GA-A15228

uc-77 I

A MODIFIED WEIBULL THEORY

FOR THE STRENGTH
OF GRANULAR BRITTLE MATERIAL

bY
F. HO

Prepared under
Contract D E-AT03-76ET35300
for the San Francisco Operations Office
Department of Energy

D A T E PUBLISHED: M A Y 1979
 DISCLAIMER

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an

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n

_-

ABSTRACT

A m o d i f i e d Weibull t h e o r y i s developed t o d e s c r i b e t h e s t r e n g t h of
a g r a n u l a r b r i t t l e material. The p r e s e n t t h e o r y r e c o n c i l e s t h e e f f e c t
of g r a i n s i z e , i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e e f f e c t s of volume and stress d i s t r i -
bution. T h i s i s done by i n t r o d u c i n g a f o u r t h material p a r a m e t e r h,
called the characteristic grain size. It i s a p p l i e d t o o v e r 2000 d a t a
p o i n t s of t h e g r a d e H451 g r a p h i t e . Excellent correlation is obtained
by c h o o s i n g h t o b e t h e maximum g r a i n s i z e . The d i f f e r e n c e between
0
t h e t h e o r y and t h e mean s t r e n g t h i s l e s s t h a n 3% i n a l o g . The d i f f e r e n c e
i s a b o u t 6% from l o g t o l o g . The t h e o r y i s a l s o a p p l i e d t o EGCR-type
AGOT g r a p h i t e w i t h v e r y good r e s u l t s .

iii
 CONTENTS

TABLES
1. FLEXURAL STRENGTH TEST DATA OF H451 GRAPHITE - --- - - -- 16
2. STRENGTH OF EGCR-TYPE AGOT GRPAHITE - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
r

3. STRENGTH RATIOS OF EGCR-TYPE AGOT GRAPHITE - - - - - - - - - 18

FIGURES
1. INTERNAL PRESSURE TESTS ON TUBULAR GRAPHITE SPECIMENS - - - 10

V
.
1. INTRODUCTION

G r a p h i t e , i n g e n e r a l , i s a n inhomogeneous, a n i s o t r o p i c , p o r o u s
and g r a n u l a r b r i t t l e s o l i d . I t s mechanical b e h a v i o r i s v e r y complex i n
nature. S t r e n g t h measurements show a h i g h v a r i a b i l i t y and a dependence
on t h e p h y s i c a l s i z e , t h e s h a p e , t h e t y p e of t e s t , t h e o r i e n t a t i o n and
t h e l o c a t i o n i n a l o g , and t h e m a n u f a c t u r i n g p r o c e s s , e t c . Some of
t h e t y p i c a l f a c t s a r e t h a t t h e s t r e n g t h d e c r e a s e s a s t h e volume i n c r e a s e s .
The f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h i s known t o b e 40 t o 100% h i g h e r t h a n t h e t e n s i l e
strength. F u r t h e r m o r e , when t h e l e a s t dimension of a specimen i s n e a r
t h e g r a i n s i z e , i t s s t r e n g t h g o e s down r a p i d l y . The e f f e c t Of the least
dimension t h e n outweighs t h e volume e f f e c t .
Attempts have been made by many a u t h o r s ( s e e r e f e r e n c e s c i t e d i n
Refs. 1 and 2 ) t o d e v e l o p a s t r e n g t h t h e o r y t h a t can a d e q u a t e l y d e s c r i b e
t h e material. Among them a r e P r i c e and Cobb (Ref. 2 ) , who a p p l i e d t h e
Weibull s t a t i s t i c a l t h e o r y t o g r a p h i t e m a t e r i a l . The t h e o r y s u c c e s s f u l l y
p r e d i c t s t h e e f f e c t of non-uniform stress d i s t r i b u t i o n , b u t t h e e x p e c t e d
dependence on volume i s n o t o b s e r v e d i n t h e t e s t . A p p l i c a t i o n of t h e
t h e o r y t o o v e r 2000 d a t a p o i n t s on H451 g r a p h i t e i n Ref. 3 reveals t h e
same c o n c l u s i o n .

A g e n e r a l s t r e n g t h t h e o r y w a s developed by T s a i and Wu (Ref. 4 ) .

They assume t h e e x i s t e n c e of a s c a l a r q u a d r a t i c f u n c t i o n of t h e stress
t e n s o r i n stress s p a c e . Chang and Weng (Ref. 5) a p p l i e d i t t o s e v e r a l
g r a p h i t e materials. Good c o r r e l a t i o n between t h e g e n e r a l t h e o r y and t h e
a v a i l a b l e test d a t a was obtained. However, t h e r e a r e several drawbacks i n
p r a c t i c a l application, although i t i s mathematically consistent.
F i r s t , t h e c o n s t a n t s are d i f f i c u l t t o c h a r a c t e r i z e experimentally.
Some s o p h i s t i c a t e d t y p e s of t e s t s are r e q u i r e d . Secondly, t h e g e n e r a l
t h e o r y i s o n l y a stress f u n c t i o n e v a l u a t e d a t a p o i n t and i t does n o t

1
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r e c o g n i z e t h e non-uniform stress d i s t r i b u t i o n i n i t s neighborhood.

On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e r e i s i n c r e a s i n g e v i d e n c e s u p p o r t i n g t h e g r a d i e n t
e f f e c t on t h e s t r e n g t h . T h i r d l y , g r a p h i t e i s porous and h a s f l a w s
d i s t r i b u t e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e body. The l a r g e r t h e volume, t h e lower one
strength. The volume e f f e c t c a n n o t be accommodated by t h e g e n e r a l t h e o r y
without modification, Finally, the general strength theory lacks a
s t a t i s t i c a l ingredient f o r practical consideration. The two aforementioned
t h e o r i e s are n o t mutually exclusive. I n f a c t , t h e y c a n be blended i n t o a
more g e n e r a l s t r e n g t h t h e o r y .

