Sizing of intergranular stress corrosion cracking using low frequency ultrasound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, M.D.; Avioli, M.J.; Rose, J.L.

1985-01-01

Based upon the work thus far accomplished on low frequency sizing, the following conclusions can be drawn: the potential of low frequency ultrasound for the sizing of IGSCC seams encouraging as demonstrated in this work. If minimal walking is expected, larger values of crack height/wavelength ratios should not affect the reliability of estimates; notch data points out the validity of signal amplitude for sizing. With care in frequency consideration, the technique can be extended to cracks; when wavelength is greater than flaw size, importance of orientation and reflector shape diminishes although less so for deeper cracks; when beam profile is larger than the defect size, echo amplitude is proportional to defect area when using shear wave probes and corner reflectors; other factors, in addition to crack size, affect signal amplitude. Reference data to compensate for depth and material (HAZ) is a must; additional crack samples should be studied in order to further develop and characterize the use of low frequency ultrasonics

Statistical distribution of time to crack initiation and initial crack size using service data

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, R. A.; Yang, J. N.

1977-01-01

Crack growth inspection data gathered during the service life of the C-130 Hercules airplane were used in conjunction with a crack propagation rule to estimate the distribution of crack initiation times and of initial crack sizes. A Bayesian statistical approach was used to calculate the fraction of undetected initiation times as a function of the inspection time and the reliability of the inspection procedure used.

Application of ultrasonic inspection technique for crack depth sizing on nickel based alloy weld. Part 3. Establishment of UT procedure for crack depth sizing by phased array UT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirasawa, Taiji; Okada, Hisao; Fukutomi, Hiroyuki

2012-01-01

Recently, it is reported that the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) was occurred at the nickel based alloy weld components such as steam generator safe end weld, reactor vessel safe end weld, and so on, in PWR. Defect detection and sizing is important in order to ensure the reliable operation and life extension of nuclear power plants. In the reactor vessel safe end weld, it was impossible to measure crack depth of PWSCC. The crack was detected in the axial direction of the safe end weld. Furthermore, the crack had some features such as shallow, large aspect ratio (ratio of crack depth and length), sharp geometry of crack tip, and so on. Therefore, development and improvement of defect detection and sizing capabilities for ultrasonic testing (UT) is required. Phased array technique was applied to nickel based alloy weld specimen with SCC cracks. From the experimental results, good accuracy of crack depth sizing by phased array UT for the inside inspection was shown. From these results, UT procedure for crack depth sizing was verified. Therefore, effectiveness of phased array UT for crack depth sizing in the nickel based alloy welds was shown. (author)

Depth-Sizing Technique for Crack Indications in Steam Generator Tubing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Chan Hee; Lee, Hee Jeong; Kim, Hong Deok

2009-01-01

The nuclear power plants have been safely operated by plugging the steam generator tubes which have the crack indications. Tube rupture events can occur if analysts fail to detect crack indications during in-service inspection. There are various types of crack indication in steam generator tubes and they have been detected by the eddy current test. The integrity assessment should be performed using the crack-sizing results from eddy current data when the crack indication is detected. However, it is not easy to evaluate the crack-depth precisely and consistently due to the complexity of the methods. The current crack-sizing methods were reviewed in this paper and the suitable ones were selected through the laboratory tests. The retired steam generators of Kori Unit 1 were used for this study. The round robin tests by the domestic qualified analysts were carried out and the statistical models were introduced to establish the appropriate depth-sizing techniques. It is expected that the proposed techniques in this study can be utilized in the Steam Generator Management Program

Crack growth prediction method considering interaction between multiple cracks. Growth of surface cracks of dissimilar size under cyclic tensile and bending load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamaya, Masayuki; Miyokawa, Eiichi; Kikuchi, Masanori

2011-01-01

When multiple cracks approach one another, the stress intensity factor is likely to change due to the interaction of the stress field. This causes change in growth rate and shape of cracks. In particular, when cracks are in parallel position to the loading direction, the shape of cracks becomes non-planar. In this study, the complex growth of interacting cracks is evaluated by using the S-Version finite element method, in which local detailed finite element mesh (local mesh) is superposed on coarse finite element model (global mesh) representing the global structure. In order to investigate the effect of interaction on the growth behavior, two parallel surface cracks are subjected to cyclic tensile or bending load. It is shown that the smaller crack is shielded by larger crack due to the interaction and stops growing when the difference in size of two cracks is significant. Based on simulations of various conditions, a procedure and criteria for evaluating crack growth for fitness-for-service assessment is proposed. According to the procedure, the interaction is not necessary to be considered in the crack growth prediction when the difference in size of two cracks exceeds the criterion. (author)

SAF for Windows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Timme

2001-01-01

SAF for Windows er et computerprogram til parametrisk konstruktion af translationsskaller. Skaloverfladernes tredimensionelle, facetterede form fremkommer ved en kombination af to todimensionelle formbestemmende kurver, som kan vælges og redigeres af brugeren. Programmet kan udfolde de genererede...

Eddy current technique for detecting and sizing surface cracks in steel components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cecco, V.S.; Carter, J.R.; Sullivan, S.P.

1995-01-01

Cracking has occurred in pressure vessel nozzles and girth welds due to thermal fatigue. Pipe welds, welds in support structures, and welds in reactor vault liner panels in nuclear facilities have failed because of cracks. Cracking can also occur in turbine rotor bore surfaces due to high cycle fatigue. Dye penetrant, magnetic particle and other surface NDT methods are used to detect cracks but cannot be used for depth sizing. Crack depth can be measured with various NDT methods such as ultrasonic time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD), potential drop, and eddy current. The TOFD technique can be difficult to implement on nozzle welds and is best suited for sizing deep cracks (>5 mm). The conventional eddy current method is easy to implement, but crack sizing is normally limited to shallow cracks ( 2 mm) cracks. Eddy current testing (ET) techniques are readily amenable to remote/automatic inspections. These new probes could augment present magnetic particle (MT) and dye penetrant (PT) testing through provision of reliable defect depth information. Reliable crack sizing permits identification of critical cracks for plant life extension and licensing purposes. In addition, performing PT and MT generates low level radioactive waste in some inspection applications in nuclear facilities. Replacing these techniques with ET for some components will eliminate some of this radioactive waste. (author)

A model-based approach to crack sizing with ultrasonic arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Tant, Katherine M M; Mulholland, Anthony J; Gachagan, Anthony

2015-05-01

Ultrasonic phased array systems have become increasingly popular in the last 10 years as tools for flaw detection and characterization within the nondestructive testing industry. The existence and location of flaws can often be deduced via images generated from the data captured by these arrays. A factor common to these imaging techniques is the subjective thresholding required to estimate the size of the flaw. This paper puts forward an objective approach which employs a mathematical model. By exploiting the relationship between the width of the central lobe of the scattering matrix and the crack size, an analytical expression for the crack length is reached via the Born approximation. Conclusions are then drawn on the minimum resolvable crack length of the method and it is thus shown that the formula holds for subwavelength defects. An analytical expression for the error that arises from the discrete nature of the array is then derived and it is observed that the method becomes less sensitive to the discretization of the array as the distance between the flaw and array increases. The methodology is then extended and tested on experimental data collected from welded austenitic plates containing a lack-of-fusion crack of 6 mm length. An objective sizing matrix (OSM) is produced by assessing the similarity between the scattering matrices arising from experimentally collected data with those arising from the Born approximation over a range of crack lengths and frequencies. Initially, the global minimum of the OSM is taken as the objective estimation of the crack size, giving a measurement of 7 mm. This is improved upon by the adoption of a multifrequency averaging approach, with which an improved crack size estimation of 6.4 mm is obtained.

Framatome's ''SAF'' engineering simulator: a first step toward defining the engineer's simulation tool of the year 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Constantieux, T.

1986-01-01

Among the techniques available to engineers today, computerized simulation is taking on an ever-growing importance. The ''SAF'' simulator, designed by Framatome for the use of its own engineers, has been in service since 1985. The SAF simulator provides continuous assistance to the engineer, from the preliminary design stage to the precise definition of operating procedures, including safety analysis and sizing computations. For the engineer of the year 2000, who will be used to dialoguing with the computer from a very young age, the SAF represents a first step toward a comprehensive simulation tool. Interactive and thus ''alive'', the SAF combines both extensive programming and data processing capabilities. Its simulation domain can still be considerably extended. Highly modular and equipped with easy-to-use compilers, the SAF can be readily modified and reconfigured by the user, to enable testing new models or new systems, in the complex and detailed environment of the nuclear unit being analysed. Employing the advanced computer programs used in project design, the SAF simulator is a particularly high-performance tool for simulating and analysing complex accident scenarios, including multiple equipment failures and possible operator errors, which may extend to complete draining of the reactor vessel and the release of radioactive fission products within the containment structure

Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of 2205/AZ31B Laminates Fabricated by Explosive Welding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Li

2017-04-01

Full Text Available A bimetal composite of 2205 duplex stainless steel and AZ31B magnesium alloy was cladded successfully through the method of explosive welding. The microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of 2205/AZ31B bimetal composite are discussed. The interface of 2205/AZ31B bimetallic composite was a less regular wavy morphology with locally melted pockets. Adiabatic shear bands occurred only in the AZ31B side near explosive welding interface. The microstructure observed with EBSD showed a strong refinement near the interface zones. Line scan confirmed that the interface had a short element diffusion zone which would contribute to the metallurgical bonding between 2205 duplex stainless steel and AZ31B magnesium alloy. The value of micro-hardness near the bonding interface of composite plate increased because of work hardening and grain refinement. The tensile shear strength of bonding interface of 2205/AZ31B composite was 105.63 MPa. Tensile strength of 2205/AZ31B composite material was higher than the base AZ31B. There were two abrupt drops in stress in the stress–strain curves of the 2205/AZ31B composite materials.

Effect of crack size on gas leakage characteristics in a confined space

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sung, Kun Hyuk; Ryou, Hong Sun; Yoon, Kee Bong; Lee, Hy Uk; Bang, Joo Won [Chung-Ang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Li, Longnan; Choi, Jin Wook; Kim, Dae Joong [Sogang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-07-15

We numerically investigated the influence of crack size on gas leakage characteristics in a confined space. The real scale model of underground Combined cycle power plant (CCPP) was taken for simulating gas leakage characteristics for different crack sizes such as 10 mm, 15 mm and 20 mm. The commercial code of Fluent (v.16.1) was used for three-dimensional simulation. In particular, a risk region showing such a probability of ignition was newly suggested with the concept of Lower flammable limit (LFL) of methane gas used in the present study to characterize the gas propagation and the damage area in space. From the results, the longitudinal and transverse leakage distances were estimated and analyzed for quantitative evaluation of risk area. The crack size was found to have a great impact on the longitudinal leakage distance, showing an increasing tendency with the crack size. In case of a crack size of 20 mm, the longitudinal leakage distance suddenly increased after 180 s, whereas it remained constant after 2 s in the other cases. This is because a confinement effect, which is caused by circulation flows in the whole space, increased the gas concentration near the gas flow released from the crack. The confinement effect is thus closely associated with the released mass flow rate changing with the crack size. This result would be useful in designing the gas detector system for preventing accidents in the confined space as like CCPP.

Structural evolution of a 2205 duplex stainless steel between 500 C and 800 C and pitting corrosion resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kordatos, J.D.; Papadimitriou, G.; Fourlaris, G.

1999-01-01

The cooling rate of a duplex stainless steel from high temperature (region of stability of α-ferrite) down to the ambient temperature is critical for the mutual formation of its constituent phases, i.e. ferrite and austenite, and for their content in alloying elements. Therefore it is expected that cooling rates will affect indirectly the transformation and precipitation phenomena occuring during subsequent heat treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the cooling rate on the transformation behavior of a SAF 2205 duplex stainless steel subjected to heat treatments in the temperature range between 500 C to 800 C. The specimens were solution annealed at 1100 C and then cooled in air, oil or water. They were subsequently subjected to isothermal heat treatment for 5 hours at temperatures of 500, 600, 700 and 800 C. The structural evolution was investigated using several techniques, among them optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy coupled with extensive EDS X-ray microanalysis and selected area electron diffraction pattern analysis. (orig.)

A method for crack sizing using Bayesian inference arising in eddy current testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojima, Fumio; Kikuchi, Mitsuhiro

2008-01-01

This paper is concerned with a sizing methodology of crack using Bayesian inference arising in eddy current testing. There is often uncertainty about data through quantitative measurements of nondestructive testing and this can yield misleading inference of crack sizing at on-site monitoring. In this paper, we propose optimal strategies of measurements in eddy current testing using Bayesian prior-to-posteriori analysis. First our likelihood functional is given by Gaussian distribution with the measurement model based on the hybrid use of finite and boundary element methods. Secondly, given a priori distributions of crack sizing, we propose a method for estimating the region of interest for sizing cracks. Finally an optimal sensing method is demonstrated using our idea. (author)

Development of phased array UT procedure for crack depth sizing on nickel based alloy weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirasawa, Taiji; Okada, Hisao; Fukutomi, Hiroyuki

2012-01-01

Recently, it is reported that the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) has been occurred at the nickel based alloy weld components such as steam generator safe end weld, reactor vessel safe end weld, and so on, in PWR. Defect detection and sizing is important in order to ensure the reliable operation and life extension of nuclear power plants. In the reactor vessel safe end weld, it was impossible to measure crack depth of PWSCC. The crack was detected in the axial direction of the safe end weld. Furthermore, the crack had some features such as shallow, large aspect ratio (ratio of crack depth and length), sharp geometry of crack tip, and so on. Therefore, development and improvement of defect detection and sizing capabilities for ultrasonic inspection technique is required. Phased array UT technique was applied to nickel based alloy weld specimen with SCC cracks. From the experimental results, good accuracy of crack depth sizing by phased array UT for the inside inspection was shown. From these results, UT procedure for crack depth sizing was verified. Therefore, effectiveness of phased array UT for crack depth sizing in the nickel based alloy welds was shown. (author)

Sustainability assessment framework for scenarios – SAFS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arushanyan, Yevgeniya, E-mail: yevgeniya.arushanyan@abe.kth.se [KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, Division of Environmental Strategies Research, Drottning Kristinas väg 30, 10044 Stockholm (Sweden); KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Centre for Sustainable Communications (CESC), Lindstedtsvägen 5, 100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Ekener, Elisabeth; Moberg, Åsa [KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, Division of Environmental Strategies Research, Drottning Kristinas väg 30, 10044 Stockholm (Sweden); KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Centre for Sustainable Communications (CESC), Lindstedtsvägen 5, 100 44 Stockholm (Sweden)

2017-03-15

To address current challenges regarding sustainable development and support planning for this form of development, new learning about different possible futures and their potential sustainability implications is needed. One way of facilitating this learning is by combining the futures studies and sustainability assessment (SA) research fields. This paper presents the sustainability assessment framework for scenarios (SAFS), a method developed for assessing the environmental and social risks and opportunities of future scenarios, provides guidelines for its application and demonstrates how the framework can be applied. SAFS suggests assessing environmental and social aspects using a consumption perspective and a life cycle approach, and provides qualitative results. SAFS does not suggest any modelling using precise data, but instead offers guidelines on how to carry out a qualitative assessment, where both the process of assessing and the outcome of the assessment are valuable and can be used as a basis for discussion. The benefits, drawbacks and potential challenges of applying SAFS are also discussed in the paper. SAFS uses systems thinking looking at future societies as a whole, considering both environmental and social consequences. This encourages researchers and decision-makers to consider the whole picture, and not just individual elements, when considering different futures. - Highlights: • The paper presents a new methodological framework for qualitative sustainability assessment of future scenarios with transformative changes. • The framework suggests qualitative assessment with consumption perspective and a life cycle approach. • The paper presents the framework and provides guidelines for its application. • The paper demonstrates on an example how the framework can be applied. • The benefits, drawbacks and challenges of the framework application and the need for further development are discussed.

