Development of a J-Estimation Scheme for Surface Cracks in Piping Welds

Author(s):  
Patrick Le Delliou ◽  
Ste´phane Marie ◽  
Yann Kayser ◽  
Bruno Barthelet

The RSE-M Code provides rules and requirements for in-service inspection of French Pressurized Water Reactor power plants. The Code gives non mandatory guidance for analytical evaluation of flaws. Flaw assessment procedures rely on fracture mechanics analyses based on simplified methods (i.e. analytical). Analytical methods were developed under a cooperative program between EDF, CEA and AREVA NP to calculate the J integral in various cracked piping components (straight pipe, tapered transition, elbow and pipe-to-elbow junction). These methods are available for mechanical loading (in-plane bending moment, pressure, torsion moment), thermal loading as well as for combined loading. Moreover, they can be used either for materials with Ramberg-Osgood stress-strain curves or for real materials (stainless steels and carbon manganese steels, including those with yield plateaus). However, for the analysis of cracks in welds, they use the tensile properties of the weakest material between the base material and the weld material. This induces some conservatism on the estimated J values. A cooperative program was launched in 2004 to develop a J estimation scheme which takes into account the strength mismatch effects. The scheme relies on the definition of an ‘equivalent’ stress-plastic strain curve, as proposed in the R6 rule (section III.8: allowance for strength mismatch effects). This curve is then used with the analytical methods for homogeneous cracked components. In a first step, the method is developed for circumferential surface cracks in straight buttwelded pipes submitted to mechanical loading. It takes into account the geometry of the weld joint (V-shaped), as well as the location of the crack within the weld. This paper presents the current state of development of this J estimation-scheme.

Author(s):  
Luís F. S. Parise ◽  
Claudio Ruggieri ◽  
Noel P. O’Dowd

Modern installation techniques for marine pipelines and subsea risers are often based on the reel-lay method, which introduces significant (plastic) strains on the pipe during reeling and un-reeling. The safe assessment of crack-like flaws under such conditions requires accurate estimations of the elastic-plastic crack driving forces, ideally expressed in a strain-based formulation to better account for the displacement controlled nature of the reeling method. This paper aims to facilitate such assessments by presenting a strain-based expression of the well-known EPRI estimation scheme for the J integral, which is directly based upon fully plastic descriptions of fracture behaviour under significant plasticity. Parametric finite element simulations of bending of circumferentially cracked pipes have been conducted for a set of crack geometries, pipe dimensions and material hardening properties representative of current applications. These provide the numerical assessment of the crack driving force upon which the non-dimensional factors of the EPRI methodology, which scale J with applied strain, are derived. Finally, these factors are presented in convenient graphical and tabular forms, thus allowing the direct and accurate assessment of the J integral for circumferentially cracked pipes subjected to reeling.


1980 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Dawson ◽  
H Fessler ◽  
T H Hyde ◽  
J J Webster

This paper compares the finite element predictions of elasto-plastic and creep behaviour with experimental data for axially loaded, shouldered tube models. Four shouldered tube models were made of a lead alloy and tested at 61°C, using strain gauges to measure the elasto-plastic and creep strains in the plain tube and fillet regions of the models. Instantaneous stress-strain and creep data were obtained from strain-gauged, uniaxial tensile specimens. The finite element solutions are based on the incremental Prandtl-Reuss equations. The elasto-plastic iterative solutions use a ‘negative gradient’ from the calculated point to the equivalent stress-equivalent strain curve to get the next estimate of the plastic strain increment. A time incremental method is used to obtain the creep solutions. Tests with the mean tube stress below, at and above the yield stress showed very good agreement between prediction and measurement of initial strains in the fillets. Differences between predictions and measurements of creep strains are attributable to cast-to-cast variations.


