What Does
Shear Fracture Percentage Mean?
A shear fracture is a type of failure that occurs when a force is applied parallel to the cross-section of a material. Shear fracture percentage is, therefore, a parameter used to quantify the amount of ductile shear fracture a material experiences at the fracture surface. The shear fracture percentage area is one of the key measurements made during a Charpy impact test.
Corrosionpedia Explains Shear Fracture Percentage
While the shear fracture percentage of a fractured material is one of the most fundamental and physically meaningful measurements of the Charpy impact test, this parameter is qualitative and not well defined. Shear fracture percentage is determined mainly by visual inspection of the specimen.
When a material is fractured during the impact test, the fractured surface can be visually divided into ductile regions (characterized by stable fracture areas) and brittle regions (characterized by unstable fracture areas).
The shear fracture percentage is calculated by the formula:
Shear Fracture Percentage = [ (Total fracture area – Unstable fracture area) / Total fracture area ] x 100