Low cycle fatigue and ductile fracture for Japanese carbon steel piping under dynamic loadings

Dynamic fracture behavior of circumferentially cracked pipe is important to evaluate the structural integrity of nuclear piping from the viewpoint of the LBB concept under seismic conditions. Fracture tests have been conducted for Japanese carbon steel (STS410) circumferentially through-wall cracked pipes that are subjected to monotonic or cyclic bending loads at room temperature. In the monotonic-loading tests, the maximum load to failure increases slightly with increasing loading rate. The failure cycles can be expressed simply by ratio of the load amplitude to the plastic collapse load. Fracture analysis has been also conducted to model the pipe tests. A new equation for calculating ΔJ for a circumferentially through-wall cracked pipe subjected to bending has been proposed. The failure cycles under cyclic loads are satisfactorily evaluated using an elastic-plastic fracture mechanics parameter ΔJ.     

Flaw evaluation of Japanese carbon steel piping by load curve approach

New simplified flaw evaluation method, ‘load curve approach’ was developed to evaluate the fracture load of circumferentially surface-cracked pipe. This approach has the same functions with the current two-criteria approach. Fracture stress and fracture criteria are easily estimated by two load curves based on elastic–plastic fracture mechanics and plastic collapse. Fracture analysis was conducted for Japanese carbon steel piping using this approach. The approach showed the dependency of flaw geometry and pipe diameter on pipe fracture. Z-factors were calculated from this approach and compared with Z-factors by ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section XI (ASME-XI) and Japanese Code. It is shown that Z-factors by the load curve approach can improve the conservativeness in the estimation of pipe fracture load.     

Fracture and general yield for carbon steel pipes with local wall thinning

Monotonic bending tests without internal pressure are conducted on 4 and 3.5 in. diameter full-scale carbon steel pipe specimens with local wall thinning in order to evaluate the structural integrity of power plant piping. The local wall thinning is simulated as erosion/corrosion metal loss. The eroded area of the wall thinning is subjected to tensile or compressive stress by applied bending moment. The maximum moments obtained from the tests are compared with the plastic collapse moments based on the net-section stress approach. The net-section stress approach based on flow stress σ_f gives a conservative estimation, sometimes overly conservative. Although the net-section approach based on ultimate tensile strength σ_u gives a slightly non-conservative estimation for some cases, the calculated values are close to the experimental data. Using the net-section stress approach based on σ_u, the eroded depth and the angle at which a pipe undergoes general yielding were obtained.     

Prediction of leak areas and experimental verification on carbon and stainless steel pipes

This paper presents a study on the pipe crack opening area which is a task in the frame of the six-years Pipe Test Program that ENEA (Comitato Nazionale per la Ricerca e lo Sviluppo dell' nergia ucleare e delle nergie lternative) started aiming to address some of the uncertainties related to Leak-Before-Break (LBB) concept.The study focuses on the opening generated in a pipe containing a through wall circumferential crack loaded in pure bending, trying to assess the relative leak area of paramount importance in any evaluation of dynamic effects, i.e. thrust forces and jet impingement, and leak detection systems capability as well.The purpose of this report is to check some available analytical tools against the experimental results obtained on stainless and carbon steel pipes.In particular two different methods are considered, that is:

1. (a) Tada/Paris formula,

2. (b) General Electric Engineering Approach.

Calculaion are compared with experimental results from pure bending pipe tests, run at room temperature.     

Fracture properties evaluation of carbon steel piping for main steam line

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the material properties of SA106 Gr.C carbon steel pipes and their associated welds manufactured for main steam line of Yonggwang nuclear generating station units 3 and 4.Tensile and fracture toughness tests were performed on specimens taken from actual pipes and the effect of various parameters such as the pipe size, the specimen orientation, the test temperature and the welding procedure on the material properties are discussed. Fracture toughness test results show significant crack plane orientation and test temperature dependence. An empirical equation correlating tensile and fracture toughness data is also proposed.     