Author(s):  
D.-J. Shim ◽  
G. M. Wilkowski ◽  
D. L. Rudland ◽  
F. W. Brust ◽  
Kazuo Ogawa

Section XI of the ASME Code allows the users to conduct flaw evaluation analyses by using limit-load equations with a simple correction factor to account elastic-plastic fracture conditions. This correction factor is called a Z-factor, and is simply the ratio of the limit-load to elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM) maximum-load predictions for a flaw in a pipe. The past ASME Section XI Z-factors were based on a circumferential through-wall crack in a pipe rather than a surface crack. Past analyses and pipe tests with circumferential through-wall cracks in monolithic welds showed that the simplified EPFM analyses (called J-estimation schemes) could give good predictions by using the toughness, i.e., J-R curve, of the weld metal and the strength of the base metal. The determination of the Z-factor for a dissimilar metal weld (DMW) is more complicated because of the different strength base metals on either side of the weld. This strength difference can affect the maximum load-carrying capacity of the flawed pipe by more than the weld toughness. Recent work by the authors for circumferential through-wall cracks in DMWs has shown that an equivalent stress-strain curve is needed in order for the typical J-estimation schemes to correctly predict the load carrying capacity in a cracked DMW. In this paper, the Z-factors for circumferential surface cracks in DMW were determined. For this purpose, a material property correction factor was determined by comparing the crack driving force calculated from the J-estimation schemes to detailed finite element (FE) analyses. The effect of crack size and pipe geometry on the material correction factor was investigated. Using the determined crack-driving force and the appropriate toughness of the weld metal, the Z-factors were calculated for various crack sizes and pipe geometries. In these calculations, a ‘reference’ limit-load was determined by using the lower strength base metal flow stress. Furthermore, the effect of J-R curve on the Z-factor was investigated. Finally, the Z-factors developed in the present work were compared to those developed earlier for through-wall cracks in DMWs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 950 ◽  
pp. 200-204
Author(s):  
Guang Ping Zou ◽  
Nadiia Dergachova

This study presents the dynamic response analyze of a simply supported and isotropic functionally graded (FG) double curved panel under mechanical loading. The aim of the research was to investigate mechanical behavior in a FGM curved panel due to different excitation mode of dynamic loading. The novelty of this research is an investigation of von Mises equivalent stress distribution in double curved panel due to different excitation mode. Computed results are found to agree well with the results reported in the literature. Moreover, influence of volume fraction of the material is studied.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Sung Lee ◽  
Myung-Hyun Kim

Abstract Engineering critical assessment (ECA) is an evaluation procedure for structures with flaws and has been widely applied for assessing pipeline integrity. The standards for structural integrity assessment, including BS 7910, involve stress-based ECA, and they are known to produce overly conservative results. Therefore, strain-based ECA has been recently developed as an alternative approach. One of the effective methods for improving the accuracy of strain-based ECA is the reference strain method. However, only a limited number of studies have applied this method to welded pipelines. Therefore, a numerical analysis based on strain-based ECA was performed for girth-welded joints with a circumferentially oriented internal surface crack. Particular attention was given to the strength mismatch effects. The equivalent stress–strain curve in BS7910 was used to reflect the strength mismatch effects in the reference strain. The results of the proposed method were validated with the results of a finite element analysis (FEA) in terms of the J-integral. Previous methods and the proposed method exhibit a reasonable correlation of the J-integral in the case of over-matching (OM). In the under-matching (UM) cases, while the previous procedures tended to underestimate or excessively overestimate the elastic-plastic energy release rate in comparison with the FEA, the proposed method evaluated the J-integral of pipelines with sufficient accuracy.


Author(s):  
Jae Sung Lee ◽  
Myung Hyun Kim

Abstract Pipelines are effective means to transport oil and gas. It is essential to maintain the safety of pipelines with the increasing demand for oil and gas resource. Welded pipelines may suffer damage such as cracks during installation and operation, and the consequence evaluation for such damage is very important. Engineering critical assessment (ECA) is the evaluation procedure for structures with flaws and has been widely applied for assessing the pipeline integrity. Although main standards of structural integrity assessment including BS 7910 are stress-based ECA, it is known to produce overly conservative results. In this regard, strain-based ECA has been recently developed. One of the methods for improving the accuracy of strain-based ECA is the reference strain method. However, only few researches with reference strain method applied to welded pipes are available. Therefore, in this study, a numerical analysis based on the strain-based ECA is performed for strength mismatched girth welded joints with a circumferentially oriented internal surface crack. Equivalent stress-strain curve in BS7910 is employed to reflect the strength mismatch effects in the reference strain. This paper compares the results from the reference strain method and finite element analysis: J-integral and reference strain. Strain capacity of the reference strain method with strength mismatch is also discussed against stress-based ECA.


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