Sustainability assessment framework for scenarios – SAFS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arushanyan, Yevgeniya; Ekener, Elisabeth; Moberg, Åsa

2017-01-01

To address current challenges regarding sustainable development and support planning for this form of development, new learning about different possible futures and their potential sustainability implications is needed. One way of facilitating this learning is by combining the futures studies and sustainability assessment (SA) research fields. This paper presents the sustainability assessment framework for scenarios (SAFS), a method developed for assessing the environmental and social risks and opportunities of future scenarios, provides guidelines for its application and demonstrates how the framework can be applied. SAFS suggests assessing environmental and social aspects using a consumption perspective and a life cycle approach, and provides qualitative results. SAFS does not suggest any modelling using precise data, but instead offers guidelines on how to carry out a qualitative assessment, where both the process of assessing and the outcome of the assessment are valuable and can be used as a basis for discussion. The benefits, drawbacks and potential challenges of applying SAFS are also discussed in the paper. SAFS uses systems thinking looking at future societies as a whole, considering both environmental and social consequences. This encourages researchers and decision-makers to consider the whole picture, and not just individual elements, when considering different futures. - Highlights: • The paper presents a new methodological framework for qualitative sustainability assessment of future scenarios with transformative changes. • The framework suggests qualitative assessment with consumption perspective and a life cycle approach. • The paper presents the framework and provides guidelines for its application. • The paper demonstrates on an example how the framework can be applied. • The benefits, drawbacks and challenges of the framework application and the need for further development are discussed.

Detection and Sizing of Fatigue Cracks in Steel Welds with Advanced Eddy Current Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Todorov, E. I.; Mohr, W. C.; Lozev, M. G.

2008-02-01

Butt-welded specimens were fatigued to produce cracks in the weld heat-affected zone. Advanced eddy current (AEC) techniques were used to detect and size the cracks through a coating. AEC results were compared with magnetic particle and phased-array ultrasonic techniques. Validation through destructive crack measurements was also conducted. Factors such as geometry, surface treatment, and crack tightness interfered with depth sizing. AEC inspection techniques have the potential of providing more accurate and complete sizing flaw data for manufacturing and in-service inspections.

Evaluation of the Self-Adjusting File system (SAF) for the instrumentation of primary molar root canals: a micro-computed tomographic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, E; Elbay, M; Yiğit, D

2017-06-01

The Self-Adjusting File (SAF) system has been recommended for use in permanent teeth since it offers more conservative and effective root-canal preparation when compared to traditional rotary systems. However, no study had evaluated the usage of SAF in primary teeth. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the use of SAF, K file (manual instrumentation) and Profile (traditional rotary instrumentation) systems for primary-tooth root-canal preparation in terms of instrumentation time and amounts of dentin removed using micro-computed tomography (μCT) technology. Study Design: The study was conducted with 60 human primary mandibular second molar teeth divided into 3 groups according to instrumentation technique: Group I: SAF (n=20); Group II: K file (n=20); Group III; Profile (n=20). Teeth were embedded in acrylic blocks and scanned with a μCT scanner prior to instrumentation. All distal root canals were prepared up to size 30 for K file,.04/30 for Profile and 2 mm thickness, size 25 for SAF; instrumentation time was recorded for each tooth, and a second μCT scan was performed after instrumentation was complete. Amounts of dentin removed were measured using the three-dimensional images by calculating the difference in root-canal volume before and after preparation. Data was statistically analysed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Manual instrumentation (K file) resulted in significantly more dentin removal when compared to rotary instrumentation (Profile and SAF), while the SAF system generated significantly less dentin removal than both manual instrumentation (K file) and traditional rotary instrumentation (Profile) (psystems. Within the experimental conditions of the present study, the SAF seems as a useful system for root-canal instrumentation in primary molars because it removed less dentin than other systems, which is especially important for the relatively thin-walled canals of primary teeth, and because it involves less

SAF line pellet gaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jedlovec, D.R.; Bowen, W.W.; Brown, R.L.

1983-10-01

Automated and remotely controlled pellet inspection operations will be utilized in the Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) line. A prototypic pellet gage was designed and tested to verify conformance to the functions and requirements for measurement of diameter, surface flaws and weight-per-unit length

Effects of chitosan inhibitor on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of 2205 duplex stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Se-fei; Wen, Ying; Yi, Pan; Xiao, Kui; Dong, Chao-fang

2017-11-01

The effects of chitosan inhibitor on the corrosion behavior of 2205 duplex stainless steel were studied by electrochemical measurements, immersion tests, and stereology microscopy. The influences of immersion time, temperature, and chitosan concentration on the corrosion inhibition performance of chitosan were investigated. The optimum parameters of water-soluble chitosan on the corrosion inhibition performance of 2205 duplex stainless steel were also determined. The water-soluble chitosan showed excellent corrosion inhibition performance on the 2205 duplex stainless steel. Polarization curves demonstrated that chitosan acted as a mixed-type inhibitor. When the stainless steel specimen was immersed in the 0.2 g/L chitosan solution for 4 h, a dense and uniform adsorption film covered the sample surface and the inhibition efficiency (IE) reached its maximum value. Moreover, temperature was found to strongly influence the corrosion inhibition of chitosan; the inhibition efficiency gradually decreased with increasing temperature. The 2205 duplex stainless steel specimen immersed in 0.4 g/L water-soluble chitosan at 30°C displayed the best corrosion inhibition among the investigated specimens. Moreover, chitosan decreased the corrosion rate of the 2205 duplex stainless steel in an FeCl3 solution.

Sizing of small surface-breaking tight cracks by using laser-ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ochiai, M.; Miura, T.; Kuroda, H.; Yamamoto, S.; Onodera, T.

2004-01-01

On the nondestructive testing, not only detection but also sizing of crack is desirable because the crack depth is one of the most important parameter to evaluate the impact of the crack to the material, to estimate crack growth and ultimately to predict lifetime of the component. Moreover, accurate measurement of the crack depth optimizes countermeasures and timing of repairs, and eventually reduces total cost for plant maintenance. Laser-ultrasonic is a technique that uses two laser beams; one with a short pulse for the generation of ultrasound and another one, long pulse or continuous, coupled to an optical interferometer for detection. The technique features a large detection bandwidth, which is important for small defect inspection. Another feature of laser-ultrasonics is the remote optical scanning of generation and detection points, which enables to inspect components in narrow space and/or having complex shapes. A purpose of this paper is to describe the performance of a laser-ultrasonic testing (LUT) system on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) inspection. We have developed a new technique for sizing shallow cracks, say 0.5-1.5mm, based on the laser-induced surface wave and its frequency analysis. First, sizing capability of the system will be demonstrated by using an artificial surface-breaking slot having depth of 0-2mm in a stainless steel plate. Evaluated depths show good agreement with the machined slot depths within the accuracy of about a few hundred micrometers. Then, SCCs in a stainless steel plate are examined by using the system. Depth of SCC is evaluated every 0.2mm over the crack aperture length. The evaluated depths are compared with the depths measured by the destructive testing. (author)

Fractal and multifractal approaches for the analysis of crack-size dependent scaling laws in fatigue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paggi, Marco [Politecnico di Torino, Department of Structural Engineering and Geotechnics, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino (Italy)], E-mail: marco.paggi@polito.it; Carpinteri, Alberto [Politecnico di Torino, Department of Structural Engineering and Geotechnics, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino (Italy)

2009-05-15

The enhanced ability to detect and measure very short cracks, along with a great interest in applying fracture mechanics formulae to smaller and smaller crack sizes, has pointed out the so-called anomalous behavior of short cracks with respect to their longer counterparts. The crack-size dependencies of both the fatigue threshold and the Paris' constant C are only two notable examples of these anomalous scaling laws. In this framework, a unified theoretical model seems to be missing and the behavior of short cracks can still be considered as an open problem. In this paper, we propose a critical reexamination of the fractal models for the analysis of crack-size effects in fatigue. The limitations of each model are put into evidence and removed. At the end, a new generalized theory based on fractal geometry is proposed, which permits to consistently interpret the short crack-related anomalous scaling laws within a unified theoretical formulation. Finally, this approach is herein used to interpret relevant experimental data related to the crack-size dependence of the fatigue threshold in metals.

Fractal and multifractal approaches for the analysis of crack-size dependent scaling laws in fatigue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paggi, Marco; Carpinteri, Alberto

2009-01-01

The enhanced ability to detect and measure very short cracks, along with a great interest in applying fracture mechanics formulae to smaller and smaller crack sizes, has pointed out the so-called anomalous behavior of short cracks with respect to their longer counterparts. The crack-size dependencies of both the fatigue threshold and the Paris' constant C are only two notable examples of these anomalous scaling laws. In this framework, a unified theoretical model seems to be missing and the behavior of short cracks can still be considered as an open problem. In this paper, we propose a critical reexamination of the fractal models for the analysis of crack-size effects in fatigue. The limitations of each model are put into evidence and removed. At the end, a new generalized theory based on fractal geometry is proposed, which permits to consistently interpret the short crack-related anomalous scaling laws within a unified theoretical formulation. Finally, this approach is herein used to interpret relevant experimental data related to the crack-size dependence of the fatigue threshold in metals.

Fatigue Crack Length Sizing Using a Novel Flexible Eddy Current Sensor Array

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruifang Xie

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The eddy current probe, which is flexible, array typed, highly sensitive and capable of quantitative inspection is one practical requirement in nondestructive testing and also a research hotspot. A novel flexible planar eddy current sensor array for the inspection of microcrack presentation in critical parts of airplanes is developed in this paper. Both exciting and sensing coils are etched on polyimide films using a flexible printed circuit board technique, thus conforming the sensor to complex geometric structures. In order to serve the needs of condition-based maintenance (CBM, the proposed sensor array is comprised of 64 elements. Its spatial resolution is only 0.8 mm, and it is not only sensitive to shallow microcracks, but also capable of sizing the length of fatigue cracks. The details and advantages of our sensor design are introduced. The working principal and the crack responses are analyzed by finite element simulation, with which a crack length sizing algorithm is proposed. Experiments based on standard specimens are implemented to verify the validity of our simulation and the efficiency of the crack length sizing algorithm. Experimental results show that the sensor array is sensitive to microcracks, and is capable of crack length sizing with an accuracy within ±0.2 mm.

Importance and role of grain size in free surface cracking prediction of heavy forgings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhenhua [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Key Laboratory of Advanced Forging & Stamping Technology and Science, Yanshan University, Ministry of Education of China, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Sun, Shuhua; Wang, Bo [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Shi, Zhongping [Key Laboratory of Advanced Forging & Stamping Technology and Science, Yanshan University, Ministry of Education of China, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Fu, Wantang, E-mail: wtfu@ysu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China)

2015-02-11

The importance and role of grain size in predicting surface cracking of heavy forgings were investigated. 18Mn18Cr0.5N steel specimens with four different grain sizes were tensioned between 900 and 1100 °C at a strain rate of 0.1 s{sup −1}. The nucleation sites and crack morphology were analyzed through electron backscatter diffraction analysis, and the fracture morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy. The nucleation sites were independent of the grain size, and cracks primarily formed at grain boundaries and triple junctions between grains with high Taylor factors. Grains with lower Taylor factors inhibited crack propagation. Strain was found to mainly concentrate near the grain boundaries; thus, a material with a larger grain size cracks more easily because there are fewer grain boundaries. Fine grains can be easily rotated to a lower Taylor factor to further inhibit cracking. The fracture morphology transformed from a brittle to ductile type with a lowering of grain size. At lower temperature, small dimples on the fracture surfaces of specimens with smaller grain sizes were left by single parent grains and the dimple edge was the grain edge. At higher temperature, dimples formed through void coalescence and the dimple edge was the tearing edge. Finally, the relationship between the reduction in area, grain size, and deformation temperature was obtained.

Representative volume element size of a polycrystalline aggregate with embedded short crack

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonovski, I.; Cizelj, L.

2007-01-01

A random polycrystalline aggregate model is proposed for evaluation of a representative volume element size (RVE) of a 316L stainless steel with embedded surface crack. RVE size is important since it defines the size of specimen where the influence of local microstructural features averages out, resulting in the same macroscopic response for geometrically similar specimen. On the other hand macroscopic responses of specimen with size smaller than RVE will, due to the microstructural features, differ significantly. Different sizes and orientations of grains, inclusions, voids,... etc are examples of such microstructural features. If a specimen size is above RVE size, classical continuum mechanics can be applied. On the other hand, advanced material models should be used for specimen with size below RVE. This paper proposes one such model, where random size, shape and orientation of grains are explicitly modeled. Crystal plasticity constitutive model is used to account for slip in the grains. RVE size is estimated by calculating the crack tip opening displacements of aggregates with different grain numbers. Progressively larger number of grains are included in the aggregates until the crack tip displacements for two consecutive aggregates of increasing size differ less than 1 %. At this point the model has reached RVE size. (author)

Simulation and experiment for depth sizing of cracks in anchor bolts by ultrasonic phased array technology

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shan

2018-04-01

There have been lots of reports about the occurrence of cracks in bolts in aging nuclear and thermal power plants. Sizing of such cracks is crucial for assessing the integrity of bolts. Currently, hammering and visual tests are used to detect cracks in bolts. However, they are not applicable for sizing cracks. Although the tip diffraction method is well known as a crack sizing technique, reflection echoes from threads make it difficult to apply this technique to bolts. This paper addresses a method for depth sizing of cracks in bolts by means of ultrasonic phased array technology. Numerical results of wave propagation in bolts by the finite element method (FEM) shows that a peak associated within the vicinity of a crack tip can be observed in the curve of echo intensity versus refraction angle for deep cracks. The refraction angle with respect to this peak decreases as crack depth increases. Such numerical results are verified by experiments on bolt specimens that have electrical discharge machining notches or fatigue cracks with different depths. In the experiment, a 10-MHz linear array probe is used. Depth of cracks in bolts using the refraction angle associated with the peak is determined and compared to actual depths. The comparison shows that accurately determining a crack depth from the inspection results is possible.

Fracture capacity of HFIR vessel with random crack size and toughness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, S.J.

1994-01-01

The probability of fracture versus a range of applied hoop stresses along the High Flux Isotope Reactor vessel is obtained as an estimate of its fracture capacity. Both the crack size and the fracture toughness are assumed to be random variables and subject to assumed distribution functions. Possible hoop stress is based on the numerical solution of the vessel response by applying a point pressure-pulse at the center of the fluid volume within the vessel. Both the fluid-structure interaction and radiation embrittlement are taken into consideration. Elastic fracture mechanics is used throughout the analysis. The probability function of fracture for a single crack due to either a variable crack depth or a variable toughness is derived. Both the variable crack size and the variable toughness are assumed to follow known distributions. The probability of vessel fracture with multiple number of cracks is then obtained as a function of the applied hoop stress. The probability of fracture function is, then, extended to include different levels of confidence and variability. It, therefore, enables one to estimate the high confidence and low probability fracture capacity of the reactor vessel under a range of accident loading conditions

Estimating the Initial Crack Size in a Particulate Composite Material: An Analytical and Experimental Approach

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Liu, C

2001-01-01

The objectives in this report are to: determine the inherent critical initial crack size in a particulate composite material, determine the statistical distribution function of the inherent critical crack size, normal distribution, two...

Guided wave crack detection and size estimation in stiffened structures

Science.gov (United States)

Bhuiyan, Md Yeasin; Faisal Haider, Mohammad; Poddar, Banibrata; Giurgiutiu, Victor

2018-03-01

Structural health monitoring (SHM) and nondestructive evaluation (NDE) deals with the nondestructive inspection of defects, corrosion, leaks in engineering structures by using ultrasonic guided waves. In the past, simplistic structures were often considered for analyzing the guided wave interaction with the defects. In this study, we focused on more realistic and relatively complicated structure for detecting any defect by using a non-contact sensing approach. A plate with a stiffener was considered for analyzing the guided wave interactions. Piezoelectric wafer active transducers were used to produce excitation in the structures. The excitation generated the multimodal guided waves (aka Lamb waves) that propagate in the plate with stiffener. The presence of stiffener in the plate generated scattered waves. The direct wave and the additional scattered waves from the stiffener were experimentally recorded and studied. These waves were considered as a pristine case in this research. A fine horizontal semi-circular crack was manufactured by using electric discharge machining in the same stiffener. The presence of crack in the stiffener produces additional scattered waves as well as trapped waves. These scattered waves and trapped wave modes from the cracked stiffener were experimentally measured by using a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV). These waves were analyzed and compared with that from the pristine case. The analyses suggested that both size and shape of the horizontal crack may be predicted from the pattern of the scattered waves. Different features (reflection, transmission, and mode-conversion) of the scattered wave signals are analyzed. We found direct transmission feature for incident A0 wave mode and modeconversion feature for incident S0 mode are most suitable for detecting the crack in the stiffener. The reflection feature may give a better idea of sizing the crack.