Some advances in fracture studies under the heavy-section steel technology program

Recent results are summarized from HSST studies in three major areas that relate to assessing nuclear reactor pressure vessel integrity under pressurized-thermal-shock (PTS) conditions. These areas are irradiation effects on the fracture properties of stainless steel cladding, crack run-arrest behavior under non-isothermal conditions, and fracture behavior of a thick-wall vessel under combined thermal and pressure loadings.Since a layer of tough stainless steel weld overlay cladding on the interior of a pressure vessel could assist in limiting surface crack extension under PTS conditions, its resistance to radiation embrittlement was examined. A stainless steel overlay cladding, applied by a submerged arc, single-wire, oscillating-electrode method, was irradiated to 2 × 10²³ neutrons/m² (> 1 MeV) at 288°C. Yield strength increases up to 27% and a slight increase in ductility were observed. Charpy V-Notch data showed a ductile-to-brittle transition behavior caused by temperature-dependent failure of the 8-ferrite phase. The type 308 cladding, microstructurally typical of that in reactor pressure vessels, showed very little degradation in either upper-shelf energy or transition temperature due to irradiation.Crack-arrest behavior of A533 grade B class 1 steel was examined for temperatures extending above the onset of Charpy upper-shelf. Crack-arrest experiments that use wide-plate specimens have shown crack arrest occurring prior to transition to tearing or tensile instability. High values of crack-arrest toughness have been recorded (static values above 400 MPa that are well above the maximum value that safety assessment criteria assume such materials can exhibit.A validation experiment was performed by exposing an intentionally flawed HSST intermediate test vessel to combined pressure and thermal transients. The experiment addressed warm-prestressing phenomena, crack propagation from brittle to ductile regions, and crack stabilization in ductile regions. Test and analysis results are summarized.     

J integral estimation fracture analysis for circumferentially cracked carbon steel piping

The three-segment fitting method is presented to describe the material stress-strain curves with yield plateaus. A J integral estimation approach for carbon steel piping with circumferential through-wall cracks was developed. Failure assessment curves obtained using three options in the CEGB R6 approach were proposed for GB20 carbon steel piping under bending. The initiation and maximum moments predicted by the J estimation approach presented in this paper are quite close to the experimental values.     

Analytical evaluation method of J-integral in creep-fatigue fracture for type 304 stainless steel

Creep-fatigue crack growth at the operating temperature of LMFBR can be characterized by ΔJ_F and J′ (same as C^*). Type 304 stainless steel, the main structural material of the Japanese LMFBR, shows notable cyclic hardening at elevated temperatures. Evaluation of these J-integrals with the finite-element method is strongly affected by the reference strain range when the cyclic hysteresis' is used as the stress-strain relation.In this paper, an evaluation method for ΔJ_F and J′ with a cyclic stress-strain curve (Δσ – Δ relation) is proposed and verified by experimental results. The evaluation method proposed here does not require cyclic calculations but is monotonic and the effect of the reference strain range is relatively small.     

Fracture strength and behavior of carbon steel pipes with local wall thinning subjected to cyclic bending load

The power plant piping is designed to withstand seismic events using the design fatigue curve. However, the fatigue strength of a pipe with local wall thinning caused by erosion/corrosion is not clear. To evaluate the fatigue strength of pipes with local wall thinning, low cycle fatigue tests were conducted on 100A carbon steel pipes with local wall thinning. In load controlled tests on these pipes, ratcheting deformation was observed, and the fatigue strength became lower than that of cracked pipes. In displacement controlled tests, the fatigue strength of eroded pipes with 100 mm in eroded axial length, 0.5 in normalized eroded depth and 90° in eroded angle was almost equal to that given by the design fatigue curve in ASME B&PV Code Sec. III. To evaluate the local strain range in the maximum wall thinning area, the finite element analysis was conducted on the eroded pipes in the displacement controlled tests. It is concluded that the Mises strain range in the maximum wall thinning area and the low cycle fatigue curve can be used to conservatively estimate the low cycle fatigue life of an eroded pipe and the validity of estimated results can be confirmed experimentally.     

Approximate fracture methods for pipes — Part II: Applications

In the part I paper entitled “Approximate fracture methods for pipes — Part I, Theory” [4], five different J-estimation schemes for through-wall cracked pipes were presented. The (i) GE.EPRI method utilizes a compilation of finite-element solutions. The (ii) Paris/Tada and (iii) LBB.NRC methods utilize an interpolation between the linear elastic and rigid plastic solutions, (iv) the LBB.GE method also uses numerical solutions, and (v) the LBB.ENG uses an equivalent area method to estimate J. All five methods are very simple to use and all five give reasonable predictions of crack growth and failure in pipes. The present paper provides a comparison of some of the methods to full-scale finite-element analyses. In addition, predictions for actual pipe experiments compared to experimental data are also provided.     