I n t h i s p a p e r a new t h e o r y i s p r e s e n t e d by modifying t h e W e i b u l l
distribution. The m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l t h e o r y r e c o n c i l e s t h e e f f e c t of t h e l e a s t
dimension ( r e l a t i v e t o t h e g r a i n s i z e ) i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e e f f e c t s of
volume and stress d i s t r i b u t i o n . I t h a s t h e s t a t i s t i c a l a s p e c t of t h e
strength for practical application. The Weibull d i s t r i b u t i o n i s b r i e f l y
reviewed i n t h e n e x t s e c t i o n , followed by d i s c u s s i o n of t h e t e n s i l e
v e r s u s bend s t r e n g t h . The m o d i f i e d Weibull t h e o r y i s t h e n i n t r o d u c e d .
I t i s a p p l i e d t o H451 g r a p h i t e m a t e r i a l . Some r e s u l t s a r e summarized,
and recommendation i s made f o r f u t u r e t e s t work.

I t s h o u l d b e w o r t h t o mention t h a t t h e Weibull t h e o r y i s p r e s e n t l y
a p p l i e d i n t h i s p a p e r t o t h e s t r e n g t h of g r a p h i t e w i t h i n t h e s c o p e of t h e
c l a s s i c a l t h e o r y of e l a s t i c i t y . This i s because t h a t t h e Weibull t h e o r y
c a n n o t b e a p p l i e d u n l e s s t h e stress d i s t r i b u t i o n i s known. But t h e t h e o r y
d o e s n o t l i m i t i t s e l f t o t h e above c o n s t i t u t i v e r e l a t i o n . If a difficult
c o n s t i t u t i v e l a w were a d o p t e d , t h e n t h e m o d i f i c a t i o n p r e s e n t e d h e r e would
b e d i f f e r e n t and p o s s i b l y even u n n e c e s s a r y .

We s h a l l r e s t r i c t t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e W e i b u l l t h e o r y t o t h e u n i -
a x i a l stress s t a t e o n l y . It i s p r e m a t u r e a t t h i s moment t o e x t e n d i t t o
t h e m u l t i - a x i a l stress s t a t e s . F u r t h e r r e s e a r c h work i n c l u d i n g experimen-
t a t i o n n e e d s t o b e done i n t h i s d i r e c t i o n b e f o r e any c o n c l u s i o n c a n b e
n
drawn.

2
 2. THE WEIBULL DISTRIBUTION

This distribution is gaining rapidly in popularity for use in analyz-

ing data from strength tests of brittle solids. The three parameter Weibull
distribution in the uniaxial stress state can be written as follows:

where Sv = the cumulative survival probability for the given

specimen,
Go = scale parameter or characteristic strength,
oU = location parameter or the lower bound of strength,
m = shape parameter or Weibull slope,
v = volume o f the specimen,
0 = stress in the specimen, the random variable of interest.

The lower bound of strength, oU, for graphite material is possibly

very low and is assumed to be zero. In Ref. 6 the experimental strength
data of POCO graphite are analyzed. The results obtained in the fit
of the data are insensitive to the value of CI,, whether taking 0, = 0
or t a k i n g t h e b e s t - f i t v a l u e f o r oU. The same assumption is a l s o made
in analyzing fatigue life data of mechanical components and electronic
devices in the Reliability Engineering field. Hence, it is assumed oU = 0
throughout the present discussion.

The Weibull theory is then applied to the three commonly used

strength test configurations. The uniaxial tensile test has a uniform
stress distribution. The non-uniform stress distribution includes the four
point bending test and a hollow cylinder subjected to internal pressure.

3
. The s u r v i v a l p r o b a b i l i t y d e r i v e d from e q u a t i o n (1) c a n b e e x p r e s s e d i n
t h e f o l l o w i n g form (Ref. 2)

sV = exp [- v(kT]
where V = Vt, tensile test

= Vb, bending t e s t

= V , i n t e r n a l pressure test
P
V t = t h e l o a d - c a r r y i n g volume of a t e n s i l e specimen

vb - a
1 (v,/2 + vos/(m+l)) , r e c t a n g u l a r specimen

b' = ( 'cs + -
2
m+3 '0s)
g,(m), c i r c u l a r specimen

3
RL 1
v = v - g2(R,m), hollow c y l i n d r i c a l specimen
P R2-1 (R? l ) m
o = ot, t e n s i l e stress, t e n s i l e t e s t

= G maximum bending stress, bending t e s t

b'
= cl stress a t t h e i n n e r r a d i u s , i n t e r n a l p r e s s u r e t e s t
P'
V = t h e volume of t h e c e n t e r s p a n
cs
Vos = the volume of the outer span

R = t h e r a t i o of O.D. t o I.D.
V = t h e volume of t h e h o l l o w c y l i n d e r
C

-
2.4.6 . (m-1) 2 m odd ' i n t e g e r
1.3.5 *..(m+Z) 'iT'

n gl(m> and g2(R,m) a r e d e f i n e d h e r e f o r , i n t e g e r m o n l y . Their values f o r

n o n - i n t e g e r m c a n b e s t b e o b t a i n e d by i n t e r p o l a t i o n methods.

