Revised Proposal of Fatigue Life Correction Factor Fen for Carbon and Low Alloy Steels in LWR Water Environments

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Higuchi
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Correction Factor ◽  
Light Water Reactor ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Light Water ◽  
High Temperature Water ◽  
Fatigue Data ◽  
Alloy Steels ◽  
Fatigue Life Reduction ◽  
Temperature Water

The fatigue life of carbon and low alloy steels decreases with reduction in strain rate in high temperature water such as in the case of a light water reactor coolant. The fatigue life reduction also depends on temperature and dissolved oxygen. The fatigue life correction factor Fen has been proposed as a method to assess the fatigue life reduction in such environments. Three different models for calculating Fen for carbon and low alloy steels have been proposed by Higuchi et al., Chopra et al., and Mehta. These models were compared using considerable environmental fatigue data that were tested and published in Japan and USA and piled up in the database “JNUFAD” by the author. These models give somewhat different results in the specific conditions and a revised model for calculating Fen is thus proposed by remedying the particular drawbacks of each. In this model, the same formula is used for carbon and low alloy steels and S*,T*,O*, and ε˙* are adopted in the formula after reevaluating every parameter. The revised proposal shows better correlation with the test data than the previous models.

Evaluation of Fatigue Damage in LWR Water With and Without Threshold and Moderation Factor

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Higuchi ◽  
Kazuya Tsutsumi ◽  
Katsumi Sakaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Stainless Steels ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Light Water Reactor ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Water Reactor ◽  
Fatigue Data ◽  
Fatigue Life Reduction

During the past twenty years, the fatigue initiation life of LWR structural materials, carbon, low alloy and stainless steels has been shown to decrease remarkably in the simulated LWR (light water reactor) coolant environments. Several models for evaluating the effects of environment on fatigue life reduction have been developed based on published environmental fatigue data. Initially, based on Japanese fatigue data, Higuchi and Iida proposed a model for evaluating such effects quantitatively for carbon and low alloy steels in 1991. Thereafter, Chopra et al. proposed other models for carbon, low alloy and stainless steels by adding American fatigue data in 1993. Mehta developed a new model which features the threshold concept and moderation factor in Chopra’s model in 1995. All these models have undergone various revisions. In Japan, the MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) guideline on environmental fatigue life reduction for carbon, low alloy and stainless steels was issued in September 2000, for evaluating of aged light water reactor power plants. The MITI guideline provide equations for calculations applicable only to stainless steel in PWR water and consequently Higuchi et al. proposed in 2002 a revised model for stainless steel which incorporates new equations for evaluation of environmental fatigue reduction in BWR water. The paper compares the latest versions of these models and discusses the conservativeness of the models by comparison of the models with available test data.

Review and Consideration of Unsettled Problems on Evaluation of Fatigue Damage in LWR Water

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 186-194
Author(s):  
Makoto Higuchi ◽  
Katsumi Sakaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Mechanical Test ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Fatigue Data ◽  
Alloy Steels ◽  
Fatigue Life Reduction ◽  
Year 2000

Reduction in the fatigue life of structural materials of nuclear components in Light Water Reactor (LWR) water was initially detected and examined by the authors in the 1980s, who subsequently directed considerable effort to the development of a method for evaluating this reduction quantitatively. Since the first proposal of equations to calculate environmental fatigue life reduction for carbon and low-alloy steels was published in 1985 by Higuchi and Sakamoto (J. Iron Steel Inst. Jpn. 71, pp. 101–107), many revisions were made based on a lot of additional fatigue data in various environmental and mechanical test conditions. The latest models for evaluation using Fen of the environmental fatigue life correction factor were proposed for carbon and low alloy steels in the year 2000 and for austenitic stainless steel, in 2002. Fen depends on some essential variables such as material, strain rate, temperature, dissolved oxygen and sulfur concentration in steel. The equation for determining Fen is given by each parameter for each material. These models, having been developed three to five years ago, should be properly revised based on new test results. This paper reviews and discusses five major topics pertinent to such revision.

Review and Consideration of Unsettled Problems on Evaluation of Fatigue Damage in LWR Water

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Higuchi ◽  
Katsumi Sakaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Mechanical Test ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Fatigue Data ◽  
Alloy Steels ◽  
Fatigue Life Reduction ◽  
Year 2000

Reduction in the fatigue life reduction of structural materials of nuclear components in LWR water was initially detected and examined by the authors in the 1980s, who subsequently directed considerable effort to the development of a method for evaluating this reduction quantitatively. Following the establishment of equations to calculate environmental fatigue life reduction for carbon and low alloy steels in 1985 by Higuchi and Sakamoto [1], appeared based on numerous new fatigue data obtained under various environmental and mechanical test conditions. The latest models for evaluation using Fen of the environmental fatigue life correction factor were proposed for carbon and low alloy steels in the year 2000 and for austenitic stainless steel, in 2002. Fen depends on some essential variables such as material, strain rate, temperature, dissolved oxygen and sulfur concentration in steel. The equation for determining Fen is given by each parameter for each material. These models, having been developed three to five years ago, should be properly revised based on new test results. This paper reviews and discusses five major topics pertinent to such revision.