Micromechanisms and toughness for cleavage fracture of steel

A complete understanding of the fracture mechanisms of steel in the ductile/brittle transition region requires analysis not only of crack initiation, but also of crack propagation. This paper reviews micrographic and fractographic experiments that give insight into both phenomena, and suggests a frame-work through which both may be related.Unstable cleavage crack initiation can occur after some blunting of the original fatigue precrack or after some stable crack growth. In either event, instability appears to be triggered by the fracture of a brittle micro-constituent ahead of the precrack. The large scatter in reported K_Ic values within the transition region reflects the size distribution and relative scarcity of these “trigger” particles.While a large number of models have attempted to correlate toughness in the ductile/brittle transition regime to events occurring ahead of the crack tip, surprisingly little attention has been paid to events occurring behind the crack front. Fractographic evidence as well as metallographic sectioning of arrested cracks show that the mechanism of rapid crack propagation by cleavage is affected strongly by partial crack-plane deflection which leaves unbroken ligaments in its wake. The tearing of these ligaments by dimple-rupture is the dominant energy-absorbing mechanism. Etch-pit experiments using an Fe-Si alloy show that the crack-tip stress intensity based on plastic zone size is extremely low. It is suggested that the mechanism of crack arrest should be modeled using a sharp crack which is restrained by a distribution of discrete pinching forces along its faces. The same model is applied to crack initiation.     

Heavy-section steel technology program: Recent developments in crack initiation and arrest research

Technology for the analysis of crack initiation and arrest is central to the reactor pressure vessel fracture-margin-assessment process. Regulatory procedures for nuclear plants utilize this technology to assure the retention of adequate fracture-prevention margins throughout the plant operating license period. As nuclear plants age and regulatory procedures dictate that fracture- margin assessments be performed, interest in the fracture-mechanics technology incorporated into those procedures has heightened. This has led to proposals from a number of sources for development and refinement of the underlying crack-initiation and arrest-analysis technology. This paper presents an overview of ongoing Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program research aimed at refining the fracture toughness data used in the analysis of fracture margins under pressurized-thermal-shock loading conditions.     

Failure probability assessment of wall-thinned nuclear pipes using probabilistic fracture mechanics

The integrity of nuclear piping system has to be maintained during operation. In order to maintain the integrity, reliable assessment procedures including fracture mechanics analysis, etc., are required. Up to now, this has been performed using conventional deterministic approaches even though there are many uncertainties to hinder a rational evaluation. In this respect, probabilistic approaches are considered as an appropriate method for piping system evaluation. The objectives of this paper are to estimate the failure probabilities of wall-thinned pipes in nuclear secondary systems and to propose limited operating conditions under different types of loadings. To do this, a probabilistic assessment program using reliability index and simulation techniques was developed and applied to evaluate failure probabilities of wall-thinned pipes subjected to internal pressure, bending moment and combined loading of them. The sensitivity analysis results as well as prototypal integrity assessment results showed a promising applicability of the probabilistic assessment program, necessity of practical evaluation reflecting combined loading condition and operation considering limited condition.     

Reference stress based fracture mechanics analysis for circumferential through-wall cracked pipes: experimental validation

This paper presents experimental validation of the reference stress based J estimates for circumferential through-wall cracked (TWC) pipes, recently proposed by the authors. Using the pipe test data for circumferential TWC pipes given in the Pipe Fracture Encyclopedia [Pipe Fracture Test Data, vol. 3, Battelle, 1997], the predicted fracture initiation and instability loads according to the proposed reference stress method are compared with experimental ones as well as predictions according to the reference stress method embedded in R6. The results show that both the R6 method and the proposed method give conservative estimates of initiation and maximum moments for circumferential TWC pipes, compared to experimental data. For longer cracks, the proposed method reduces the conservatism embedded in the estimated J according to the R6 method, and the resulting predictions are less conservative, compared to those from the R6 method. For shorter cracks, on the other hand, the proposed method reduces possible non-conservatism embedded in estimated J according to the R6 method, and the resulting predictions are slightly more conservative.     

