Residual Stress Effects on Ductile Tearing

Author(s):  
A. H. Sherry ◽  
M. R. Goldthorpe ◽  
J. Fonseca ◽  
K. Taylor

Residual stresses are internal stresses generated during the fabrication and/or operation of engineering structures. Such stresses can provide the major element of the driving force for crack initiation and growth. Structural integrity assessment procedures, provide guidance for the assessment of defects located within regions of high residual stress. However, such guidance may be conservative where the defect develops progressively during service. This paper describes recent experimental and numerical work aimed at quantifying such conservatisms and providing improved guidance for undertaking more realistic analyses. The results demonstrate that pre-loaded compact-tension specimens provide a useful means for studying the behaviour of cracks within residual stress fields. The magnitude of calculated crack driving forces due to residual stresses is influenced by the approach used to introduce cracks into the stress field, with progressive cracks providing lower levels of crack driving force than instantaneously introduced cracks. The J R-curve associated with cracks under primary or combined primary + secondary loading can apparently be rationalized when the total crack driving force is calculated using methods that take proper account of the influence of prior plasticity on the J-integral. However, it is noted that due to differences in the form of the crack-tip stress and strain fields for static and growing cracks, such values of J may be path dependent and influenced by the magnitude of the growth increment.

Author(s):  
S. J. Lewis ◽  
S. Hossain ◽  
C. E. Truman ◽  
D. J. Smith ◽  
M. Hofmann

A number of previously published works have shown that the presence of residual stresses can significantly affect measurements of fracture toughness, unless they are properly accounted for when calculating parameters such as the crack driving force. This in turn requires accurate, quantitative residual stress data for the fracture specimens prior to loading to failure. It is known that material mechanical properties may change while components are in service, for example due to thermo-mechanical load cycles or neutron embrittlement. Fracture specimens are often extracted from large scale components in order to more accurately determine the current fracture resistance of components. In testing these fracture specimens it is generally assumed that any residual stresses present are reduced to a negligible level by the creation of free surfaces during extraction. If this is not the case, the value of toughness obtained from testing the extracted specimen is likely to be affected by the residual stress present and will not represent the true material property. In terms of structural integrity assessments, this can lead to ‘double accounting’ — including the residual stresses in both the material toughness and the crack driving force, which in turn can lead to unnecessary conservatism. This work describes the numerical modelling and measurement of stresses in fracture specimens extracted from two different welded parent components: one component considerably larger than the extracted specimens, where considerable relaxation would be expected as well as a smaller component where appreciable stresses were expected to remain. The results of finite element modelling, along with residual stress measurements obtained using the neutron diffraction technique, are presented and the likely implications of the results in terms of measured fracture toughness are examined.


Author(s):  
Paulo Orrock ◽  
David J. Smith ◽  
Christopher E. Truman

For nuclear welded components the complex nature of the residual stresses involved means it is often advantageous to produce mock-ups in order that the structural integrity and performance may be assessed. The weight and size of these components can make the production of mock-ups prohibitively expensive, and so the use of scaled models is considered here. Numerical analysis and finite element simulations have been carried out to investigate the scaling laws encountered affecting the applied loads, stress fields and crack driving forces that are of interest in the full sized component. To illustrate the effects of scaling we consider the introduction of a residual stress through prior plastic deformation in rectangular beams of different sizes. A simple scaling law provides the loads required to introduce the same magnitude and distribution of residual stresses in different sized specimens. This is pertinent to uncracked beams. In contrast, if a crack is introduced this scaling law is no longer applicable and the stress intensity factor associated with residual and applied stresses differ for different sized specimens. Alternatively, to create the same crack driving force in different sized specimens different initial residual stress fields are required. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of future work.


2011 ◽  
Vol 681 ◽  
pp. 73-78
Author(s):  
Steve K. Bate ◽  
Ian Symington ◽  
John Sharples ◽  
Richard Charles ◽  
Adam Toft ◽  
...  

