Development of Weight Functions for Modelling Delayed Hydride Cracking Initiation at a Blunt Flaw

Author(s):  
Douglas A. Scarth ◽  
Joanna Wu ◽  
Ted Smith ◽  
Dennis M. Kawa

Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC) in Zr-2.5 Nb alloy material is of interest to the CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium) industry in the context of the potential to initiate DHC at a blunt flaw in a CANDU reactor pressure tube. The material is susceptible to DHC when there is diffusion of hydrogen atoms to the flaw, precipitation of hydride platelets, and development of a hydrided region at the flaw tip. The hydrided region can then fracture to the extent that a crack forms, and is able to grow by the DHC crack growth mechanism. An engineering process-zone model for evaluation of DHC initiation at a blunt flaw that takes into account flaw geometry has been developed. The model is based on representing the stress relaxation due to hydride formation, and crack initiation, by an infinitesimally thin process zone. Application of the engineering process-zone model requires calculation of the stress intensity factor, and the crack-mouth opening displacement, for a fictitious crack at the tip of a blunt flaw. In the current model, calculation of these quantities is based on a cubic polynomial fit to represent the stress distribution ahead of the blunt flaw tip, where the stress distribution is generally calculated by finite element analysis. However, the cubic polynomial is not always an optimum fit to the stress distribution for very small root radius flaws, due to the large stress gradients near the flaw tip. Application of the weight function method will enable a more accurate representation of the flaw-tip stress distribution for the calculation of the stress intensity factor and the crack-mouth opening displacement. Weight functions for a crack at the tip of a blunt flaw in a thin wall cylinder have been developed for implementation into the engineering process-zone model. These weight functions are applicable to a wide range of blunt flaw depths and root radii, as well as a wide range of flaw-tip crack depths. The development and verification of the weight functions is described in this paper. The verification calculations are in reasonable agreement with alternate solutions, and have confirmed that the weight functions have reasonable accuracy for engineering applications of the process-zone methodology.

Author(s):  
Gustavo H. B. Donato ◽  
Claudio Ruggieri

This work presents an exploratory development of J and CTOD estimation procedures for welded fracture specimens under bending based upon plastic eta factors and plastic rotation factors. The techniques considered include: i) estimating J and CTOD from plastic work and ii) estimating CTOD from the plastic rotational factor. The primary objective is to gain additional understanding on the effect of weld strength mismatch on estimation techniques to determine J and CTOD fracture parameters for a wide range of a/W-ratios and mismatch levels. Very detailed non-linear finite element analyses for plane-strain models of SE(B) fracture specimens with center cracked, square groove welds provide the evolution of load with increased load-line displacement and crack mouth opening displacement which are required for the estimation procedure. The results show that levels of weld strength mismatch within the range ±20% mismatch do not affect significantly J and CTOD estimation expressions applicable to homogeneous materials, particularly for deeply cracked fracture specimens. The present analyses, when taken together with previous studies, provide a fairly extensive body of results which serve to determine parameters J and CTOD for different materials using bend specimens with varying geometries and mismatch levels.


Author(s):  
J. Saliba ◽  
A. Loukili ◽  
J.P. Regoin ◽  
D. Grégoire ◽  
L. Verdon ◽  
...  

The fracture process zone (FPZ) was investigated on unnotched and notched beams with different notch depths. Three point bending tests were realized on plain concrete under crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) control. Crack growth was monitored by applying the acoustic emission (AE) technique. In order to improve our understanding of the FPZ, the width and length of the FPZ were followed based on the AE source locations maps and several AE parameters were studied during the entire loading process. The bvalue analysis, defined as the log-linear slope of the frequency-magnitude distribution of acoustic emissions, was also carried out to describe quantitatively the influence of the relative notch depth on the fracture process. The results show that the number of AE hits increased with the decrease of the relative notch depth and an important AE energy dissipation was observed at the crack initiation in unnotched beams. In addition, the relative notch depth influenced the AE characteristics, the process of crack propagation, and the brittleness of concrete.


Author(s):  
Claudio Ruggieri ◽  
Rodolfo F. de Souza

This work addresses the development of wide range compliance solutions for tensile-loaded and bend specimens based on CMOD. The study covers selected standard and non-standard fracture test specimens, including the compact tension C(T) configuration, the single edge notch tension SE(T) specimen with fixed-grip loading (clamped ends) and the single edge notch bend SE(B) geometry with varying specimen spam over width ratio and loaded under 3-point and 4-point flexural configuration. Very detailed elastic finite element analysis in 2-D setting are conducted on fracture models with varying crack sizes to generate the evolution of load with displacement for those configurations from which the dependence of specimen compliance on crack length, specimen geometry and loading mode is determined. The extensive numerical analyses conducted here provide a larger set of solutions upon which more accurate experimental evaluations of crack size changes in fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth testing can be made.


