Effects of Weld Geometry on Residual Stress and Crack Driving Force for Centerhole Control Rod Drive Mechanism Nozzles: Part II — Circumferential Cracked K-Solutions

Author(s):  
David L. Rudland ◽  
Wentao Cheng ◽  
Gery Wilkowski ◽  
Wallace Norris

The U.S.NRC has undertaken a program to assess the integrity of CRDM nozzles in existing plants that are not immediately replacing their RPV heads. This two-part paper summarizes some of the efforts undertaken on the behalf of the U.S.NRC for the development of detailed residual stress and circumferential crack-driving force solutions to be used in probabilistic determinations of the time from detectable leakage to failure. In this second paper, the weld residual stresses from the first paper were mapped onto detailed fracture mechanics finite element models that contained different length circumferential cracks in the CRDM centerhole nozzle. In each case, the cracks were unpinned after application of the operating pressure and temperatures and the K-solutions extracted. The results from these analyses suggest that the crack-driving force for a circumferential crack at the root of the J-weld slightly increases with increasing weld height but appears to be insensitive to bevel angle.

Author(s):  
Wentao Cheng ◽  
David L. Rudland ◽  
Gery Wilkowski ◽  
Wallace Norris

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has undertaken a program to assess the integrity of control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) nozzles in existing plants that are not immediately replacing their RPV heads. This two-part paper summarizes some of the efforts undertaken on the behalf of the U.S.NRC for the development of detailed residual stress and circumferential crack-driving force solutions to be used in probabilistic determinations of the time from detectable leakage to failure. In this first paper, the finite element (FE) simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of weld geometry on the residual stresses in the J-weld for a centerhole CRDM nozzle. The variables of weld geometry included three weld heights (weld sizes) and three groove angles for each weld height while keeping the same weld size. The analysis results indicate that the overall weld residual stress decreases as the groove angle increases and higher residual stress magnitude is associated with certain weld height. The results also reveal that the axial residual stresses in the Alloy 600 tube are very sensitive to the weld height, and that the tube hoop stresses above the J-weld root increase with the increasing weld height.


Author(s):  
S. J. Lewis ◽  
S. Hossain ◽  
C. E. Truman ◽  
D. J. Smith ◽  
M. Hofmann

A number of previously published works have shown that the presence of residual stresses can significantly affect measurements of fracture toughness, unless they are properly accounted for when calculating parameters such as the crack driving force. This in turn requires accurate, quantitative residual stress data for the fracture specimens prior to loading to failure. It is known that material mechanical properties may change while components are in service, for example due to thermo-mechanical load cycles or neutron embrittlement. Fracture specimens are often extracted from large scale components in order to more accurately determine the current fracture resistance of components. In testing these fracture specimens it is generally assumed that any residual stresses present are reduced to a negligible level by the creation of free surfaces during extraction. If this is not the case, the value of toughness obtained from testing the extracted specimen is likely to be affected by the residual stress present and will not represent the true material property. In terms of structural integrity assessments, this can lead to ‘double accounting’ — including the residual stresses in both the material toughness and the crack driving force, which in turn can lead to unnecessary conservatism. This work describes the numerical modelling and measurement of stresses in fracture specimens extracted from two different welded parent components: one component considerably larger than the extracted specimens, where considerable relaxation would be expected as well as a smaller component where appreciable stresses were expected to remain. The results of finite element modelling, along with residual stress measurements obtained using the neutron diffraction technique, are presented and the likely implications of the results in terms of measured fracture toughness are examined.


