Predictions of Creep Crack Initiation Periods

Author(s):  
C. M. Davies ◽  
G. A. Webster ◽  
K. M. Nikbin

Several procedures are available for estimating creep crack initiation (CCI) time periods prior to the onset of creep crack extension from an existing defect in high temperature components. The applicability of a procedure depends on the required material’s data availability. Various methods are described including methods based on the creep fracture mechanics term C*, the crack opening displacement concept and the sigma-d approach. These procedures are applied to, and compared for, an austenitic and ferritic steel of relevance to the electric power generation industry. It is shown that reliable and conservative predictions can be obtained with all methods.

Author(s):  
K. M. Tarnowski ◽  
C. M. Davies ◽  
G. A. Webster ◽  
D. W. Dean

Pre-compression of 316H stainless steel significantly alters its tensile, uniaxial creep and crack growth behaviour. It has previously been shown that reliable and conservative creep crack initiation predictions can generally be obtained for as-received 316H stainless steel using a variety of prediction methods. Given the changes in material behaviour caused by pre-compression, this paper applies similar prediction methods to pre-compressed 316H stainless steel at 550°C. Several procedures are available for estimating creep crack initiation time periods. The suitability of a procedure depends on the availability of the necessary material data. The procedures considered in this paper include the use of the creep fracture mechanics parameter C*, the crack opening displacement concept, the sigma-d approach and the time dependent failure assessment diagram. Creep crack growth tests have been performed on compact tension specimens manufactured from 316H stainless steel which was uniformly pre-compressed by 4% and 8% at room temperature. For each test, the time for creep crack initiation to occur was recorded. Predicted creep crack initiation times have been compared with the experimentally determined values. Comparisons with as-received material are also included. For pre-compressed material, conservative creep crack initiation predictions were only consistently achieved using steady state creep crack growth rates predicted from C*. This is a significant difference to as-received material for which conservative predictions were generally obtained by a variety of methods. At this time, there is only a limited set of pre-compressed data making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the appropriateness of the various creep crack initiation prediction methods. The differences in the results between the pre-compressed and as-received material do however highlight the need for further tests on pre-compressed material.


1973 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Shoemaker ◽  
T. Melville ◽  
J. E. Steiner

Steel cylinders wrapped with steel wire have the capability of offering not only an economical high-strength structure, but also a structure with improved fracture resistance compared with that of an unwrapped cylinder of equivalent strength. Accordingly, 2000-psi-pressure hydraulic burst tests were therefore conducted to determine the fracture resistance of 36-in-dia, 60-ksi yield-strength, 1000-psi-pressure wire-wrapped cylinders at different levels of shell notch ductility, which was varied by testing at different temperatures. The cylinders were prestressed with 1/4-in-dia cold-drawn wire, and the shells contained part-through-wall flaws. A similarly flawed unwrapped cylinder was tested for comparison. The working-stress level was 72 percent of the specified minimum yield strength in the shell and 60 percent of the minimum tensile strength in the wire. The results showed that at a pressure double that of the unwrapped shell, no crack extension occurred at a temperature at which the steel exhibited fully ductile shell behavior (+110 deg F). A 2-ft crack extension occurred at a temperature (+10 deg F) at which the steel was still in the transition temperature range from ductile-to-brittle behavior (about 20 percent shear fracture), but a brittle crack (−70 deg F) propagated to the end of the wire-wrapped shell. Except for the brittle propagating crack, wire wrapping appears to provide sufficient constraint of a shell defect or propagating crack to limit bulging and crack-opening displacement. A model based on the compatibility in displacements between the crack opening and the local wire strain is presented for calculating the arrest conditions of the propagating crack in the test at 10 deg F. The same flaw size was critical at the constant failure pressure for all test temperatures, and showed that, as predicted, ductile initiation occurs even at the −70 deg F temperature in both the wrapped and unwrapped-cylinder tests. A circumferential flaw was shown to be less critical than a longitudinal flaw of the same size.


