The Analysis of Underclad Cracks in Large-Scale Tests Using the Local Approach to Cleavage Fracture

2009 ◽  
pp. 387-387-19
Author(s):  
D Moinereau ◽  
G Rousselier
Author(s):  
Shengjun Yin ◽  
Richard Bass ◽  
Paul Williams ◽  
Michael Ludwig ◽  
Elisabeth Keim

Within the European Network NESC, the project NESC IV deals with constraint effects of cracks in large scale beam specimens, loaded by uni- or biaxial bending moments and containing surface or embedded cracks. The specimens are fabricated from original US RPV material, being cladded or cladding is removed. All large scale tests have been conducted at ORNL outside the NESC IV project. The outcome and the analyses of these uncladded and cladded beams containing the surface or embedded cracks are shown. By means of the finite element method, local approach methods and the Weibull stress models the specimens are analysed at the test temperatures and the probability of failure is calculated, taking into account constraint effects. For the case of the embedded cracks it turned out that the failure moment of the uncladded beam is 5% lower than the one of the cladded beam. Both crack fronts of the embedded crack are supposed to fail at the same failure moment. The results of the analysis of the cladded beam showed that the upper crack front nearer to the surface fails prior to the lower crack front, which is located deeper in the specimen (the failure moment is 5% lower). The numerical results agree very well with the experiments. The experimental failure moments could be well predicted and the failure scenario (which crack front fails first) could be determined. A theoretical shift in the transition temperature T0 due to constraint effects could be defined for both crack fronts.


Author(s):  
Elisabeth Keim ◽  
Richard Bass ◽  
Wallace McAfee ◽  
Surender Bhandari ◽  
Philippe Gilles ◽  
...  

The aim of the EC project VOCALIST (Validation of Constraint-Based Assessment Methodology in Structural Integrity) is to develop and validate innovative procedures for assessing the level of, and possible changes to, constraint-based safety margins in ageing nuclear pressure boundary components. An iterative process of experiment and analysis will address this overall objective. The analytical investigations within VOCALIST cover all three ferritic materials used in the experimental program. Two of the three materials are investigated in the brittle to transition regime and the third material will be tested in the ductile regime. The main effort is to predict the results of the large-scale tests in terms of constraint effects. All participants use constraint based methods, which are in a first step calibrated to the behaviour of well-known specimens and then applied to the features or the large scale tests of each material. ORNL has developed a very promising method for the prediction of cleavage fracture using the local approach based on a three-parameter Weibull model. This model has been successfully used to predict the biaxial effects on fracture toughness during the HSST program. It could be further developed and used to predict the structural behaviour of a component containing a shallow flaw and loaded biaxially by using the results of standard fracture toughness specimen with deep notches and loaded uniaxially. In this contribution the first steps of the analytical program of VOCALIST are introduced. The specimens and components under investigation are highlighted with respect to modelling aspects and the first results are presented.


Author(s):  
Dominique Moinereau ◽  
Malik Ait-Bachir ◽  
Stéphane Chapuliot ◽  
Stéphane Marie ◽  
Clémentine Jacquemoud ◽  
...  

Evaluation of the fracture resistance of nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV) regarding the risk of brittle fracture is a key point in the structural integrity assessment of the component (RPV). Such approach is codified in French RSE-M code, based on a very conservative methodology. With respect to long term operation, an improvement of the present methodology is necessary and in progress to reduce this conservatism. One possible significant improvement is the inclusion of the warm pre-stress (WPS) concept in the assessment. After a short description of the WPS concept, the process engaged in France to allow inclusion of WPS in the integrity assessment is presented. In a first step, experimental and numerical studies have been conducted in France by EDF, CEA and AREVA (also including international collaborations and projects) to demonstrate and validate the beneficial effect of WPS on the brittle fracture resistance of RPV steels. A large panel of experimental results and data is now available obtained on small, medium and large scale specimens on representative RPV steels (including highly irradiated RPV materials). These data have been included in a specific WPS experimental database. Main experiments have been interpreted by refined computations, based on elastic plastic analyses and local approach to cleavage fracture. In a second step, a new criterion (ACE criterion) has been proposed by French organizations (AREVA, CEA and EDF) for an easy simplified evaluation of warm pre-stress effect on the brittle fracture resistance of RPV steels. Accuracy and conservatism of the criterion is verified by comparison to experimental data results and numerical analyses. Finally, implementation of the WPS effect in the French RSE-M code (for in service assessment) is in progress, based on the ACE criterion. The present paper summarizes all these steps leading to codification of WPS in RSE-M code.


