Ductile crack growth and constraint in pipelines subject to combined loadings

An important failure mode of offshore pipelines is ductile fracture of the pipe wall triggered by a hypothetical welding defect. In this study, pipelines having an external part-through semi-circumferential crack of various sizes, subject to combined internal pressure and inelastic bending are considered. This is done to assess the response of pipelines during both their installation and operational conditions. Detailed 3D nonlinear finite element (FE) models of pipelines are developed. A row of elements ahead of the initial crack front are modeled using a voided plasticity material model, which enables simulation of crack growth and the subsequent fracture failure mode (denoted by the critical curvature, κ_crit). After discussing the typical response characteristics of such pipelines, the FE model is used to parametrically investigate the influence of varying pipe and crack dimensions, and also the internal pressure levels, on κ_crit. In the second part of this paper, the crack tip constraint ahead of a growing crack in such pipes is evaluated and systematically compared to the crack tip constraint of both the traditionally used deeply cracked Single Edge Notch Bend (SENB) specimens and the constraint-matched Single Edge Notch Tensile (SENT) specimens. This is achieved by comparing the crack resistance curves (R-curves) along with stress triaxiality and equivalent plastic strain fields evaluated ahead of a growing crack of the three systems. The results present grounds for justification of usage of SENT specimens in fracture assessment of such pipes as an alternative to the traditional overly conservative SENB specimens.     

Constraint effect on the ductile crack growth resistance of circumferentially cracked pipes

A systematic study has been carried out by using 2D axisymmetric models to understand the ductile fracture behavior of pipes with internal and external circumferential cracks. Crack growth resistance curves have been computed using the complete Gurson model. Pipes with various diameter-to-thickness ratios, internal pressure, crack depths and material properties are analyzed. The results have been compared with those of corresponding SENT and standard SENB specimens. It clearly indicates that the SENT specimen is a good representation of circumferentially flawed pipes and an alternative to the conventional standard SENB specimen for the fracture mechanics testing in engineering critical assessment of pipes.     

HIDA activity on P91 steel

The 9%-12% Cr-steels are strategic materials for new power plant and for component substitution for plant life extension. One of these steels, P 91 was included in the project BE-1702 (HIDA) to provide crack initiation and growth data for the improvement and validation of procedures for high-temperature defect assessment. The paper presents an outline of the testing programme and the initial results for P 91. In addition to uniaxial and static/cyclic creep crack growth tests on standard fracture mechanics geometries, feature tests are also included in the experimental programme. These consist of internally pressurised pipe welds, pipe bends and 4-point bend pipes, and C-shaped specimens. The majority of these tests are still ongoing. The static and cyclic loading conditions are being employed to consider the range of creep/fatigue interaction in this alloy. All tests are being conducted at 625°C.     

Analysis of the geometry dependence of fracture toughness at cracking initiation by comparison of circumferentially cracked round bars and SENB tests on Copper

In the first part of the paper, the use of circumferentially cracked round bars (CRB geometry) for characterizing fracture toughness of a ductile material, namely copper, is assessed experimentally through a comparison with the single edge notched bend (SENB) geometry. The J _R curve method with multiple-specimens was applied, but, as unstable cracking appeared very early in the CRB specimen, an engineering definition of fracture toughness was not pertinent. Unloaded specimens were analyzed metallographically to determine the CTOD at physical cracking initiation. The fracture toughness measured using the CRB geometry was 50% larger than using the SENB geometry. The second part of the paper aims at justifying this difference of fracture toughness at cracking initiation. Finite element simulations revealed a slightly higher constraint in the SENB specimens. The main difference between the two specimen geometries lies in a 50% larger extension of the finite strain zone with respect to the CTOD in the case of the SENB specimens. Based on the observation that, in the studied material, the critical CTOD is one order of magnitude larger than the void spacing, we conclude that the geometry dependence of the fracture toughness is caused by the difference in the finite strain zone extension rather than by a stress triaxiality effect.     

