Ductile-Brittle Transition Temperature

The ductile-brittle transition temperature defines the temperature range where a material transitions from ductile failure (high deformation energy) to brittle fracture (sudden cracking). It represents a safety-critical design parameter, especially for ferritic steels.

The transition temperature is the point where steel changes from tough to brittle. When welding, this is important because cooling too quickly can lead right into this range. Then the structure becomes hard and brittle, and you get cracks or the part breaks under load. So you have to slow down the cooling, for example by preheating or a slower welding sequence, so the steel doesn't fall into the critical range.

MetallurgieSchweißtechnik