Fundamental Investigations on the Performance of Micro Steel Fibres in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete under Monotonic and Cyclic Tensile Loading

: Ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) can preferably be used for lean and thin-walled structures due to its very high compressive strength. Based on the adverse relation between the increased load bearing capacities and the condensed dead weight of UHPFRC-structures, the impact of live loads in the design gets bigger and, in case of traffic loads, the effects of a cyclic loading have to be considered in more detail. In this context, this study investigated the material behaviour of UHPFRC, especially the tensile fatigue behaviour of high-strength micro steel fibres and the bond behaviour between those fibres and plain UHPC. The test programme included once tensile tests of high-strength micro steel fibres under monotonic and cyclic loading. Based on the test results, an S/N-curve was set up with the characteristic values. Furthermore, the test programme included pullout tests of fibre groups with different embedded lengths and orientations under monotonic and cyclic loading. It was observed that some fibres rupture under certain test configurations like the angle of orientation and the load amplitude.

INCEFA-PLUS Project: Review of the Test Programme

The European Project INCEFA-PLUS (INcreasing Safety in NPPs by Covering gaps in Environmental Fatigue Assessment) characterizes environmentally assisted fatigue of stainless steels in light water reactor environments. The project includes a major test programme during which more than 200 fatigue tests have been carried out in different laboratories across Europe. The test campaign was structured in three successive phases with slightly different foci. All testing programmes were optimized by means of the Design of Experiment method. The majority of the tests were carried out on a single batch of 304L which were complemented by tests on different batches of 304L and on X6 CrNiTi 18 10, a Ti stabilized steel used in VVERs. The influences of mean strain, surface roughness and hold time on fatigue life in air and water environment at a given environmental fatigue correction factor Fen were investigated. Besides the main test campaign, additional activities on the effects of mean stress, testing at reduced Fen, and different applications of hold time as well as biaxial fatigue tests have been carried out. The paper is part of a special session for the dissemination of the project results. It summarizes the tests performed during the project and provides the basis for the project conclusions in a different paper in the same session.

Wave Overtopping over Coastal Structures with Oblique Wind and Swell Waves

Most guidelines on wave overtopping over coastal structures are based on conditions with waves from one direction only. Here, wave basin tests with oblique wave attack are presented where waves from one direction are combined with waves from another direction. This is especially important for locations where wind waves approach a coastal structure under a specific direction while swell waves approach the coastal structure under another direction. The tested structure was a dike with a smooth and impermeable 1:4 slope. The test programme consisted of four types of wave loading: (1) Wind waves only: “sea” (approaching the structure with an angle of 45°), (2) Wind waves and swell waves from the same direction (45°), (3) Wind waves and swell waves, simultaneously from two different directions (45° and −45°, thus perpendicular to each other), and (4) Wind waves, simultaneously from two different directions (45° and −45°, thus perpendicular to each other). Existing guidelines on wave overtopping have been extended to predict wave overtopping discharges under the mentioned types of wave loading (oblique sea and swell conditions).

A Systematic Study of the Material Performance of Hot Isostatically Pressed Type 316L Stainless Steel Powder for the Civil Nuclear Sector

Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) of type 316L stainless steel powder has been an established manufacturing practice for more than twenty-five years in the oil and gas sector and more recently in the naval defence sector. To demonstrate the capability of the powder metallurgy HIP (PM/HIP) for nuclear power applications a systematic study of 316L commercial powder production, encapsulation/consolidation providers and selected HIP parameters was undertaken by the Nuclear AMRC in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In the study, the 316L powder specification limited the oxygen content of the powder to under 130 parts per million (ppm), which reflects the improvements that commercial powder suppliers have been making over the past decade to ensure greater powder cleanliness. The test programme assessed powder supply, HIP service provider and HIP sustain time. Excellent test results were achieved across the full range of variables studied with all billets meeting the specification requirements of ASTM A988 and additional requirements imposed based on nuclear manufacturing standards. Significantly, the study demonstrated the robustness of the PM/HIP supply chain, as material produced via differing HIP service providers resulted in very consistent material properties across the destructive test programme. Furthermore, no significant difference in material properties were noted for material HIP’ed between 2–8 hours hold time, suggesting that the HIP process window is large. Both these results are significant from an end-user standpoint as they highlight the uniformity of the process through the full manufacturing cycle from powder procurement to destructive testing. Despite all material passing specification requirements, some property variation was noted for differing powder suppliers. Considering the systematic approach, this was attributed to powder composition, with both low oxygen and high nitrogen contents contributing to improvements in Charpy impact strength and tensile strength respectively.

A Study of the Material Properties and Performance of Hot Isostatically Pressed (HIP) Type 316L Stainless Steel Powders and HIP Processing Available From Today’s International Supply Chain

Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) of type 316L austenitic stainless steel powder has been an established manufacturing practice for more than twenty five years within the oil and gas sectors and more recently in the naval defence industry. The successful ASME Code Case approval (N-834) has facilitated the manufacture of 316L components via Powder Metallurgy HIP (PM/HIP) for the civil nuclear sector. However, a number of issues have tended to hinder the uptake of PM/HIP as an alternative viable manufacturing route for both castings and forgings. Firstly, the powder specification for 316L and HIP processing parameters has typically been left to the discretion of the manufacturers. As such, the finer details of HIP product specification require greater clarity and definition for optimum performance/reproducibility. Secondly, comparison of historical data for 316L PM/HIP has shown variation in the Charpy impact toughness performance. These differences have been attributed to the oxygen content of the atomised powder, with greater oxygen contents yielding product with reduced impact properties. Based on these factors, a systematic study of the current state of the art of 316L commercial powder production, encapsulation/consolidation and selected HIP parameters was undertaken in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). A 316L powder specification was developed that primarily limited the oxygen content of the powder to under 130ppm. This lower oxygen limit reflects the improvements that commercial powder suppliers have been making over the past decade to ensure greater powder cleanliness. The test programme generated a significant body of test data based on 3 × 3 × 3 matrix of: powder supply, HIP service provider and HIP sustain times. The results were excellent across the full range of variables studied with all test billets passing the specification requirements of ASTM A988 and additional imposed requirements. Very consistent 316L material properties were produced for billets manufactured via differing HIP service providers across the comprehensive destructive test programme. This demonstrates the robustness and uniformity of the PM/HIP supply chain in producing 316L material of the requisite quality. In addition, no significant difference in material properties was noted for material pressed between 2–8 hours hold time, suggesting that the HIP process window is large with respect to hold time. Of significant note was that material produced with one powder yielded material with consistently the highest strengths and Charpy impact toughness. This has been attributed to chemical composition of the powder, which featured both a low oxygen and also a high nitrogen content.