2000 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary L. DeBarr ◽  
James L. Hanula ◽  
Christine G. Niwa ◽  
John C. Nord

AbstractSynthetic sex pheromones released in a loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L. (Pinaceae), seed orchard interfered with the ability of male coneworm moths, Dioryctria Zeller spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), to locate traps baited with sex pheromones or live females. Pherocon 1C® traps baited with synthetic pheromones or live conspecific females were hung near the center of two 1.2-ha circular plots during emergence of Dioryctria amatella (Hulst), Dioryctria disclusa (Heinrich), and Dioryctria merkeli (Mutuura and Munroe). In a paired design, trap catches for the mating-disruption treatment with synthetic pheromone dispensers consisting of three polyvinyl chloride rods placed in every tree were compared with the control treatment. Treatments were alternated at intervals of 2–3 d. Trap catches of D. amatella were reduced by 91% when plots were treated with 2.5 g/ha of Z-11-hexadencenyl acetate. Catches were reduced by 99.5% for D. disclusa and by 97% for D. merkeli when plots were treated with 12.5 g/ha of Z-9-tetradecenyl acetate, whereas catches of D. amatella were unaffected by this mating-disruption treatment. Daily disappearance of Z-9-tetradecenyl acetate from the dispensers averaged 0.46 g/ha or less. Manually placing dispensers on nylon lines in the tops of trees was an effective method for releasing synthetic Dioryctria pheromones in the orchard. These data suggest it may be feasible to prevent mating of Dioryctria spp. in pine seed orchards by using synthetic pheromones for mating disruption, but large-scale tests will be required to demonstrate cone protection.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
YanQun Zhou ◽  
YeZhi Zhang ◽  
MeiXin Ye ◽  
MengSi Zhan

The seismic behavior and plasticity spreading of a neotype column-slab high pier are researched in this paper. Four scale model tests of a web slab with two boundary columns are carried out under cyclic inelastic lateral displacements simulating seismic response. The test results show that the neotype column-slab high pier has strong and stable bearing capacity, good ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. The experimental values pertaining to the spread of plasticity are derived. An approach for deriving the spread of plasticity analytically is deduced and applied to the four tests. This method accurately assesses a pier’s spread of plasticity for most ductility levels. At nearly all ductility levels, the mean difference between analytical assessments of the spread of plasticity and results from 4 large-scale tests is 12% with a 9% coefficient of variation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabin Bhattarai ◽  
◽  
Yufan Zhang ◽  
Jacob Wood ◽  
◽  
...  

Construction activities entail substantial disturbance of topsoil and vegetative cover. As a result, stormwater runoff and erosion rates are increased significantly. If the soil erosion and subsequently generated sediment are not contained within the site, they would have a negative off-site impact as well as a detrimental influence on the receiving water body. In this study, replicable large-scale tests were used to analyze the ability of products to prevent sediment from exiting the perimeter of a site via sheet flow. The goal of these tests was to compare products to examine how well they retain sediment and how much ponding occurs upstream, as well as other criteria of interest to the Illinois Department of Transportation. The products analyzed were silt fence, woven monofilament geotextile, Filtrexx Siltsoxx, ERTEC ProWattle, triangular silt dike, sediment log, coconut coir log, Siltworm, GeoRidge, straw wattles, and Terra-Tube. Joint tests and vegetated buffer strip tests were also conducted. The duration of each test was 30 minutes, and 116 pounds of clay-loam soil were mixed with water in a 300 gallon tank. The solution was continuously mixed throughout the test. The sediment-water slurry was uniformly discharged over an 8 ft by 20 ft impervious 3:1 slope. The bottom of the slope had a permeable zone (8 ft by 8 ft) constructed from the same soil used in the mixing. The product was installed near the center of this zone. Water samples were collected at 5 minute intervals upstream and downstream of the product. These samples were analyzed for total sediment concentration to determine the effectiveness of each product. The performance of each product was evaluated in terms of sediment removal, ponding, ease of installation, and sustainability.


Author(s):  
Wouter Ockeloen ◽  
Coen Kuiper ◽  
Sjoerd van den Steen

The 'Afsluitdijk' is a 32 km enclosure dam which separates the Wadden sea and the Lake IJssel. The dam currently undergoes a major rehabilitation to meet the requirements with regard to water safety. The Dutch Ministry of infrastructure and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat division) has commissioned Levvel, a consortium of BAM, Van Oord and Rebel, to prepare the design and carry out the reconstruction of the dam including sluices and highway. The project includes reinforcement of the armour layers and wave overtopping reduction. As part of the contract Rijkswaterstaat prescribed the contractor (Levvel) to verify the design with large scale physical model tests (min. 1:3 scale). These tests were carried out in the Delta Flume of Deltares. Prior to the large scale tests, smaller scale tests (1:20) have been carried out to optimize the design with regard to armour stability and wave overtopping. The research described here focuses on the wave overtopping.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/kPga0wVCCIE


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (32) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Thomas Lykke Andersen ◽  
Peter Frigaard ◽  
Michael R Rasmussen ◽  
Luca Martinelli

The present paper deals with loads on wind turbine access platforms. The many planned new wind turbine parks together with the observed damages on platforms in several existing parks make the topic very important. The paper gives an overview of recently developed design formulae for different types of entrance platforms. Moreover, the paper present new results on loads on grates based on both drag coefficient measurements and preliminary results on slamming from large scale tests. As expected both investigations show that platforms with grates give a significant reduction in the loads compared to closed plate platforms. The grate multiplication factor, defined as the peak load on the grate platform relative to the peak load on a closed plate platform was found approximately equal to the solidity of the grate.


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