A long-term UK research programme on environmentally assisted cracking (EAC), residual stresses [1, 2] and fracture mechanics [3, 4] was launched in 2004. It involves Rolls-Royce plc and Serco Technical Services, supported by UK industry and academia. The residual stress programme is aimed at progressing the understanding of residual stresses and on the basis of this understanding manage how residual stresses affect the structural integrity of plant components. Improved guidance being developed for the treatment of residual stresses in fracture assessments includes the use of stress intensity factor solutions for displacement controlled loading as opposed to the more commonly used load controlled solutions. Potential reductions in crack driving force are also being investigated in relation to (i) utilizing a residual stress field that has “shaken-down” due to operational loads, (ii) introducing a crack progressively as opposed to instantaneously, and (iii) allowing for the fact that a crack may have been initiated during the life of a component as opposed to being present from the start-of-life. This paper describes some of these latest developments in relation to residual stress effects


Author(s):  
Wentao Cheng ◽  
David L. Rudland ◽  
Gery Wilkowski ◽  
Wallace Norris

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has undertaken a program to assess the integrity of control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) nozzles in existing plants that are not immediately replacing their RPV heads. This two-part paper summarizes some of the efforts undertaken on the behalf of the U.S.NRC for the development of detailed residual stress and circumferential crack-driving force solutions to be used in probabilistic determinations of the time from detectable leakage to failure. In this first paper, the finite element (FE) simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of weld geometry on the residual stresses in the J-weld for a centerhole CRDM nozzle. The variables of weld geometry included three weld heights (weld sizes) and three groove angles for each weld height while keeping the same weld size. The analysis results indicate that the overall weld residual stress decreases as the groove angle increases and higher residual stress magnitude is associated with certain weld height. The results also reveal that the axial residual stresses in the Alloy 600 tube are very sensitive to the weld height, and that the tube hoop stresses above the J-weld root increase with the increasing weld height.


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):  
Ali Mirzaee-Sisan ◽  
P. John Bouchard ◽  
Foroogh Hosseinzadeh

Abstract This paper highlights many unanswered questions relating to the characterisation of residual stresses in weldments and their treatment in engineering critical assessment and fitness for service assessment codes and standards. The need for an overarching standardisation framework is identified which goes beyond developing good practice guidelines for numerical prediction or measurement using a specific technique. The framework should cover all uncertainties and possible errors in measuring, simulating and interpreting residual stress in the context of structural integrity assessment.


Author(s):  
J. K. Sharples ◽  
P. M. James ◽  
L. A. Higham ◽  
P. M. Wood ◽  
H. Teng ◽  
...  

Assessments of the integrity of structures containing defects or cracks require estimates to be made of the elastic-plastic crack driving force (CDF) parameter J. This is the characterising parameter that controls the intensity of the fields of stress and strain close to the tip of a crack. Such estimates of J are inherently made in assessment procedures such as R6, Revision 4 [1]. Engineering components are typically subjected to load cycles, often with significant variations in magnitude. Normal operation cycles or overload (by a proof pressure test for example) may cause a re-distribution of weld residual stresses. A defect can be present at fabrication or develop during operation due to a sub-critical process such as fatigue or stress corrosion cracking. In these two cases, it is reasonable to suppose that the actual crack driving forces are different; since the development of a defect in a region of weld residual stress, in conjunction with additional primary loading, can cause significant non-proportional loading of the crack tip. The objective of the work described in this paper is to provide more accurate estimates of the crack driving force parameter for defects subjected to combined primary and secondary stresses, taking into account the effects of loading hisotory. The eventual aim is to reduce uncertainty in assessments of plant integrity, and to clarify advantage that can be taken from a reduction in crack driving forces due to weld residual stress resulting from overload, operational cycles and the progressive introduction of sub-critical defects. Finite element analyses and R6 calculations are undertaken and compared to examine the effects of inserting a crack at different times during the life of an engineering structure.


