Class 2 (2nd Engineer) MEKG 📅 Nov 2024

Exam Question

With reference to steels used in shipbuilding and marine engineering:

(a) Describe EACH of the following types of failure. (6)

(i) Brittle failure

(ii) Ductile failure

(b) Explain the term ductile to brittle transition stating the factor that determines ductile to brittle transition. (4)

Reference Answer

### (a) Description of Failure Types
#### (i) Brittle Failure
Brittle failure is a catastrophic mode of fracture that occurs suddenly and without any significant prior plastic deformation or warning. It is characterized by the rapid propagation of a crack through the material.
* **Mechanism**: Occurs when the stress at a point exceeds the material's fracture strength before it exceeds its yield strength. The failure mechanism is 'cleavage', where atomic bonds are broken along specific crystallographic planes.

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