Exploring the Potential Value of OneSAF at the Small-Unit Level

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

James, David R; Dyer, Jean L; Wampler, Richard L

2008-01-01

.... The research determined the extent to which OneSAF (v1.0) could assist company and platoon leaders with tactical planning and assessed the potential value of using OneSAF in institutional training to train course of action (COA...

Ultrasonic Characterization And Micro-Structural Studies On 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel In Thermal Variations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernice Victoria

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Due to increasing concern on potential impact of materials on human health and environment the materials used in hygienic applications should be durable corrosion resistant clean surface etc. Type 2205 duplex stainless steel is a preferred material for use in biomedical pharmaceutical nuclear pressure vessels chemical tankers etc. it exhibits good mechanical strength and high resistance to corrosion. The strength toughness hardness of such materials are usually determined by destructive tests. However continuous destructive measurements are generally difficult to perform during the productive process which creates a need for a fast and easy nondestructive method of material characterization. Microstructural changes in duplex stainless steel due to changes in annealing temperature are characterized by ultrasonic pulse echo technique and optical microscopy. Type 2205 duplex stainless steel are heat treated at 1000 deg C 1050 deg C 1100 deg C 1150 deg C and 1200 deg C for 15 min and water quenched. There is an appreciable change in the morphology of all the heat treated samples and the ultrasonic velocity is dependent on both ferrite and austenite ratio and the grain size.

Crack detection and analyses using resonance ultrasonic vibrations in full-size crystalline silicon wafers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belyaev, A.; Polupan, O.; Dallas, W.; Ostapenko, S.; Hess, D.; Wohlgemuth, J.

2006-01-01

An experimental approach for fast crack detection and length determination in full-size solar-grade crystalline silicon wafers using a resonance ultrasonic vibrations (RUV) technique is presented. The RUV method is based on excitation of the longitudinal ultrasonic vibrations in full-size wafers. Using an external piezoelectric transducer combined with a high sensitivity ultrasonic probe and computer controlled data acquisition system, real-time frequency response analysis can be accomplished. On a set of identical crystalline Si wafers with artificially introduced periphery cracks, it was demonstrated that the crack results in a frequency shift in a selected RUV peak to a lower frequency and increases the resonance peak bandwidth. Both characteristics were found to increase with the length of the crack. The frequency shift and bandwidth increase serve as reliable indicators of the crack appearance in silicon wafers and are suitable for mechanical quality control and fast wafer inspection

29 CFR 2205.150 - Program accessibility: Existing facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...; (3) Specify the schedule for taking the steps necessary to achieve compliance with this section and, if the time period of the transition plan is longer than one year, identify steps that will be taken... Section 2205.150 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW...

Determination of crack size around rivet hole through neural network using ultrasonic Lamb wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sang Woo; Lee, Joon Hyun

1998-01-01

Rivets are typical structural features that are potential initiation sites for fatigue crack due to combination of local stress concentration around rivet hole and moisture trapping. For the viewpoint of structural assurance, it is crucial to evaluate the size of crack around rivets by appropriate nondestructive techniques. Guided waves, which direct wave energy along the plate, carry information about the material in their path and offer a potentially more efficient tool for nondestructive inspection of structural material. Neural network that is considered to be the most suitable for pattern recognition and has been used by researchers in NDE field to classify different types of flaws and flaw size. In this study, crack size determination around rivet through a neural network based on the back-propagation algorithm has been done by extracting some feature from time-domain waveforms of ultrasonic Lamb wave for Al 2024-T3 skin panel of aircraft. Special attention was paid to reduce the coupling effect between transducer and specimen by extracting some features related to only time component data in ultrasonic waveform. It was demonstrated clearly that features extraction based on time component data of the time-domain waveform of Lamb wave was very useful to determine crack size initiated from rivet hole through neural network.

Size-effects at a crack-tip interacting with a number of voids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2008-01-01

A strain gradient plasticity theory is used to analyse the growth of discretely represented voids in front of a blunting crack tip, in order to study the influence of size effects on two competing mechanisms of crack growth. For a very small void volume fraction the crack tip tends to interact...... of the characteristic material length relative to the initial void radius. For a case showing the multiple void mechanism, it is found that the effect of the material length can change the behaviour towards the void by void mechanism. A material model with three characteristic length scales is compared with a one...

SAF line analytical chemistry system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, E.W.; Sherrell, D.L.

1983-10-01

An analytical chemistry system dedicated to supporting the Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) line is discussed. Several analyses are required prior to the fuel pellets being loaded into cladding tubes to assure certification requirements will be met. These analyses, which will take less than 15 minutes, are described. The automated sample transport system which will be used to move pellets from the fabriction line to the chemistry area is also described

Investigation of UT procedure for crack depth sizing by phased array UT in Ni-based alloy weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirasawa, Taiji; Fukutomi, Hiroyuki

2013-01-01

Recently, it has been reported that the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) has occurred in nickel based alloy weld components such as steam generator safe end weld, reactor vessel safe end weld, and so on, in PWR. Defect detection and sizing are important in order to ensure the reliable operation and life extension of nuclear power plants. In the reactor vessel safe end weld, it was impossible to measure crack depth of PWSCC. The cracks have occurred in the axial direction of the safe end weld. Furthermore, the cracks had some features such as deep, large aspect ratio (ratio of crack depth and length), sharp geometry of crack tip, and so on. Therefore, development and improvement of defect depth sizing capabilities by ultrasonic testing (UT) have been required. Phased array UT technique was applied with regard to defect depth sizing at the inside inspection in Ni-based alloy welds. Phased array UT was examined a standard block specimen with side drilled holes (SDHs). From the experimental results, the performance of linear array probes and dual matrix array probe were investigated. In the basis of the results, UT procedure for defect depth sizing was investigated and proposed. The UT procedure was applied to the defect depth measurement in Ni-based alloy weld specimen with electric discharge machine (EDM) notches. From these results, good accuracy of defect depth sizing by phased array UT for the inside inspection was shown. Therefore, it was clarified the effectiveness of the UT procedure for defect depth sizing in Ni-based alloy weld. (author)

Phosphorylation of SAF-A/hnRNP-U Serine 59 by Polo-Like Kinase 1 Is Required for Mitosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Pauline; Ye, Ruiqiong; Morrice, Nicholas; Britton, Sébastien; Trinkle-Mulcahy, Laura; Lees-Miller, Susan P

2015-08-01

Scaffold attachment factor A (SAF-A), also called heterogenous nuclear ribonuclear protein U (hnRNP-U), is phosphorylated on serine 59 by the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) in response to DNA damage. Since SAF-A, DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), and protein phosphatase 6 (PP6), which interacts with DNA-PKcs, have all been shown to have roles in mitosis, we asked whether DNA-PKcs phosphorylates SAF-A in mitosis. We show that SAF-A is phosphorylated on serine 59 in mitosis, that phosphorylation requires polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) rather than DNA-PKcs, that SAF-A interacts with PLK1 in nocodazole-treated cells, and that serine 59 is dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in mitosis. Moreover, cells expressing SAF-A in which serine 59 is mutated to alanine have multiple characteristics of aberrant mitoses, including misaligned chromosomes, lagging chromosomes, polylobed nuclei, and delayed passage through mitosis. Our findings identify serine 59 of SAF-A as a new target of both PLK1 and PP2A in mitosis and reveal that both phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of SAF-A serine 59 by PLK1 and PP2A, respectively, are required for accurate and timely exit from mitosis. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Secure automated fabrication (SAF). Phase I interim report: a systems analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

An advanced Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) System is being developed for mixed uranium and plutonium fuel fabrication. SAF System development will ultimately result in systems which maximize personnel radiation protection, restrict and control access to SNM material, improve containment and detection systems for nuclear materials, provide adequate SNM accountability and improve product uniformity and quality. A systems requirement analysis study was initiated to establish the consistent and objective set of requirements within which the choice among alternatives represents the balanced viewpoints of performance, achievability and risk

SAF: the next generation process for radiotoxic material handling in the nuclear fuel industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyman, D.H.; Graham, R.A.

1984-01-01

In 1980 the Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) Project was established with the goal to design, build, and operate a remote process for manufacturing breeder reactor fuel pins. The SAF line will be housed in the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) at the Hanford site. The fabrication system and supporting operations are designed for computer-controlled operation from a centralized control room. In addition to improved worker protection, remote and automated fuel fabrication operations will result in enhanced safeguards and accountability of fuel material, improved product quality, and increased productivity. Installation of the SAF line equipment has started. Qualification runs are scheduled to begin in 1986 with production commencing in 1987

Satellite-based climate data records of surface solar radiation from the CM SAF

Science.gov (United States)

Trentmann, Jörg; Cremer, Roswitha; Kothe, Steffen; Müller, Richard; Pfeifroth, Uwe

2017-04-01

The incoming surface solar radiation has been defined as an essential climate variable by GCOS. Long term monitoring of this part of the earth's energy budget is required to gain insights on the state and variability of the climate system. In addition, climate data sets of surface solar radiation have received increased attention over the recent years as an important source of information for solar energy assessments, for crop modeling, and for the validation of climate and weather models. The EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) is deriving climate data records (CDRs) from geostationary and polar-orbiting satellite instruments. Within the CM SAF these CDRs are accompanied by operational data at a short time latency to be used for climate monitoring. All data from the CM SAF is freely available via www.cmsaf.eu. Here we present the regional and the global climate data records of surface solar radiation from the CM SAF. The regional climate data record SARAH (Surface Solar Radiation Dataset - Heliosat, doi: 10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/SARAH/V002) is based on observations from the series of Meteosat satellites. SARAH provides 30-min, daily- and monthly-averaged data of the effective cloud albedo, the solar irradiance (incl. spectral information), the direct solar radiation (horizontal and normal), and the sunshine duration from 1983 to 2015 for the full view of the Meteosat satellite (i.e, Europe, Africa, parts of South America, and the Atlantic ocean). The data sets are generated with a high spatial resolution of 0.05° allowing for detailed regional studies. The global climate data record CLARA (CM SAF Clouds, Albedo and Radiation dataset from AVHRR data, doi: 10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/CLARA_AVHRR/V002) is based on observations from the series of AVHRR satellite instruments. CLARA provides daily- and monthly-averaged global data of the solar irradiance (SIS) from 1982 to 2015 with a spatial resolution of 0.25°. In addition to the solar surface

Development of the advanced phased array UT technique for accurate sizing of cracks in the nozzle welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishida, Jun-ichiro; Kawanami, Seiichi; Ideo, Mitsushi; Matsuura, Takayuki; Chigusa, Naoki; Hirano, Shinro; Sera, Takehiko

2010-01-01

Recently, preventive maintenance tasks for welding of safe-end nozzles of reactor vessels and steam generators of PWRs in Japan had been carried out sequentially. Before the maintenance tasks, inspection services were carried out and several crack indications were found by eddy current testing (ECT). These indications were found in the welding which made by 600 series nickel base alloy and evaluated as stress corrosion cracks which were oriented to the axial direction of the nozzle. Then investigations to evaluate the depth of cracks were carried out by ultrasonic testing (UT) from inner surface of the nozzles. However they were difficult to evaluate the depth of cracks due to the high attenuation of the ultrasonic propagation caused by large grain structure of welding. And also it was required high resolution near surface region for accurate sizing. Therefore development of advanced phased array UT techniques specialized for the sizing at this portion was carried out. This paper reports the development status and verification test results. Firstly simulations of the ultrasonic propagation in the welding were carried out to optimize beam profiles of phased array probes. Next prototype probes were manufactured and verification tests were conducted to evaluate the accuracy of depth sizing. It is shown that the developed techniques have high sizing accuracy for artificial stress corrosion cracks in the welding. (author)

36 CFR 220.5 - Environmental impact statement and record of decision.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Environmental impact..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) COMPLIANCE § 220.5 Environmental impact statement and record of decision. (a) Classes of actions normally requiring environmental impact statements...

Material size effects on crack growth along patterned wafer-level Cu–Cu bonds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo; Niordson, Christian Frithiof; Hutchinson, John W.

2013-01-01

together. Crack growth along the bond interface is here studied numerically using finite element analyses. The experiments have shown that plasticity in the Cu films makes a major contribution to the macroscopic interface toughness. To account for the size dependence of the plastic flow a strain gradient...... plasticity model is applied here for the metal. A cohesive zone model is applied to represent the crack growth along the bond between the two Cu films. This cohesive zone model incorporates the effect of higher order stresses in the continuum, such that the higher order tractions on the crack faces decay...... the toughness peak and the subsequent plateau level are highly sensitive to the value of the characteristic material length. A small material length, relative to the thickness of the Cu film, gives high toughness whereas a length comparable to the film thickness gives much reduced crack growth resistance...

Effect of electromagnetic interaction during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the corrosion resistance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García-Rentería, M.A., E-mail: marcogarciarenteria@uadec.edu.mx [Faculty of Metallurgy, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Carretera 57 Km. 5, CP 25720, Monclova, Coahuila (Mexico); López-Morelos, V.H., E-mail: vhlopez@umich.mx [Instituto de Investigación en Metalurgia y Materiales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, A.P. 888, CP 58000, Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico); González-Sánchez, J., E-mail: jagonzal@uacam.mx [Centre for Corrosion Research, Autonomous University of Campeche, Av. Agustín Melgar s/n, Col. Buenavista, CP 24039, Campeche, Cam (Mexico); García-Hernández, R., E-mail: rgarcia@umich.mx [Instituto de Investigación en Metalurgia y Materiales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, A.P. 888, CP 58000, Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico); Dzib-Pérez, L., E-mail: franciscocl7@yahoo.com.mx [Centre for Corrosion Research, Autonomous University of Campeche, Av. Agustín Melgar s/n, Col. Buenavista, CP 24039, Campeche, Cam (Mexico); Curiel-López, F.F., E-mail: franciscocl7@yahoo.com.mx [Faculty of Metallurgy, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Carretera 57 Km. 5, CP 25720, Monclova, Coahuila (Mexico)

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Application of EMILI during welding 2205 Duplex stainless steel hindered the coarsening of δ grains in HTHAZ and promoted regeneration of γ. • Welds made with simultaneous EMILI presented TPI values at the HTHAZ similar to those for BM. • Welds made under 3, 12 and 15 mT presented a mass loss by anodic polarisation similar to that observed for the as-received BM. • This behaviour is due to changes in the dynamics of microstructural evolution during welding with EMILI. - Abstract: The effect of electromagnetic interaction of low intensity (EMILI) applied during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the resistance to localised corrosion in natural seawater was investigated. The heat affected zone (HAZ) of samples welded under EMILI showed a higher temperature for pitting initiation and lower dissolution under anodic polarisation in chloride containing solutions than samples welded without EMILI. The EMILI assisted welding process developed in the present work enhanced the resistance to localised corrosion due to a modification on the microstructural evolution in the HAZ and the fusion zone during the thermal cycle involved in fusion welding. The application of EMILI reduced the size of the HAZ, limited coarsening of the ferrite grains and promoted regeneration of austenite in this zone, inducing a homogeneous passive condition of the surface. EMILI can be applied during fusion welding of structural or functional components of diverse size manufactured with duplex stainless steel designed to withstand aggressive environments such as natural seawater or marine atmospheres.

Weldability, machinability and surfacing of commercial duplex stainless steel AISI2205 for marine applications - A recent review.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinoth Jebaraj, A; Ajaykumar, L; Deepak, C R; Aditya, K V V

2017-05-01

In the present review, attempts have been made to analyze the metallurgical, mechanical, and corrosion properties of commercial marine alloy duplex stainless steel AISI 2205 with special reference to its weldability, machinability, and surfacing. In the first part, effects of various fusion and solid-state welding processes on joining DSS 2205 with similar and dissimilar metals are addressed. Microstructural changes during the weld cooling cycle such as austenite reformation, partitioning of alloying elements, HAZ transformations, and the intermetallic precipitations are analyzed and compared with the different welding techniques. In the second part, machinability of DSS 2205 is compared with the commercial ASS grades in order to justify the quality of machining. In the third part, the importance of surface quality in a marine exposure is emphasized and the enhancement of surface properties through peening techniques is highlighted. The research gaps and inferences highlighted in this review will be more useful for the fabrications involved in the marine applications.

