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This paper applies and validates the Notch Master Curve in two ferritic steels with medium (steel S460M) and high (steel S690Q) strength. The Notch Master Curve is an engineering tool that allows the fracture resistance of notched ferritic steels operating within their corresponding ductile-to-brittle transition zone to be estimated. It combines the Master Curve and the Theory of Critical Distances in order to take into account the temperature and the notch effect respectively, assuming that both effects are independent. The results, derived from 168 fracture tests on notched specimens, demonstrate the capability of the Notch Master Curve for the prediction of the fracture resistance of medium and high strength ferritic steels operating within their ductile-to-brittle transition zone and containing notches.

The paper analyses the fracture behaviour of several rocks, namely a sandstone, a limestone and two marbles, one of them being a Carrara marble. The experimental program comprises in total 216 fracture specimens, tested in 4-point bending conditions and including specimens with notch radii varying from 0.15 mm up to 15 mm. The notch effect is analysed through the evolution of the apparent fracture toughness and the application of the Theory of Critical Distances.The present study aims to generalize a previous study on a granite and a limestone to a broader range of rocks. The point and line methods of the Theory of the Critical Distances successfully explain the notch effect on the fracture specimens. The value of the critical distance of these rocks is of the order of mm. Finally, the results show a correlation between the microstructural features of the rocks, specifically the grain size, and their critical distances.