Author(s):  
Adam Toft ◽  
David Beardsmore ◽  
Colin Madew ◽  
Huego Teng ◽  
Mark Jackson

Within the UK nuclear industry the assessment of fracture in pressurised components is often carried out using procedures to calculate the margin of safety between a lower-bound fracture toughness and the crack driving force. Determination of the crack driving force usually requires the calculation of elastic stress intensity factor solutions for primary loads and secondary loads arising from weld residual stresses and/or thermal stresses. Within established UK assessment procedures weight function solutions are available which allow the stress intensity factors to be calculated from the through-wall opening-mode stress distribution in an uncracked component. These weight-function solutions are generally based on models where either no boundary condition is applied, or where one is applied at a distance either side of the crack plane that is very long compared with the crack size and wall thickness. Such solutions do not take into account any reduction in the stress field that might occur as the distance from the crack faces increases. Weld residual stress fields may often be expected to reduce in this manner. A separate, earlier study has shown that the stress intensity factor for a cracked plate loaded in displacement control decreases substantially as the loading plane is moved closer to the crack plane. It would therefore be expected that a similar reduction in stress intensity factor would be obtained for a residual stress analysis when displacement boundary conditions are imposed at a distance relatively close to the crack plane. This paper describes an investigation of the differences, particularly in terms of a reduction in calculated stress intensity factor, which may arise from application of displacement controlled stress intensity factor solutions, as compared with load controlled solutions, when considering weld residual stresses. Consideration is also given as to how new displacement controlled stress intensity factor solutions could be developed by modification of existing load controlled solutions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 681 ◽  
pp. 73-78
Author(s):  
Steve K. Bate ◽  
Ian Symington ◽  
John Sharples ◽  
Richard Charles ◽  
Adam Toft ◽  
...  

A long-term UK research programme on environmentally assisted cracking (EAC), residual stresses [1, 2] and fracture mechanics [3, 4] was launched in 2004. It involves Rolls-Royce plc and Serco Technical Services, supported by UK industry and academia. The residual stress programme is aimed at progressing the understanding of residual stresses and on the basis of this understanding manage how residual stresses affect the structural integrity of plant components. Improved guidance being developed for the treatment of residual stresses in fracture assessments includes the use of stress intensity factor solutions for displacement controlled loading as opposed to the more commonly used load controlled solutions. Potential reductions in crack driving force are also being investigated in relation to (i) utilizing a residual stress field that has “shaken-down” due to operational loads, (ii) introducing a crack progressively as opposed to instantaneously, and (iii) allowing for the fact that a crack may have been initiated during the life of a component as opposed to being present from the start-of-life. This paper describes some of these latest developments in relation to residual stress effects


Author(s):  
A. H. Sherry ◽  
K. S. Lee ◽  
M. R. Goldthorpe ◽  
D. W. Beardsmore

It is recognised that the driving force for the initiation and propagation of defects in materials may, under some circumstances, include contributions from both externally applied loads such as internal pressure in pressure vessels and piping and secondary stresses such as weld residual stresses. For non stress-relieved welds, residual stresses can provide a significant proportion of the crack driving force. This paper describes the results obtained from an experimental programme aimed at extending the understanding of residual stress effects on cleavage fracture. The paper describes the preparation and testing of standard and preloaded compact-tension specimens of an A533B pressure vessel steel at its Master Curve reference temperature. Standard tests on compact-tension specimens provide fracture toughness data which are broadly consistent with the conventional three-parameter Weibull model, with Kmin = 20 MPa√m and an exponent of about 4. The preloaded compact-tension specimens included a high level of tensile residual stress at the crack location. Fracture toughness data obtained using the test standards from these specimens fall significantly below the standard specimen data, since the contribution from residual stresses is ignored. However, when due account is taken of the residual stress on the crack driving force using a correct definition of the J-integral, the distributions of fracture toughness data from both specimen types are found to overlay each other. The definition of J used in this paper allows residual stress effects on fracture to be accounted for in a single fracture parameter.


