Fatigue Crack Growth of Stainless Steel Piping in a Pressurized Water Reactor Environment

1979 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Bamford

Fatigue crack-growth behavior was investigated for types 304 and 316 stainless steel exposed to a pressurized water reactor environment. The effects of test frequency, stress ratio, specimen orientation, heat to heat variables and weld versus base metal performance were evaluated. Crack-growth rates were correlated with the range of crack-tip stress intensity factor, as well as the “effective stress intensity factor” proposed by Walker to account for R ratio effects. Results of the study showed that fatigue crack-growth rates in the water environment were not significantly different from results at the same stress ratio in an air environment at the same temperature. The most important parameter found to affect the crack-growth rate was the stress ratio R, and increasing values of R produced increased crack-growth rates at any given value of stress intensity factor range ΔK. The stress ratio effects were successfully accounted for by employment of the Walker model.

Author(s):  
Fashang Ma

High temperature fatigue crack growth is a combination of fatigue, creep and environmental attack, which greatly enhance fatigue crack growth. In order to understand the damage mechanisms and develop a physically based crack growth model, systematic experimental research has been conducted under various loading conditions for different specimen geometries made from a high strength nickel alloy. Test results from this work showed that time-dependent fatigue crack growth rates differ significantly from those observed in conventional fatigue crack growth tests. Crack geometry and loading history significantly affect fatigue crack growth rate. These results suggest the need for a change in the K based superposition approach for time-dependent crack growth modeling. A phenomenological model has been developed to predict time-dependent crack growth under various loading histories and crack geometries. In this model an effective stress intensity factor is defined to account for the effects of constraint loss of fracture mechanics due to crack-tip plasticity, and the creep stress relaxation on stress intensity factor. It is found the model can accurately predict the dwell crack growth rates for different crack geometries under various loading conditions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 297-300 ◽  
pp. 1120-1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myung Hwan Boo ◽  
Chi Yong Park

In order to study the influence of stress ratio and WC grain size, the characteristics of fatigue crack growth were investigated in WC-Co cemented carbides with two different grain sizes of 3 and 6 µm. Fatigue crack growth tests were carried out over a wide range of fatigue crack growth rates covering the threshold stress intensity factor range DKth. It was found that crack growth rate da/dN against stress intensity factor range DK depended on stress ratio R. The crack growth rate plotted in terms of effective stress intensity factor range DKeff still exhibited the effect of microstructure. Fractographic examination revealed brittle fracture at R=0.1 and ductile fracture at R=0.5 in Co binder phase. The amount of Co phase transformation for stress ratio was closely related to fatigue crack growth characteristics.


Author(s):  
Motoki Nakane ◽  
Satoshi Kanno ◽  
Shota Hashimoto ◽  
Takayuki Watanabe ◽  
Yukio Takahashi

This study discusses methods for evaluating fatigue crack propagation under torsional loading for pipes. To achieve this objective, fatigue crack propagation tests were carried out on both stainless steel and carbon steel used in piping systems of nuclear power plants. Two different kinds of pipes were tested in this study. These pipes had the same shape but the diameter and thickness of the larger pipe were twice those of the smaller pipe. The nominal shear stress amplitudes applied to the specimen were set between 50 and 100 MPa depending on the dimension of the specimen and desired crack growth rates. All fatigue tests were conducted under pure torsional loading with stress ratio R = −1 and at room temperature. The geometrical correction factors for the specimen were derived from elastic J-integral calculated by the FEM. The fatigue crack propagation tests results show that the crack growth rates estimated by the elastic stress intensity factor with the geometrical correction factor were much faster than curves prescribed in The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) codes. These results suggest that elastic plastic fracture parameters should be considered into the stress intensity factor because yield stresses for torsional loading would be smaller than those of uniaxial loading. The plastic zone correction method and modified reference stress method were examined as alternative methods. The crack growth rates estimated by the proposed methods almost totally correspond to the JSME curves. The two proposed methods were found to be quite effective at correctly evaluating the crack growth rates under torsional loading.


2015 ◽  
Vol 770 ◽  
pp. 209-215
Author(s):  
Pavlo Maruschak ◽  
Andriy Sorochak ◽  
Sergey V. Panin

The paper presents the basic regularities of fatigue failure of the railway wheelset axle material – OsL steel (C - 0,40—0,48 %; Mn - 0,55—0,85 %; Si - 0,15—0,35 %; P < 0,04%; S < 0,045 %; Cr < 0,3 %; Ni < 0,3 %; Cu < 0,25 %). It was revealed that under loading stress ratio R = 0, fatigue crack growth is 2 ... 4 times lower than that at the asymmetry R = -1. In doing so, amplitude of stress intensity factor vary in the range of 20 – 35 MPa√m. The micromechanisms of fatigue crack growth are described and systematized, while physical-mechanical interpretations of the relief morphology at different stages of its growth are offered.


