Fatigue crack growth of filament wound GRP pipes with a surface crack under cyclic internal pressure

In this study, fatigue damage behavior of (±75₃) filament wound composite pipes with a surface crack under alternating internal pressure was investigated. The specimens were tested at room temperature and exposed to open ended fatigue tests in which the pipe can be deformed freely in the axial direction. The tests were carried out in accordance with the ASTM D-2992 standard. The alternating internal pressure was generated by conventional hydraulic oil. The low cycle tests were performed with 0.42 Hz frequency and R = 0.05 stress ratio. Glass reinforced polymer pipes (GRP) are made of E-glass/epoxy and have (±75₃) configuration. Surface cracks were machined in the axial direction of the pipes which have depth-to-thickness ratios a/t = 0.25–0.38–0.50 and depth to length ratio of a/c = 0.2. Tests were performed at three different loads of 50%, 40%, and 30% of ultimate hoop stress strength of unnotched pipes. The failure behavior of GRP pipes during the test was observed and fatigue test results were presented by means of (S–N) curves and delamination damage zone area-cycle (A–N) curves.     

Fatigue resistance of welded tees under pulsed internal pressure

The authors developed a method of evaluating the fatigue endurance of — welded tees under the effect of internal pressure. It is assumed that fracture takes place as a result of development of an angular quarter- circle crack along the weld line in the plane of the axes of the connected pipes. A semiempirical equation for determining the concentration factor of circumferential membrane stresses is proposed. The results of tests of welded tees made of 20 steel showed satisfactory agreement with the calculated values.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp. 85–89, March, 1993.     

Investigation and analysis of depressurization of vessels operating under cyclic internal liquid pressure

The limiting state of local depressurization is investigated in experiments on large-scale cylindrical simulators of pressure vessels with surface cracks. The local depressurization characteristic is formulated by using the concept of the coefficient of elastoplastic strain intensity.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 9, pp. 17–21, Semptember 1990.     

External surface cracks in shells under cyclic internal pressure

The stress analysis and fatigue crack growth behaviour of a part‐through‐cracked double‐curvature thin‐walled shell is examined. An external surface crack is assumed to lie in one of the principal curvature planes of the shell, and to present a semi‐elliptical shape. The stress intensity factors (SIFs) along the crack front for different elementary opening stresses acting on the crack faces are determined through a three‐dimensional finite element analysis. Then approximate values of SIF in the case of a cracked pressure vessel are computed by employing the above results together with the superposition principle and the power series expansion of the actual opening stress. Finally, a numerical simulation procedure is carried out to predict the crack growth under cyclic internal pressure. Some results are compared with those of other authors.     

Fatigue crack growth in thick-walled cylinders under pulsating internal pressure

The stress intensity factor is derived for both single and multiple longitudinal, elliptical cracks in the wall of a pressurized thick cylinder of given geometry. For this purpose, it is found necessary to combine known solutions to the stress intensity factor for a straight longitudinal crack with the effects of a curved crack front and multiple cracking. The analysis is appraised from a number of fatigue tests reported for % Ni-Cr-Mo cylinders with diameter ratios of between 2 and 3 under repeated and fluctuating pressure cycles. When cylinders with poorly finished bores are assumed to be initially flawed, it is found that their fatigue lives under high ranges of pressure may be predicted reliably for the single crack propagation failures observed. This analysis employs published WOL or SEN fatigue crack growth data for the alloy. The enhancement in fatigue life that results from an improved surface finish has enabled that proportion of life expended during the initiation phase to be determined. It is further shown that the observed effect of mean stress and surface finish on the fatigue limit may be quantified with a change to the threshold of stress intensity for crack growth. A number of tests were conducted with two-step changes to the amplitude of the pressure cycle. In this instance, nonlinear, stress dependent, cumulative damage rules are shown to offer no advantage over Miner's rule in the prediction of fatigue life.     

Fatigue and fracture characteristics of aluminum alloy cylinders under internal pressure

This paper presents the results of tensile, plane-strain fracture-toughness, and fatigue evaluations of die forged and premium cast hydraulic cylinders of six high strength aluminum alloys. Comparisons are made of fatigue strengths at stress levels related to design values, and of relations between values of K_Ic and the conditions under which unstable crack growth was observed in the fatigue tests.     

Fatigue of bonded steel interfaces under cyclic shear loading and static normal stress

Hybrid joints that combine mechanical fastening and bonding provide potential joining alternatives for high strength steel structures. An experimental and analytical research program has been initiated to assess the static and cyclic Mode II shear strength of epoxy bonded steel interfaces subjected to static normal (Mode I) pre-stress. During cyclic loading, shear stress vs. interface displacement could be divided into elastic and inelastic regions with a power law equation describing the inelastic curve. Hysteresis loop shape varied with normal stress, shear stress and accumulated fatigue cycles. A shear stress amplitude threshold equal to about 50% of the fracture shear stress was observed.     