Author(s):  
A. H. Sherry ◽  
M. R. Goldthorpe ◽  
J. Fonseca ◽  
K. Taylor

Residual stresses are internal stresses generated during the fabrication and/or operation of engineering structures. Such stresses can provide the major element of the driving force for crack initiation and growth. Structural integrity assessment procedures, provide guidance for the assessment of defects located within regions of high residual stress. However, such guidance may be conservative where the defect develops progressively during service. This paper describes recent experimental and numerical work aimed at quantifying such conservatisms and providing improved guidance for undertaking more realistic analyses. The results demonstrate that pre-loaded compact-tension specimens provide a useful means for studying the behaviour of cracks within residual stress fields. The magnitude of calculated crack driving forces due to residual stresses is influenced by the approach used to introduce cracks into the stress field, with progressive cracks providing lower levels of crack driving force than instantaneously introduced cracks. The J R-curve associated with cracks under primary or combined primary + secondary loading can apparently be rationalized when the total crack driving force is calculated using methods that take proper account of the influence of prior plasticity on the J-integral. However, it is noted that due to differences in the form of the crack-tip stress and strain fields for static and growing cracks, such values of J may be path dependent and influenced by the magnitude of the growth increment.


Author(s):  
Paulo Rogério Franquetto ◽  
Miguel Mattar Neto

During the pressure hull manufacturing, processes like cold bending and welding are often applied. These processes lead to permanent plastic deformations which are associated with residual stresses. The presence of residual stresses is equivalent to the introduction of an initial preload in the structure, which accelerates the plastification process, decreasing pressure hull resistance. To quantify this reduction, a case study that considers residual stresses due to cold bending on hull plates and frame flanges had been performed using finite element models. The study encompasses hull diameters of 6, 8, and 10 m with hull plates and frame flange thickness from 20 to 30 mm, with HY100 steel. Finite element numerical analyses were done considering material and geometric nonlinearities. First, the cold bending residual stresses were determined using finite element models. Then, these cold bending residual stresses were introduced as initial stresses in the submarine pressure hulls' finite element models. In the end, it was possible to verify that the presence of cold bending residual stress reduces the submarine hull collapse pressure up to 4.3%.


2008 ◽  
Vol 580-582 ◽  
pp. 125-128
Author(s):  
Chin Hyung Lee ◽  
Kyong Ho Chang

For the fracture analysis of a crack in welds, residual stress analysis and fracture mechanics analysis must be performed sequentially. In this study, characteristics of residual stresses in welds of structural steels (SM490, SM520, SM570) were presented by carrying out three-dimensional (3-D) thermal elastic-plastic finite element (FE) analysis. Then, an FE analysis method which was able to calculate domain-independent values of the J-integral for a crack in a 3-D residual stress bearing body was developed to evaluate the J-integral for a mode-I centre-crack in welds of structural steels when mechanical stresses were applied in conjunction with residual stresses. The results show that the longitudinal residual stresses in welds increase with increasing yield stress of the welded steel (SM490<SM520<SM570). For the through-thickness centre-cracks in welds of structural steels where only residual stresses are present, the J-integral values increase with increasing yield stress of the welded steel. This is because the longitudinal residual stresses in welds, which in this case act as the crack driving force, increase with increasing yield stress of the welded steel. Furthermore, the values of the J-integral for the case when mechanical stresses, applied in conjunction with residual stresses, are larger than those for the case when only residual stresses are present. This is because tensile stresses by mechanical loading are added to the existing residual stresses; hence the crack driving force is larger.


2008 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 299-303
Author(s):  
K. Mergia ◽  
Marco Grattarola ◽  
S. Messoloras ◽  
Carlo Gualco ◽  
Michael Hofmann

In plasma facing components (PFC) for nuclear fusion reactors tungsten or carbon based tiles need to be cooled through a heat sink. The joint between the PFC and the heat sink can be realized using a brazing process through the employment of compliant layer of either a low yield material, like copper, or a high yield material, like molybdenum. Experimental verification of the induced stresses during the brazing process is of vital importance. Strains and residual stresses have been measured in Mo/CuCrZr brazed tiles using neutron diffraction. The strains and stresses were measured in Mo tile along the weld direction and at different distances from it. The experimental results are compared with Finite Element Simulations.


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