Charpy impact testing is used to monitor embrittlement trends by assessing what property?

• A. Charpy impact testing assesses surface hardness
• B. Charpy impact testing measures electrical conductivity
• C. Charpy impact testing is used to monitor embrittlement trends by assessing ductility and ductile-to-brittle transition
• D. Charpy impact testing predicts creep life

Answer: (C)

Charpy impact testing measures toughness by quantifying the energy a material can absorb before fracturing under a sudden impact. A notched specimen is struck with a pendulum, and the absorbed energy is recorded. This test is sensitive to ductility and the ductile-to-brittle transition: as embrittlement progresses, a material tends to become less ductile, so it absorbs less energy and the transition from ductile to brittle behavior occurs at higher temperatures. That relationship lets engineers track embrittlement trends over time or under irradiation by monitoring changes in absorbed energy and the temperature at which the transition occurs. The test does not assess surface hardness, electrical conductivity, or creep life, which is why those options don’t describe what Charpy testing monitors.