scholarly journals Uncertainty Modeling of Fatigue Crack Growth and Probabilistic Life Prediction for Welded Joints of Nuclear Stainless Steel

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haijun Chang ◽  
Mengling Shen ◽  
Xiaohua Yang ◽  
Junxia Hou

Welded joints are widely used in the pipeline connection of nuclear power plants. Defects in these joints are an important factor leading to the failure of welded joints. It is critical to study the fatigue crack growth and life prediction methods for the welded joints with defects, to reduce their likelihood. In this paper, we present our study of the uncertainty of fatigue crack propagation and probabilistic life prediction for welded joints of nuclear stainless steel. The standard compact tension (CT) specimens were fabricated according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard. Fatigue crack propagation tests with different stress ratios were performed on CT specimens, using the Mei Te Si (MTS) fatigue test system. A fatigue crack propagation rate model considering the uncertainty of material parameters, and based on the Paris formula and crack propagation experimental data, was established. A probabilistic life prediction method based on Monte Carlo simulation was developed. The fatigue crack propagation prediction result of a CT specimen was compared with the actual tested result, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, the method was applied to an embedded elliptical crack in welded joints of nuclear stainless steel, to predict the fatigue crack growth life and evaluate the reliability.

2018 ◽  
Vol 1146 ◽  
pp. 44-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
János Lukács ◽  
Ádám Dobosy ◽  
Marcell Gáspár

The objective of the paper is to present the newest results of our complex research work. In order to determination and comparison of the fatigue resistance, fatigue crack growth tests were performed on different grades of S690QL quenched and tempered, and S960TM thermomechanically rolled high strength steels.15 mmand30 mmthick base materials were used for our investigations. Welded joints were made from these base materials, using gas metal arc welding with matching, overmatching, and undermatching filler metals. In the paper, the performance of the welding experiments will be presented, especially with the difficulties of the filler material selection; along with the results of the fatigue crack growth examinations executed on the base materials and its welded joints. Statistical aspects were applied both for the presenting of the possible locations of the cracks in the base materials and the welded joints and for the processing of the measured data. Furthermore, the results will be compared with each other, and the possibility of derivation of fatigue crack propagation limit curves will be referred.


2010 ◽  
Vol 659 ◽  
pp. 49-54
Author(s):  
János Lukács

There are different documents and standards containing fatigue crack propagation limit or design curves and rules for the prediction of crack growth. The background of the curves and the calculations consist of two basic parts: statistical analysis of numerous experiments and a fatigue crack propagation law. The research work aimed to measure basic data for limit curves on austenitic stainless steel, in corrosive environment and at elevated temperatures, and to determine the design curves based on statistical analysis of measured data and a fatigue crack propagation law. Experiments were performed on modified CT specimens, in water solution and at two different temperatures. The fatigue crack growth tests were executed by constant load amplitude method. In order to study the hold time effect, fatigue crack growth tests were terminated and hold time period was applied. It can be concluded that the modified CT specimens are suitable for fatigue crack growth tests in corrosive environment; the fatigue crack propagation characteristics are different at different testing temperatures; and stable crack propagation and/or crack tip blunting can be detected during the hold time period at the used higher testing temperature.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyao Jiang ◽  
Miaolin Feng

Fatigue crack propagation was modeled by using the cyclic plasticity material properties and fatigue constants for crack initiation. The cyclic elastic-plastic stress-strain field near the crack tip was analyzed using the finite element method with the implementation of a robust cyclic plasticity theory. An incremental multiaxial fatigue criterion was employed to determine the fatigue damage. A straightforward method was developed to determine the fatigue crack growth rate. Crack propagation behavior of a material was obtained without any additional assumptions or fitting. Benchmark Mode I fatigue crack growth experiments were conducted using 1070 steel at room temperature. The approach developed was able to quantitatively capture all the important fatigue crack propagation behaviors including the overload and the R-ratio effects on crack propagation and threshold. The models provide a new perspective for the R-ratio effects. The results support the notion that the fatigue crack initiation and propagation behaviors are governed by the same fatigue damage mechanisms. Crack growth can be treated as a process of continuous crack nucleation.


Author(s):  
João Ferreira ◽  
José A. F. O. Correia ◽  
Grzegorz Lesiuk ◽  
Sergio Blasón González ◽  
Maria Cristina R. Gonzalez ◽  
...  

