Computations of Stress Intensity Factors for Deep Cracks in Plates by Using the Tetrahedral Finite Element

Author(s):  
Hiroshi Okada ◽  
Hirohito Koya ◽  
Hiroshi Kawai ◽  
Yinsheng Li

In this paper, stress intensity factor solutions for deep half-elliptical cracks that are applicable to the structural integrity evaluations of welded structures are presented. Welded structures generally have some weld residual stresses resulting in stress corrosion crackings (SCCs). This paper describes a simple way to compute the stress intensity factors under the weld-residual stresses and the mode I stress intensity factor solutions for deep half-elliptical cracks. The residual stresses are set to vary proportional to the constant, the linear, the quadratic and the cubic functions of x which is the distance from the plate surface. Although we use a straightforward finite element method to perform the computations, we can quickly generate the stress intensity factor solutions as we make use of automatic mesh generation program for the tetrahedral finite element. Thus, it is very tractable to generate the finite element models with cracks. Furthermore, present solutions can be compared with those of Li et al. which are also presented in PVP 2012. We conclude that present method is useful for the evaluations of SIFs of cracks under the residual stresses.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murat Bozkurt ◽  
David Nash ◽  
Asraf Uzzaman

Abstract Pressure vessels can be subjected to various external local forces and moments acting in combination with main internal pressure. As a result of the stress system set up, and in the presence of attachment welds, surface cracks can occur on the interior and exterior walls. If these cracks cannot be detected at an early stage, there is a real potential for the vessel to rupture with obvious dangerous consequences. The behavior of fractured or geometric discontinuity structures can be investigated with linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) parameters. The stress intensity factor (SIF) is the leading one, and with correct calculations, it can produce the stress intensity in the crack tip region. In cylinder-cylinder intersections subject to local loads, the maximum stress distribution occurs in and around these opening areas and failure in the system usually occurs in this region. Using this approach, the present study develops three-dimensional mixed mode stress intensity factor solutions on for external cracks on nozzle joints in cylindrical pressure vessels nozzle junctions for a variety of geometrical configurations. This was undertaken using a finite element approach and employing a bespoke software tool and solver, FCPAS - Fracture and Crack Propagation Analysis System — to create the finite element mesh and propagation characteristics. From this, a parameter study examining the influence of the crack shape, size and position was carried out with a fixed pressure vessel nozzle cylinder intersection geometry configuration and the appropriate stress intensity factors identified and reported. The FCPAS tool is shown to be an effective approach to modelling and characterizing cracks in pressure vessel nozzles.


Author(s):  
Jae-Uk Jeong ◽  
Jae-Boong Choi ◽  
Nam-Su Huh ◽  
Yun-Jae Kim

A complex crack is one of severe crack that can occur at the dissimilar metal weld of nuclear piping. A relevant fracture mechanics assessment for a pipe with a complex crack has become interested in structural integrity of nuclear piping. A stress intensity factor is not only an important parameter in the linear elastic fracture mechanics to predict the stress state at the crack tip, but also one of variables to calculate the J-integral in the elastic plastic fracture mechanics. The accurate calculation of stress intensity factor is required for integrity assessment of nuclear piping system based on Leak-Before-Break concept. In the present paper, stress intensity factors of complex-cracked pipes were calculated by using detailed 3-dimensional finite element analysis. As loading conditions, global bending, axial tension and internal pressure were considered. Based on the present FE works, the values of shape factors for stress intensity factor of complex-cracked pipes are suggested according to a variables change of complex crack geometries and pipes size. Furthermore, the closed-form expressions based on correction factor are newly suggested as a function of geometric variables. These new solutions can be used to Leak-Before-Break evaluation for complex-cracked pipes in the step of elastic J calculation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 574 ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
Ming Song ◽  
Hao Yong Li ◽  
You Tang Li ◽  
Min Zheng

This Based on the elastic theory of a crack perpendicular to and terminating at bimaterial interface, a generalized expression of the stress intensity factor is provided for a crack in single material and a crack perpendicular to bimaterial interface, finite element methods are used to calculate the stress intensity factors. The influences of the material combination and crack length on the the stress intensity factors were investigated. Results show that when the crack terminates at bimaterial interface, singular order ofKIis different from that of single material, and the values ofKIincrease with increasingE1/E2andμ1/μ2.