4
 3. D I S C U S S I O N ON TENSILE AND FLEXURAL STRENGTH

It i s a well-known f a c t t h a t t h e v a l u e of t h e f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h
b a s e d on t h e c l a s s i c a l beam t h e o r y i s c o n s i d e r a b l y h i g h e r t h a n t h e u n i -
axial tensile strength i n b r i t t l e solids. The r a t i o i s from a p p r o x i -
m a t e l y 1 . 4 t o 2 . 0 f o r g r a p h i t e depending on t h e specimen s i z e , t h e
specimen s h a p e , t h e a r r a n g e m e n t of l o a d i n g , t h e t y p e of m a t e r i a l , and
t h e specimen l o c a t i o n . Besides, a high v a r i a b i l i t y e x i s t s i n strength
measurements o b t a i n e d i n e i t h e r t y p e of t h e t e s t s . I n t h e following we
w i l l g i v e a c r i t i c a l review on t h e main d i f f e r e n c e s of t h e two t e s t s .
H o p e f u l l y , t h i s w i l l l e a d t o some e x p l a n a t i o n s t h a t accommodate t h e
aforementioned d i s c r e p a n c i e s .

G r a p h i t e i s , i n g e n e r a l , inhomogeneous, a n i s o t r o p i c and p o r o u s .
S p a t i a l v a r i a t i o n of t h e m a t e r i a l p r o p e r t i e s i n a g e n e r i c l o g i s o b s e r v e d .
I t c a n b e s e p a r a t e d i n t o two p a r t s , a s y s t e m a t i c g l o b a l v a r i a t i o n and a
random l o c a l v a r i a t i o n . The v a r i a t i o n can be e s t i m a t e d from t h e t e s t d a t a .
The t r u e v a r i a t i o n c a n n e v e r b e known.

L e t u s examine t h e e f f e c t of t h i s v a r i a t i o n on t h e u n i a x i a l t e n s i o n
\

test. I n t h e c l a s s i c a l beam t h e o r y t h e r e w i l l b e no e x t e r n a l b e n d i n g
moment a c t i n g on a g i v e n s e c t i o n of t h e beam i f t h e a p p l i e d a x i a l l o a d
is p a s s i n g through t h e e l a s t i c a x i s . The e l a s t i c a x i s i s d e f i n e d by
EXdA = 0 where E i s Young's modulus and x i s t h e d i s t a n c e from t h e
geometric a x i s . S i n c e E i s a random v a r i a b l e , t h e l o c a t i o n of t h e e l a s t i c
a x i s changes from s e c t i o n t o s e c t i o n a l o n g t h e beam a x i s . A s a n example
f o r a c i r c u l a r c r o s s s e c t i o n w i t h l i n e a r v a r i a t i o n of E a l o n g one d i a m e t e r ,
r
. i . e . , E(x) = El)(
2
+ Eo, t h e e l a s t i c a x i s i s s h i f t e d by a d i s t a n c e of
E , r / 4 E 0 t o w a r d s t h e h i g h s i d e of E , where r i s t h e r a d i u s of t h e c i r c u l a r
cross section.
n

5
n

Consider t h e u n i a x i a l t e n s i o n t e s t w i t h specimens h a v i n g d i a m e t e r
of 0.25" and 0.505". Assuming a 4. 5% v a r i a t i o n a b o u t t h e mean v a l u e
Eo, t h e s h i f t o f t h e e l a s t i c a x i s i s 0.00156" and 0.00316" f o r 2 r = 0.25"
and 0.505", respectively. The extreme f i b e r stresses f o r a l o a d P a c t i n g
n o r m a l l y a t t h e e l a s t i c c e n t e r of t h e s e c t i o n a r e
P
(y = -
A
( I -+ E l r h o )
+5% v a r i a t i o n i n E
With a -
0 = 1.05 P / A
max
The maximum f i b e r stress i s augmented by a n amount e q u a l t o o n e h a l f of t h e
p e r c e n t a g e of t h e r a n g e of v a r i a t i o n i n E . Therefore, t h e calculated
P / A stress i s always smaller t h a n what a p p e a r s i n t h e specimen, and t h e
amount of d i f f e r e n c e i s random.

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e m a t e r i a l e c c e n t r i c i t y , t h e r e may b e l o a d e c c e n t r i c i t y
due t o improper a l i g n m e n t of t h e l o a d t r a i n . A d i r e c t a p p l i c a t i o n of a
p u r e t e n s i o n f o r c e a l o n g t h e g e o m e t r i c a x i s of t h e specimen i s v e r y d i f -
f i c u l t , and i s f u r t h e r c o m p l i c a t e d by s e c o n d a r y stresses induced by t h e
end g r i p s . Suppose t h a t a t e n s i l e t e s t machine i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d t o have
a maximum l o a d e c c e n t r i c i t y of s a y , a'' w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e g e o m e t r i c a x i s
of t h e specimen. The c o r r e s p o n d i n g p e r c e n t a g e i n c r e a s e i n t h e maximum
stress i s ( 4 a/r) (6 a/h for rectangular cross section of thickness h).
T e s t s performed a t GA u s i n g s t r a i n gauges on some 0.5"$ (diameter metallic
specimens i n d i c a t e a maximum.variation of ?6%7% i n s t r a i n . T h i s i s conver-
t e d t o a maximum e c c e n t r i c i t y of 0.004". T h i s e c c e n t r i c i t y i s a l s o random.

The two e c c e n t r i c i t i e s a r e a d d i t i v e . .The e c c e n t r i c i t y s h o u l d y i e l d

a higher v a r i a b i l i t y i n t h e t e n s i l e strength than the f l e x u r a l strength.
T h i s indeed i s observed (Ref. 3 ) . It a l s o l e a d s t o a lower t e n s i l e
s t r e n g t h , by several p e r c e n t . Our b e s t e s t i m a t i o n from t h e t e s t r e s u l t s
i n d i c a t e s a n a p p r o x i m a t e r a n g e of 3 t o 6 p e r c e n t depending on t h e specimen
size.

