scholarly journals Unstable Crack Propagation Under Severe Accident Scenario Conditions in a Pressurized Water Reactor

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Tardif ◽  
Michel Coret ◽  
Alain Combesure
Keyword(s):  
Crack Initiation ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Internal Pressure ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Crack Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Water Reactor ◽  
Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Vessel Bottom

In the case of a severe accident scenario of a pressurized water reactor which includes cracking of the vessel bottom head, it is crucial to predict the leak rate and hence the crack size for the ex-vessel accident management. We present an experimental framework to analyze the crack propagation under such severe conditions for different 16MND5 French nuclear steel grades. An original experimental setup has been designed in order to perform bi-axial tests (tensile load independent of internal pressure) at high temperatures (1180K – 1280K) on tubular test specimens. The temperature loading and the mechanical loading can be set to reproduce the stress distribution of the hemispherical vessel bottom head submitted to an internal pressure. Moreover, the test was designed to be easily transposable to the real structure in terms of crack propagation and depressurization thanks to an energy based scaling methodology. We observed the crack initiation and propagation with two high speed digital cameras. Force, internal pressure, displacement and temperature fields were also measured and synchronized with the optical measurements. The different creep stages are observed and characterized. The crack propagation and opening history have been measured. During crack initiation and propagation stages, the depressurization can be correlated with the crack geometry. Finally, the setup has been designed in order to validate future numerical analysis.

scholarly journals Investigations on Crack Propagation Under Cyclical Isothermal and Thermo-Mechanical Loadings for a Type 304-L Stainless Steel Used for Pressurized Water Reactor

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Gourdin ◽  
F. Rossillon ◽  
P. Le Delliou ◽  
G. Perez ◽  
A. Fissolo
Keyword(s):  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Crack Opening ◽  
Current Method ◽  
Heating System ◽  
Thermal Fluctuations ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Running Water ◽  
Water Reactor ◽  
New Device

The integrity of structures exhibiting flaws in Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) has to be assessed to meet safety criteria. This paper deals with crack-propagation under cyclic thermo-mechanical loadings, as encountered in class I austenitic pipes of PWR’s. To have a conservative and reliable assessment of the crack propagation due to the in-service loading, various codes and standards use simplified method. For example, RSE-M introduces a plastic correction depending on the proportion of the mechanical loading. An improvement of the current method requires additional investigations. Moreover, components loaded with transient or thermal fluctuations are not really in strength-controlled conditions. To this end, a new device called PROFATH was designed. The specimen is a pre-cracked thick-walled tube undergoing a set of thermal cycles and loaded with a static mechanical force. During the first part of the cycle, a high frequency induction coil heats the external wall. Then, the heating system stops and the specimen is cooled down by running water inside the tube. Finite element calculations show that only a region half-way along the tube should be heated to ensure adequate structural effect. In the heated zone, the machining of a sharp circumferential groove ensures the propagation of a unique crack. An electro-mechanical jack controls the level of the mechanical static load. To obtain a very precise thermal mapping, a specific specimen with dedicated instrumentation is used: 20 thermocouples are appropriately located on the outer surface and along the wall thickness. During the test, the crack-propagation is estimated through crack-opening measurements (compliance method). Now, three first tests have been carried out. These tests allow having an evaluation of the pertinence of the correction proposed by the RSE-M for a significant plasticity. Following tests are planned in order to have a confirmation or to propose an extension of the validity domain.

On the Topology Update of the Numerical Manifold Method for Multiple Crack Propagation

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150030
Author(s):  
Jun He ◽  
Shuling Huang ◽  
Xiuli Ding ◽  
Yuting Zhang ◽  
Dengxue Liu
Keyword(s):  
Crack Initiation ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Numerical Method ◽  
Crack Tip ◽  
Search Method ◽  
Numerical Manifold Method ◽  
Crack Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Multiple Crack ◽  
Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Numerical Manifold

Crack initiation and propagation are the two key issues of concern in the geotechnical engineering. In this study, the numerical manifold method (NMM) is applied to simulate crack propagation and the topology update of the NMM for multiple crack propagation is studied. The crack-tip asymptotic interpolation function is incorporated into the NMM to increase the accuracy of the crack-tip stress field. In addition, the Mohr-Coulomb criterion with tensile cut off is adopted to be the crack propagation criterion to judge the direction of crack initiation and propagation. Then a crack tip searching method is developed to automatically update the position of the crack tips. The inapplicability of the original loop search method in the NMM is also illustrated and a novel loop search method based on manifold elements is developed for physical loop updating. Moreover, methods for the manifold element updating and physical cover updating are provided. Based on the above study, the developed numerical method is capable to simulate multiple crack propagation. At last, typical rock rupture problems are numerically simulated to manifest the effectiveness of the developed numerical method.

scholarly journals Contribution to the study of fission products release from nuclear fuels in severe accident conditions: effect of the pO2 on Cs, Mo and Ba speciation

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Le Gall ◽  
Fabienne Audubert ◽  
Jacques Léchelle ◽  
Yves Pontillon ◽  
Jean-Louis Hazemann
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Potential ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Severe Accident ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Water Reactor ◽  
Mox Fuel ◽  
Chemical Behaviour ◽  
Accident Conditions ◽  
The Impact

