Specimen reconstitution, i.e. the incorporation of a small piece from a previously tested specimen into a compound specimen, allows to multiply the number of tests. This is especially important if the available material is restricted and fracture mechanical parameters have to be determined. For this purpose a technique was developed to reconstitute Charpy size single-edge notch bend specimens (SENB) from broken halves of Charpy V-notch specimens.

The fraction of the insert that is affected by the reconstitution technique is determined by measurements of temperature and hardness gradients and by metallographic examination. The specimen reconstitution technique has been validated for SENB specimens of Charpy geometry. The test methods comprised instrumented impact testing of Charpy-V specimens and elastic-plastic fracture toughness testing with precracked and side grooved SENB specimens.