Modelling shattered rim cracking in railroad wheels

Author(s):  
V Sura ◽  
S Mahadevan

Shattered rim cracking, propagation of a subsurface crack parallel to the tread surface, is one of the dominant railroad wheel failure types observed in North America. This crack initiation and propagation life depends on several factors, such as wheel rim thickness, wheel load, residual stresses in the rim, and the size and location of material defects in the rim. This article investigates the effect of the above-mentioned parameters on shattered rim cracking, using finite element analysis and fracture mechanics. This cracking is modelled using a three-dimensional, multiresolution, elastic–plastic finite element model of a railroad wheel. Material defects are modelled as mathematically sharp cracks. Rolling contact loading is simulated by applying the wheel load on the tread surface over a Hertzian contact area. The equivalent stress intensity factor ranges at the subsurface crack tips are estimated using uni-modal stress intensity factors obtained from the finite element analysis and a mixed-mode crack growth model. The residual stress and wheel wear effects are also included in modelling shattered rim cracking. The analysis results show that the sensitive depth below the tread surface for shattered rim cracking ranges from 19.05 to 22.23 mm, which is in good agreement with field observations. The relationship of the equivalent stress intensity factor (Δ K eq) at the crack tip to the load magnitude is observed to be approximately linear. The analysis results show that the equivalent stress intensity factor (Δ K eq) at the crack tip depends significantly on the residual stress state in the wheel. Consideration of as-manufactured residual stresses decreases the Δ K eq at the crack tip by about 40 per cent compared to that of no residual stress state, whereas consideration of service-induced residual stresses increases the Δ K eq at the crack tip by about 50 per cent compared to that of as-manufactured residual stress state. In summary, the methodology developed in this article can help to predict whether a shattered rim crack will propagate for a given set of parameters, such as load magnitude, rim thickness, crack size, crack location, and residual stress state.

2019 ◽  
Vol 795 ◽  
pp. 451-457
Author(s):  
Bao Yin Zhu ◽  
Xian Xi Xia ◽  
He Zheng ◽  
Guo Dong Zhang

An typical mode of a structural integrity failure in dissimilar steel welded joints. This paper aims at studying crack tip stress of a steam generator dissimilar welded joint under residual stress field with the method of interaction integral and XFEM. Firstly, the corresponding weak form is obtained where the initial stress field is involved, which is the key step for the XFEM. Then, the interaction integral is applying to calculate the stress intensity factor. In addition, two simple benchmark problems are simulated in order to verify the precision of this numerical method. Finally, this numerical method is applying to calculate the crack tip SIF of the addressed problem. This study finds that the stress intensity factor increases firstly then decreases with the deepening of the crack. The main preponderance of this method concerns avoiding mesh update by take advantage of XFEM when simulating crack propagation, which could avoid double counting. In addition, our obtained results will contribute to the safe assessment of the nuclear power plant steam generator.


Author(s):  
Adam Toft ◽  
David Beardsmore ◽  
Colin Madew ◽  
Huego Teng ◽  
Mark Jackson

Within the UK nuclear industry the assessment of fracture in pressurised components is often carried out using procedures to calculate the margin of safety between a lower-bound fracture toughness and the crack driving force. Determination of the crack driving force usually requires the calculation of elastic stress intensity factor solutions for primary loads and secondary loads arising from weld residual stresses and/or thermal stresses. Within established UK assessment procedures weight function solutions are available which allow the stress intensity factors to be calculated from the through-wall opening-mode stress distribution in an uncracked component. These weight-function solutions are generally based on models where either no boundary condition is applied, or where one is applied at a distance either side of the crack plane that is very long compared with the crack size and wall thickness. Such solutions do not take into account any reduction in the stress field that might occur as the distance from the crack faces increases. Weld residual stress fields may often be expected to reduce in this manner. A separate, earlier study has shown that the stress intensity factor for a cracked plate loaded in displacement control decreases substantially as the loading plane is moved closer to the crack plane. It would therefore be expected that a similar reduction in stress intensity factor would be obtained for a residual stress analysis when displacement boundary conditions are imposed at a distance relatively close to the crack plane. This paper describes an investigation of the differences, particularly in terms of a reduction in calculated stress intensity factor, which may arise from application of displacement controlled stress intensity factor solutions, as compared with load controlled solutions, when considering weld residual stresses. Consideration is also given as to how new displacement controlled stress intensity factor solutions could be developed by modification of existing load controlled solutions.