6
 The maximum t e n s i l e stress i n a bending specimen i s c a l c u l a t e d by
u s i n g t h e beam f o r m u l a from t h e c l a s s i c a l beam t h e o r y . The q u a l i f i c a -
t i o n ' ' c l a s s i c a l ' l r e f e r s t o t h e assumption i n t h e c a l c u l a t i o n t h a t t h e
4

stress i s p r o p o r t i o n a l t o t h e d i s t a n c e from t h e n e u t r a l a x i s of t h e
beam. While i n r e a l i t y t h e s h a p e of t h e s t r e s s - s t r a i n c u r v e under l o a d s
n e a r i n g f a i l u r e i s known t o b e n o n l i n e a r , n o t t r i a n g u l a r .

The f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h t h u s o v e r e s t i m a t e s t h e u n i a x i a l t e n s i l e
s t r e n g t h and g i v e s a h i g h e r v a l u e t h a n would b e o b t a i n e d i n a d i r e c t
tension test.

R e f e r e n c e 3 p r e s e n t s a m e t h o d of c o r r e c t i o n f o r n o n l i n e a r stress-
s t r a i n curve. The mean v a l u e of t h e r a t i o of t h e u n c o r r e c t e d f l e x u r a l
s t r e n g t h t o t h e c o r r e c t e d f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h i s a b o u t 1 . 2 0 f o r 0.25"$1 x
1.5" H451 specimen s u b j e c t e d t o a f o u r p o i n t bending t e s t . Additional
u n p u b l i s h e d t e s t d a t a a t GA on H451 g r a p h i t e show a mean r a t i o of 1.25
and 1 . 1 3 f o r 0.25"@ x 1.5" and 0.35" x 0.35" x 1.5" specimens,
respectively.

One p o s s i b l e r e a s o n t h a t may accommodate t h e n o t e d d i s c r e p a n c y

between t h e f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h and t h e u n i a x i a l t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h i s
a s c r i b e d t o t h e Weibull theory. The a p p l i c a t i o n of t h i s t h e o r y t o t h e
s t r e n g t h of g r a p h i t e i s t h e main c o n c e r n of t h i s p a p e r .

An a l t e r n a t i v e t o W e i b u l l t h e o r y c a n b e d e s c r i b e d as f o l l o w s :

I n t h e bend t e s t t h e maximum f i b e r stress r e a c h e d i s h i g h e r t h a n

i n d i r e c t t e n s i o n b e c a u s e t h e p r o p a g a t i o n of a c r a c k i s blocked by less
s t r e s s e d material n e a r e r t o t h e n e u t r a l a x i s . Thus t h e e n e r g y a v a i l a b l e
i s below t h a t n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e f o r m a t i o n of new c r a c k s u r f a c e s . This
i s e s s e n t i a l l y t h e s t r a i n g r a d i e n t t h e o r y (Ref. 7 ) . The t h e o r y employs a
d i f f e r e n t c o n s t i t u t i v e l a w and c a n e x p l a i n t h e a f o r e m e n t i o n e d d i s c r e p a n c y
i n strength. Advances have been made c o n s i d e r i n g a l i n e a r t h e o r y of
e l a s t i c i t y w i t h c o u p l e stresses (Ref. 8 ) .

7
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Some r e s u l t s d e r i v e d from t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e W e i b u l l t h e o r y t o
g r a p h i t e i n Ref. 3 a r e reviewed. The r a t i o s between t h e mean t e n s i l e
s t r e n g t h of s m a l l - s i z e d specimens and l a r g e - s i z e d specimens from t h e
same l o c a t i o n and o r i e n t a t i o n are 1.03 and 1 . 0 8 f o r t h e a x i a l and r a d i a l
orientation, respectively. The W e i b u l l t h e o r y p r e d i c t s a s t r e n g t h
r a t i o of 1 . 2 8 f o r t h e a x i a l o r i e n t a t i o n and 1.38 f o r t h e r a d i a l o r i e n t a -
tion. It i s t h e r e f o r e concluded t h a t t h e W e i b u l l t h e o r y g r o s s l y over-
estimates t h e volume dependence of t h e s t r e n g t h of H451 g r a p h i t e .

The o b s e r v e d r a t i o between t h e f o u r - p o i n t mean f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h

w i t h c o r r e c t i o n f o r t h e n o n l i n e a r stress s t r a i n r e l a t i o n s h i p and t h e
mean t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h a r e 1.52 f o r a x i a l and 1.55 f o r r a d i a l . The
p r e d i c t e d v a l u e s of 1.51 f o r a x i a l and 1 . 6 4 f o r r a d i a l are i n good
agreement w i t h t h e o b s e r v e d r a t i o s .

The c o e f f i c i e n t of v a r i a t i o n f o r s m a l l - s i z e d t e n s i l e specimens from

t h e same zone i n t h e p a r e n t l o g a v e r a g e d 12.1% and 15.3% f o r a x i a l and
radial orientation, respectively. The l a r g e - s i z e d specimens show a
s l i g h t l y smaller c o e f f i c i e n t of v a r i a t i o n of 10.2% and 14.3% f o r t h e
a x i a l and r a d i a l o r i e n t a t i o n . The bend t e s t specimens have t h e smallest
c o e f f i c i e n t of v a r i a t i o n of a l l , a v e r a g i n g 7 . 7 % f o r t h e a x i a l o r i e n t a -
t i o n and 9.0% f o r t h e r a d i a l o r i e n t a t i o n . The t r e n d of t h e v a r i a t i o n
conforms t o what h a s been d i s c u s s e d p r e v i o u s l y .

