

X-ray fractography was used which enabled the authors to study the structural changes in localized contents of material both on and under the fracture surface. The breadth of the x-ray interference line, which shows the extent of distortion of the material crystal lattice, allows the level of plastic deformation in the break to be determined. The method enables information to be obtained concerning plastic deformation in very thin layers of metal in the break, which would be practically impossible to do by other methods.