1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Desjardins ◽  
D. J. Burns ◽  
R. Bell ◽  
J. C. Thompson

Finite elements and two-dimensional photoelasticity have been used to analyze thick-walled cylinders which contain arrays of straight-fronted, longitudinal-radial cracks of unequal depth. The stress intensity factor K1 has been computed for the dominant crack and for some of the surrounding cracks. Cylinders with 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 36 and 40 cracks have been considered. Good agreement has been obtained between the experimental and the numerical results and, for cylinders with 2 or 4 cracks, with previously published predictions. The results for all of the foregoing cases are used to develop simple, approximate techniques for estimating K1 for the dominant crack, when the total number of cracks is different from those that have been considered herein. Estimates of K1 obtained by these techniques agree well with corresponding finite element results.


2011 ◽  
Vol 299-300 ◽  
pp. 912-916
Author(s):  
W. Wang ◽  
Y. M. Cai ◽  
Y.J. Xie

Stress intensity factor is one of the most important parameters in fracture mechanics. Based on the principle of virtual work and bending theory, this paper proposes a method to estimate the stress intensity factor for circumferential cracked elliptical pipes and derive the expression of the stress intensity factor for circumferential cracked elliptical pipes under tension. The compare of the result of this method and finite element method shows this method is credible and convenient.


Author(s):  
Yinsheng Li ◽  
Hiroaki Doi ◽  
Kunio Hasegawa ◽  
Kazuya Osakabe ◽  
Hiroshi Okada

A number of surface cracks with large aspect ratio have been detected in components of nuclear power plants in recent years. The depths of these cracks are even larger than the half-lengths. The solution of the stress intensity factor is very important for the structural integrity assessment of such cracked components. However, in the current codes, such as ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section XI and the JSME Rules on Fitness-for-Service for Nuclear Power Plants, solutions of the stress intensity factors are provided for semi-elliptical surface cracks with a limitation of a/l ≤ 0.5, where a is the crack depth and l is the crack length. In order to assess structural integrity in a more rational way, the authors previously developed solutions of the stress intensity factor for semi-elliptical surface cracks in flat plates with a/l = 0.5 to 4 and a/t = 0.0 to 0.8, where t is the wall thickness. In this study, the solutions of the stress intensity factors were calculated for circumferential and axial surface semi-elliptical cracks with large aspect ratios in cylinders. The geometrical dimensions focused on were in the ranges of a/l = 0.5 to 4, a/t = 0.0 to 0.8 and t/Ri = 0 to 1/2, where t is the wall thickness and Ri is the inner radius of the cylinder. Some solutions were compared with the available existing solutions in order to confirm their applicability.


Author(s):  
Adam Toft ◽  
David Beardsmore ◽  
Peter James ◽  
John Sharples ◽  
Michael Martin

In order to obtain good estimates of stress intensity factors in a structural integrity assessment, the accuracy with which a residual stress distribution is represented should be commensurate with the importance of localised peaks in residual stress, in particular where such peaks lie within the region under assessment. This paper describes work undertaken to investigate the importance of accurately representing residual stress distributions in structural integrity assessments. This has been carried out by comparing regular polynomial representations of residual stress distributions, combined with available weight function stress intensity factor solutions (as provided in the R6 procedures) with alternative polynomial representations of residual stress distributions, which provide a more accurate fit in the region of the crack. Such improvements in representation of residual stress profiles provide an indication as to how stress intensity factor solutions could, in future, be modified in order to result in improved accuracy of calculated stress intensity factors. Representation by partitioning residual stress profiles into membrane, bending and self-balancing components, in terms of providing a more straight-forward route for curve-fitting of residual stress profiles is considered. The investigation considers several transverse, through-thickness residual stress distributions. Stress intensity factors are calculated for a variety of crack sizes. Representation of the residual stress profiles in the stress intensity factor solutions are compared, as are the results of the stress intensity factor calculations. The conclusions arising provide guidance as to how current methods of curve fitting a residual stress distribution may be improved in cases where current methods may not be accurate. Advice is also provided as to the relative merits of representing residual stress distributions as a set of partitioned components or as a single distribution.