Fracture fragility of HFIR vessel caused by random crack size or random toughness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Shih-Jung; Proctor, L.D.

1993-01-01

This report discuses the probability of fracture (fracture fragility) versus a range of applied hoop stresses along the HFIR vessel which is obtained as an estimate of its fracture capacity. Both the crack size and the fracture toughness are assumed to be random variables that follow given distribution functions. Possible hoop stress is based on the numerical solution of the vessel response by applying a point pressure-pulse it the center of the fluid volume within the vessel. Both the fluid-structure interaction and radiation embrittlement are taken into consideration. Elastic fracture mechanics is used throughout the analysis. The probability of vessel fracture for a single crack caused by either a variable crack depth or a variable toughness is first derived. Then the probability of fracture with multiple number of cracks is obtained. The probability of fracture is further extended to include different levels of confidence and variability. It, therefore, enables one to estimate the high confidence and low probability capacity accident load

Toughness and other mechanical properties of the duplex stainless steel 2205

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sieurin, H.; Sandstroem, R.

2003-01-01

The use and range of potential applications of duplex stainless steel continuously increase. An overview of the mechanical properties of duplex stainless steel 2205 is presented with focus on toughness properties. Impact and fracture toughness as well as strength results from the European research project, EcoPress, are presented. (orig.)

Change of Precipitation Behavior and Impact Toughness with Depths in Quenched Thick SAF 2507 Super Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Ahiale, Godwin Kwame; Kim, Doo-Hyun; Yang, Won-Jon; Lee, Jong-Hoon; Oh, Yong-Jun

2018-03-01

We investigated the change of precipitation behavior and impact resistance as a function of depth from the surface of thick block of SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel with the thickness (T) of 200 mm after water quenching from 1050 °C. The amount of detrimental sigma phase increased smoothly until the depth of 0.25T, followed by a rapid increase from 0.25T to the center. However, the impact strength decreased significantly with only 1.3% of area fraction of sigma phase as the depth increased past 0.1T. Based on fractography analysis for the samples at such small depth ranges, the distance between the sigma phase particles affected the relative amount of initiating brittle cracks in front of the notch and was one of the crucial factors that dramatically reduced impact resistance with depth.

The influence of specimen size on creep crack growth rate in cross-weld CT specimens cut out from a welded component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Peder; Segle, Peter; Samuelson, Lars Aa.

1999-04-01

A 3D finite element study of creep crack growth in cross-weld CT specimens with material properties of 2.25Cr1Mo at 550 deg C is carried out, where large strain and displacement theory is used. The creep crack growth rate is calculated using a creep ductility based damage model, in which the creep strain rate perpendicular to the crack plane ahead of the crack tip is integrated, considering the multiaxial stress state. The influence of specimen size on creep crack growth rate under constant load is given special attention, but the possibility to transfer results from cross-weld CT specimens to welded high temperature components is also investigated. The creep crack growth rate of a crack in a circumferentially welded pipe is compared with the creep crack growth rate of cross-weld CT specimens of three different sizes, cut out from the pipe. Although the constraint ahead of the crack tip is higher for a larger CT specimen, the creep crack growth rate is higher for a smaller specimen than for a larger one if they are loaded to attain the same stress intensity factor. If the specimens are loaded to the same C* value, however, a more complicated pattern occurs; depending on the material properties of the weldment constituents, the CT specimen with the intermediate size will either yield the highest or the lowest creep crack growth rate

SAF-A forms a complex with BRG1 and both components are required for RNA polymerase II mediated transcription.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dzeneta Vizlin-Hodzic

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Scaffold attachment factor A (SAF-A participates in the regulation of gene expression by organizing chromatin into transcriptionally active domains and by interacting directly with RNA polymerase II. METHODOLOGY: Here we use co-localization, co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP and in situ proximity ligation assay (PLA to identify Brahma Related Gene 1 (BRG1, the ATP-driven motor of the human SWI-SNF chromatin remodeling complex, as another SAF-A interaction partner in mouse embryonic stem (mES cells. We also employ RNA interference to investigate functional aspects of the SAF-A/BRG1 interaction. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We find that endogenous SAF-A protein interacts with endogenous BRG1 protein in mES cells, and that the interaction does not solely depend on the presence of mRNA. Moreover the interaction remains intact when cells are induced to differentiate. Functional analyses reveal that dual depletion of SAF-A and BRG1 abolishes global transcription by RNA polymerase II, while the nucleolar RNA polymerase I transcription machinery remains unaffected. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that SAF-A interacts with BRG1 and that both components are required for RNA Polymerase II Mediated Transcription.

Effect of grain size upon the fatigue-crack propagation behavior of alloy 718 under hold-time cycling at elevated temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James, L A

1986-01-01

Fatigue-crack propagation tests were conducted in air at 538/sup 0/C on several specimens of Alloy 718 representing several different producers, melt practices and product forms. This variety resulted in a range of grain sizes from ASTM Size 5 to 11.5. Tests at low cyclic frequency employing a tensile hold-time revealed a relationship between crack growth rates and grain size: higher growth rates were associated with fine-grain material and lower rates with larger-grain material. The lowest crack growth rates were associated with a necklace microstructure, whereby large grains are associated with necklaces of very small grains.

Towards modeling intergranular stress corrosion cracks on grain size scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonovski, Igor; Cizelj, Leon

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Simulating the onset and propagation of intergranular cracking. ► Model based on the as-measured geometry and crystallographic orientations. ► Feasibility, performance of the proposed computational approach demonstrated. - Abstract: Development of advanced models at the grain size scales has so far been mostly limited to simulated geometry structures such as for example 3D Voronoi tessellations. The difficulty came from a lack of non-destructive techniques for measuring the microstructures. In this work a novel grain-size scale approach for modelling intergranular stress corrosion cracking based on as-measured 3D grain structure of a 400 μm stainless steel wire is presented. Grain topologies and crystallographic orientations are obtained using a diffraction contrast tomography, reconstructed within a detailed finite element model and coupled with advanced constitutive models for grains and grain boundaries. The wire is composed of 362 grains and over 1600 grain boundaries. Grain boundary damage initialization and early development is then explored for a number of cases, ranging from isotropic elasticity up to crystal plasticity constitutive laws for the bulk grain material. In all cases the grain boundaries are modeled using the cohesive zone approach. The feasibility of the approach is explored.

Eddy current crack detection capability assessment approach using crack specimens with differing electrical conductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Koshti, Ajay M.

2018-03-01

Like other NDE methods, eddy current surface crack detectability is determined using probability of detection (POD) demonstration. The POD demonstration involves eddy current testing of surface crack specimens with known crack sizes. Reliably detectable flaw size, denoted by, a90/95 is determined by statistical analysis of POD test data. The surface crack specimens shall be made from a similar material with electrical conductivity close to the part conductivity. A calibration standard with electro-discharged machined (EDM) notches is typically used in eddy current testing for surface crack detection. The calibration standard conductivity shall be within +/- 15% of the part conductivity. This condition is also applicable to the POD demonstration crack set. Here, a case is considered, where conductivity of the crack specimens available for POD testing differs by more than 15% from that of the part to be inspected. Therefore, a direct POD demonstration of reliably detectable flaw size is not applicable. Additional testing is necessary to use the demonstrated POD test data. An approach to estimate the reliably detectable flaw size in eddy current testing for part made from material A using POD crack specimens made from material B with different conductivity is provided. The approach uses additional test data obtained on EDM notch specimens made from materials A and B. EDM notch test data from the two materials is used to create a transfer function between the demonstrated a90/95 size on crack specimens made of material B and the estimated a90/95 size for part made of material A. Two methods are given. For method A, a90/95 crack size for material B is given and POD data is available. Objective of method A is to determine a90/95 crack size for material A using the same relative decision threshold that was used for material B. For method B, target crack size a90/95 for material A is known. Objective is to determine decision threshold for inspecting material A.

Weldability, machinability and surfacing of commercial duplex stainless steel AISI2205 for marine applications – A recent review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Vinoth Jebaraj

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In the present review, attempts have been made to analyze the metallurgical, mechanical, and corrosion properties of commercial marine alloy duplex stainless steel AISI 2205 with special reference to its weldability, machinability, and surfacing. In the first part, effects of various fusion and solid-state welding processes on joining DSS 2205 with similar and dissimilar metals are addressed. Microstructural changes during the weld cooling cycle such as austenite reformation, partitioning of alloying elements, HAZ transformations, and the intermetallic precipitations are analyzed and compared with the different welding techniques. In the second part, machinability of DSS 2205 is compared with the commercial ASS grades in order to justify the quality of machining. In the third part, the importance of surface quality in a marine exposure is emphasized and the enhancement of surface properties through peening techniques is highlighted. The research gaps and inferences highlighted in this review will be more useful for the fabrications involved in the marine applications.

Concurrent phase separation and clustering in the ferrite phase during low temperature stress aging of duplex stainless steel weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, J.; Odqvist, J.; Thuvander, M.; Hertzman, S.; Hedström, P.

2012-01-01

The concurrent phase separation and clustering of alloying elements in the ferrite phase of duplex stainless steel weldments after stress aging at 325 °C have been investigated by atom probe tomography analysis. Both phase separation, into Fe-rich and Cr-rich ferrite, and solute clustering were observed. Phase separation in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) is most pronounced in the high alloyed SAF 2507, followed by SAF 2205 and SAF 2304. Moreover Cu clustering was observed in the HAZ of SAF 2507. However, decomposition in the weld bead (25.10.4L) was more pronounced than in the HAZs, with both phase separation and clustering of Ni–Mn–Si–Cu. The observed differences in the decomposition behaviors in the HAZ and weld bead can be attributed to the high Ni content and the characteristic microstructure of the weld bead with high internal strains. In addition, an applied tensile stress during aging of weldments has been found to further promote the kinetics of phase separation and clustering.

Exploring How Weathering Related Stresses and Subcritical Crack Growth May Influence the Size of Sediment Produced From Different Rock Types.

Science.gov (United States)

Eppes, M. C.; Hallet, B.; Hancock, G. S.; Mackenzie-Helnwein, P.; Keanini, R.

2016-12-01

The formation and diminution of rock debris, sediment and soil at and near Earth's surface is driven in large part by in situ, non-transport related, rock cracking. Given the relatively low magnitude stresses that arise in surface and near-surface settings, this production and diminution of granular material is likely strongly influenced and/or driven by subcritical crack growth (Eppes et al., 2016), cracking that occurs under stress loading conditions much lower than a rock's strength as typically measured in the laboratory under rapid loading. Despite a relatively sound understanding of subcritical crack growth through engineering and geophysical studies, its geomorphic and sedimentologic implications have only been minimally explored. Here, based on existing studies, we formulate several hypotheses to predict how weathering-induced stresses combined with the subcritical crack growth properties of rock may influence sediment size distribution. For example, subcritical crack growth velocity (v) can be described by v = CKIn where KI is the mode I (simple opening mode) stress intensity factor, a function of tensile stress at the crack tip and crack length; C is a rock- and environment-dependent constant; and n is material constant, the subcritical crack growth index. Fracture length and spacing in rock is strongly dependent on n, where higher n values result in fewer, more distally spaced cracks (e.g. Olsen, 1993). Thus, coarser sediment might be expected from rocks with higher n values. Weathering-related stresses such as thermal stresses and mineral hydration, however, can disproportionally stress boundaries between minerals with contrasting thermal or chemical properties and orientation, resulting in granular disintegration. Thus, rocks with properties favorable to inducing these stresses might produce sediment whose size is reflective of its constituent grains. We begin to test these hypotheses through a detailed examination of crack and rock characteristics in

Effects of loading frequency on fatigue crack growth mechanisms in α/β Ti microstructure with large colony size

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sansoz, F.; Ghonem, H.

2003-01-01

This paper deals with crack tip/microstructure interactions at 520 deg. C in lamellar Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.1Si (Ti6242) alloy under different fatigue loading frequencies. A series of heat treatments were performed in order to produce large colony microstructures that vary in their lamellar and colony size. Fatigue crack growth (FCG) experiments were conducted on these microstructures at loading frequencies of 10 and 0.05 Hz. The lower frequency was explored with and without imposing a 5 min hold-time at the peak stress level during each loading cycle. Results show that the crack growth behavior is sensitive to the loading frequency. For the same microstructure, the crack growth rate is found to be lower at 10 than at 0.05 Hz. The addition of a hold-time, however, did not alter the FCG rate indicating that creep strain during one loading cycle does not contribute significantly in the crack growth process. It is also shown that variations in lamella and colony size have no effects on the FCG rate except for the early stage of crack propagation. Scanning Electron Microscope examinations are performed on the fracture surface in order to identify the relevant crack growth mechanisms with respect to the loading frequency and the microstructure details. Quasi-cleavage of the α/β colonies along strong planar shear bands is shown to be a major mode of failure under all test condition. At a loading frequency of 10 Hz, the crack path proceeds arbitrary along planes either perpendicular or parallel to the long axis of α lamellae, while at 0.05 Hz, parallel-to-lamellae crack paths become favored. Corresponding differences of crack growth behavior are examined in terms of slip emission at the crack tip and interactions with the microstructure details

Experimental investigation of grain size effect on fatigue crack growth rate in turbine disc superalloy GH4169 under different temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Dianyin [School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Aero-Engine, Beijing 100191 (China); Beijing Key Laboratory of Aero-Engine Structure and Strength, Beijing 100191 (China); Mao, Jianxing [School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Song, Jun, E-mail: jun.song2@mcgill.ca [Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 0C5 (Canada); Meng, Fanchao [Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 0C5 (Canada); Shan, Xiaoming [China Aviation Powerplant Research Institute, Zhuzhou 412002 (China); Wang, Rongqiao, E-mail: wangrq@buaa.edu.cn [School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Aero-Engine, Beijing 100191 (China); Beijing Key Laboratory of Aero-Engine Structure and Strength, Beijing 100191 (China)

2016-07-04

Systematic experiments for fatigue crack growth (FCG) rate on compact tension (CT) specimens have been conducted in nickel-based superalloy GH4169 at a broad range of temperatures with a frequency of 10 Hz and a stress ratio of 0.1. In order to investigate the crack closure behavior, FCG experiments at stress ratio of 0.5 were also performed by comparing with the results at stress ration of 0.1. CT specimens were cut from three typical locations of an actual forged turbine disc to investigate the effect of grain size on the FCG behaviors. The grain size distribution, precipitates and fracture surface characteristics at different locations of the turbine disc were examined through optical microscope, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM) analyses. Digital image correlation (DIC), optical interferometry and oxide film measurements were carried out to investigate the presence and inducement of the crack closure. Then a modified FCG model, with a distribution factor that evaluates the scattering in the FCG rate, was formulated to describe the dependence of FCG rate on grain size. Finally, the possible microscopic mechanisms to explain the grain size effect on the FCG behaviors based on crack deflection and blockage, and the crack closure inducements involving plasticity and oxide were discussed in this study.

Results of UT training for defect detection and sizing technique using specimens with fatigue crack and SCC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoneyama, H.; Yamaguchi, A.; Sugibayashi, T.

2005-01-01

At the importance increase of UT (ultrasonic testing) with the application of rules on fitness-for-service for nuclear power plants, JAPEIC (Japan power engineering and inspection corporation) started education training for defect detection and sizing technique. Weld joints specimen with EDM (Electro-Discharged Machining) notches, fatigue cracks and intergranular stress corrosion cracks were tested and practiced repeatedly based on a modified ultrasonic method and the defect size measuring accuracy of the trainees was surely improved. Results of the blind test confirmed effectiveness of education training. (T. Tanaka)

Sizing of cracks by ultrasonic testing - Diffraction methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoegberg, K.; Sattari-Far, I.; Pers-Anderson, E.B.

