In this paper application of the local approach to predict the fracture behaviour of A533B ferritic steel at low temperature, in presence of a residual stress field, is investigated. The local approach assumes a Weibull probability distribution for the fracture toughness data and is based on the work of the Beremin group [1]. In the work presented here, the Weibull parameters are calibrated to fracture data obtained at low temperature for specimens containing no residual stress fields. The same parameters are then used to predict the fracture behaviour of specimens containing a residual stress field which has been introduced by the local compression technique. Local approach predictions obtained using finite element analysis and experiments demonstrated a reduction in the low temperature fracture toughness of laboratory specimens following local compression. However, the decrease in experimental fracture toughness data is not as high as predicted by numerical simulations using the local approach.

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