2011 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 297-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve K. Bate ◽  
P. John Bouchard

The continued safe and reliable operation of plant invariably has to consider the assessment of defects in welded structural components. This requires some estimate of the residual stresses that have developed during the welding fabrication process. For as-welded structures these stresses can be of yield magnitude. Engineering critical assessment procedures such as R6, BS 7910, FITNET and API 579-1 provide simplified estimates, bounding profiles or advice on detailed analysis or measurement which can be applied to provide conservative estimates of the remaining life of plant. The use of finite element analysis (FEA) is being applied more frequently to predict residual stresses in welded components for assessment purposes. This calculation involves complex non-linear analyses with many assumptions. As a consequence, the accuracy and reliability of solutions is variable. In order to improve the consistency of weld modelling, and hence the accuracy and confidence in their use, a set of Guidelines covering the calculation of residual stresses have been developed. The residual stress calculations need to be validated before the results can be used in assessments and guidance on how to demonstrate the required standard of validation proof is provided with these Guidelines. The level of validation required, depends on the problem being solved and the sensitivity of the assessment to the presence of residual stress. For example a high level of validation may be required for assessments of safety critical plant. To support these calculations, measurements are required and a series of ‘Weld Residual Stress Benchmarks’, describing welded mock-ups which have been measured using various measurement techniques, are being collated which the users can then refer to when validating their finite element modelling techniques and thus provide a greater confidence in the predicted results.


Author(s):  
Rodolfo F. de Souza ◽  
Claudio Ruggieri

The increasing demand for energy and natural resources has spurred a flurry of exploration and production activities of oil and natural gas in more hostile environments, including very deep water offshore production. Currently, structural integrity of submarine risers and flowlines conducting corrosive and aggressive hydrocarbons represents a key factor in operational safety of subsea pipelines. Advances in existing technologies favor the use of CMn steel pipelines (for example, API X65 grade steel) clad or mechanically lined with a corrosion resistant alloy (CRA), such as Alloy 625, for the transport of corrosive fluids. This work focuses on a fitness-for-service defect assessment procedure for strength mismatched welded components incorporating new crack driving force and limit load solutions. The study broadens the applicability of current evaluation procedures for J and CTOD which enter directly into structural integrity analyses and flaw tolerance criteria to provide a fairly comprehensive body of numerical solutions for crack driving forces in mismatched girth welds with circumferential surface cracks. This investigation also provides mismatch yield load solutions which are central to accurately predict failure load in strength mismatched structures subjected to large scale plasticity and ductile behavior. An approach is utilized to analyze the potential effects of the undermatching girth weld on critical flaw sizes for a typical lined pipe employed in subsea flowlines having a girth weld made of Alloy 625.


2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Foroogh Hosseinzadeh ◽  
Muhammed Burak Toparli ◽  
Peter John Bouchard

Welding is known to introduce complex three-dimensional residual stresses of substantial magnitude into pressure vessels and pipe-work. For safety-critical components, where welded joints are not stress-relieved, it can be of vital importance to quantify the residual stress field with high certainty in order to perform a reliable structural integrity assessment. Finite element modeling approaches are being increasingly employed by engineers to predict welding residual stresses. However, such predictions are challenging owing to the innate complexity of the welding process (Hurrell et al., Development of Weld Modelling Guidelines in the UK, Proceedings of the ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, July 26–30, 2009, pp. 481–489). The idea of creating weld residual stress benchmarks against which the performance of weld modeling procedures and practitioners can be evaluated is gaining increasing acceptance. A stainless steel beam 50 mm deep by 10 mm wide, autogenously welded along the 10 mm edge, is a candidate residual stress simulation benchmark specimen that has been studied analytically and for which neutron and synchrotron diffraction residual stress measurements are available. The current research was initiated to provide additional experimental residual stress data for the edge-welded beam by applying, in tandem, the slitting and contour residual stress measurement methods. The contour and slitting results were found to be in excellent agreement with each other and correlated closely with published neutron and synchrotron residual stress measurements when differences in gauge volume and shape were accounted for.


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