CRACK STABILITY IN BREACHED FUEL

The random polycrystalline microstructure of microbeams necessitates a reexamination of the crack driving force G stemming from the Griffith fracture criterion. It is found that, in the case of dead-load conditions, G computed by straightforward averaging of the spatially random elastic modulus E is lower than that obtained by correct ensemble averaging of the stored elastic energy. This result holds for both Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko models of micro-beams. However, under fixed-grip conditions G is to be computed by a direct ensemble averaging of E. It turns out that these two cases provide bounds on G under mixed loading. Furthermore, crack stability is shown to involve a stochastic competition between potential and surface energies, whose weak randomness leads to a relatively stronger randomness of the critical crack length.

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Complex Crack Stability in Dissimilar Metal Welds: Background and Test Plan

ASME 2011 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference: Volume 6, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/pvp2011-57535 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

D. Rudland ◽

P. Scott ◽

R. Olson ◽

A. Cox

Keyword(s):

Experimental Data ◽

Base Metal ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Nuclear Industry ◽

Load Carrying Capacity ◽

Dissimilar Metal ◽

Load Carrying ◽

Crack Stability ◽

Complex Crack ◽

The Stability

Typically in flaw evaluation procedures, idealized flaw shapes are assumed for both subcritical crack growth and critical crack stability analyses. Past NRC-sponsored research have developed estimation schemes for predicting the load-carrying capacity of idealized flaws in nuclear grade piping and similar metal welds at the operating conditions of nuclear power reactors. However, recent analyses have shown that growth of primary water stress corrosion cracks (PWSCC) in dissimilar metal (DM) welds is not ideal; in fact, very unusual complex crack shapes may form, i.e., a very long surface crack that has a finite length through-wall crack in the same plane. Even though some experimental data on base metal cracks exist to demonstrate that complex shaped cracks in high toughness materials fail under limit load conditions, other experiments demonstrate that the tearing resistance is significantly reduced. At this point, no experimental data exists for complex cracks in DM welds. In addition, it is unclear whether the idealized estimation schemes developed can be used to predict the load carrying capacity of these complex-shaped flaws, even though they have been used in past analyses by the nuclear industry. Finally, it is unclear what material strength data should be used to assess the stability of a crack in a DM weld. The NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), with their contractor Battelle Memorial Institute, has begun an experimental program to confirm the stability behavior of these complex shaped flaws in DM welds. A combination of thirteen full-scale pipe experiments and a variety of laboratory experiments are planned. This paper will summarize the past base metal complex-cracked pipe experiments, and the current idealized flaw load carrying capacity estimation schemes. In addition, the DM weld complex cracked pipe experimental test matrix will be presented. Finally, plans for using these results to confirm the applicability of idealized flaw stability procedures are discussed.

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