Dynamic analysis of multi-layered filament-wound composite pipes subjected to cyclic internal pressure and cyclic temperature

Based on the three-dimensional anisotropic elasticity, the stress analysis of multi-layered filament-wound composite pipes subjected to cyclic internal pressure and temperature loading is conducted in this article. The time-dependent stress, strain and deformation distributions are numerically obtained by the use of the finite difference technique. The pressure and temperature are considered to be symmetrical about the axis of the cylinder and independent of the axial coordinate. Each layer of the pipes is made of a homogeneous, anisotropic and linearly elastic material and it is assumed that the material properties do not change with increasing the temperature. The shear extension coupling is also considered because of lay-up angles. Numerical results obtained from the present model are compared with other published results and good agreement has been achieved.     

Fatigue crack propagation under cyclic thermal stress

Structures used at elevated temperature subject to severe cyclic thermal stress. Therefore, accurate prediction procedures for thermal fatigue crack growth should be applied to rationalise component flaw assessment. Fatigue crack propagation tests under thermal stress were carried out using an modified type 316 stainless steel (316FR), which is a candidate material for the fast reactor in Japan. Thermal stress of the tests was generated by cyclically changed temperature distribution through thickness in a plate by induction heating and air-cooling. Numerical analysis was also carried out to examine the applicability of the J integral under cyclic thermal stress. The J integral under elasto-plastic condition under thermal stress is close to the elastically calculated J integral. Prediction by J integral tends to be conservative for deeper cracks, and modification of the J integral value using crack opening ratio gives good agreement with the experimental crack growth.     

Fatigue properties of rock salt subjected to interval cyclic pressure

Due to the influence of gas pressure operational modes, surrounding rock of salt carven underground gas storage always suffers combined stress composed of cyclic pressure and intervals of no stress (or small stress). We conducted comparisons between conventional fatigue tests and (six groups of) interval fatigue tests, which combine spaced stress cycles and normal stress cycles. Experimental measurements demonstrate that the combined cyclic stress has a strong impact on the fatigue activity of rock salt. In interval fatigue tests, the residual strain of a spaced stress cycle is notably larger than that of a normal stress cycle. As the conventional tests can be actually considered as a kind of fatigue tests with transitory intervals, the accumulative rate of residual deformation increases with the duration of the interval in all test groups. The testing results show the fatigue lives of samples from interval fatigue tests dramatically reduce in a certain range; when intervals extend beyond the value 120 s, fatigue lives perform with a slight rise. Based on the S–N curve and the S–T curve, an experiential model fitting the relationship between fatigue life and interval was established.     

Fatigue of welded steel joints under wideband loadings

Fatigue tests were conducted on high-strength welded steel cruciform-shaped specimens subjected to random loadings to investigate the effects of loading intensity, nonnormality and frequency bandwidth on the rate of fatigue damage accumulation. The test result are compared with predictions made using the Rayleigh approximation and rainflow analysis in terms of cycles and times to failure. Results indicate that nonnormality can significantly increase the rate of fatigue damage accumulation and result in nonconservative fatigue life estimates if it is effect is not accounted for properly. Likewise, frequency content was also found to influence the rate of fatigue damage accumulation, but to a lesser extent than nonnormality.     

Distributed brillouin scattering sensor for discrimination of wall-thinning defects in steel pipe under internal pressure

A distributed Brillouin scattering sensor has been employed to identify several inner wall cutouts in an end-capped steel pipe by measuring the axial and hoop strain distributions along the outer surface of the pipe. The locations of structural indentations that constitute 50-60% of the inner pipe wall are found and distinguished by use of their corresponding strain-pressure data. These results are quantified in terms of the fiber orientation, defect size and depth, and behavior relative to those of unperturbed pipe sections.     

Fatigue crack initiation and propagation under cyclic contact loading

A computational model for contact fatigue damage analysis of gear teeth flanks is presented in this paper. The model considers the conditions required for the surface fatigue crack initiation and then allows for proper simulation of the fatigue crack propagation that leads to the appearance of small pits on the contact surface. The fatigue process leading to pitting is divided into crack initiation and a crack propagation period.The model for prediction of identification of critical material areas and the number of loading cycles, required for the initial fatigue crack to appear, is based on Coffin-Manson relations between deformations and loading cycles, and comprises characteristic material fatigue parameters. The computational approach is based on continuum mechanics, where a homogenous and elastic material model is assumed and results of cyclic loading conditions are obtained using the finite element method analysis.The short crack theory together with the finite element method is then used for simulation of the fatigue crack growth. The virtual crack extension (VCE) method, implemented in the finite element method, is used for simulating the fatigue crack growth from the initial crack up to the formation of the surface pit. The relationship between the stress intensity factor K and crack length a, which is needed for determination of the required number of loading cycles N_p for a crack propagation from the initial to the critical length, is shown.     

Fatigue failure analysis of copper pressure conduit

The analysis of initiation and propagation of a fatigue crack in a copper pressure conduit is presented. The pipe, made of high-purity copper in soft temper, was a part of the pneumatic-hydraulic drive system of a circuit breaker used in a power plant control system. Failure analysis was performed on the grounds of metallographic examination using light microscopy, SEM and evaluation of service loads that resulted in damage during the pipe service life. It was found that the crack initiated at the flange root of one pipe end, along a deep groove embossed by the sharp edge of the flanging device as a result of bending stresses, caused by repeated straightening of the pipe in each pressure-rise cycle. In this paper, beside the detailed fracture and material analysis to explain the reason for the failure, discussion of the ways to avoid such failures is also presented.