Structural integrity analysis of HDPE pipes for water supplying network

A problem of reliability of polymer pipes manufactured with the high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) for drinking water supply was considered. The safety of the pipelines network was analyzed with taking into account two main factors: arising of sudden overpressure (water hammer phenomenon) and presence of defects on pipe surface. Based on elastoplastic fracture mechanics and using of J‐integral approach, the numerical model of cracked pipe was developed and verified by direct experimental test. The formula for calculation of crack initiation pressure, which is the function of pipe size and size of external surface defect, was derived. The validity of this relation was proved for pipes of diameter 450 to 800 mm. It was also shown that the pressure peaks of the water hammer phenomenon are quickly damped because of the high deformability of the polyethylene pipes and the defect depth that is equivalent to 40% of pipe wall thickness can be considered as acceptable. The applicability of developed tools was demonstrated under analysis in the real state of South Tunisian water supply network.     

Ductile failure analysis and crack behavior of X65 buried pipes using extended finite element method

This paper aims to study the ductile fracture mechanism of API X65 buried pipes including crack initiation and propagation using the extended finite element method (XFEM). First, the crack evolution histories of X65 specimens with initial crack-like flaws during tensile and three-point bending tests are illustrated, and the numerical results are compared with experimental data. In addition, effects of different crack configurations, damage initiation and evolution criteria are investigated. Second, the burst processes of straight pipes with initial gouge flaws are presented, and the FE results are compared with assessment in related standards and experiments. Finally, the crack onset and growth of buried pipes due to deflection arising from landslide movements are predicted, and the numerical results are compared with previous study. Particularly, the internal pressure, wall thickness, and soil properties on crack behavior and limit load-bearing ability are investigated. This paper provides a fundamental support for the integrity assessment and safety evaluation of buried pipes.     

Fracture experiments on through wall cracked elbows under in-plane bending moment: Test results and theoretical/numerical analyses

Fracture assessment of pipe bends or elbows with postulated through wall crack is very essential for leak-before-break qualification of primary heat transport system piping of nuclear power plants. The methodology for fracture assessment of cracked elbows is still in developing stage. Any new development in theoretical aspect requires experimental validation. However, fracture test data on cracked elbows is not so abundant as straight pipes. The earlier experiments on cracked elbows were focused mainly on the determination of limit load. Other fracture parameters e.g. crack growth, crack initiation load or crack opening displacement were not reported in the open literature. Against this backdrop, a comprehensive experimental and theoretical program on component integrity has been initiated at Reactor Safety Division (RSD) of Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), India. Under this program, a number of fracture tests have been carried out on elbows with through wall circumferential/axial cracks subjected to in-plane closing/opening bending moment. These test data are then thoroughly analysed numerically through non-linear finite element analyses, analytically through limit load comparison and also through comparison of crack initiation loads by finite element and R6 methods. These test data may be utilized in future for validation of new theoretical developments in the integrity assessment of through wall cracked elbows.     

HIDA activity on 2¼ Cr1Mo steel

Historically, the 2¼CrlMo steel is one of the first type of low alloy steels used in high temperature plant. The objective of the present study is to test uniaxial, standard fracture mechanics and feature specimens from the same batch of material as well as test welded and ex-service materials and samples with mechanically induced residual stress. The creep and creep/fatigue crack initiation and growth results using fracture mechanics modelling techniques will then be used to validate the ‘HIDA’ procedure for high-temperature defect assessment. This paper presents an outline of the testing programme. The initial results for this steel from both static and cyclic loading conditions are presented for the test temperature of 565°C. The feature tests, simulating actual components, consist of three industrially relevant pipe types which are pre-notched and internally pressurised. In addition some of these pipes are being tested under four point bending. Early results of the X-ray and magnetic measurements to characterise creep damage are also presented. Initial results of short term laboratory data derived from uniaxial tests as well as compact tension specimens are presented.     

