Evaluation of Crack Growth Rate of Neutron Irradiated Austenitic Stainless Steels at High Stress Intensity Factor Levels

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitoshi Seto ◽  
Masato Koshiishi ◽  
Shigeaki Tanaka ◽  
Ryoji Obata
Author(s):  
Yuichiro Nomura ◽  
Katsumi Sakaguchi ◽  
Hiroshi Kanasaki

Japanese reference fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) curves for ferrite and austenitic stainless steels in light water reactor environments are prescribed in JSME S NA1-2004. However, similar reference FCGR curve for nickel-based alloys for pressurized water reactors (PWR) are not prescribed. In order to propose reference FCGR curve for nickel-based alloys, under high stress ratio and low rising time, the effect of the welding method, the effect of specimen orientation and low stress intensity range fatigue crack propagation tests of nickel-based alloys 600, 132 and 82 weld metals were conducted as part of the Environmental Fatigue Test (EFT) projects of Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES). The results show that the effect of heat, welding methods, specimen orientations and environmental water conditions on the FCGR was not significant for Alloys 600, 132 and 82. The FCGR increased with increase of stress ratio, and cyclic loading frequency. According to the procedure for determining the reference FCGR curve of austenitic stainless steels in PWR environment of nickel-based alloys is proposed based on the reference data and the results of this study. The reference FCGR curve for nickel-based alloys in PWR environment are determined as a function of stress intensity factor range, temperature, load rising time and stress ratio.


2010 ◽  
Vol 430 ◽  
pp. 101-113
Author(s):  
Hideki Sekine ◽  
Peter W.R. Beaumont

A micromechanical theory of macroscopic stress-corrosion cracking in unidirectional glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites is proposed. It is based on the premise that under tensile loading, the time-dependent failure of the composites is controlled by the initiation and growth of a crack from a pre-existing inherent surface flaw in a glass fiber. A physical model is constructed and an equation is derived for the macroscopic crack growth rate as a function of the apparent crack tip stress intensity factor for mode I. Emphasis is placed on the significance of the size of inherent surface flaw and the existence of matrix crack bridging in the crack wake. There exists a threshold value of the stress intensity factor below which matrix cracking does not occur. For the limiting case, where the glass fiber is free of inherent surface flaws and matrix crack bridging is negligible, the relationship between the macroscopic crack growth rate and the apparent crack tip stress intensity factor is given by a simple power law to the power of two.


1986 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Kapp ◽  
D. Duquette ◽  
M. H. Kamdar

Crack growth rate measurements have been made in three mercury embrittled aluminum alloys each under three loading conditions. The alloys were 1100-0, 6061-T651, and 7075-T651. The loading conditions were fixed displacement static loading, fixed load static loading, and fatigue loading at two frequencies. The results showed that mercury cracking of aluminum was not unlike other types of embrittlement (i.e. hydrogen cracking of steels). Under fixed load static conditions no crack growth was observed below a threshold stress intensity factor (KILME). At K levels greater than KILME cracks grew on the order of cm/s, while under fixed displacement loading, the crack growth rate was strongly dependent upon the strength of the alloy tested. This was attributed to crack closure. In the fatigue tests, no enhanced crack growth occurred until a critical range of stress intensity factor (ΔKth) was achieved. The ΔKth agreed well with the KILME obtained from the static tests, but the magnitude of the fatigue growth rate was substantially less than was expected based on the static loading results. Observations of the fracture surfaces in the SEM suggested a brittle intergranular fracture mode for the 6061-T651 and the 7075-T651 alloys under all loading conditions. The fractographic features of the 1100-0 alloy under fixed load and fatigue loading conditions were also brittle intergranular. Under fixed displacement loading the cracks grew via a ductile intergranular mode.


Author(s):  
Norman Platts ◽  
Ben Coult ◽  
Wenzhong Zhang ◽  
Peter Gill

Light water reactor coolant environments are known to significantly enhance the fatigue crack growth rate of austenitic stainless steels. However, most available data in these high temperature pressurized water environments have been derived using specimens tested at positive load ratios, whilst most plant transients involve significant compressive as well as tensile stresses. The extent to which the compressive loading impacts on the environmental enhancement of fatigue crack growth, and, more importantly, on the processes leading to retardation of those enhanced rates is therefore unclear, potentially leading to excessive conservatism in current assessment methodologies. A test methodology using corner cracked tensile specimens, and based on finite element analysis of the specimens to generate effective stress intensity factors, Keff, for specimens loaded in fully reverse loading has been previously presented. The current paper further develops this approach, enabling it to be utilized to study a range of positive and negative load ratios from R = −2 to R = 0.5 loading, and provides a greater understanding of the development of stress intensity factor within a loading cycle. Test data has been generated in both air and high temperature water environments over a range of loading ratios. Comparison of these data to material specific crack growth data from conventional compact tension specimens and environmental crack growth laws (such as Code Case N-809) enables the impact of crack closure on the effective stress intensity factor to be assessed in both air and water environments. The significance of indicated differences in the apparent level of closure between air and water environments is discussed in the light of accepted growth laws and material specific data.


Author(s):  
K. M. Sathish Kumar ◽  
G. V. Naveen Prakash ◽  
K. K. Pavan Kumar ◽  
H. V. Lakshminarayana

Fracture is a natural reaction of solids to relieve stress and shed excess energy. The design philosophy envisions sufficient strength and structural integrity of the aircraft to sustain major damage and to avoid catastrophic failure. However there are inherent limitations in the methodology, resulting in significant under utilization of component lives and an inability to account for non-representative factors. Ductile materials used in aircraft engine are likely to experience fatigue and stable crack growth before the occurrence of fast fracture and final failure. Fatigue crack propagation can be characterized by a crack growth-rate model that predicts the number of loading cycles required to propagate a fatigue crack to a critical size. Stress Intensity Factors under fatigue loading are below the critical value for quasi-static or unstable crack propagation. Under these circumstances, Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics helps to characterize the crack growth-rate model. Stable crack growth and final failure generally occur at the very last loading cycle of the life of aircraft. Crack propagation at this stage involves elastic-plastic stable tearing followed by fast-fracture. Since crack growth is no longer under small-scale yielding conditions, Elastic-Plastic Fracture Mechanics is needed to characterize the fracture behavior and to predict the residual strength. The most likely places for crack initiating and development are bolt holes in a compressor disk. Such cracks may grow in time leading to a loss of strength and reduction of the life time of the disc. The objective of this work is to determine Stress Intensity Factor for a crack emanating from a bolt hole in a disk and approaching shaft hole. The objective is achieved by developing a 2D finite element model of a disk with bolt holes subjected to a centrifugal loading. It was observed that stress concentration at the holes has a strong influence on the value of Stress Intensity Factor. Also, fatigue life prediction was carried out using AFGROW software. Different fatigue crack growth laws were compared. This provides necessary information for subsequent studies, especially for fatigue loads, where stress intensity factor is necessary for the crack growth rate determination and prediction of residual strength.


1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 300-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Tsurui ◽  
Akito Igarashi

A probabilistic model for fatigue crack growth proposed by K. P. Oh is modified in some respects. Under more natural assumptions than Oh’s it is derived that the rate of fatigue crack growth is proportional to some power of the range of the stress intensity factor. It is also shown that the exponent ranges from 2 to 4.


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