The objective of this work is to experimentally investigate the effect of the oxygen potential on the fuel and FP chemical behaviour in conditions representative of a severe accident. More specifically, the speciation of Cs, Mo and Ba is investigated. These three highly reactive FP are among the most abundant elements produced through 235U and 239Pu thermal fission and may have a significant impact on human health and environmental contamination in case of a light water reactor severe accident. This work has set out to contribute to the following three fields: providing experimental data on Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) MOX fuel behaviour submitted to severe accident conditions and related FP speciation; going further in the understanding of FP speciation mechanisms at different stages of a severe accident; developing a method to study volatile FP behaviour, involving the investigation of SIMFuel samples manufactured at low temperature through SPS. In this paper, a focus is made on the impact of the oxygen potential towards the interaction between irradiated MOX fuels and the cladding, the interaction between Mo and Ba under oxidizing conditions and the assessment of the oxygen potential during sintering.

scholarly journals Fretting fatigue crack initiation and propagation in Ti6Al4V sheets under tribocorrosive conditions of artificial seawater and physiological solutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 234 (12) ◽  
pp. 1526-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeeshan Anjum ◽  
Masood Shah ◽  
Hassan Elahi ◽  
Mushtaq Khan ◽  
Mohammad Mujahid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crack Initiation ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Testing Machine ◽  
Fatigue Crack Initiation ◽  
Physiological Solution ◽  
Fretting Corrosion ◽  
Crack Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Phosphate Buffered Saline

The interaction of mechanical components experiencing relative movements and cyclic loads in a corrosive environment is known as fretting corrosion or tribocorrosion. In the current work, the mechanism of crack initiation and propagation in dovetail slots of Ti6Al4V samples (in contact with carbide rods) under fretting corrosion conditions was investigated. A newly developed test rig installed on a universal testing machine was used to conduct tests at 20 Hz frequency under 5 and 7.5 kN fretting loads. Tests were conducted at room temperature in 3.5% NaCl and phosphate-buffered saline solutions. Crack propagation in all samples was examined by a metallurgical microscope, and the detailed analysis of fractured samples was carried out by a scanning electron microscope. In comparison to dry conditions, early crack initiation and faster crack propagation were observed in salt and physiological solution environments. Colored spots and large amounts of chlorine, sodium, and oxygen were found around cracks, and plastically deformed regions in the 3.5% NaCl environment provided the evidence of a corrosive attack. Large amounts of oxygen, phosphorous, chlorine, potassium, and sodium were detected in the phosphate-buffered saline environment.

scholarly journals Investigation of Low-Cycle Bending Fatigue of AISI 9310 Steel Spur Gears

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Handschuh ◽  
Timothy L. Krantz ◽  
Bradley A. Lerch ◽  
Christopher S. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Crack Initiation ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Test Machine ◽  
Spur Gears ◽  
Crack Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Bending Fatigue ◽  
Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Single Tooth ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

An investigation of the low-cycle bending fatigue of spur gears made from AISI 9310 gear steel was completed. Tests were conducted using the single-tooth bending method to achieve crack initiation and propagation. Tests were conducted on spur gears in a fatigue test machine using a dedicated gear test fixture. Test loads were applied at the highest point of single tooth contact. Gear bending stresses for a given testing load were calculated using a linear-elastic finite element model. Test data were accumulated from 1/4 cycle to several thousand cycles depending on the test stress level. The relationship of stress and cycles for crack initiation was found to be semi-logarithmic. The relationship of stress and cycles for crack propagation was found to be linear. For the range of loads investigated, the crack propagation phase is related to the level of load being applied. Very high loads have comparable crack initiation and propagation times whereas lower loads can have a much smaller number of cycles for crack propagation cycles as compared to crack initiation.

scholarly journals Investigation on the Fracturing Permeability Characteristics of Cracked Specimens and the Formation Mechanism of Inrush Channel from Floor

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jianning Wang ◽  
Weitao Liu ◽  
Jianjun Shen
Keyword(s):  
Crack Initiation ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Formation Mechanism ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Water Inrush ◽  
Confining Pressure ◽  
Crack Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Initiation And Propagation ◽  
Final Failure ◽  
Cracked Specimens

To study the fracture characteristics and the permeability change law of the cracked specimens during the complete stress-strain process, a mechanical model was constructed, from which different types of crack initiation angles were obtained. The crack inclination angles under uniaxial compression, confining compression, and confining tension, and the influence of confining pressure and pore water pressure on the crack propagation and permeability of rock mass were investigated and simulated with RFPA-Flow software using prefabricated crack models with crack initiation angles of 30°, 45°, and 60°. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of inrush channel from floor was qualitatively analyzed. The results indicated that the theoretical initiation angles of wing cracks, secondary coplanar cracks, and secondary inclined antiwing cracks were found to be 70.53°, 0°, and 123.8°, which were consistent with the simulation results. The crack propagation was mainly concentrated at the postpeak stage of the complete stress-strain curve, causing the peak of seepage velocity to lag behind the stress peak. For the case with a constant confining pressure, the rate of crack initiation and propagation to final failure was positively correlated with the internal pore pressure. For the case with a constant water pressure, the speed of crack initiation and propagation to final failure decreased first and then increased as the confining pressure increased. In addition, the longitudinal propagation of wing cracks and the increase in permeability were prone to occur in the low confining pressure zone, which induced the formation of water inrush channels. The research result provides an improved understanding for predicting and preventing water inrush disasters.

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