Correlation of fracture behavior in high pressure pipelines with axial flaws using constraint designed test specimens. Part II: 3-D effects on constraint

This study describes an extensive set of 3-D analyses conducted on conventional fracture specimens, including pin-loaded and clamped SE(T) specimens, and axially cracked pipes with varying crack configurations. The primary objective is to examine 3-D effects on the correlation of fracture behavior for the analyzed crack configurations using the J-Q methodology. An average measure of constraint over the crack front, as given by an average hydrostatic parameter, denoted Q_avg, is employed to replace the plane-strain measure of constraint, Q. Alternatively, a local measure of constraint evaluated at the mid-thickness region of the specimen, denoted Q_Z0, is also utilized. The analysis matrix considers 3-D numerical solutions for models of SE(T) fracture specimens with varying geometries (i.e., different crack depth to specimen width ratio, a/W, as well as different loading point distance, H) and test conditions (pin-loaded ends vs. clamped ends). The 3-D numerical models for the cracked pipes cover different crack depth to pipe wall thickness ratio, a/t, and a fixed crack depth to crack length ratio, a/c. The extensive 3-D numerical analyses presented here provide a representative set of solutions which provide further support for using constraint-designed SE(T) specimens in fracture assessments of pressurized pipes and cylindrical vessels.     

THE FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF AN AXIAL CRACK IN A PRESSURISED PIPE

Abstract— The multiple specimen technique was developed to measure the crack growth fracture resistance of a through axial crack in a pressurised pipe and the results compared with data measured from test specimens. The comparison indicates that there is no significant difference between pipe and specimen behaviour. The results are also compared with elastic-plastic three-dimensional finite element analyses of the pipe and the R6 failure assessment curve. Reasonably good agreement was found between the experimental results and finite element analyses. The experimental results all lie outside the material specific failure assessment curve of the R6 structural integrity assessment procedure.     

压力管道含环向表面裂纹的J积分估算方法

本文详细讨论了含环向表面裂纹管道的SC.ENG1和SC.ENG2 J积分估算方法,建立了含环向表面裂纹管道的有限元模型,对上述方法的有效性进行了考察。采用三维弹塑性有限元方法分析和讨论了表面裂纹前缘的J积分的分布规律;及具有不同长度屈服平台的管道材料对J积分的影响,对该估算方法对于具有屈服平台的国内管道用钢的适用性和有效性进行了讨论。     

Modelling of ductile fracture initiation in strength mismatched welded joint

In this paper, the effect of strength mismatch and width of the welded joints on the stress–strain distribution in the crack tip region has been discussed. The single-edge notched bend (SENB) specimens (precrack length a₀/W = 0.32) were experimentally and numerically analysed. The model of local approach to fracture, proposed by Gurson, Tvergaard and Needleman, was used. High-strength low-alloyed (HSLA) steel was used as a base metal in quenched and tempered condition. The flux-cored arc-welding process in shielding gas was used. Two different fillers were selected to make over- and undermatched weld metal. The experimental analysis of fracture behaviour of the over- and undermatched welded joints was followed by numerical computations of void volume fraction in front of the crack tip. The critical void volume fraction, f_c, used in prediction of the crack growth initiation on the SENB specimen had been previously determined on a round smooth specimen. Three widths of weld metal were considered: 6, 12 and 18 mm. A comparison of the crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) values corresponding to crack initiation in the SENB specimens is given, as determined both experimentally and using the GTN model.     

XFEM fracture analysis of cracked pipeline with and without FRP composite repairs

Abstract

The effect of fiber reinforced polymer composite (FRPC) repair on crack propagation in thin-walled steel pipes is examined. The extended finite element method is used in this study to simulate a pressurized cylindrical pipe with longitudinal crack in two conditions: the original cracked pipe and the pipe repaired with a composite patch. Carbon/epoxy or E-glass/epoxy FRP in two different fiber orientations are assumed for cracked pipe repair. Performance of four types of FRP repair systems are investigated by CTOA, COD and COA fracture criteria for both the pipe integrity assessment and the potential age of leak before break criterion.     