1989-01-01

The work has been concentrated on manual ultrasonic testing of plates in carbon and austenitic steel with thicknesses of 10-40 mm. Evaluation of data was performed by studying the amplitude, accuracy (crack depth) and visibility. The experience from the project showed that identification of the weak signals from the crack tips requires well-trained personnel. Besides that, the following can be recommended: Estimate if the crack has compressive stresses. Especially shallow cracks are exposed for compressive stresses. Chose a refraction angle ≥ 60 degrees if the crack is deep. Try both low (approx equivalent to 2MHz) and high (approx equivalent to 4-5MHz) frequency. Lower frequencies often increase amplitude response. Avoid the combination of refraction angle greater than 60 degrees and low frequency. Inspect with half as well as full skip. Sometimes a stronger signal is received for full skip, because the amplitude of the diffracted signal is higher from the cracked side. Use complementary measurements with mode conversion techniques. Focused probes can improve the results, especially for complicated geometries. Do not use reference reflectors of EDM-notch type for verification of signal amplitude. No correlation between amplitude from an EDM-notch tip and a crack tip exists. Reference reflectors of EDM-notch type can be used to verify the resolution of the system. A shallow EDM-notch can show if the probe can separate the tip and corner. It is our experience that general solutions does not exist, and each case needs an individual solution

The Microstructure and Pitting Resistance of Weld Joints of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Mingfang; Liu, Fei; Pu, Juan; Anderson, Neil E.; Li, Leijun; Liu, Dashuang

2017-11-01

2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) was welded by submerged arc welding. The effects of both heat input and groove type on the ferrite/austenite ratio and elemental diffusion of weld joints were investigated. The relationships among welding joint preparation, ferrite/austenite ratio, elemental diffusion, and pitting corrosion resistance of weld joints were analyzed. When the Ni content of the weld wire deposit was at minimum 2-4% higher than that of 2205 DSS base metal, the desired ratio of ferrite/austenite and elemental partitioning between the austenite and ferrite phases were obtained. While the pitting sensitivity of weld metal was higher than that of base metal, the self-healing capability of the passive film of weld metal was better than that of the base metal when a single V-type groove was used. Furthermore, the heat input should be carefully controlled since pitting corrosion occurred readily in the coarse-grained heat-affected zone near the fusion line of welded joints.

Effects of self-adjusting file, Mtwo, and ProTaper on the root canal wall.

Science.gov (United States)

Hin, Ellemieke S; Wu, Min-Kai; Wesselink, Paul R; Shemesh, Hagay

2013-02-01

The purpose of this ex vivo study was to observe the incidence of cracks in root dentin after root canal preparation with hand files, self-adjusting file (SAF), ProTaper, and Mtwo. One hundred extracted mandibular premolars with single canals were randomly selected. Two angulated radiographs were taken for each tooth, and the width of the canal was measured at 9 mm from the apex. Five groups of 20 teeth each were comparable in canal width. The control group was left unprepared. Four experimental groups were instrumented with hand files, ProTaper, Mtwo, and SAF. Roots were then sectioned horizontally and observed under a microscope. The presence of dentinal cracks and their location were noted. The difference between the experimental groups was analyzed with a χ(2) test. No cracks were observed in the control group. In the experimental groups, ProTaper, Mtwo, and SAF caused cracks in 35%, 25%, and 10% of teeth, respectively. The hand-file group did not show any dentinal cracks (P ProTaper and Mtwo caused more cracks than hand files (P .05). Instrumentation of root canals with SAF, Mtwo, and ProTaper could cause damage to root canal dentin. SAF has a tendency to cause less dentinal cracks as compared with ProTaper or Mtwo. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Novel Method for Sizing Metallic Bottom Crack Depth Using Multi-frequency Alternating Current Potential Drop Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Yuting

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Potential drop techniques are of two types: the direct current potential drop (DCPD technique and alternating current potential drop (ACPD technique, and both of them are used in nondestructive testing. ACPD, as a kind of valid method in sizing metal cracks, has been applied to evaluate metal structures. However, our review of most available approaches revealed that some improvements can be done in measuring depth of metal bottom crack by means of ACPD, such as accuracy and sensitivity of shallow crack. This paper studied a novel method which utilized the slope of voltage ratio-frequency curve to solve bottom crack depth by using a simple mathematic equation based on finite element analysis. It is found that voltage ratio varies linearly with frequency in the range of 5-15 Hz; this range is slightly higher than the equivalent frequency and lower than semi-permeable frequency. Simulation and experiment show that the novel method can measure the bottom crack depth accurately.

Novel Method for Sizing Metallic Bottom Crack Depth Using Multi-frequency Alternating Current Potential Drop Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuting; Gan, Fangji; Wan, Zhengjun; Liao, Junbi; Li, Wenqiang

2015-10-01

Potential drop techniques are of two types: the direct current potential drop (DCPD) technique and alternating current potential drop (ACPD) technique, and both of them are used in nondestructive testing. ACPD, as a kind of valid method in sizing metal cracks, has been applied to evaluate metal structures. However, our review of most available approaches revealed that some improvements can be done in measuring depth of metal bottom crack by means of ACPD, such as accuracy and sensitivity of shallow crack. This paper studied a novel method which utilized the slope of voltage ratio-frequency curve to solve bottom crack depth by using a simple mathematic equation based on finite element analysis. It is found that voltage ratio varies linearly with frequency in the range of 5-15 Hz; this range is slightly higher than the equivalent frequency and lower than semi-permeable frequency. Simulation and experiment show that the novel method can measure the bottom crack depth accurately.

A enfermeira pediatra cuidando de crianças/ adolescentes com Síndrome Alcoólica Fetal (SAF La enfermera pediatra cuidando de niños/adolescentes con el Síndrome Alcohólico Fetal (SAF The pediatrician nurse taking care of children/adolescents with Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome (SAF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávia Atanazio do Nascimento

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Estudo realizado em uma instituição pública de Neurologia com seis crianças que apresentavam diagnóstico de síndrome alcoólica fetal (SAF. Os Objetivos foram: Descrever as necessidades humanas básicas afetadas em crianças com SAF; identificar as áreas de desenvolvimento defasadas; e avaliar o desenvolvimento das crianças. Metodologia: Pesquisa qualitativa, aprovada pelo Comitê de Ética e Pesquisa do Hospital Escola São Francisco de Assis (HESFA e Escola de Enfermagem Anna Nery. O desenvolvimento infantil foi avaliado com a Escala de Desenvolvimento de Heloisa Marinho. Resultados: Todas as crianças apresentaram defasagem na área mental, social e física. As crianças apresentaram alheamento, timidez, recusa em verbalizar e manter contato visual, hiperatividade; dificuldade de aprendizagem; dificuldade na coordenação motora; timidez; e agitação psicomotora. As necessidades afetadas foram: hidratação, higiene oral, higiene corporal, comunicação, coordenação motora, aprendizagem, educação alimentar e visão. Todos apresentaram grande defasagem em relação à idade cronológica, idade de desenvolvimento e idade gráfica e baixo quociente de desenvolvimento.El estudio fue realizado en una Institución pública de Neurología, con seis niños con el Síndrome Alcohólico Fetal (SAF. Los Objetivos eran: Describir las necesidades humanas básicas afectadas en los niños con el Síndrome Alcohólico Fetal (SAF. Identificar las áreas de desarrollo dañadas. Evaluar el desarrollo de los niños con el Síndrome Alcohólico Fetal (SAF. Metodología: Investigación Cualitativa, aprobada por el Comité de Ética y Investigación del Hospital Escuela São Francisco de Assis (HESFA y Escuela de Enfermería Anna Nery. El desarrollo infantil se evaluó por la Escala de Desarrollo de Heloisa Marinho. Resultados: Todos los niños presentaron defasaje en el área mental, social y física. Los niños presentaron alienación, timidez, y

Novel Method for Sizing Metallic Bottom Crack Depth Using Multi-frequency Alternating Current Potential Drop Technique

OpenAIRE

Li Yuting; Gan Fangji; Wan Zhengjun; Liao Junbi; Li Wenqiang

2015-01-01

Potential drop techniques are of two types: the direct current potential drop (DCPD) technique and alternating current potential drop (ACPD) technique, and both of them are used in nondestructive testing. ACPD, as a kind of valid method in sizing metal cracks, has been applied to evaluate metal structures. However, our review of most available approaches revealed that some improvements can be done in measuring depth of metal bottom crack by means of ACPD, such as accuracy and sensitivity of s...

Tensile cracks in creeping solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riedel, H.; Rice, J.R.

1979-02-01

The loading parameter determining the stress and strain fields near a crack tip, and thereby the growth of the crack, under creep conditions is discussed. Relevant loading parameters considered are the stress intensity factor K/sub I/, the path-independent integral C*, and the net section stress sigma/sub net/. The material behavior is modelled as elastic-nonlinear viscous where the nonlinear term describes power law creep. At the time t = 0 load is applied to the cracked specimen, and in the first instant the stress distribution is elastic. Subsequently, creep deformation relaxes the initial stress concentration at the crack tip, and creep strains develop rapidly near the crack tip. These processes may be analytically described by self-similar solutions for short times t. Small scale yielding may be defined. In creep problems, this means that elastic strains dominate almost everywhere except in a small creep zone which grows around the crack tip. If crack growth ensues while the creep zone is still small compared with the crack length and the specimen size, the stress intensity factor governs crack growth behavior. If the calculated creep zone becomes larger than the specimen size, the stresses become finally time-independent and the elastic strain rates can be neglected. In this case, the stress field is the same as in the fully-plastic limit of power law hardening plasticity. The loading parameter which determines the near tip fields uniquely is then the path-independent integral C*.K/sub I/ and C* characterize opposite limiting cases. The case applied in a given situation is decided by comparing the creep zone size with the specimen size and the crack length. Besides several methods of estimating the creep zone size, a convenient expression for a characteristic time is derived, which characterizes the transition from small scale yielding to extensive creep of the whole specimen

Effect of electromagnetic interaction during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the corrosion resistance

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rentería, M. A.; López-Morelos, V. H.; González-Sánchez, J.; García-Hernández, R.; Dzib-Pérez, L.; Curiel-López, F. F.

2017-02-01

The effect of electromagnetic interaction of low intensity (EMILI) applied during fusion welding of AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel on the resistance to localised corrosion in natural seawater was investigated. The heat affected zone (HAZ) of samples welded under EMILI showed a higher temperature for pitting initiation and lower dissolution under anodic polarisation in chloride containing solutions than samples welded without EMILI. The EMILI assisted welding process developed in the present work enhanced the resistance to localised corrosion due to a modification on the microstructural evolution in the HAZ and the fusion zone during the thermal cycle involved in fusion welding. The application of EMILI reduced the size of the HAZ, limited coarsening of the ferrite grains and promoted regeneration of austenite in this zone, inducing a homogeneous passive condition of the surface. EMILI can be applied during fusion welding of structural or functional components of diverse size manufactured with duplex stainless steel designed to withstand aggressive environments such as natural seawater or marine atmospheres.

Optimal Operation of Photovoltaic System with a DC-DC Boost Converter FED SAF Using ICosφ Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.Vijayakumar

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an optimal utilization of Photovoltaic (PV solar system based Shunt Active Filter (PV-SAF for harmonic mitigation, real and reactive power compensation at the point of common coupling (PCC throughout the day. This PV system operated SAF reduces the energy consumption by disconnecting the utility grid from the load through semiconductor switches, when the PV system generates excessive or equal real power to the required load demand. However, the reduction of energy consumption is always desirable for the reduction of panel tariff and global warming gasses. The PV module is connected to the DC side of SAF through the DC-DC converter with fuzzy based Perturb & Observe (P&O Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT algorithm to eliminate the drawback of the conventional PV system by tracking maximum power point of the PV array is presented. The reference currents extract by the Fuzzy logic controller based ICosΦ control strategy. This proposed PV-SAF, if connected at the terminals of a small industry or a home or a small enlightening institution can avoid interruptible power supply, use of individual stabilizer and potential panel tariff over a 12 hour period. A MATLAB simulink is presented to validate the advantage of the proposed system.

Estudo da soldagem de tubos de aço inoxidável duplex e superduplex na posição 5G Study of the welding of duplex and superduplex stainless steel pipes in the 5G position

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Ivo Guimarães de Vasconcellos

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Os aços inoxidáveis duplex e superduplex possuem uma microestrutura austeno-ferrítica com fração média de cada fase de cerca 50%. A microestrutura duplex é responsável pelas excelentes propriedades mecânicas, especialmente o limite de escoamento e a tenacidade, e pela elevada resistência a corrosão por pites e sob tensão em meios contendo cloretos. A soldagem destes aços é frequentemente uma operação crítica. Neste trabalho, um tubo de superduplex SAF 2207 foi soldado pelo processo TIG (GTAW no passe de raiz e eletrodo revestido (SMAW nos passes de enchimento, e um tubo de duplex SAF 2205 foi todo soldado pelo processo GTAW. A microestrutura do metal base, zona afetada termicamente (ZTA e metal de solda foi caracterizada e quantificada. As propriedades de tenacidade, resistência a corrosão e composição química foram avaliadas e correlacionadas. Os valores de tenacidade ao impacto Charpy-V foram considerados adequados. Não foi observada a precipitação de intermetálicos, carbonetos e nitretos. O melhor resultado no teste de corrosão da junta soldada de aço inox superduplex, comparado ao duplex, foi atribuído ao baixo teor de ferrita delta na solda e ZTA, e composição química da solda enriquecida em Cr, Mo, W e N.The duplex and superduplex stainless steels have an austenitic-ferritic microstructure with an average fraction of each phase of approximately 50%. This duplex microstructure is responsible for the excellent mechanical properties, specially the yield strength and toughness, and for the improved pitting and stress corrosion cracking resistance in chloride environments. Welding of these steels is often a critical operation. In this work, a superduplex stainless steel SAF 2507 pipe was welded by the GTAW process in the root pass and by SMAW process on filler passes, and one pipe of duplex SAF 2205 was entirely welded by the GTAW process. The microstructure of the base metal, heat affected zone (HAZ and weld

Synthesis and Biological Activity of Diastereomeric and Geometric Analogs of Calcipotriol, PRI-2202 and PRI-2205, Against Human HL-60 Leukemia and MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Milczarek, Magdalena; Chodyński, Michał; Filip-Psurska, Beata; Martowicz, Agnieszka; Krupa, Małgorzata; Krajewski, Krzysztof; Kutner, Andrzej; Wietrzyk, Joanna

2013-10-31

Diastereomeric and geometric analogs of calcipotriol, PRI-2202 and PRI-2205, were synthesized as advanced intermediates from vitamin D C-22 benzothiazoyl sulfones and side-chain aldehydes using our convergent strategy. Calcitriol, calcipotriol (PRI-2201) and tacalcitol (PRI-2191) were used as the reference compounds. Among a series of tested analogs the diastereomeric analog PRI-2202 showed the strongest antiproliferative activity on the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, whereas the geometric analog PRI-2205 was the weakest. Both analogs were less potent in antiproliferative activity against HL-60 cells compared to the reference compounds. The ability to potentiate antiproliferative effect of cisplatin or doxorubicin against HL-60 cells or that of tamoxifen against the MCF-7 cell line was observed at higher doses of PRI-2202 or PRI-2205 than those of the reference compounds. The proapoptotic activity of tamoxifen, expressed as the diminished mitochondrial membrane potential, as well as the increased phosphatidylserine expression, was partially attenuated by calcitriol, PRI-2191, PRI-2201 and PRI-2205. The treatment of the MCF-7 cells with tamoxifen alone resulted in an increase in VDR expression. Moreover, a further increase in VDR expression was observed when the analogs PRI-2201 or PRI-2205, but not PRI-2191, were used in combination with tamoxifen. This observation could partially explain the potentiation of the antiproliferative effect of tamoxifen by vitamin D analogs.