Author(s):  
Kunio Hasegawa ◽  
Saburo Usami ◽  
Valery Lacroix

Abstract Fatigue crack growth thresholds ΔKth are provided by several fitness-for-service (FFS) codes. When evaluating cracked components subjected to cyclic loading, maximum stress intensity factor Kmax and/or minimum stress intensity factor Kmin are required. However, the definitions of the thresholds ΔKth under negative stress ratio R are not clearly written, except for BS (British Standards) 7910. In addition, the ΔKth are given by constant values under negative R. Fatigue crack growth rates under negative stress ratio is recommended to use maximum stress intensity factor Kmax by ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) E 647, because of the Kmax being close to crack driving force. Therefore, it deems that the ΔKth under negative R seems to be Kmax. This paper shows that the Kmax converted by the ΔKth are not constant values under negative R based on the survey of experimental data. The Kmax decreases with decreasing the stress ratio R. Therefore, the ΔKth for the FFS codes are less conservative. As experimental data under negative stress ratio R were taken by Kmax – Kmin, the definition of the threshold ΔKth is benefit to use Kmax – Kmin, instead of Kmax.


Author(s):  
Yoshihito Yamaguchi ◽  
Kunio Hasegawa ◽  
Yinsheng Li

Crack closure during fatigue crack growth is an important phenomenon for predicting fatigue crack growth amount. Many experimental data show that fatigue cracks close at not only negative loads but also positive loads during constant amplitude loading cycles, depending on applied stress levels. The Appendix A-4300 in the ASME Code Section XI provides two equations of fatigue crack growth rates expressed by stress intensity factor range for ferritic steels under negative stress ratio. The boundary of two fatigue crack growth rates is classified by the magnitude of applied stress intensity factor range with the consideration of crack closure. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of the magnitude of the stress intensity factor range on crack closure. Fatigue tests have been performed on ferritic steel specimens in air environment at room and high temperatures. Crack closures were obtained as a parameter of stress ratio. It was found that crack closure occurs at a smaller applied stress intensity factor range than the definition given by the Appendix A-4300.


2007 ◽  
Vol 353-358 ◽  
pp. 485-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.M. Baik ◽  
K.S. Kim

Crack growth in compact specimens of type 304 stainless steel is studied at 538oC. Loading conditions include pure fatigue loading, static loading and fatigue loading with hold time. Crack growth rates are correlated with the stress intensity factor. A finite element analysis is performed to understand the crack tip field under creep-fatigue loading. It is found that fatigue loading interrupts stress relaxation around the crack tip and cause stress reinstatement, thereby accelerating crack growth compared with pure static loading. An effort is made to model crack growth rates under combined influence of creep and fatigue loading. The correlation with the stress intensity factor is found better when da/dt is used instead of da/dN. Both the linear summation rule and the dominant damage rule overestimate crack growth rates under creep-fatigue loading. A model is proposed to better correlate crack growth rates under creep-fatigue loading: 1 c f da da da dt dt dt Ψ −Ψ     =         , where Ψ is an exponent determined from damage under pure fatigue loading and pure creep loading. This model correlates crack growth rates for relatively small loads and low stress intensity factors. However, correlation becomes poor as the crack growth rate becomes large under a high level of load.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Irfan-ul-Haq ◽  
Nesar Merah

This study addresses the effect of temperature on fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of CPVC. FCG tests were conducted on CPVC SEN tensile specimens in the temperature range −10 to 70°C. These specimens were prepared from 4-in. injection-molded pipe fittings. Crack growth behavior was studied using LEFM concepts. The stress intensity factor was modified to include the crack closure and plastic zone effects. The effective stress intensity factor range ΔKeff gave satisfactory correlation of crack growth rate (da/dN) at all temperatures of interest. The crack growth resistance was found to decrease with temperature increase. The effect of temperature on da/dN was investigated by considering the variation of mechanical properties with temperature. Master curves were developed by normalizing ΔKeff by fracture strain and yield stress. All the da/dN-ΔK curves at different temperatures were collapsed on a single curve. Crazing was found to be the dominant fatigue mechanism, especially at high temperature, while shear yielding was the dominant mechanism at low temperatures.


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