Author(s):  
Tetsuo Yasuoka ◽  
Yoshihiro Mizutani ◽  
Akira Todoroki

Welds and heat affected zones have the distribution of the residual stress or the yield strength. The crack growth evaluation is conventionally conducted using stress intensity factor in those regions. However, the stress intensity factor may be invalid when the residual stress distribution or yield strength distribution changes in the vicinity of a crack tip. The reason is that the distributions around the crack tip affect the plastic zone size and the stress intensity factor inappropriately represents the stress state in the vicinity of a crack tip. In this study, the residual stress distribution and yield strength distribution was assumed along the crack propagation path and the validity of the stress intensity factor was discussed on that condition. As a result, the stress intensity factor tended to be invalid when the steep residual stress distribution or the steep yield strength distribution. When the steep distribution exists, the crack growth evaluation should be conducted using a parameter considering the elastoplastic behavior near the crack tip. For that purpose, the authors proposed new method of the plastic zone correction using a differential term of the stress intensity factor. The new method was demonstrated through the case study for stress corrosion cracking of nuclear power plants.


2011 ◽  
Vol 148-149 ◽  
pp. 1289-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Zhou ◽  
Chun Yuan Shi ◽  
Cheng Jin

Using finite element method, the residual stress distribution of the TIG dressed welded toe followed by spray treatment with different cooling intensity was calculated. And the residual stresses of welded toe were also measured by using the blind-hole method. The results indicate that with the increase of cooling intensity, the longitudinal residual stresses in welded toe are gradually transited from tensile residual stresses to compressive ones, and there is no significant change for transverse residual stresses, and the depth of compressive stress layer increases at the welded toe region.


Author(s):  
Kota Sugawara ◽  
Hirohito Koya ◽  
Hiroshi Okada ◽  
Yinsheng Li ◽  
Kazuya Osakabe ◽  
...  

In this paper, some results of crack propagation analyses of deep initially semi-elliptical flaws under assumed residual stress fields are presented. The crack propagation analyses were performed by using a software system that has been developed by Okada and his colleagues. It is based on a conventional finite element program but uses the quadratic tetrahedral finite elements to model the structure with the crack. The finite element model with the crack can be generated in an automated manner. The stress-intensity factor computations are performed by using the virtual crack closure-integral method (VCCM) for the quadratic tetrahedral finite element which was also proposed by Okada and his colleagues. The automatic meshing scheme for the crack propagation analyses has also been developed by the authors. By the authors’ previous publication, it was shown that the stress intensity factor of deep semi-elliptical surface flaw under assumed residual stress field reached its maximum value at the mid-depth of the crack. Hence, in present study, in order to investigate the feature of the crack propagation of deep surface cracks, we are conducting crack propagation analyses that can predict the crack extension from each point along the crack front for an arbitrary shaped surface flaw. It can also account for material anisotropy in the crack propagation behavior. Then, the SCC crack propagation analyses for a deep semi-elliptical surface flaw in a plate under assumed residual stress fields are being conducted. The results of the crack propagation analyses suggest that the shapes of the crack after the SCC crack propagation may not be exact semi-elliptic in its shape. In this paper, the analytical procedures and some results are presented. The same analytical procedures can be adopted to perform fatigue crack propagation analyses.