Earthquake resistance of cracked concrete embedded with large size rebars (D43 and D57) in nuclear containment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kan, Y-C. [Chaoyang Univ. of Tech., Taichung, Taiwan (China); Pei, K-C. [Inst. of Nuclear Energy Research, Taiwan (China)

2014-07-01

The bond behavior of varying size re-bar (D19, D32, D43 and D57) embedded in concrete, under cyclic load in a pullout test, were investigated through a series of experiments and monitored in real-time by acoustic emission (AE) herein. Parallel tests of specimens with an existing crack were also conducted to observe the behavior of cracked concrete subject to cyclic load. The detailed acoustics information can be used for analyzing and comparing the effects of concrete with varying size re-bar. The results provide useful in formation in evaluating the safety of NPP RC structure subjected to cyclic load. (author)

Effect of laser shock processing on fatigue crack growth of duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubio-Gonzalez, C.; Felix-Martinez, C.; Gomez-Rosas, G.; Ocana, J.L.; Morales, M.; Porro, J.A.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → LSP is an effective surface treatment to improve fatigue properties of duplex stainless steel. → Increasing pulse density, fatigue crack growth rate is reduced. → Microstructure is not affected by LSP. → Compressive residual stresses increases increasing pulse density. - Abstract: Duplex stainless steels have wide application in different fields like the ship, petrochemical and chemical industries that is due to their high strength and excellent toughness properties as well as their high corrosion resistance. In this work an investigation is performed to evaluate the effect of laser shock processing on some mechanical properties of 2205 duplex stainless steel. Laser shock processing (LSP) or laser shock peening is a new technique for strengthening metals. This process induces a compressive residual stress field which increases fatigue crack initiation life and reduces fatigue crack growth rate. A convergent lens is used to deliver 2.5 J, 8 ns laser pulses by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, operating at 10 Hz with infrared (1064 nm) radiation. The pulses are focused to a diameter of 1.5 mm. Effect of pulse density in the residual stress field is evaluated. Residual stress distribution as a function of depth is determined by the contour method. It is observed that the higher the pulse density the greater the compressive residual stress. Pulse densities of 900, 1600 and 2500 pul/cm 2 are used. Pre-cracked compact tension specimens were subjected to LSP process and then tested under cyclic loading with R = 0.1. Fatigue crack growth rate is determined and the effect of LSP process parameters is evaluated. In addition fracture toughness is determined in specimens with and without LSP treatment. It is observed that LSP reduces fatigue crack growth and increases fracture toughness if this steel.

Synthesis and Biological Activity of Diastereomeric and Geometric Analogs of Calcipotriol, PRI-2202 and PRI-2205, Against Human HL-60 Leukemia and MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Kutner

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Diastereomeric and geometric analogs of calcipotriol, PRI-2202 and PRI-2205, were synthesized as advanced intermediates from vitamin D C-22 benzothiazoyl sulfones and side-chain aldehydes using our convergent strategy. Calcitriol, calcipotriol (PRI-2201 and tacalcitol (PRI-2191 were used as the reference compounds. Among a series of tested analogs the diastereomeric analog PRI-2202 showed the strongest antiproliferative activity on the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, whereas the geometric analog PRI-2205 was the weakest. Both analogs were less potent in antiproliferative activity against HL-60 cells compared to the reference compounds. The ability to potentiate antiproliferative effect of cisplatin or doxorubicin against HL-60 cells or that of tamoxifen against the MCF-7 cell line was observed at higher doses of PRI-2202 or PRI-2205 than those of the reference compounds. The proapoptotic activity of tamoxifen, expressed as the diminished mitochondrial membrane potential, as well as the increased phosphatidylserine expression, was partially attenuated by calcitriol, PRI-2191, PRI-2201 and PRI-2205. The treatment of the MCF-7 cells with tamoxifen alone resulted in an increase in VDR expression. Moreover, a further increase in VDR expression was observed when the analogs PRI-2201 or PRI-2205, but not PRI-2191, were used in combination with tamoxifen. This observation could partially explain the potentiation of the antiproliferative effect of tamoxifen by vitamin D analogs.

From files to SAF: 3D endodontic treatment is possible at last.

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Zvi

2011-01-01

3D cleaning, shaping and obturation of root canals has always been the desired goal of endodontic treatment which in many cases is difficult to attain. The introduction of NiTi rotary files made a major change in endodontic practice, making treatment easier, safer and faster. Nevertheless, after 16 years of intensive development, most of these instruments still share several drawbacks, the major one being the inability to three-dimensionally clean and shape oval root canals. The Self-Adjusting File (SAF) System was designed to overcome many of the current drawbacks of rotary file systems. It is based on a hollow, highly compressible file that adapts itself three-dimensionally to the shape of a given root canal, including its cross section. The file is operated with vibratory in-and-out motion, with continuous irrigation delivered by a peristaltic pump through the hollow file. A uniform layer of dentin is removed from the whole circumference of the root canal, thus achieving the main goals of root canal treatment while preserving the remaining root dentin. The 3D scrubbing effect of the file, combined with the always fresh irrigant, result in unprecedentedly clean canals which facilitate in turn better obturation. More effective disinfection of flat-oval root canals is another goal which is simultaneously attained. The safety of the root-canal treatment is also greatly enhanced by the high mechanical stability of the SAF and by using a new concept of no-pressure irrigation. The SAF System gets the operator much closer to the long-desired goal of 3D root-canal treatment.

Sintering boat transport system for the SAF line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egli, W.; Bogart, R.L.

1983-10-01

The Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) line will be a remotely operated process for the manufacture of breeder reactor fuel pins. The sintering boat transport system will service the pellet operations. Since the Boat Transport System will be the major link between several subsystem operations, reliability and ease of maintenance are prime requirements for the design. A prototypic version of the Boat Transport System was designed, built and tested to verify the operability of the selected approach. Extensive testing provided valuable input to the final design and substantiated the soundness of the concept

Effects of off-centered cracks and restraint of induced bending caused by pressure on the crack-opening-area analysis of pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, S.; Wilkowski, G.M.; Bonora, N.

1996-01-01

Current models for the crack-opening-area analysis of pipes with circumferential through-wall cracks are based on various idealizations or assumptions which are often necessary to simplify the mathematical formulation and numerical calculation. This paper focuses on the validity of two such assumptions that involve off-centered cracks and the restraint of induced bending caused by pressure, and quantifies their effects on the crack-opening area analysis of pipes. Finite element and/or simple estimation methods were employed to compute the center-crack-opening displacement and crack-opening shape for a through-wall-cracked pipe, considering off-centered cracks and the restraint of induced bending caused by pressure. The results of the analyses show that, for both cases, the crack-opening area can be reduced significantly. For pipes with off-centered cracks, the crack-opening area can be evaluated from analyses of symmetrically centered cracks and assuming elliptical profile. For pipes with complete restraint of the induced bending caused by pressure, the reduction in crack-opening area depends on the crack size. When the crack size is small, the restraint effects can be ignored. However, when the crack size is large, the restrained crack opening can be significantly smaller than the unrestrained crack opening, depending on the length of pipe involved; hence, it may be important for the crack-opening-area and leak-rate analyses. (orig.)

Detection and sizing of cracks using potential drop techniques based on electromagnetic induction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yasumoto; Kim, Hoon

2011-01-01

The potential drop techniques based on electromagnetic induction are classified into induced current focused potential drop (ICFPD) technique and remotely induced current potential drop (RICPD) technique. The possibility of numerical simulation of the techniques is investigated and the applicability of these techniques to the measurement of defects in conductive materials is presented. Finite element analysis (FEA) for the RICPD measurements on the plate specimen containing back wall slits is performed and calculated results by FEA show good agreement with experimental results. Detection limit of the RICPD technique in depth of back wall slits can also be estimated by FEA. Detection and sizing of artificial defects in parent and welded materials are successfully performed by the ICFPD technique. Applicability of these techniques to detection of cracks in field components is investigated, and most of the cracks in the components investigated are successfully detected by the ICFPD and RICPD techniques. (author)

Subcritical crack growth law and its consequences for lifetime statistics and size effect of quasibrittle structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le, Jia-Liang; Bazant, Zdenek P; Bazant, Martin Z

2009-01-01

For brittle failures, the probability distribution of structural strength and lifetime are known to be Weibullian, in which case the knowledge of the mean and standard deviation suffices to determine the loading or time corresponding to a tolerable failure probability such as 10 -6 . Unfortunately, this is not so for quasibrittle structures, characterized by material inhomogeneities that are not negligible compared with the structure size (as is typical, e.g. for concrete, fibre composites, tough ceramics, rocks and sea ice). For such structures, the distribution of structural strength was shown to vary from almost Gaussian to Weibullian as a function of structure size (and also shape). Here we predict the size dependence of the distribution type for the lifetime of quasibrittle structures. To derive the lifetime statistics from the strength statistics, the subcritical crack growth law is requisite. This empirical law is shown to be justified by fracture mechanics of random crack jumps in the atomic lattice and the condition of equality of the energy dissipation rates calculated on the nano-scale and the macro-scale. The size effect on the lifetime is found to be much stronger than that on the structural strength. The theory is shown to match the experimentally observed systematic deviations of lifetime histograms from the Weibull distribution.

Crack tip stress and strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francois, D.

1975-01-01

The study of potential energy variations in a loaded elastic solid containing a crack leads to determination of the crack driving force G. Generalization of this concept to cases other than linear elasticity leads to definition of the integral J. In a linear solid, the crack tip stress field is characterized by a single parameter: the stress-intensity factor K. When the crack tip plastic zone size is confined to the elastic singularity J=G, it is possible to establish relationship between these parameters and plastic strain (and in particular the crack tip opening displacement delta). The stress increases because of the triaxiality effect. This overload rises with increasing strain hardening. When the plastic zone size expands, using certain hypotheses, delta can be calculated. The plastic strain intensity is exclusively dependent on parameter J [fr

Effects of off-centered crack and restraint of induced bending due to pressure on the crack-opening-area analysis of pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, S.; Ghadiali, N.; Wilkowski, G.; Bonora, N.

1995-01-01

Estimation of leak rate is an important element in developing leak-before-break (LBB) methodology for piping integrity and safety analysis of nuclear power plants. Here, current models for the crack-opening-area analysis of pipes with circumferential through-wall cracks are based on various idealizations or assumption which are often necessary to simplify the mathematical formulation and numerical calculation. This paper focuses on the validity of two such assumptions involving off-centered cracks and restraint of induced bending due to pressure and quantifies their effects on the crack-opening analysis of pipes. Both finite element and/or simple estimation methods were employed to compute the center-crack-opening displacement and crack-opening shape for a through-wall-cracked pipe considering off-centered cracks and restrain of induced bending due to pressure. The results of analyses show that for both cases the crack-opening area can be reduced significantly. For pipes with off-centered cracks, the crack-opening area can be evaluated from analyses of symmetrically centered cracks and assuming elliptical profile. For pipes with complete restraint of induced bending due to pressure, the reduction of crack-opening area depends on the crack size. When the crack size is small, the restraint effects can be ignored. However, when the crack size is larger, the restrained crack-opening can be significantly smaller than the unrestrained crack-opening depending on the length of pipe involved, and hence, may be important for the crack-opening-area and leak-rate analyses

The School Assessment for Environmental Typology (SAfETy): An Observational Measure of the School Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradshaw, Catherine P; Milam, Adam J; Furr-Holden, C Debra M; Johnson, Sarah Lindstrom

2015-12-01

School safety is of great concern for prevention researchers, school officials, parents, and students, yet there are a dearth of assessments that have operationalized school safety from an organizational framework using objective tools and measures. Such a tool would be important for deriving unbiased assessments of the school environment, which in turn could be used as an evaluative tool for school violence prevention efforts. The current paper presents a framework for conceptualizing school safety consistent with Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) model and social disorganization theory, both of which highlight the importance of context as a driver for adolescents' risk for involvement in substance use and violence. This paper describes the development of a novel observational measure, called the School Assessment for Environmental Typology (SAfETy), which applies CPTED and social disorganizational frameworks to schools to measure eight indicators of school physical and social environment (i.e., disorder, trash, graffiti/vandalism, appearance, illumination, surveillance, ownership, and positive behavioral expectations). Drawing upon data from 58 high schools, we provide preliminary data regarding the validity and reliability of the SAfETy and describe patterns of the school safety indicators. Findings demonstrate the reliability and validity of the SAfETy and are discussed with regard to the prevention of violence in schools.

Interactions Between Fibroblast Cells and Laser Beam Welded AISI 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ceyhun KÖSE

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Because of their high mechanical strength, excellent corrosion resistance and good weldability, duplex stainless steels are mostly used in industries such as oil, chemistry, petrochemistry, food and occasionally used in medical industry. These properties have enabled us to use duplex stainless steels in biomedical applications recently. Accordingly, duplex stainless steel material can be highly important to examine the toxic effect on the cells. In this study, the effect of the AISI 2205 duplex stainless steels which are joined by CO2 laser beam welding on viability of L929 fibroblast cells has been studied in vitro for the first time. For this aim, the cells were kept in DMEM/F-12 (Thermofisher Scientific 31331-028 medium for 7 days. The viability study was experimentally studied using the MTT (Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide method for 7 days. The cell viability of the laser beam welded sample has been detected to be higher than that of the base metal and the control based on 7th day data. According to the obtained results, it was revealed that laser beam welded and base metal AISI 2205 duplex stainless steel has been found suitable to study for biomedical applications. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.2.18006

Finite size and geometrical non-linear effects during crack pinning by heterogeneities: An analytical and experimental study

Science.gov (United States)

Vasoya, Manish; Unni, Aparna Beena; Leblond, Jean-Baptiste; Lazarus, Veronique; Ponson, Laurent

2016-04-01

Crack pinning by heterogeneities is a central toughening mechanism in the failure of brittle materials. So far, most analytical explorations of the crack front deformation arising from spatial variations of fracture properties have been restricted to weak toughness contrasts using first order approximation and to defects of small dimensions with respect to the sample size. In this work, we investigate the non-linear effects arising from larger toughness contrasts by extending the approximation to the second order, while taking into account the finite sample thickness. Our calculations predict the evolution of a planar crack lying on the mid-plane of a plate as a function of material parameters and loading conditions, especially in the case of a single infinitely elongated obstacle. Peeling experiments are presented which validate the approach and evidence that the second order term broadens its range of validity in terms of toughness contrast values. The work highlights the non-linear response of the crack front to strong defects and the central role played by the thickness of the specimen on the pinning process.

Creep crack extension by grain-boundary cavitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bassani, J.L.

1981-01-01

Recent work by Riedel and coworkers has led to various descriptions of stationary and moving crack tip fields under creep conditions. For stationary and growing cracks, several flow mechanisms (e.g., elastic, time-independent plastic, primary creep, and secondary creep) can dictate the analytical form of the crack tip field. In this paper, relationship between overall loading and crack velocities are modelled based upon grain-boundary cavity growth and coalescence within the zone of concentrated strain in the crack tip field. Coupled diffusion and creep growth of the cavities is considered. Overall crack extension is taken to be intermittent on a size scale equivalent to the size of a grain. Numerical results are presented for a center-cracked panel of 304 stainless steel. (author)

Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Y.S.; Nelson, T.W.; Sterling, C.J.; Steel, R.J.; Pettersson, C.-O.

2005-01-01

The microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir (FS) welded SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel were examined. High-quality, full-penetration welds were successfully produced in the super duplex stainless steel by friction stir welding (FSW) using polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tool. The base material had a microstructure consisting of the ferrite matrix with austenite islands, but FSW refined grains of the ferrite and austenite phases in the stir zone through dynamic recrystallisation. Ferrite content was held between 50 and 60% throughout the weld. The smaller grain sizes of the ferrite and austenite phases caused increase in hardness and strength within the stir zone. Welded transverse tensile specimen failed near the border between the stir zone and TMAZ at the retreating side as the weld had roughly the same strengths as the base material

76 FR 12558 - Amendment to Special Use Airspace Restricted Areas R-2203, and R-2205; Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-08

...-0055; Airspace Docket No. 11-AAL-2] Amendment to Special Use Airspace Restricted Areas R-2203, and R... amendment. SUMMARY: This action amends the using agency of Restricted Areas R-2203 A, B, & C; Eagle River, AK, and R-2205, Stuart Creek, AK. These changes reflect the U.S. Army's current organization in...