1986 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 787-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Lee ◽  
J. A. Donovan

Abstract 1. Evaluation of ∫σdδ where σ is the net section stress and δ is the deformed crack tip diameter requires only one specimen to characterize the initiation of crack growth in unfilled and carbon-black-filled NR. 2. ∫σdδ is equal to one half of the J-integral for crack growth initiation, which is identical to the Thomas tearing energy for a blunt notch. 3. The critical J-integral for crack initiation increases linearly with carbon black content. 4. The critical crack tip radius for crack initiation is independent of carbon black content, and the required crack tip region stress increases linearly with carbon black content.


2005 ◽  
Vol 482 ◽  
pp. 339-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gernot Trattnig ◽  
Christof Sommitsch ◽  
Reinhard Pippan

To understand the crack growth in massive forming and to consequentially avoid crack growth in workpieces, it is necessary to investigate its dependence on the crack depth and thus on the state of hydrostatic stress. Prior work shows that the crack opening displacement (COD) for shallow cracked tension specimens with low stress triaxiality is twice as high as for deep cracked specimens with high stress triaxiality. This work examines the crack growth in compression specimens with pre-cracked cylindrical upsetting samples. The compression samples were cut in the stress symmetry plane in order to observe crack initiation and crack growth by a single specimen technique. In this way it is possible to observe blunting, crack initiation and crack growth inside the upsetting specimens. The resulting COD does not differ significantly from the values achieved in tension samples with short surface cracks.


Author(s):  
Bilal Dogan

The effect of weldments in service performance of high temperature components has been subject to intensive research due to the fact that in the majority of cases where high temperature failure occurs, defects predominate in the vicinity of weldments. Cracking occurs in service due to reduced creep ductility of HAZ and weld metal due to ageing in service, combined with the action of multi-axial stress fields that reduce the creep ductility further. The defects detected or assumed to exist through minimum allowable limits of detectable flaws using non-destructive testing methods is required for structural integrity and residual life assessment of high temperature components. The assessment relies on information obtained from the material’s high temperature tensile, uniaxial creep, crack initiation and growth properties. The concepts used for time dependent fracture analysis of homogeneous bodies are commonly applied for creep crack growth in weldments that show multi-crack initiation and crack branching. This calls for study of deformation behavior and applicability of fracture mechanics parameters for high temperature assessment of weldments. The present paper reports on the material behavior and methodology followed for testing and assessment of the high temperature steel weldments.


1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Simpson

Crack opening displacement (COD) has been determined in Zr-2.5 percent Nb over a wide range of applied stress intensity, K. Prior to initiation of crack extension, COD was determined from measurements of stretch zones in specimens which had undergone hydrogen-induced, sub-critical crack growth. In post initiation measurements (during slow stable crack extension), COD was determined from crack face displacement. Both methods were self consistent and depended on the plastic-zone-corrected K in accordance with the Wells equation. The J-integral was also determined during stable crack extension using the method of Garwood, et al. The results are consistent with the COD measurements based on theoretical relationships between the two crack tip parameters.


1987 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 674-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Lee ◽  
J. A. Donovan

Abstract For PS and SEN specimens: 1) Jδ (one half Jθ) can be determined from one specimen and is independent of crack size and specimen geometry. 2) J and T at initiation differed. 3) J at initiation increased with carbon black content, but the critical crack-tip radius did not.


1988 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Hollstein ◽  
R Kienzler

Creep crack growth rates in the 32%−Ni−20%−Cr alloy Incoloy 800 H at 800°C are correlated with the fracture mechanics parameter C∗ integral. This was done by experimental and numerical investigations of different specimen sizes and geometries under constant load, constant rate of crack opening displacement or crosshead displacement, or slow cyclic loading. In the numerical simulations plane and three-dimensional finite element calculations have been performed without consideration of creep crack growth.


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