I n a p p l i c a t i o n s t h e modified Weibull t h e o r y l a t e r , c o r r e c t i o n s are

made o n l y f o r t h e n o n - l i n e a r stress s t r a i n r e l a t i o n . Average c o r r e c t i o n i s
a b o u t 1 7 p e r c e n t f o r H451 g r a p h i t e (Ref. 3 ) . The e f f e c t of e c c e n t r i c i t i e s
i n most cases c a n n o t be e a s i l y a s s e s s e d . It i s b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e e f f e c t
is not significant. Using t h e H451 g r a p h i t e d a t a from Ref. 3 , t h e c o r r e c t i o n
i s e s t i m a t e d t o b e no more t h a n one h a l f of t h e s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n . Besides,
i t l a c k s of a s y s t e m a t i c way t o a c c o u n t f o r t h e e f f e c t . T h e r e f o r e no c o r -
r e c t i o n f o r t h e e c c e n t r i c i t i e s w i l l be considered. The stress d i s t r i b u t i o n
t e r m i n t h e Weibull t h e o r y can b e modified t o i n c l u d e t h e s t r a i n g r a d i e n t
effect. I t i s n o t w i t h i n t h e s c o p e of t h i s r e p o r t and no e f f o r t s are made.
n

8
 4. THE MODIFIED WEIBULL THEORY

The f u n d a m e n t a l b a s i s f o r t h e W e i b u l l t h e o r y i s t h e s o - c a l l e d
"weakest l i n k h y p o t h e s i s " . T h i s h y p o t h e s i s a c c o u n t s o n l y f o r p a r t of
o b s e r v e d p h y s i c a l phenomena when a p p l i e d t o t h e s t r e n g t h of a b r i t t l e
g r a n u l a r s o l i d , s u c h as g r a p h i t e . I n t h i s theory, m a t e r i a l is charac-
t e r i z e d a s a n a g g r e g a t e of m i c r o - s t r u c t u r a l "links". Thus i t l e a d s t o
a c o n c l u s i o n t h a t t h e c o m b i n a t i o n of t h e h i g h e s t l o c a l stress concen-
t r a t i o n w i t h t h e most c r i t i c a l f l a w c o n t r o l t h e s t r e n g t h of t h e specimen.

The m o t i v a t i o n t o modify t h e W e i b u l l t h e o r y t o a c c o u n t f o r t h e s i z e
e f f e c t stems from o b s e r v a t i o n s of many t e s t r e s u l t s . The t e s t r e s u l t s
r e p o r t e d i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e ( R e f s . 1 , 2 and 9 ) i n d i c a t e a r a p i d l y d e c r e a s -
i n g s t r e n g t h a s t h e l e a s t d i m e n s i o n s of t h e specimens a p p r o a c h t h e so-
called "characteristic grain size". Near t h i s s i z e t h e e f f e c t of t h e
l e a s t d i m e n s i o n s outweighs t h e volume e f f e c t p r e d i c t e d by t h e W e i b u l l
theory. A s i t t u r n s o u t l a t e r i n a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l
t h e o r y , t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c g r a i n s i z e c o n c u r s w i t h t h e maximum g r a i n
size.

T e s t d a t a of t u b u l a r specimens under i n t e r n a l p r e s s u r e r e p o r t e d i n
R e f s . 2 and 1 2 are p r e s e n t e d i n F i g . 1 . The m a x i m u m t e n s i l e f a i l u r e stress
i s c a l c u l a t e d u s i n g t h e c l a s s i f a l f o r m u l a f o r t h i c k - w a l l c y l i n d e r under
i n t e r n a l pressure. No c o r r e c t i o n , s u c h as volume e f f e c t h a s been made.
The maximum t e n s i l e stress i s e x p r e s s e d as a f u n c t i o n of w a l l t h i c k n e s s
i n t h e diagram. The stress d e c r e a s e s r a p i d l y a s t h e w a l l t h i c k n e s s g e t t i n g
t h i n n e r and c l o s e t o t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c g r a i n s i z e . The t r e n d m a n i f e s t s
t h e combined e f f e c t of g r a i n s i z e and volume. The same t r e n d i s a l s o
o b s e r v e d i n t h e u n i - a x i a l t e n s i l e t e s t s , e x c e p t t h a t i t d i f f e r s by a s c a l i n g
factor.

9
.
e
0 z
a %
0
0
0
0 6
\ c?
0
0 \ e
cv.
0
.-
Q 0
0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0
M
0
cv z
ISd SS3UlS 311SIu313UflllV'J
10
 To r e c o n c i l e t h i s , i t i s assumed t h a t a f t e r a l l o w i n g c r e d i t f o r t h e
n o n l i n e a r stress s t r a i n r e l a t i o n s h i p , t h e o b s e r v e d s t r e n g t h ( c a l c u l a t e d
from t h e t e s t d a t a ) i s a f u n c t i o n of t h e r a t i o s of t h e t h i c k n e s s and
t h e w i d t h of t h e specimen t o t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c g r a i n s i z e . The s t r e n g t h
CJ i n t h e W e i b u l l t h e o r y w i l l be r e p l a c e d by Go f ( h o 9 h 1 9 h2)
0

h = the characteristic grain s i z e

0
h, = t h i c k n e s s of specimen
h 2 = w i d t h of specimen
fi = o i f hi -
< ho

f = 1.0 i f hi >> ho i = 1,2

i

And i n a d d i t i o n , f and f a r e m o n o t o n i c a l l y i n c r e a s i n g f u n c t i o n s of
1 2
h . when h
1
> h
i- 0
.
The m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l d i s t r i b u t i o n t h e n h a s t h e f o l l o w i n g form (*)