Author(s):  
Curtis Sifford ◽  
Ali Shirani

Abstract This paper presents the application of the rules from ASME Section VIII, Division 3 of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code for a fracture mechanics evaluation to determine the damage tolerance and fatigue life of a flowline clamp connector. The guidelines from API 579-1 / ASME FFS-1 Fitness-For-Service for the stress analysis of a crack-like flaw have been considered for this assessment. The crack tip is modeled using a refined mesh around the crack tip that is referred to as a focused mesh approach in API 579-1 / ASME FFS-1. The driving force method is used as an alternative to the failure assessment diagram method to account for the influence of crack tip plasticity. The J integral is determined using elastic-plastic finite element analysis and converted to an equivalent stress intensity factor to be compared to the fracture toughness of the material. The fatigue life is calculated using the Paris Law equation and the stress intensity factor calculated from the finite element analysis. The allowable number of design cycles is determined using the safety factors required from Division 3 of the ASME Pressure Vessel Code.


Author(s):  
Curtis Sifford ◽  
Ali Shirani

This paper presents the application of the rules from ASME Section VIII, Division 3 of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code for a fracture mechanics evaluation to determine the damage tolerance and fatigue life of a flowline clamp connector. The guidelines from API 579-1 / ASME FFS-1 Fitness-For-Service for the stress analysis of a crack-like flaw have been considered for this assessment. The crack tip is modeled using a refined mesh around the crack tip that is referred to as a focused mesh approach in API 579-1 / ASME FFS-1. The driving force method is used as an alternative to the failure assessment diagram method to account for the influence of crack tip plasticity. The J integral is determined using elastic-plastic finite element analysis and converted to an equivalent stress intensity factor to be compared to the fracture toughness of the material. The fatigue life is calculated using the Paris Law equation and the stress intensity factor calculated from the finite element analysis. The allowable number of design cycles is determined using the safety factors required from Division 3 of the ASME Pressure Vessel Code.


2009 ◽  
Vol 294 ◽  
pp. 49-63
Author(s):  
Ehsan Mahdavi ◽  
Mahmoud Mosavi Mashhadi

An analytical procedure is developed to design and predict the behavior of a pressure vessel. If a pressure vessel contains hydrogen, it is difficult to predict what will happen in the future. In this study, this is accounted for and the stress intensity factor for mode-Ι is calculated because the main factor controlling mass diffusion, as a driving force, is related to the stress in this mode. Also, it is known that the stress intensity factor depends upon concentration. The main challenge in hydrogen embrittlement is the prediction of crack growth and the estimation of lifetime for a pressure vessel. This paper investigates the effect of hydrogen diffusion upon crack in a pressure vessel by using numerical finite-element simulations. The fracture behavior of the alloy as related to hydrogen embrittlement was also studied. The computational simulations involved sequentially-coupled stress and mass-diffusion concentrations at the crack tip. Although there have been various previous works in this area, most of them have been experimental estimates of hydrogen diffusion. In this paper, we calculate the stress intensity factor by using the finite-element method (FEM) and use mathematical analysis simultaneously. The analytical method alone could not be used because the mass diffusion has special characteristics. That is, the treatment of diffusion is different at each step. We conducted finite-element modeling simulations of the intergranular fracture of alloy X-750 due to hydrogen embrittlement. Sequentially coupled stress and mass diffusion determinations were carried out in order to determine crack tip stresses and hydrogen diffusivity in the crack-tip region. Good qualitative agreement between the FEM modeling and the analysis was observed.


2005 ◽  
Vol 297-300 ◽  
pp. 743-749
Author(s):  
Min Koo Han ◽  
Mamidala Ramulu

Fatigue crack propagation life of weld toe crack through residual stress field was estimated using Elber's crack closure concept. Propagation of weld toe crack is heavily influenced by residual stresses caused by the welding process, so it is essential to take into account the effect of residual stresses on the propagation life of a weld toe crack. Fatigue cracks at transverse and longitudinal weld toe was studied, these two cases represent the typical weld joints in ship structures. Numerical and experimental studies are performed for both cases. Residual stresses near the welding area were estimated through a nonlinear thermo-elasto-plastic finite element method and the residual stress intensity factor with Glinka's weight function method. Effective stress intensity factor was calculated using the Newman-Forman-de Koning-Henriksen equation, which is based on the Dugdale strip yield model in estimating the crack closure level, U, at different stress ratios. Calculated crack propagation life coincided well with experimental results.


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