Numerical study of mixed-mode fracture in concrete

In the present paper, a finite element code based on the microplane model for concrete is used for the analysis of typical mixed-mode geometries: a Single-Edge-Notched beam, a Double-Edge-Notched specimen and a Dowel-Disk specimen. A local smeared fracture finite element analysis is carried out. As a regularization procedure, the crack band method is used. The principal objective of the study was to investigate whether the smeared fracture finite element code is able to predict mixed-mode fracture of concrete with no optimisation of the material model parameters. Comparison between experimental and numerical results shows that the used code predicts structural response and crack patterns realistically for all cases investigated. Moreover, it is shown that for most of the studied geometries a mixed-mode fracture mechanism dominates at crack initiation, however, with increase of the crack length mode-I fracture becomes dominant and the specimens finally failed in mode-I fracture.     

High temperature crack initiation and defect assessment of P22 steel weldments using time dependent failure assessment method

High temperature deformation and crack resistance of low alloy ferritic grade P22 steel weldments applied in power plants are reported. The creep crack initiation (CCI) and creep crack growth (CCG) data were determined using compact type (C(T)) and C-Shape (CS(T)) fracture mechanics specimens at 550 °C. The deformation and crack growth behaviour of similar weldment zones and significance of CCI and CCG in defect assessment of components were addressed. The weldments with industrially relevant properties were produced in butt welded pipe joint from which test specimens are sampled. The studied material covers a spectrum of microstructures and ductility over the weldment zones to give representative for a welded component. The emphasis is placed on the measurement and particularly analysis of crack initiation for failure assessment in P22 steel weldments. The particular importance of construction of isochronous curves for time dependent failure assessment diagram (TDFAD) method is reported. It is aimed to contribute to establishing guidelines for acceptable methodologies for testing, analysis and assessment of welded components using TDFAD for high temperature service.     

Fatigue of shot peened 7075-T7351 SENB specimen – A 3-D analysis

As‐received or shot peened 7075‐T7351 single‐edged notch bend (SENB) specimens, 8.1‐mm thick, were fatigued at a constant maximum load and at stress ratios of R= 0.1 and 0.8 to predetermined numbers of fatigue cycles or to failure. The SENB specimens were then fractured by overload and the tunnelling crack profiles were recorded. The crack‐growth rate, da/dN, after crack initiation at the notch was determined by crack‐profile measurement and fractography at various fatigue cycles. The shot peened surface topography and roughness was also evaluated by three‐dimensional (3‐D) laser scanning microscopy. Residual stresses in the as‐received specimens and those generated by shot peening at Almen scales of 0.004A, 0.008A, 0.012A and 0.016A, were measured by an X‐ray diffraction stress analyser with an X‐ray target, CrK, every 0.1 mm to a depth of 1 mm. The 3‐D stress intensity factor of the curved crack front was determined by the superposition of the 3‐D finite element solutions of the stress intensity factor of the loaded SENB specimen without the residual stress and the stress intensity factor of the unloaded SENB specimen with a prescribed residual stress distribution. da/dN versus the resultant stress intensity factor amplitude, ΔK_I, plots showed that while the residual stress locally retarded the crack‐growth rate it had no effect on the overall crack‐propagation rate.     

Fracture toughness of 2-D carbon fibre reinforced carbon composites

The fracture toughness of 2-D woven carbon fibre reinforced carbon laminate has been evaluated by linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM),R-curve andJ-integral analysis using the single edge-notched bending (SENB) specimen of edge and flatwise geometries. The edgewise specimens failed by a small extension of the self similar crack whereas the flatwise specimens failed by delamination. The surface damage developing from the tip of the initial crack was revealed by the brittle lacquer coating technique and the zone shape varied with the specimen geometry, i.e. the loading axis relative to the woven layers. Acoustic emission (AE) was also used to monitor crack growth, and the total ring down count of AE was observed to increase as the initial crack length was decreased. Both the damage zone size and total AE counts were found to increase in two linear stages as a function of the square of the stress intensity factor,K.     