All relevant e q u a t i o n s f o r t h e s u r v i v a l p r o b a d .d y are va d in

t h e modified t h e o r y i f t h e proper e x p r e s s i o n f o r 0 is used. For
example, t h e r a t i o of t h e t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h of two d i f f e r e n t s i z e d
c i r c u l a r specimens i s

(*)Another way t o i n t e r p r e t t h e m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l d i s t r i b u t i o n i s t h a t
is
i t i s i d e n t i c a l t o t h e o r i g i n a l W e i b u l l t h e o r y e x c e p t t h e stress CT
t h i c k n e s s - a n d-width d e p e n d e n t .
13
 A p p a r e n t l y , f o r a g i v e n volume r a t i o , t h e r e a r e i n f i n i t e l y many m
and ho v a l u e s which g i v e t h e same s t r e n g t h r a t i o . However, t h e r e i s
o n l y o n e p a i r o r small r a n g e of t h e s e p a r a m e t e r s which can accommodate
a l l tested cases. The p a r a m e t e r ho o b t a i n e d c o r r e s p o n d s t o t h e maximum
g r a i n size of t h e material.

A convenient expression f o r t h e function f which c l o s e l y a p p r o x i m a t e s

i
t h e t r e n d of stress w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e t h i c k n e s s i n F i g . 1 i s

We s h a l l u t i l i z e t h i s i n a p p l y i n g t h e m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l d i s t r i b u t i o n
t o t h e t e s t r e s u l t s r e p o r t e d i n R e f s . 3 and 10. A f t e r choosing h t o be
0
t h e maximum g r a i n s i z e , some g r a p h i c a l s o l u t i o n s may b e used t o o b t a i n
t h e W e i b u l l modulus m.

32
 5. APPLICATIONS TO GRAPHITE

A. H451 g r a p h i t e

R e s u l t s of more t h a n 2000 t e n s i l e and f o u r p o i n t bend t e s t s

from one l o g of e x t r u d e d , n e a r i s o t r o p i c , g r a d e H451 g r a p h i t e are r e p o r t e d
i n Ref. 3 . The m o d i f i e d Weibull d i s t r i b u t i o n w i l l be a p p l i e d t o t h e d a t a .

E f f e c t of Specimen Volume i n t h e Tension Tests

The s m a l l t e n s i l e specimen i s 0.25" i n d i a m e t e r and 0.9"

long. The l a r g e t e n s i l e specimen i s of 0 . 5 0 5 " $ x 3.0" i n s i z e . The
correction factor f is

2 -1
f (ho,h) =y COS (ho/h)

= 0.8391 h = 0.25''
= 0.9210 h = 0.505"
where h, = 0.0625", the maximum grain size.

The p r e d i c t e d s t r e n g t h r a t i o s are
a, (0.25)/a2(0.505)

= 1.053 Axial, m = 11
= 1.110 Radial, m = 9

These v a l u e s a r e i n good agreement w i t h t h e o b s e r v e d r a t i o s of 1.03

f o r t h e a x i a l o r i e n t a t i o n and 1.08 f o r t h e r a d i a l o r i e n t a t i o n . The
d i f f e r e n c e is a b o u t 2.8%.

33

.
 R e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e F l e x u r a l S t r e n g t h and t h e U n i a x i a l
Tensile Strength

The o b s e r v e d mean r a t i o s of 1.52 and 1.55 f o r t h e a x i a l and

r a d i a l o r i e n t a t i o n s r e p o r t e d i n Ref. 3 a r e used f o r comparison. The r a t i o s a r e between
t h e f o u r p o i n t f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h w i t h c o r r e c t i o n f o r t h e n o n l i n e a r stress
s t r a i n r e l a t i o n s h i p and t h e t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h of s m a l l specimen. The
s m a l l t e n s i l e specimen i s of 0.25"$ x 0.9" and t h e f l e x u r a l specimen i s
of 0.25"(1 x 1.5'' w i t h s u p p o r t s a t two e n d s and t h e two i n i d - t h i r d p o i n t s .
Using t h e m and h v a l u e s recommended p r e v i o u s l y , t h i s y i e l d s t h e
0
following r a t i o s

a
- F = 1.508 A x i a l (m = 11)
1.587 R a d i a l (m = 9)
dT

The d i f f e r e n c e between t h e p r e d i c t e d and t h e o b s e r v e d i s less t h a n

2.5%.

The e r r o r i n t h e p r e d i c t i o n c a n b e minimized t o w i t h i n 1 . 8 %
by c h o o s i n g m = 1 1 . 3 and m = 9 . 3 f o r t h e a x i a l and r a d i a l o r i e n t a t i o n ,
respectively. I t can b e s e e n t h a t t h e r e s u l t s a r e n o t v e r y s e n s i t i v e
t o t h e m v a l u e used. F o r t h e p u r p o s e of t h i s p a p e r , the nearest integral
m v a l u e w i l l b e used.

F l e x u r a l S t r e n g t h T e s t s Using Two D i f f e r e n t Sized/Shaped

SD ec imens

F l e x u r a l tests ( T a b l e 1 ) h a v e b e e n performed u s i n g two t y p e s

of specimens. Both t y p e s of specimens are 1.5" l o n g and s u b j e c t e d
t o f o u r p o i n t bending t e s t w i t h s u p p o r t s a t t h e e n d s and t h e m i d - t h i r d
points. The c y l i n d r i c a l specimen is 0.25'' i n d i a m e t e r and t h e r e c t a n g u l a r
specimen is 0.35" s q u a r e . The mean r a t i o s of t h e f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h
( r e c t a n g u l a r v e r s u s c i r c u l a r c r o s s s e c t i o n s ) a r e 0.919 and 0.873 f o r
a x i a l and r a d i a l o r i e n t a t i o n s , r e s p e c t i v e l y . (*I The m o d i f i e d t h e o r y
g i v e s r a t i o s of 0.950 and 0.926. The p r e d i c t i o n i s o f f by o n l y 6%.

