Application of Master Curve Method to Fracture Toughness Estimation of the Transport and Storage Cask Material

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiminobu Hojo ◽  
Kentaro Yoshimoto ◽  
Ryuichi Yamamoto ◽  
Toshihiro Matsuoka ◽  
Uwe Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Transition Temperature ◽  
Alloy Steel ◽  
Master Curve ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Low Alloy Steel ◽  
Brittle To Ductile Transition ◽  
Data Scatter ◽  
And Storage

The transportation and storage casks have to be designed by considering transport and handling accidents. IAEA safety standard [1] requires drop test using a scale model and demonstration of structural integrity of the cask container vessel from the view point of leakage and instable fracture. For the fracture evaluation, it has to be verified that brittle fracture does not occur at the lowest temperature −40degC. MHI has developed the MSF-57BG cask whose body is made of forged low alloy steel LF3-m. It is well known that low alloy steel has the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature range of fracture toughness and large scatter of toughness value in this region. For the cask’s integrity evaluation, it is needed to obtain the fracture toughness dependent on temperature of this material by considering data scatter. The Master curve procedure [2] was proposed for estimation of fracture toughness of the pressure vessel on the basis of statistical procedure by using relatively small number of specimens. This paper examined the determination method of fracture toughness considering dynamic loading effect and data scatter in the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature by using the Master curve procedure.

To Analyze the Effects of Geometric Misalignment in a Cylindrical Pressure Vessel

2012 ◽  
Vol 152-154 ◽  
pp. 964-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Musharaf Abbas ◽  
Asif Israr ◽  
Atiq Ur Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Alloy Steel ◽  
Pressure Vessel ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Fe Analysis ◽  
Low Alloy Steel ◽  
Affected Area ◽  
Cylindrical Pressure Vessel ◽  
Geometrical Effects

This particular work consider a pressurized vessel typically made of high strength low alloy steel and containing the geometric misalignment at the cylinder-to-cylinder junction. This misalignment produce in the vessel’s structure is because of girth weld that is evident in most of the fabrication of such type of structures apart from other factors which is beyond the scope of this study. This study evaluates the geometrical effects of mismatch on the structural integrity of the pressure vessel and prediction of stresses at the affected area of the cylinder. Analytical and Finite Element (FE) approaches are employed to analyze the configuration. FE analysis is performed by the use of ANSYS on one quarter of the structure due to symmetry. FE results are also compared with the analytical results of different authors. In addition, maximum allowable mismatch is also determined and is a part of this study.

Predicting the Brittle-to-Ductile Transition Temperatures for Surface Cracks in Pipeline Girth Welds: It’s Better Than You Thought

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gery Wilkowski ◽  
David Rudland ◽  
Do-Jun Shim ◽  
David Horsley
Keyword(s):  
Transition Temperature ◽  
Surface Crack ◽  
Master Curve ◽  
Crack Depth ◽  
Temperature Shift ◽  
Transition Temperatures ◽  
Surface Cracks ◽  
Line Pipe ◽  
Brittle To Ductile Transition ◽  
Girth Welds

A methodology to predict the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature for sharp or blunt surface-breaking defects in base metals was developed and presented at IPC 2006. The method involved applying a series of transition temperature shifts due to loading rate, thickness, and constraint differences between bending versus tension loading, as well as a function of surface-crack depth. The result was a master curve of transition temperatures that could predict dynamic or static transition temperatures of through-wall cracks or surface cracks in pipes. The surface-crack brittle-to-ductile transition temperature could be predicted from either Charpy or CTOD bend-bar specimen transition temperature information. The surface crack in the pipe has much lower crack-tip constraint, and therefore a much lower brittle-to-ductile transition temperature than either the Charpy or CTOD bend-bar specimen transition temperature. This paper extends the prior work by presenting past and recent data on cracks in line-pipe girth welds. The data developed for one X100 weld metal shows that the same base-metal master curve for transition temperatures works well for line-pipe girth welds. The experimental results show that the transition temperature shift for the surface-crack constraint condition in the weld was about 30C lower than the transition temperature from standard CTOD bend-bar tests, and that transition temperature difference was predicted well. Hence surface cracks in girth welds may exhibit higher fracture resistance in full-scale behavior than might be predicted from CTOD bend-bar specimen testing. These limited tests show that with additional validation efforts the FITT Master Curve is appropriate for implementation to codes and standards for girth-weld defect stress-based criteria. For strain-based criteria or leak-before-break behavior, the pipeline would have to operate at some additional temperature above the FITT of the surface crack to ensure sufficient ductile fracture behavior.