Proposed New Fatigue Design Curves for Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels in High Temperature Water

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 024003
Author(s):  
William J. O’Donnell ◽  
William John O’Donnell ◽  
Thomas P. O’Donnell
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Fatigue Design ◽  
High Temperature Water ◽  
Alloy Steels ◽  
Temperature Water

Proposal of Fatigue Life Equations for Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels and Austenitic Stainless Steels as a Function of Tensile Strength

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Kanasaki ◽  
Makoto Higuchi ◽  
Seiji Asada ◽  
Munehiro Yasuda ◽  
Takehiko Sera
Keyword(s):  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Stainless Steels ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Austenitic Stainless Steels ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Strength Based ◽  
Fatigue Data ◽  
Current Design ◽  
Alloy Steels

Fatigue life equations for carbon & low-alloy steels and also austenitic stainless steels are proposed as a function of their tensile strength based on large number of fatigue data tested in air at RT to high temperature. The proposed equations give a very good estimation of fatigue life for the steels of varying tensile strength. These results indicate that the current design fatigue curves may be overly conservative at the tensile strength level of 550 MPa for carbon & low-alloy steels. As for austenitic stainless steels, the proposed fatigue life equation is applicable at room temperature to 430 °C and gives more accurate prediction compared to the previously proposed equation which is not function of temperature and tensile strength.

Sample Environmental Fatigue Calculations Associated With the Review of Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1144

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary L. Stevens ◽  
J. Michael Davis ◽  
Les Spain
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Light Water Reactor ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Light Water ◽  
New Model ◽  
Asme Code ◽  
Alloy Steels ◽  
Reactor Materials ◽  
License Renewal

Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1144 “Guidelines for Evaluating Fatigue Analyses Incorporating the Life Reduction of Metal Components Due to the Effects of the Light-Water Reactor Environment for New Reactors”, July 2006 [1], and Associated Basis Draft Document NUREG/CR-6909 (ANL-06/08), “Effect of LWR Coolant Environments on the Fatigue Life of Reactor Materials”, July 2006 [6] provided methods for addressing environmentally assisted fatigue (EAF) in all new nuclear plant designs. In these documents, a new model was proposed that more accurately accounts for actual plant conditions. The new model includes an EAF correction factor, Fen, which is different from Fen methods previously and currently being considered for adoption into the ASME Code. The Fen methods proposed in DG-1144 are also different than the Fen methods utilized by license renewal applicants, as required by the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) report [2], as documented in NUREG/CR-5704 [4] (for stainless steel) and NUREG/CR-6583 [3] (for carbon and low alloy steels).

Revised and New Proposal of Environmental Fatigue Life Correction Factor (Fen) for Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels and Nickel Base Alloys in LWR Water Environments

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Higuchi ◽  
Katsumi Sakaguchi ◽  
Akihiko Hirano ◽  
Yuichiro Nomura
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Strain Rate ◽  
Test Data ◽  
Base Alloy ◽  
Low Cycle Fatigue ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Alloy Steels ◽  
Nickel Base ◽  
Fatigue Life Reduction

Low cycle fatigue life of carbon and low alloy steels reduces remarkably as functions of strain rate, temperature, dissolved oxygen and sulfur in steel in high temperature water simulating LWR coolant. A model for predicting such fatigue life reduction was first proposed in the early 1980s and since then has been revised several times. The existing model established in 2000 is used for the MITI Guideline [6] and the TENPES Guideline [7] which stipulate procedures for evaluating environmental fatigue damage at LWR plants in Japan. This paper presents the most recent environmental fatigue evaluation model derived based on additional fatigue data provided by the EFT Project over the past five years. This model differs not significantly with previous version but does provide more accurate equations for the susceptibility of fatigue life to sulfur in steel, strain rate, temperature and dissolved oxygen. Test data on environmental fatigue of nickel base alloys are available only to a limited extent and there is yet no model for predicting fatigue life reduction in such an environment. The EFT Project has made available considerable environmental fatigue test data and developed a new model for calculating Fen of nickel base alloys. The contribution of environment to fatigue of nickel base alloy is much less compared to that in austenitic stainless steel.

Observation of Fatigue Crack Initiation and Propagation for Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels in Oxygenated Water at Elevated Temperature

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Higuchi ◽  
Katsumi Sakaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Crack ◽  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Crack Initiation ◽  
Fatigue Crack Initiation ◽  
Low Alloy Steels ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Alloy Steels ◽  
Crack Initiation Life ◽  
Temperature Water

Low cycle fatigue life of structural materials in LWR plants decreases remarkably in elevated temperature water depending on strain rate, temperature, water chemistry and material properties. The maximum reduction rate in fatigue life for carbon and low alloy steels is over 100 in severe conditions. Fatigue life is composed of fatigue crack initiation life and consequent propagation life. It is important to know the proportion of crack initiation life to propagation life in water environment when developing a model to estimate fatigue crack initiation life. The beachmark imprinting method was used to monitor fatigue crack initiation and consequent propagation. Environmental test conditions varied widely from severely accelerated conditions of high temperature and dissolved oxygen to mild conditions of lower temperature and oxygen. Fatigue crack initiation life could be determined using the beachmark imprinting method for all test conditions. Based on obtained test results, the susceptibility of each parameter in NWC and the relationships between NWC/NW and environmental fatigue life correction factor Fen under various conditions are discussed, but a good relationship could not be detected due to widely scattered data and a model to predict fatigue crack initiation life could not be proposed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document