Temperature effects on the static and dynamic fracture behaviors of low-silicon CA-15 tempered stainless steel castings

In this research we studied the effect of testing temperature on both static and dynamic fracturing behaviors of low-silicon CA-15 martensitic stainless steel (MSS) castings after austenitizing and tempering treatments. The results showed that the material’s microstructure was influenced by heat treatment and various testing temperatures would cause different fracturing mechanisms. In static tensile tests, the 573-673 K tempered specimens occurred secondary strengthening at 423 K and 298 K testing temperatures. However, there is a contrast of weakening occurred at 123 K for the same type of tempered samples. The phenomenon was mainly triggered by local cracking at the ferrite/martensitic interface and incoherent precipitate site in the materials because of the existence of shrinkage stress under subzero temperature. In the dynamic strain-rate tests, impact embrittlement occurred in the 573-673 K tempered samples as a result of the tempered martensite embrittlement (TME) phenomenon. The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of the tempered material was obviously lower than that of the as-cast material. Also, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed to correlate the properties attained to the microstructural observation.     

Ductile fracture of cracked steel plates

A simple relationship between loading for crack initiation, or onset of ductile tear, and crack length is presented for center-cracked plates of mild steel. Formulation of the nonlinear boundary-value problem is based on incremental theory of plasticity for Prandtl-Reuss materials. Quasi-static solutions corresponding to a series of incremental loading conditions are obtained by the mothod of finite elements. Tests conducted on plates of two types of mild steel agree with numerical results.     

Probabilistic elastic-plastic fracture analysis of circumferentially cracked pipes with finite-length surface flaws

A probabilistic model was developed for predicting elastic-plastic fracture response and reliability of circumferentially cracked pipes with finite-length, constant-depth, internal surface cracks subject to remote bending loads. It involves engineering estimation of energy release rate, J-tearing theory for characterizing ductile fracture, and standard methods of structural reliability theory. The underlying J-estimation model is based on the deformation theory of plasticity, a constitutive law characterized by power law model for stress-strain curve, and an equivalence criterion incorporating reduced thickness analogy for simulating system compliance due to the presence of a crack. New analytical equations were developed to predict J-integral and are shown to be fairly accurate when compared with generally more accurate elastic-plastic finite-element results. Using this J-estimation method, fast probability integrators and simulation methods were formulated to determine the probabilistic characteristics of J. The same methods were used later to predict the probability of crack initiation and net-section collapse as a function of the applied load. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the proposed methodology. The results show that probabilistic analysis based on net-section collapse (without any margin) may significantly overpredict the reliability of surface-cracked pipes.     

Advanced instrumented impact testing facility for characterization of dynamic fracture behavior

The convenient and cheap instrumented Charpy impact test used for the evaluation of dynamic fracture toughness suffers many disadvantages and limitations. As an effort to enhance the reliability and accuracy of the instrumented impact testing, a new pendulum type of test apparatus has been designed and constructed at the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT).The new tester contains several novel features which help to avoid the drawbacks of the normal designs and which make the impact testing more reliable and appropriate from the fracture mechanics point of view. For that purpose the tester is equipped with a fully computerized data acquisition system and an optical COD measuring device. The latter has been developed and constructed through the co-operation between Materialprüfungsanstalt (MPA) and VTT. In the new testing facility the determination of fracture toughness is based on the application of the optical COD measuring device. In this paper testing equipment and procedures are described and discussed.     

Extending image processing strain measurement system to evaluate fracture behavior of wall-thinned pipes

In this paper, an image processing strain measurement system was extended so that fracture behavior of wall-thinned pipes, such as out of plane and large plastic deformation observed in bulging, can be evaluated by the system. Regular grids with nominal size of 10 mm × 10 mm were marked on 100A carbon steel pipes and the images taken with 6 CCD cameras of 15 million pixels were correlated to achieve resolution of 0.3% strain. Strain of the cylinder's outer surface was evaluated by (1) modeling the grids as a cylindrical shell, (2) measuring deformation of the grid on a projected plane, and (3) applying an updated Lagrangian method. The validity of the system was confirmed by applying the proposed system to the burst tests of a wall-thinned cylinder. In addition, the system measured the non-uniform strain distribution that explained the unexpected cracking location.