Thermal Aging Assessment and Microstructural Investigations of Alloy 52 Dissimilar Metal Welds for Nuclear Components

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Yescas ◽  
Pierre Joly ◽  
François Roch
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Alloy Steel ◽  
Thermal Aging ◽  
Base Alloy ◽  
Narrow Gap ◽  
Low Alloy Steel ◽  
Nickel Base Alloy ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Dissimilar Metal ◽  
Nickel Base

Abstract Dissimilar Metal Welds (DMW) are commonly found between the ferritic low alloy steel heavy section components and the austenitic stainless steel piping sections in nuclear power plants. In the EPR™ design which is the latest FRAMATOME Pressurized water reactor (PWR) these DMW involve a narrow gap technology with no buttering, and only one bead per layer of a nickel base alloy weld filler metal (Alloy 52). In order to assess the thermal aging performance of this relatively new narrow gap DMW design, a significant internal R&D program was launched some years ago. Several representative mock-ups were thoroughly characterized in the initial condition as well as in the thermal aged condition, up to 50,000 hours aging at 350°C. The characterisations were focused on the fusion line between the ferritic low alloy steel (LAS) and the nickel base alloy since a particular microstructure is present in this area, especially in the carbon depleted area of the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) which is often regarded as the weak zone of the weld joint. Metallography, hardness, nanohardness, chemical analyses, and Atom Probe Tomography, as well as fracture toughness tests were carried out on different specimens in different thermal aging conditions. The results show that the fracture toughness behaviour in the ductile-brittle domain of the low alloy steel carbon depleted HAZ at the interface with the alloy 52 weld metal of the DMWs is excellent, even for a thermal ageing equivalent to 60 years at service temperature. This was found in spite of the carbon depleted zone of the HAZ, the variations of hardness, chemical composition, particularly the carbon gradients, and the thermal aging effect induced by phosphorous segregation at grain boundaries.

Probabilistic Leak Before Break

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Stefanini ◽  
F. J. Blom
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Yield Stress ◽  
Master Curve ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Leakage Rate ◽  
Critical Crack ◽  
Critical Crack Length ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Leak Before Break

In this study a probabilistic Leak-Before-Break (LBB) analysis was carried out based on the R6 FAD Option 1 assessment method. The method uses the material fracture toughness and yield stress in order to determine, deterministically, a Critical Crack Length (CCL) and a Leakage Rate (LR) through a crack. In order to define the fracture toughness of the material, the Master Curve approach was used accordingly to BS7910:2013 Annex J. Initially, deterministic analyses were carried out and the fracture toughness and yield stress were set to 190 MPa√m and 158 MPa, respectively. In order to implement a probabilistic approach, the yield stress and fracture toughness were introduced as stochastic parameter. The Fracture toughness was generated using a Weibull distribution to match the Master Curve. The distribution was built such that 190 MPa√m represents the 5% probability fracture toughness. The Yield stress (0.2% proof strength) was generated using a normal distribution with standard deviation 10.35 MPa such that the average value was 175 MPa and the lower bound (5% of probability of occurrence) was 158 MPa. The choice of building the distribution as above mentioned was justified by the fact that in structural integrity assessment the lower 5% is generally used for material parameters. Thus, once a Detectable Leakage Rate (DLR) was determined, it was possible to assign an implicit probability of failure to the deterministic case. The calculations were then extended by using several LR formulas. The calculations were carried out making use of the probabilistic software RAP++ coupled to MATLAB. The probabilities of failure were calculated with regard to a postulated DLR and a DLRSF corrected with a safety factor of 10. The probabilities of failure for the DLRSF were proved to be 9 to 15 times higher than for the postulated DLR case, which leads to the opportunity of conservatism reduction.

Fracture Toughness in the Ductile-Brittle Transition and Thermal Ageing Behavior of Decarburized Heat Affected Zone of Alloy 52 Dissimilar Metal Welds of Nuclear Components

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Joly ◽  
Miguel Yescas ◽  
Elisabeth Keim
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Alloy Steel ◽  
Heat Affected Zone ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Base Alloy ◽  
Thermal Ageing ◽  
Low Alloy Steel ◽  
Dissimilar Metal ◽  
Brittle Transition

Dissimilar metal welds (DMW) are used in nuclear power plants between the nozzles of main components in low alloy steel and stainless steel pipes, or safe-ends connected to the main coolant line pipes. AREVA proposes for EPR™ an improved design of DMW involving narrow gap welding without buttering between the low alloy steel nozzles and the stainless steel safe-ends, and the use of a corrosion resistant weld filler metal (Alloy 52). AREVA performed a thorough characterization of this type of welds, which shows a particular microstructure close to the fusion line between the low alloy steel and the nickel base alloy, where the heat affected zone of the low alloy steel is decarburized. This paper presents results of fracture toughness tests performed with the crack tip located in this area, in the ductile to brittle transition in the as post-welded heat treated condition and after thermal ageing. The results show an excellent fracture toughness behavior of this particular area, compared to that of low alloy steel parent metal.

Mechanical Properties of a Medium Carbon Low Alloy Steel Processed by Two Step Austempering Process

2010 ◽  
Vol 638-642 ◽  
pp. 3453-3458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susil K. Putatunda ◽  
Abhijit Deokar ◽  
Gowtham Bingi
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Yield Strength ◽  
Alloy Steel ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Bainitic Steel ◽  
Low Alloy Steel ◽  
High Yield Strength ◽  
Medium Carbon

A new bainitic steel with a combination of exceptionally high yield strength and fracture toughness has been developed. This steel has been synthesized by austempering a medium carbon low alloy steel by a novel two-step austempering process. The influence of this two-step austempering on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of this new steel have been examined.

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