Pressure vessels and piping are commonly subjected to plastic deformation during manufacturing or installation. This pre-deformation history, usually called pre-strain, may have a significant influence on the resistance against fatigue crack growth of the material. Several studies have been performed to investigate the pre-strain effects on the pure mode I fatigue crack propagation, but less on mixed-mode (I+II) fatigue crack propagation conditions. The present study aims at investigating the effect of tensile plastic pre-strain on fatigue crack growth behavior (da/dN vs. ΔK) of the P355NL1 pressure vessel steel. For that purpose, fatigue crack propagation tests were conducted on specimens with two distinct degrees of pre-strain: 0% and 6%, under mixed mode (I+II) conditions using CTS specimens. Moreover, for comparison purposes, CT specimens were tested under pure mode I conditions for pre-strains of 0% and 3%. Contrary to the majority of previous studies, that applied plastic deformation directly on the machined specimen, in this work the pre-straining operation was carried out prior to the machining of the specimens with the objective to minimize residual stress effects and distortions. Results revealed that, for the P355NL1 steel, the tensile pre-strain increased fatigue crack initiation angle and reduced fatigue crack growth rates in the Paris region for mixed mode conditions. The pre-straining procedure had a clear impact on the Paris law constants, increasing the coefficient and decreasing the exponent. In the low ΔK region, results indicate that pre-strain causes a decrease in ΔKth.


Author(s):  
Kokleang Vor ◽  
Catherine Gardin ◽  
Christine Sarrazin-Baudoux ◽  
Jean Petit ◽  
Claude Amzallag

The scope of this study is to investigate the effect of tensile prestrain on crack growth behavior in a 304L stainless steel. Fatigue crack propagation tests were performed on single-edge notched tension (SENT) raw specimens (0% of prestrain) and on prestrained specimens (2% and 10%). On one hand, it is found that the different levels of prestrain exhibit no significant influence on crack propagation in the high range of Stress Intensity Factor (SIF), where there is no detectable crack closure. On the other hand, a clear effect of prestrain on crack growth rate can be observed in the near threshold region where closure is detected. Thus, it can be concluded that the prestrain mainly affects the crack growth rate through its influence on the crack closure.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1004-1005 ◽  
pp. 142-147
Author(s):  
Ming Liu ◽  
Kun Zhang ◽  
Sheng Long Dai ◽  
Guo Ai Li ◽  
Min Hao ◽  
...  

The fatigue crack propagation behaviors of an Al-Cu-Mg alloy are investigated in different environments and with varying stress ratios. Fatigue experiments are carried out via a fatigue crack growth rate test in laboratory air, a 3.5% (mass fraction) NaCl solution and a tank seeper. The results show that a corrosion environment has an obvious influence on the fatigue crack growth rate, and the degrees of influence of the two different corrosive environments are basically identical. When the stress ratio is R = 0.5 and 0.06 with a decrease of the stress intensity factor, the difference in the crack propagation rates for the corrosion and air environments gradually increases. However, the corrosion acceleration in each stage of crack propagation is obvious while R=−1.


2012 ◽  
Vol 06 ◽  
pp. 282-287
Author(s):  
SATOSHI FUKUI ◽  
DAISUKE YONEKURA ◽  
RI-ICHI MURAKAMI

In our previous study, we examined the influence of the fatigue properties of the stainless steel coated with TiN film and clarified the influence of TiN coating and the surface roughness on the fatigue property. In this study, the four point bending fatigue crack growth tests were carried out for martensitic stainless steel coated with TiN film deposited by arc ion plating method in order to investigate the effect of surface finishing on the fatigue crack behavior for film coated material. The fatigue crack growth behavior was evaluated using the replica method. As a result, the crack propagation rate of mirror polished specimens were lower than that of rough surface specimens. The crack propagation rate was especially decreased for TiN coatings deposited on the mirror polished substrate. The surface roughness near the crack initiation site increased after fatigue test. It concludes that the surface roughness of substrate influences crack propagation rate and the deposition of TiN film affected influenced crack propagation rate and fatigue strength when the surface roughness of substrate is small enough.


2014 ◽  
Vol 891-892 ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
János Lukács ◽  
Marcell Gaspar

There are different prescriptions containing fatigue crack propagation limit curves and rules for the prediction of the crack growth. The research work aimed (i) to determine fatigue crack propagation limit curves for high strength steels and their welded joints, based on the Paris-Erdogan law; (ii) to use the determined limit curves for engineering critical assessment (ECA) calculations. Experiments were performed on different high strength steels and their welded joints; and the propagating cracks in the specimens represent the different possible locations of the real cracks in the structural elements. Fatigue crack growth tests were executed byΔK-decreasing and constant load amplitude methods. The evaluation process consists of six steps, and by means of the selected values a statistical method can be proposed for determination of the limit curves. Engineering critical assessment calculations were performed on a welded structural element having crack like defects.


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