Author(s):  
Rodolfo F. de Souza ◽  
Claudio Ruggieri

Standardized procedures to measure cleavage fracture toughness of ferritic steels in the DBT region most commonly employ three-point bend fracture specimens, conventionally termed SE(B) or SENB specimens. The evaluation protocol of fracture toughness for these crack configurations builds upon laboratory records of load and crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) to relate plastic work with J (or, equivalently, CTOD). The experimental approach employs a plastic η-factor to relate the macroscale crack driving force to the area under the load versus crack mouth opening displacement for cracked configurations. This work provides revised η-factors derived from CMOD records applicable to estimate the J-integral and CTOD in SE(B) specimens with varying crack size and specimen configuration. Non-linear finite element analyses for plane-strain and 3-D models provide the evolution of load with increased CMOD which is required for the estimation procedure. The analysis matrix considers SE(B) specimens with W = 2B and W = B configurations with and without side grooves covering a wide range of specimen thickness, including precracked Charpy (PCVN) specimens. Overall, the present results provide further validation of the J and CTOD evaluation procedure currently adopted by ASTM 1820 while, at the same time, giving improved estimation equations for J incorporating 3-D effects which enter directly into more accurate testing protocols for experimental measurements of fracture toughness values using 3P SE(B) specimens.


Author(s):  
Gustavo H. B. Donato ◽  
Rodrigo Magnabosco ◽  
Claudio Ruggieri

This work presents an exploratory development of J estimation procedures for deep and shallow cracked tension SE(T) specimens based upon plastic eta factors which incorporate the effects of weld strength mismatch. The considered technique includes estimation of J from plastic work. The primary objective is to derive estimation procedures which are applicable to determine J fracture parameters for a wide range of a/W-ratios, material flow properties and different levels of weld strength mismatch using clamped SE(T) specimens of varying geometries. Very detailed non-linear finite element analyses for plane-strain models provide the evolution of load with increased load-line displacement and crack mouth opening displacement, which are needed to determine the estimation procedures. Laboratory testing of a welded structural steel using SE(T) specimens provide the data needed to evaluate J evolution for the welded joints based upon the proposed methodology. The crack driving force evolution is compared against the results obtained using plastic eta factors for homogeneous specimens and demonstrates the importance of considering mismatch effects on crack-tip stress fields and fracture parameters. The present analyses, when taken together with previous studies, extend the body of results which serve to determine J integral using tension SE(T) specimens with varying geometries and mismatch levels.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 5755
Author(s):  
Parinaz Belalpour Dastjerdi ◽  
Eric N. Landis

In this study, the fracture mechanics of eastern spruce were characterized in relation to end-grain orientation. Compact tension-type specimens with small pre-formed cracks were prepared such that grain angle varied relative to the load axis. Specimens were loaded under crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) control as to maintain stable crack growth. Specimen fracture was characterized using both R-curve and bulk fracture energy approaches. The results showed that under a RT grain orientation, as well as grain deviations up to about 40∘, cracks will follow a path of least resistance in an earlywood region. As the grain angle exceeds 40∘, the crack will initially move macroscopically in the direction of maximum strain energy release rate, which extends in the direction of the pre-crack, but locally meanders through earlywood and latewood regions before settling once again in an earlywood region. At 45∘, however, the macroscopic crack takes a turn and follows a straight radial path. The results further show that RT fracture is macroscopically stable, while TR fracture is unstable. None of the end-grain fracture orientations showed rising R-curve behavior, suggesting that there is not a traditional fracture process zone in this orientation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jing Chen ◽  
Zhoudao Lu

Determination of the residual crack extension resistance curves (KR-curves) associated with cohesive force distribution on fictitious crack zone of complete fracture process is implemented in present research. The cohesive force distributes according to bilinear softening traction-separation law proposed by Petersson. Totally ten temperatures varying from 20°C to 600°C and the specimen size of230×200×200 mm with initial-notch depth ratios 0.4 are considered. The load-crack mouth opening displacement curves (P-CMOD) of postfire specimens are obtained by wedge-splitting method from which the stress intensity factor curves (K-curves) are calculated. In each temperature, with the distribution of cohesive force along the fracture process zone, the residual fracture toughnessKR(Δa) increases with increasing crack lengthΔa, whereas theKR-curves decrease with increasing temperaturesTmfor the thermal damage induced. The stability analysis on crack propagation demonstrates that when the residualKR-curve is higher thanK-curve, the crack propagates steadily; otherwise, the crack propagates unsteadily.


Author(s):  
Rafael G. Savioli ◽  
Claudio Ruggieri

This work focuses on the evaluation procedure to determine the elastic-plastic J-integral and CTOD fracture toughness based upon the η-method for C(T) fracture specimens made of homogeneous and welded steels. The primary objective of this investigation is to enlarge on previous developments of J and CTOD estimation procedures for this crack configuration while, at the same time, addressing effects of strength mismatch on the plastic η-factors. The present analyses enable the introduction of a larger set of factor η for a wide range of crack sizes (as measured by the a/W-ratio) and material properties, including different levels of weld strength mismatch, applicable to structural, pipeline and pressure vessel steels. Very detailed non-linear finite element analyses for plane-strain models of square groove, center cracked C(T) fracture specimens provide the evolution of load with increased crack mouth opening displacement required for the estimation procedure. Overall, the present study, when taken together with previous investigations, provides a fairly extensive body of results to determine parameters J and CTOD for different materials using C(T) specimens with varying overmatch conditions.


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