34
 S i n c e t h e t e s t d a t a a r e from a d i f f e r e n t b i l l e t , t h e W e i b u l l
p a r a m e t e r s a r e n o t n e c e s s a r i l y t h e same as p r e v i o u s l y o b t a i n e d . When
m = 8 . 5 and 6.5 are u s e d , t h e p r e d i c t i o n s are 0.918 and 0.878, o f f by
0.5%.

B. EGCR-Type AGOT G r a p h i t e

The m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l d i s t r i b u t i o n i s a l s o a p p l i e d t o t h e
s t r e n g t h d a t a of EGCR-Type AGOT g r a p h i t e r e p o r t e d i n Ref. 10. The
s t r e n g t h d a t a are t a b u l a t e d i n Table 2. The r e s u l t s are shown i n Table 3 .
Excellent c o r r e l a t i o n is obtained.

C. G l a s s y Carbon

I n t h i s case t h e e f f e c t of t h e g r a i n s i z e f a d e s away. The

o r i g i n a l Weibull theory should adequately d e s c r i b e t h e mechanical
behavior. I n d e e d , t h i s i s r e p o r t e d i n Ref. 1 1 .

n (*)The r a t i o f o r e a c h o r i e n t a t i o n i s o n l y t h e averaged v a l u e over

two l o c a t i o n s , e n d - c e n t e r and mid-length edge location f o r axial
specimens, and end-edge and m i d - l e n g t h c e n t e r location for radial
specimens. I n t h e t e n s i l e and f l e x u r a l tests (Ref. 3 ) , t h e mean
v a l u e s of a l l f o u r l o c a t i o n s a r e c a l c u l a t e d .

35
 I

Table 1

FLEXURAL TEST RESULTS OF H 4 5 1 GRAPHITE

I Mean Bend* Standard

Location Specimen Strength Deviation No. of
I
~ Orientat ion in Log Cross Section (ma) (ma) Specimens

Midlength-edge 0.25" diameter 26.2 1.3 35

.
0 35" x 0.35" square
~~
23.9 1.5 23

End-Center 0.25" diameter 23.3 1.8 35

.
0 35" x 0.35" square 19.7 1.7 25

End-edge 0.25" diameter 22.7 1 .2 36

0.35" x 0.35" square 18.8 2.8 26

Midlength-center 0.25" diameter 38.6 2.5 35

0.35" x 0.35" square 16.7 1.9 36

*Corrected f o r non-linear stress-strain curve.

i I
 Table 2
S t r e n g t h of EGCR-Type AGOT G r a p h i t e (Ref. 10)

1 Type of
Test Specimen S i z e
*Fracture
Stress, p s i
C o e f f i c i e n t of
Variation

Uniaxial
small (5/ 16"Q) 1610 20% I

I
Tensile
l a r g e (5/8"$) 1540 18%

small (5/ 16" s q u a r e ) 2120

I Flexural
l a r g e (5,' 8" square) 1960 15%
I
* C o r r e c t e d f o r n o n l i n e a r stress s t r a i n c u r v e s

17
-.

Table 3
STRENGTH R A T I O S OF EGCR-TYPE AGOT GRPAHITE

% Difference
Strength Predicted Between Measured
Ratio Rat io* and Predicted

Large Tensile/small tensile 0.957 0.922 3.7%

Large Flexural/small Flexural 0.925 0.922 0.3%
Small Flexural/small tensile 1.317 1.267 3.8%
Large Flexural/large tensile 1.271 .
1 267 0.3%

*Using m = 14, h, = 1/32"

38
 6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The W e i b u l l t h e o r y i s m o d i f i e d h e r e by i n c l u d i n g t h e e f f e c t of t h e
grain size. The smaller t h e r a t i o of t h e body dimension t o t h e c h a r a c -
t e r i s t i c g r a i n s i z e , t h e lower t h e s t r e n g t h . The t h e o r y i s used t o
d e s c r i b e t h e material b e h a v i o r of g r a p h i t e . Over 2000 d a t a p o i n t s of H451
g r a p h i t e are u t i l i z e d i n t h e c o r r e l a t i o n . Two t y p e s of s t r e n g t h
I

tests, u n i a x i a l t e n s i l e and f o u r p o i n t b e n d i n g tests, are d e a l t w i t h

here. I n t h e t e n s i l e t e s t s , two d i f f e r e n t s i z e d specimens a r e a n a l y z e d
t o d e t e r m i n e t h e e f f e c t of p h y s i c a l s i z e . I n t h e bend t e s t s ,
t h r e e d i f f e r e n t s i z e d a n d / o r shaped specimens a r e t e s t e d t o examine
t h e e f f e c t of stress d i s t r i b u t i o n and p h y s i c a l size., In applying t h e
t h e o r y , t h e f l e x u r a l stresses o b t a i n e d from t h e c l a s s i c a l beam t h e o r y
have been c o r r e c t e d f o r t h e n o n l i n e a r stress s t r a i n b e h a v i o r .