1982 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. S. Raju ◽  
J. C. Newman

The purpose of this paper is to present stress-intensity factor influence coefficients for a wide range of semi-elliptical surface cracks on the inside or outside of a cylinder. The crack surfaces were subjected to four stress distributions: uniform, linear, quadratic, and cubic. These four solutions can be superimposed to obtain stress-intensity factor solutions for other stress distributions, such as those caused by internal pressure and by thermal shock. The results for internal pressure are given herein. The ratio of crack depth to crack length from 0.2 to 1; the ratio of crack depth to wall thickness ranged from 0.2 to 0.8; and the ratio of wall thickness to vessel radius was 0.1 or 0.25. The stress-intensity factors were calculated by a three-dimensional finite-element method. The finite-element models employ singularity elements along the crack front and linear-strain elements elsewhere. The models had about 6500 degrees of freedom. The stress-intensity factors were evaluated from a nodal-force method. The present results were also compared to other analyses of surface cracks in cylinders. The results from a boundary-integral equation method agreed well (±2 percent), and those from other finite-element methods agreed fairly well (±10 percent) with the present results.


Author(s):  
D. J. Shim ◽  
S. Tang ◽  
T. J. Kim ◽  
N. S. Huh

Stress intensity factor solutions are readily available for flaws found in pipe to pipe welds or shell to shell welds (i.e., circumferential/axial crack in cylinder). In some situations, flaws can be detected in locations where an appropriate crack model is not readily available. For instance, there are no practical stress intensity factor solutions for circular-arc cracks which can form in circular welds (e.g., nozzle to vessel shell welds and storage cask closure welds). In this paper, stress intensity factors for circular-arc cracks in finite plates were calculated using finite element analysis. As a first step, stress intensity factors for circular-arc through-wall crack under uniform tension and crack face pressure were calculated. These results were compared with the analytical solutions which showed reasonable agreement. Then, stress intensity factors were calculated for circular-arc semi-elliptical surface cracks under the lateral and crack face pressure loading conditions. Lastly, to investigate the applicability of straight crack solutions for circular-arc cracks, stress intensity factors for circular-arc and straight cracks (both through-wall and surface cracks) were compared.


Author(s):  
Mayumi Ochi ◽  
Kiminobu Hojo ◽  
Itaru Muroya ◽  
Kazuo Ogawa

Alloy 600 weld joints have potential for primary water stress corrosion cracks (PWSCC). At the present time it has been understood that PWSCC generates and propagates in the Alloy 600 base metal and the Alloy 600 weld metal and there has been no observation of cracking the stainless and the low alloy steel. For the life time evaluation of the pipes or components the crack extension analysis is required. To perform the axial crack extension analysis the stress intensity database or estimation equation corresponding to the extension crack shape is needed. From the PWSCC extension nature mentioned above, stress intensity factors of the conventional handbooks are not suitable because most of them assume a semi-elliptical crack and the maximum aspect ratio crack depth/crack half length is one (The evaluation in this paper had been performed before API 579-1/ASME FFS was published). Normally, with the advance of crack extension in the thickness direction at the weld joint, the crack aspect ratio exceeds one and the K-value of the conventional handbook can not be applied. Even if those equations are applied, the result would be overestimated. In this paper, considering characteristics of PWSCC’s extension behavior in the welding material, the axial crack was modeled in the FE model as a rectangular shape and the stress intensity factors at the deepest point were calculated with change of crack depth. From the database of the stress intensity factors, the simplified equation of stress intensity factor with parameter of radius/thickness and thickness/weld width was proposed.


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