Study of polyethylene pipe resins by a fatigue test that simulates crack propagation in a real pipe

A fatigue test that simulates the step-wise crack propagation found in pipes in the field, and uses a standard compact-tension specimen, was employed to study and rank crack resistance of various pipe resins. The thermal history during compression moulding of the test specimens strongly affected fracture kinetics. It was found that crack-resistant properties of in-service pipe were best reproduced if compression-moulded plaques were fast cooled under load. This procedure was used to prepare specimens from candidate pipe resins for fatigue testing. The resins were compared in terms of discontinuous crack growth kinetics. The ranking based on resistance to fatigue crack propagation correlated with results of a standard PENT creep test. However, fatigue failure times were an order of magnitude less than the standard creep times. After comparing the initiation and failure times of the resins with detailed kinetics of step-wisse crack propagation, a simplified and rapid procedure is proposed which calls for evaluating only the first jump after initiation.     

Development of a reference strain approach for assessment of fracture response of reeled pipelines

As a result of recent increase in exploitation of hydrocarbon resources in harsher environments and also installation techniques which utilize the materials plastic deformation capacity, accurate assessment of fracture response of pipelines subject to large plastic strains (e.g., typical of reeled pipes) has attracted particular interest nowadays. In this paper, an approach, based on the evaluation of the J-integral, is developed for assessing the integrity of such pipelines, manifested in a model of a pipeline with a circumferential part-through crack subjected to plastic bending. The proposed approach is an extension of the reference strain method developed earlier by other researchers, and takes advantage of the displacement controlled loading nature in such pipes (thus being suitable for Strain Based Design methodologies), and the resulting high strain levels, which often cause fracture response of the material in the plastic regime. The developed formulation relates the fracture response of the pipe (in terms of the non-dimensionalized J-integral) as a linear function of the axial strain in the pipe at its uncracked state. A series of 300 3D nonlinear finite element models using the ABAQUS software were analyzed in preparation of the equation that could assess the fracture response of such pipes with great accuracy. The resulting equation, calibrated by the finite element results, can predict the fracture response of pipes with a maximum error of 2% for a practical uncracked material strain range of 1.5% ? ε_unc ? 4%.     

THREE-DIMENSIONAL CONSTRAINT EFFECTS ON STRESS INTENSITY DISTRIBUTIONS IN PLATE GEOMETRIES WITH THROUGH-THICKNESS CRACKS

Three-dimensional finite element analyses of through-thickness cracks in plate geometries are presented. It is shown that the local constraint variation towards the crack tip causes an increase in stress intensity which is neglected in analyses which assume a constant stress state throughout the geometry. This means that stress intensity factors for these types of crack geometries are a factor (1 — v²)^-0.5 higher than generally reported in stress intensity handbooks. Analyses on crack tunnelling situations show that if plane stress dominates the global behaviour, an almost constant stress intensity across the thickness is reached for a relative tunnelling depth of a 2.5% of the plate thickness. For geometries which are not predominantly in plane stress this value will be somewhat larger. Crack front tunnelling does not influence the mean stress intensity across the thickness. Shear lips are shown to reduce the mean equivalent stress intensity (the mode I stress intensity which has the same energy release rate as the actual combined mode I, II and III loading) by a factor equal to the square root of the ratio between plate thickness and projected length of the crack front. This may explain the reduction in crack growth rate caused by shear lips during fatigue crack growth experiments. The reduction of the mode I stress intensity factor is considerably larger, which may cause a further reduction of fatigue crack growth rate for crack growth mechanisms that depend primarily on the mode I crack tip loading. Analyses on CNT and SENB specimens show that the conclusions reached on infinite plate models also hold for real structures. However for an SENB specimen with an uncracked ligament equal to the plate thickness, the overall constraint is larger than that of a pure plane stress situation, and the effect of stress intensity increases due to the constraint transition is less pronounced.