Finite element analysis of fatigue crack closure under plane strain state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hak Joo; Kang, Jae Youn; Song, Ji Ho

2004-01-01

An elastic-plastic finite element analysis of fatigue crack closure is performed for plane strain conditions. The stabilization behavior of crack opening level and the effect of mesh size on the crack opening stress are investigated. In order to obtain a stabilized crack opening level for plane strain conditions, the crack must be advanced through approximately four times the initial monotonic plastic zone. The crack opening load tends to increase with the decrease of mesh size. The mesh size nearly equal to the theoretical plane strain cyclic plastic zone size may provide reasonable numerical results comparable with experimental crack opening data. The crack opening behavior is influenced by the crack growth increment and discontinuous opening behavior is observed. A procedure to predict the most appropriate mesh size for different stress ratio is suggested. Crack opening loads predicted by the FE analysis based on the procedure suggested resulted in good agreement with experimental ones within the error of 5 %. Effect of the distance behind the crack tip on the crack opening load determined by the ASTM compliance offset method based on the load-displacement relation and by the rotational offset method based on the load-differential displacement relation is investigated. Optimal gage location and method to determine the crack opening load is suggested

ModSAF-based development of operational requirements for light armored vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Rapanotti, John; Palmarini, Marc

2003-09-01

Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) are being developed to meet the modern requirements of rapid deployment and operations other than war. To achieve these requirements, passive armour is minimized and survivability depends more on sensors, computers, countermeasures and communications to detect and avoid threats. The performance, reliability, and ultimately the cost of these systems, will be determined by the technology trends and the rates at which they mature. Defining vehicle requirements will depend upon an accurate assessment of these trends over a longer term than was previously needed. Modelling and simulation are being developed to study these long-term trends and how they contribute to establishing vehicle requirements. ModSAF is being developed for research and development, in addition to the original requirement of Simulation and Modelling for Acquisition, Rehearsal, Requirements and Training (SMARRT), and is becoming useful as a means for transferring technology to other users, researchers and contractors. This procedure eliminates the need to construct ad hoc models and databases. The integration of various technologies into a Defensive Aids Suite (DAS) can be designed and analyzed by combining field trials and laboratory data with modelling and simulation. ModSAF (Modular Semi-Automated Forces,) is used to construct the virtual battlefield and, through scripted input files, a "fixed battle" approach is used to define and implement contributions from three different sources. These contributions include: models of technology and natural phenomena from scientists and engineers, tactics and doctrine from the military and detailed analyses from operations research. This approach ensures the modelling of processes known to be important regardless of the level of information available about the system. Survivability of DAS-equipped vehicles based on future and foreign technology can be investigated by ModSAF and assessed relative to a test vehicle. A vehicle can

Fatigue crack propagation behavior of stainless steel welds

Science.gov (United States)

Kusko, Chad S.

The fatigue crack propagation behavior of austenitic and duplex stainless steel base and weld metals has been investigated using various fatigue crack growth test procedures, ferrite measurement techniques, light optical microscopy, stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical profilometry. The compliance offset method has been incorporated to measure crack closure during testing in order to determine a stress ratio at which such closure is overcome. Based on this method, an empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been shown to be very successful in overcoming crack closure for all da/dN for gas metal arc and laser welds. This empirically-determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been applied to testing of stainless steel base metal and weld metal to understand the influence of microstructure. Regarding the base metal investigation, for 316L and AL6XN base metals, grain size and grain plus twin size have been shown to influence resulting crack growth behavior. The cyclic plastic zone size model has been applied to accurately model crack growth behavior for austenitic stainless steels when the average grain plus twin size is considered. Additionally, the effect of the tortuous crack paths observed for the larger grain size base metals can be explained by a literature model for crack deflection. Constant Delta K testing has been used to characterize the crack growth behavior across various regions of the gas metal arc and laser welds at the empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60. Despite an extensive range of stainless steel weld metal FN and delta-ferrite morphologies, neither delta-ferrite morphology significantly influence the room temperature crack growth behavior. However, variations in weld metal da/dN can be explained by local surface roughness resulting from large columnar grains and tortuous crack paths in the weld metal.

Analysis of short and long crack behavior and single overload effect by crack opening stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Sam Hong; Lee, Kyeong Ro

1999-01-01

The study analyzed the behaviors of short and long crack as well as the effect of single tensile overload on the crack behaviors by using fatigue crack opening behavior. Crack opening stress is measured by an elastic compliance method which may precisely and continuously provide many data using strain gages during experiment. The unusual growth behaviors of short crack and crack after the single tensile overload applied, was explained by the variations of crack opening stress. In addition, fatigue crack growth rate was expressed as a linear form for short crack as for long crack by using effective stress intensity factor range as fracture mechanical parameter, which is based on crack closure concept. And investigation is performed with respect to the relation between plastic zone size formed at the crack tip and crack retardation, crack length and the number of cycles promoted or retarded, and the overload effect on the fatigue life

Effect of Welding Process on Microstructure, Mechanical and Pitting Corrosion Behaviour of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel Welds

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Raffi; Madhusudhan Reddy, G.; Srinivasa Rao, K.

2018-03-01

An attempt has been made to weld 2205 Duplex stainless steel of 6mm thick plate using conventional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and activated gas tungsten arc welding (A- GTAW) process using silica powder as activated flux. Present work is aimed at studying the effect of welding process on depth of penetration, width of weld zone of 2205 duplex stainless steel. It also aims to observe the microstructural changes and its effect on mechanical properties and pitting corrosion resistance of 2205 duplex stainless steel welds. Metallography is done to observe the microstructural changes of the welds using image analyzer attached to the optical microscopy. Hardness studies, tensile and ductility bend tests were evaluated for mechanical properties. Potentio-dynamic polarization studies were carried out using a basic GillAC electro-chemical system in 3.5% NaCl solution to observe the pitting corrosion behaviour. Results of the present investigation established that increased depth of penetration and reduction of weld width in a single pass by activated GTAW with the application of SiO2 flux was observed when compared with conventional GTAW process. It may be attributed to the arc constriction effect. Microstructure of the weld zones for both the welds is observed to be having combination of austenite and delta ferrite. Grain boundary austenite (GBA) with Widmanstatten-type austenite (WA) of plate-like feature was nucleated from the grain boundaries in the weld zone of A-GTAW process. Mechanical properties are relatively low in activated GTAW process and are attributed to changes in microstructural morphology of austenite. Improved pitting corrosion resistance was observed for the welds made with A-GTAW process.

Ultrasonic testing of fatigue cracks under various conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jessop, T.J.; Cameron, A.G.B.

1983-01-01

Reliable detection of the fatigue cracks was possible under all conditions studied. Applied load affected the ultrasonic response in a variety of ways but never more than by 20dB and generally considerably less. Material variations affected the response under applied load by up to 20dB. Oxide in the crack and crack morphology affected the response by up to 9dB (12dB under load). Crack size variations and presence of water had little effect. Sizing accuracy was generally within 2mm although there was a tendency to undersize. The time of flight sizing technique gave the best accuracy if a tensile load was applied

Cracking in Flexural Reinforced Concrete Members

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Annette Beedholm; Fisker, Jakob; Hagsten, Lars German

2017-01-01

The system of cracks developing in reinforced concrete is in many aspects essential when modelling structures in both serviceability- and ultimate limit state. This paper discusses the behavior concerning crack development in flexural members observed from tests and associates it with two different...... existing models. From the investigations an approach is proposed on how to predict the crack pattern in flexural members involving two different crack systems; primary flexural cracks and local secondary cracks. The results of the approach is in overall good agreement with the observed tests and captures...... the pronounced size effect associated with flexural cracking in which the crack spacing and crack widths are approximately proportional to the depth of the member....

Ductile crack growth simulation from near crack tip dissipated energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marie, S.; Chapuliot, S.

2000-01-01

A method to calculate ductile tearing in both small scale fracture mechanics specimens and cracked components is presented. This method is based on an estimation of the dissipated energy calculated near the crack tip. Firstly, the method is presented. It is shown that a characteristic parameter G fr can be obtained, relevant to the dissipated energy in the fracture process. The application of the method to the calculation of side grooved crack tip (CT) specimens of different sizes is examined. The value of G fr is identified by comparing the calculated and experimental load line displacement versus crack extension curve for the smallest CT specimen. With this identified value, it is possible to calculate the global behaviour of the largest specimen. The method is then applied to the calculation of a pipe containing a through-wall thickness crack subjected to a bending moment. This pipe is made of the same material as the CT specimens. It is shown that it is possible to simulate the global behaviour of the structure including the prediction of up to 90-mm crack extension. Local terms such as the equivalent stress or the crack tip opening angle are found to be constant during the crack extension process. This supports the view that G fr controls the fields in the vicinity near the crack tip. (orig.)

Eddy current standards - Cracks versus notches

Science.gov (United States)

Hagemaier, D. J.; Collingwood, M. R.; Nguyen, K. H.

1992-10-01

Eddy current tests aimed at evaluating cracks and electron-discharge machined (EDM) notches in 7075-T6 aluminum specimens are described. A comparison of the shape and amplitude of recordings made from both transverse and longitudinal scans of small EDM notches and fatigue cracks showd almost identical results. The signal amplitude and phase angle increased with an increase of EDM notch and crak size. It is concluded that equivalent eddy current results obtained from similar-size surface cracks and notches in aluminum can be used to establish a desired sensitivity level for inspection.

A novel lab-on-chip platform with integrated solid phase PCR and Supercritical Angle Fluorescence (SAF) microlens array for highly sensitive and multiplexed pathogen detection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hung, Tran Quang; Chin, Wai Hoe; Sun, Yi

2016-01-01

technology. In this paper, we addressed this challenge by combining the SP-PCR with super critical angle fluorescence (SAF) microlens array embedded in a microchip. We fabricated miniaturized SAF microlens array as part of a microfluidic chamber in thermoplastic material and performed multiplexed SP...

Thermal treatments effect on the austenite-ferrite equilibrium in a duplex stainless steel weld beads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belkessa, Brahim; Badji, Riad; Bettahar, Kheireddine; Maza, Halim

2006-01-01

Heat treatments in the temperature range between 800 to 1200 C, with a keeping at high temperature of 60 min, followed by a water quenching at 20 C, have been carried out on austeno-ferritic stainless steel welds (of type SAF 2205-UNS S31803). The heat treatments carried out at temperatures below 1000 C have modified the structure of the duplex stainless steel 2205 in inducing the formation of precipitates, identified by X-ray diffraction as being the intermetallic compound σ and the chromium carbides M 23 C 6 . The treatments applied to temperatures superior to 1000 C shift the δ-γ equilibrium towards the δ phase. Indeed, the increase of the ferrite rate with the treatment temperature is approximately linear. The ferrite rates are higher in the heat-affected zone, which has been submitted to a ferritizing due to the welding thermal effects. (O.M.)

Numerical analysis for prediction of fatigue crack opening level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyeon Chang

2004-01-01

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is the most popular numerical method to simulate plasticity-induced fatigue crack closure and can predict fatigue crack closure behavior. Finite element analysis under plane stress state using 4-node isoparametric elements is performed to investigate the detailed closure behavior of fatigue cracks and the numerical results are compared with experimental results. The mesh of constant size elements on the crack surface can not correctly predict the opening level for fatigue crack as shown in the previous works. The crack opening behavior for the size mesh with a linear change shows almost flat stress level after a crack tip has passed by the monotonic plastic zone. The prediction of crack opening level presents a good agreement with published experimental data regardless of stress ratios, which are using the mesh of the elements that are in proportion to the reversed plastic zone size considering the opening stress intensity factors. Numerical interpolation results of finite element analysis can precisely predict the crack opening level. This method shows a good agreement with the experimental data regardless of the stress ratios and kinds of materials

Effect of microscopic structure on deformation in nano-sized copper and Cu/Si interfacial cracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sumigawa, Takashi, E-mail: sumigawa@cyber.kues.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Nakano, Takuya; Kitamura, Takayuki

2013-03-01

The purpose of this work is to examine the effect of microscopic structure on the mechanical properties of nano-sized components (nano-components). We developed a bending specimen with a substructure that can be observed by means of a transmission electron microscope (TEM). We examined the plastic behavior of a Cu bi-crystal and the Cu/Si interfacial cracking in a nano-component. TEM images indicated that an initial plastic deformation takes place near the interface edge (the junction between the Cu/Si interface and the surface) in the Cu film with a high critical resolved shear stress (400–420 MPa). The deformation developed preferentially in a single grain. Interfacial cracking took place at the intersection between the grain boundary and the Cu/Si interface, where a high stress concentration existed due to deformation mismatch. These results indicate that the characteristic mechanical behavior of a nano-component is governed by the microscopic stress field, which takes into account the crystallographic structure. - Highlights: ► A nano-component specimen including a bi-crystal copper layer was prepared. ► A loading test with in-situ transmission electron microscopy was conducted. ► The plastic and cracking behaviors were governed by microscopic stress. ► Stress defined under continuum assumption was still present in nano-components.

A novel, simple scale for assessing the symptom severity of atrial fibrillation at the bedside: the CCS-SAF scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Dorian, Paul; Cvitkovic, Suzan S; Kerr, Charles R; Crystal, Eugene; Gillis, Anne M; Guerra, Peter G; Mitchell, L Brent; Roy, Denis; Skanes, Allan C; Wyse, D George

2006-04-01

The severity of symptoms caused by atrial fibrillation (AF) is extremely variable. Quantifying the effect of AF on patient well-being is important but there is no simple, commonly accepted measure of the effect of AF on quality of life (QoL). Current QoL measures are cumbersome and impractical for clinical use. To create a simple, concise and readily usable AF severity score to facilitate treatment decisions and physician communication. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) Severity of Atrial Fibrillation (SAF) Scale is analogous to the CCS Angina Functional Class. The CCS-SAF score is determined using three steps: documentation of possible AF-related symptoms (palpitations, dyspnea, dizziness/syncope, chest pain, weakness/fatigue); determination of symptom-rhythm correlation; and assessment of the effect of these symptoms on patient daily function and QoL. CCS-SAF scores range from 0 (asymptomatic) to 4 (severe impact of symptoms on QoL and activities of daily living). Patients are also categorized by type of AF (paroxysmal versus persistent/permanent). The CCS-SAF Scale will be validated using accepted measures of patient-perceived severity of symptoms and impairment of QoL and will require 'field testing' to ensure its applicability and reproducibility in the clinical setting. This type of symptom severity scale, like the New York Heart Association Functional Class for heart failure symptoms and the CCS Functional Class for angina symptoms, trades precision and comprehensiveness for simplicity and ease of use at the bedside. A common language to quantify AF severity may help to improve patient care.

Atomistics of crack propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sieradzki, K.; Dienes, G.J.; Paskin, A.; Massoumzadeh, B.

1988-01-01

The molecular dynamic technique is used to investigate static and dynamic aspects of crack extension. The material chosen for this study was the 2D triangular solid with atoms interacting via the Johnson potential. The 2D Johnson solid was chosen for this study since a sharp crack in this material remains stable against dislocation emission up to the critical Griffith load. This behavior allows for a meaningful comparison between the simulation results and continuum energy theorems for crack extension by appropriately defining an effective modulus which accounts for sample size effects and the non-linear elastic behavior of the Johnson solid. Simulation results are presented for the stress fields of moving cracks and these dynamic results are discussed in terms of the dynamic crack propagation theories, of Mott, Eshelby, and Freund

A new CM SAF Solar Surface Radiation Climate Data Set derived from Meteosat Satellite Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Trentmann, J.; Mueller, R. W.; Pfeifroth, U.; Träger-Chatterjee, C.; Cremer, R.

2014-12-01

The incoming surface solar radiation has been defined as an essential climate variable by GCOS. It is mandatory to monitor this part of the earth's energy balance, and thus gain insights on the state and variability of the climate system. In addition, data sets of the surface solar radiation have received increased attention over the recent years as an important source of information for the planning of solar energy applications. The EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) is deriving surface solar radiation from geostationary and polar-orbiting satellite instruments. While CM SAF is focusing on the generation of high-quality long-term climate data records, also operationally data is provided in short time latency within 8 weeks. Here we present SARAH (Solar Surface Radiation Dataset - Heliosat), i.e. the new CM SAF Solar Surface Radiation data set based on Meteosat satellite observations. SARAH provides instantaneous, daily- and monthly-averaged data of the effective cloud albedo (CAL), the direct normalized solar radiation (DNI) and the solar irradiance (SIS) from 1983 to 2013 for the full view of the Meteosat satellite (i.e, Europe, Africa, parts of South America, and the Atlantic ocean). The data sets are generated with a high spatial resolution of 0.05 deg allowing for detailed regional studies, and are available in netcdf-format at no cost without restrictions at www.cmsaf.eu. We provide an overview of the data sets, including a validation against reference measurements from the BSRN and GEBA surface station networks.