Dependence of t h e s t r e n g t h on o r i e n t a t i o n i s r e t a i n e d i n t h e
analysis. But t h e s p a t i a l v a r i a t i o n of t h e s t r e n g t h a c c o r d i n g t o t h e
l o c a t i o n is excluded. I n s t e a d , t h e a v e r a g e v a l u e s of f o u r l o c a t i o n s ,
i . e . , end-edge,end-center, midlength-edge and m i d l e n g t h - c e n t e r , a r e
correlated with t h e theory. The t h e o r y s h o u l d a p p l y e q u a l l y w e l l
w i t h o u t e x c l u d i n g t h e e f f e c t of t h e s p a t i a l v a r i a t i o n .

Comparison of t h e t h e o r y w i t h t h e t e s t r e s u l t s l e a d s t o t h e
following conclusions:

1. E f f e c t of volume--the mean s t r e n g t h r a t i o of t h e l a r g e - s i z e d
and t h e s m a l l - s i z e d t e n s i l e specimens i s p r e d i c t e d by t h e t h e o r y w i t h i n
3% a c c u r a c y .

2. E f f e c t of stress d i s t r i b u t i o n - - t h e difference i n the flexural

t o t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h r a t i o between t h e t h e o r y and t h e t e s t d a t a i s o n l y
2.5%.

39
 3. E f f e c t of volume and stress d i s t r i b u t i o n - - a maximum of 6%
d i f f e r e n c e w a s found by examining t h e f l e x u r a l s t r e n g t h r a t i o of r e c t a n g u l a r
t o circular cross sections. The material p a r a m e t e r s , m and h
0
, used
obtained f o r a d i f f e r e n t log. The d i f f e r e n c e may b e reduced i f m a n d / o r
h f o r t h a t p a r t i c u l a r l o g are used.
0

4. The t h e o r y e x p l a i n s t h e f a c t t h a t t h e lower s t r e n g t h i s o b s e r v e d
when t h e specimen s i z e i s a p p r o a c h i n g t h e g r a i n s i z e . This i s because
t h a t i n t h e normal s i z e r a n g e of t h e p r e s e n t t e s t specimens t h e volume
e f f e c t i s weak when compared t o t h e s t r o n g e f f e c t of t h e g r a i n s i z e .

5. For H451 g r a p h i t e , ho = 0.0625", m = 11 ( a x i a l ) and 9 ( r a d i a l )

f i t the data quite w e l l .

E x c e l l e n t c o r r e l a t i o n i s a l s o s e e n when t h e m o d i f i e d t h e o r y i s
a p p l i e d t o EGCR-Type AGOT g r a p h i t e .

I n t h e c o r r e l a t i o n i t i s found t h a t t h e r e s u l t s a r e n o t s e n s i t i v e
t o m value. C a l c u l a t i o n by d e s k t o p c a l c u l a t o r o r by hand g i v e s
relatively accurate results.

The m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l d i s t r i b u t i o n c a n c o r r e c t l y p r e d i c t t h e e f f e c t s
of volume, stress d i s t r i b u t i o n and g r a i n s i z e . I n o r d e r t o minimize t h e
g r a i n s i z e e f f e c t , t h e smallest dimension of a t e s t specimen s h o u l d b e a t
l e a s t 10, p r e f e r a b l y 15 t i m e s t h e m a x i m u m g r a i n s i z e , u n l e s s t h e a c t u a l
component h a s a t h i c k n e s s l e s s t h a n t h i s o r t h e e f f e c t c a n b e p r o p e r l y
accommodated i n t h e a n a l y s i s of t h e t e s t d a t a .

F u r t h e r work, i n c l u d i n g c o r r e l a t i o n of t h e m o d i f i e d W e i b u l l t h e o r y
w i t h h i g h l y peaked non-uniform stress f i e l d s , n e e d s t o b e performed b e f o r e
a

any p r a c t i c a l a p p l i c a t i o n c a n b e made.

20
 REFERENCES

1. Brocklehurst, J. E., "Fracture of Polycrystalline Graphite,"

Chemistry and Physics of Carbon, -
13, 1977.
2. Price, R. J. and H. R. W. Cobb, "Application of Weibull Statistical
Theory to the Strength of Reactor Graphite," Proceedings of the
Conference on Continuum Aspects of Graphite Design (CONF-701105),
USAEC Technical Information Center, 1972, p. 547.
3. Price, R. J., "Statistical Study of the Strength of Near-Isotropic
Graphite," GA Report GA-A13955, May 24, 1976.
4. Tsai, S. W. and E. M. Wu, "A General Theory of Strength for
Anisotropic Materials," J. Composite Materials, Vol. 5, 1971.
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under Combined Stresses, ' I pfGyTnted at ASME Pressure Vessel and Piping
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Fracture Behavior of Structural Ceramics of Low Neutron Absorption
Cross Section," Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Report AECL-3422,
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Linear Elasticity," Int. J. Solids Structures, 1, 1965, p . 4 1 7 .
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on the Pure Bending of a Circular Cylinder," GA Report to be published.
9. Brocklehurst, J. E., and M. I. Darby, "Concerning the Fracture of
Graphite under Different Test Conditions," Materials Science and
Engineering, 16, 1974, p. 91.
10. Greenstreet, B. L . , etc., "Room Temperature Mechanical Properties

A
of EGCR-Type AGOT Graphite," ORNL-3728, January 1965.
11. Bullock, R. E . , and J. L. Kaae, "Mechanical Properties of Glassy
Carbon," 13-C-78P, Presented at American Ceramic Society 31st
Pacific Coast Regional Meeting, San Diego, CA, Oct. 25-27, 1978.
12. Brock1ehursL J - E. and K. E. Gilchrist, "The Fracture of Graphite Ring
Specimens by Diametral Compression and Internal Pressure'', TRG Report
1774(c), 1968.
21