Buckling Analysis of Edge Cracked Sandwich Plate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasha Mohammed Hussein

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This work presents mainly the buckling load of sandwich plates with or without crack for different cases. The buckling loads are analyzed experimentally and numerically by using ANSYS 15. The experimental investigation was to fabricate the cracked sandwich plate from stainless steel and PVC to find mechanical properties of stainless steel and PVC such as young modulus. The buckling load for different aspect ratio, crack length, cracked location and plate without crack found. The experimental results were compared with that found from ANSYS program. Present of crack is decreased the buckling load and that depends on crack size, crack location and aspect ratio.

Influencia del material de aporte en la resistencia a corrosión por picadura en uniones soldadas de un acero inoxidable dúplex 2205

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Múnez, C. J.

2007-08-01

Full Text Available In this work, it has been studied the pitting corrosion resistance of welding duplex stainless steel 2205. Unions were made by GMAW process with different fillers: duplex ER 2209 and two austenitic (ER 316LSi and ER 308LSi. The microstructure obtained with the duplex ER 2209 filler is similar to the duplex 2205 base material, but the unions produced with the austenitic fillers cause a decrease of the phases relation a/g. To evaluate the influence of the filler on the weld, the pitting corrosion resistance was determined by electrochemical critical pitting temperature test (TCP and the mechanical properties by the hardness. The phases imbalance produced for the dissimilar fillers bring out a variation of the pitting corrosion resistance and the mechanical properties.

En este trabajo se ha estudiado la resistencia a la corrosión localizada por picadura, de soldaduras realizadas sobre un acero inoxidable dúplex 2205. Se hicieron uniones mediante el proceso GMAW, utilizando como material de aporte un hilo dúplex ER 2209 y dos austeníticos ER 316LSi y ER 308LSi. Metalúrgicamente, se observa como para el hilo ER 2209 las microestructuras que se obtienen son similares a la del dúplex 2205, mientras que en las uniones con hilo austenítico, pueden verse microestructuras muy diferentes en las que la relación de fases a/g disminuye. Al evaluar la resistencia a la corrosión por picadura, mediante la Temperatura Crítica de Picadura (TCP, se comprobó como el desequilibrio entre las fases, generado por el aporte, provoca la variación en la resistencia a la corrosión localizada por picadura. También, se estudió la variación en las propiedades mecánicas del material mediante ensayos de dureza.

Correlation of fracture parameters during onset of crack in middle tension specimen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.S. Starvin

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The present study addresses the implementation of finite element analysis and the prediction of fracture parameters in a middle tension (MT specimen that was fabricated using AISI 4140 steel. The correlation of fracture parameters with external loads and crack sizes was investigated. A Finite Element code was developed to simulate the fracture model. The contour integral method was applied in the calculation of stress intensity factor and J-integral in the cracked specimen. The ASTM standard empirical formula was used to calculate the stress intensity factor (SIF and the numerical predictions were validated. A standard laboratory experiment was also carried out using the MT specimen to calculate the crack growth rate in this specific material. The SIF values were almost linear with external load but it was decreasing as the crack size increases. The crack requires minimum load for crack propagation as the crack size increases. Similarly the J-integral was accelerated with increase in crack size.

Recent evaluations of crack-opening-area in circumferentially cracked pipes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahman, S.; Brust, F.; Ghadiali, N.; Wilkowski, G.; Miura, N.

1997-04-01

Leak-before-break (LBB) analyses for circumferentially cracked pipes are currently being conducted in the nuclear industry to justify elimination of pipe whip restraints and jet shields which are present because of the expected dynamic effects from pipe rupture. The application of the LBB methodology frequently requires calculation of leak rates. The leak rates depend on the crack-opening area of the through-wall crack in the pipe. In addition to LBB analyses which assume a hypothetical flaw size, there is also interest in the integrity of actual leaking cracks corresponding to current leakage detection requirements in NRC Regulatory Guide 1.45, or for assessing temporary repair of Class 2 and 3 pipes that have leaks as are being evaluated in ASME Section XI. The objectives of this study were to review, evaluate, and refine current predictive models for performing crack-opening-area analyses of circumferentially cracked pipes. The results from twenty-five full-scale pipe fracture experiments, conducted in the Degraded Piping Program, the International Piping Integrity Research Group Program, and the Short Cracks in Piping and Piping Welds Program, were used to verify the analytical models. Standard statistical analyses were performed to assess used to verify the analytical models. Standard statistical analyses were performed to assess quantitatively the accuracy of the predictive models. The evaluation also involved finite element analyses for determining the crack-opening profile often needed to perform leak-rate calculations.

Detection and sizing of inside-surface cracks in reactor pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamata, Hiroshi; Kanazawa, Katsuo; Satoh, Kunio; Honma, Takashi

1984-01-01

According to the past operational experience of LWRs, most of the defects arising in reactor pressure vessels accompanying operation are cracks occurring in the build up welding of austenitic stainless steel on the internal surfaces. The detection of these cracks has been carried out by ultrasonic flaw detection from outside in BWRs and from inside in PWRs as in-service inspection. However, there are difficulties such as ultrasonic echoes often occur though defects do not exist, and the quantitative evaluation of detected cracks is difficult by this method because of its accuracy. One of the means to reduce the first difficulty is to use eddy current method together to help the judgement, and for overcoming the second, the ultrasonic method catching end peak echo, that catching diffracted waves, eddy current method and electric resistance method were tried and compared. It is desirable to detect cracks in early stage before they reach parent material. The techniques to detect cracks on the internal surfaces of pressure vessels from the inside and to measure the depth are reported in this paper. The methods of flaw detection examined and the instruments used, the experimental method and the results are reported. It was concluded that eddy current method can be used as the backup for ultrasonic remote flaw detection, and the accuracy of depth measurement was the highest in ultrasonic diffraction wave method. (Kako, I.)

Effect of friction stir welding speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeid, T.; Abdollah-zadeh, A.; Assadi, H.; Malek Ghaini, F.

2008-01-01

The present study focuses on the effect of the welding speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the stir zone (SZ) in friction stir welding (FSW) of SAF 2205 duplex stainless steel. A single tool, made of a WC-base material, was used to weld 2 mm-thick plates at a constant rotational speed of 600 rpm. X-ray radiography revealed that sound welds were successfully obtained for the welding speeds in the range of 50-200 mm/min, whereas a groove-like defect was formed at the higher speed of 250 mm/min. Moreover, increasing the welding speed decreased the size of the α and γ grains in the SZ, and hence, improved the mean hardness value and the tensile strength of the SZ. These results are interpreted with respect to interplay between the welding speed and the peak temperature in FSW

SAF-BRET-FMEF: a developmental LMR fuel cycle facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stradley, J.G.; Yook, H.R.; Gerber, E.W.; Lerch, R.E.; Rice, L.H.

1985-01-01

The SAF-BRET-FMEF complex represents a versatile fuel cycle facility for processing LMR fuel. While originally conceived for processing FFTF and CRBRP fuel, it represents a facility where LMR fuel from the first generation of innovative LMRs could be processed. The cost of transporting fuel from the LMR to the Hanford site would have to be assessed when the LMR site is identified. The throughput of BRET was set at 15 MTHM/yr during conceptual design of the facility, a rate which was adequate to process all of the fuel from FFTF and fuel and blanket material from CRBRP. The design is currently being reevaluated to see if BRET could be expanded to approx.35 MTHM/yr to process fuel and blanket material from approx.1300 MWe generating capacity of the innovative LMRs. This expanded throughput is possible by designing the equipment for an instantaneous throughput of 0.2 MTHM/d, and by selected additional modifications to the facility (e.g., expansion of shipping and receiving area, and addition of a second entry tunnel transporter), and by the fact that the LMR fuel assemblies contain more fuel than the FFTF assemblies (therefore, fewer assemblies must be handled for the same throughput). The estimated cost of such an expansion is also being assessed. As stated previously, the throughput of SAF and Fuel Assembly could be made to support typical LMRs at little additional cost. The throughput could be increased to support the fuel fabrication requirements for 1300 MWe generating capacity of the innovative LMRs. This added capacity may be achieved by increasing the number of operating shifts, and is affected by variables such as fuel design, fuel enrichment, and plutonium isotopic composition

Cracking in Drying Colloidal Films

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Karnail B.; Tirumkudulu, Mahesh S.

2007-05-01

It has long been known that thick films of colloidal dispersions such as wet clays, paints, and coatings crack under drying. Although capillary stresses generated during drying have been recently identified as the cause for cracking, the existence of a maximum crack-free film thickness that depends on particle size, rigidity, and packing has not been understood. Here, we identify two distinct regimes for crack-free films based on the magnitude of compressive strain at the maximum attainable capillary pressure and show remarkable agreement of measurements with our theory. We anticipate our results to not only form the basis for design of coating formulations for the paints, coatings, and ceramics industry but also assist in the production of crack-free photonic band gap crystals.

Analysis on the stress corrosion crack inception based on pit shape and size of the FV520B tensile specimen

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Longhao; Pan, Juyi; Chen, Songying

2018-06-01

The influence of pit shape and size on local stress concentration in the tensile specimen and the stress corrosion cracks inception was studied by employing the element remove technique. The maximum stress located in the bottom of pit on FV520B tensile specimen. The location of maximum strain was near the mouth of the pit or the shoulder and plastic strain existed in this region. Stress concentration factor and plastic deformation on four different geometrical shape pits of hemisphere, semi-ellipsoid, bullet and butterfly were numerically investigated, respectively. The simulation results showed that butterfly pit got the biggest stress concentration factor. The plastic strain rate during pit growth was in the sensitivity range of stress corrosion cracks inception, indicating that stress corrosion cracks were more likely to nucleate near the pit tip or the shoulder.

Sseven-color Photometry and Classification of Stars in the Vicinity of the Emission Nebula Sh2-205

Science.gov (United States)

Čepas, V.; Zdanavičius, J.; Zdanavičius, K.; Straižys, V.; Laugalys, V.

We present the results of CCD photometry in the seven-color Vilnius system for 922 stars down to V = 17 mag in a 1.5 square degree field at the northern edge of the H II region Sh2-205, at the Perseus and Camelopardalis border. Using the intrinsic color indices and photometric reddening-free Q-parameters, two-dimensional spectral types for most stars are determined.

Refinement and evaluation of crack-opening-area analyses for circumferential through-wall cracks in pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, S.; Brust, F.; Ghadiali, N.; Krishnaswamy, P.; Wilkowski, G.; Choi, Y.H.; Moberg, F.; Brickstad, B.

1995-04-01

Leak-before-break (LBB) analyses for circumferentially cracked pipes are currently being conducted in the nuclear industry to justify elimination of pipe whip restraints and jet impingement shields which are present because of the expected dynamic effects from pipe rupture. The application of the LBB methodology frequently requires calculation of leak rates. These leak rates depend on the crack-opening area of a through-wall crack in the pipe. In addition to LBB analyses, which assume a hypothetical flaw size, there is also interest in the integrity of actual leaking cracks corresponding to current leakage detection requirements in NRC Regulatory Guide 1.45, or for assessing temporary repair of Class 2 and 3 pipes that have leaks as are being evaluated in ASME Section 11. This study was requested by the NRC to review, evaluate, and refine current analytical models for crack-opening-area analyses of pipes with circumferential through-wall cracks. Twenty-five pipe experiments were analyzed to determine the accuracy of the predictive models. Several practical aspects of crack-opening such as; crack-face pressure, off-center cracks, restraint of pressure-induced bending, cracks in thickness transition regions, weld residual stresses, crack-morphology models, and thermal-hydraulic analysis, were also investigated. 140 refs., 105 figs., 41 tabs

Location of rare-earth dopants on LiCAF and LiSAF laser hosts via XRD, EXAFS and computer modeling technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valerio, Mario Ernesto Giroldo; Amaral, Jomar Batista de; Baldochi, Sonia Licia Vera; Mazzocchi, L.; Sasaki, Jose Marcos; Jackson, Robert A.

2004-01-01

Full text: Cr-doped LiCaAlF 6 (LiCAF) and LiSrAlF 6 (LiSAF) were used as laser operating in the near infrared region. Ce-doped LiCAF and LiSAF have been reported as leading candidates for tunable all-solid-state lasers in the UV region. Spectroscopic properties of LiCaAlF 6 : Nd suggest that this crystal can be used as selective optical filter and refractive element for 157 nm photolithography. The question of whether the RE dopant will prefer the Li + , the M 2+ site or the Al 3+ site is not yet known. Nevertheless most of the optical properties of these hosts including their laser action depend on the local symmetry, charge compensation mechanism and possible deformation of the lattice. In the present work, Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), Spectro fluorimetry, combined with computer modeling, were used to study the local structure around the dopant and determine the site occupied by them and also the distance and nature of the co-ordinating atoms. The compounds were prepared from commercially available CaF2 and SrF2 powders of high purity; LiF previously purified by the zone melting method, and AlF3 and RE dopants obtained from the hydro fluorination of commercial Al 2 O 3 . The synthesis of 2 mol % RE doped LiCAF and LiSAF samples were performed in a platinum reactor. The compositions were 2 mol % LiF and AlF3 enriched to compensate for their high vaporization. Powder XRD measurements were performed at room temperature in a Rigaku DMAX diffractometer in step scan mode using Cu K radiation. The Rietveld method (DBWS-9807a software) was employed in the analysis of the patterns. It was found that in the doped samples the concentration of the LiCAF or LiSAF phases are 84-95% and a small amount of AlF 3 and α - Li 3 AlF 6 were formed. The XAS experiments were performed on and above the L III absorption edge of the Er, Ho and Nd ions in fluorescence and transmission mode at room temperature in the XAS station at the LNLS, Campinas

Development of oxide dispersion strengthened 2205 duplex stainless steel composite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oladayo OLANIRAN

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Composites of duplex stainless steel were produced by oxide dispersion strengthening with comparatively improved mechanical properties by hot press sintering of partially stabilized Zirconia (PSZ, 3% yttria, mole fraction dispersion in 2205 duplex stainless steels. Ceramic oxide was added as reinforcement, while chromium (Cr and Nickel (Ni were incorporated to maintain the austenitic/ferritic phase balance of the duplex stainless steel. The powders and sintered were characterized in detail using scanning electron microscopy (SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The microstructural evolution and phase formation during oxide dispersion strengthening of duplex stainless steel composites were investigated. The influence of composition variation of the reinforcements on the microstructural and corrosion behaviour in simulated mine water of the composites were investigated. In this manuscript, it was established that composition has great influence on the structure/properties relationship of the composites developed.

A Fatigue Crack Size Evaluation Method Based on Lamb Wave Simulation and Limited Experimental Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingjing He

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a systematic and general method for Lamb wave-based crack size quantification using finite element simulations and Bayesian updating. The method consists of construction of a baseline quantification model using finite element simulation data and Bayesian updating with limited Lamb wave data from target structure. The baseline model correlates two proposed damage sensitive features, namely the normalized amplitude and phase change, with the crack length through a response surface model. The two damage sensitive features are extracted from the first received S0 mode wave package. The model parameters of the baseline model are estimated using finite element simulation data. To account for uncertainties from numerical modeling, geometry, material and manufacturing between the baseline model and the target model, Bayesian method is employed to update the baseline model with a few measurements acquired from the actual target structure. A rigorous validation is made using in-situ fatigue testing and Lamb wave data from coupon specimens and realistic lap-joint components. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated under different loading and damage conditions.

Detection and sizing of large-scale cracks in centrifugally cast stainless steel pipes using Lamb waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ngoc, T.D.K.; Avioli, M.J. Jr.

1988-01-01

Application of conventional ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to centrifugally cast stainless steel (CCSS) pipes in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) has been limited, mainly due to the anisotropy of the CCSS materials. Phenomena such as beam skewing and distortion are directly attributable to this anisotropy and cause severe difficulties in crack detection and sizing. To improve CCSS inspectability, the feasibility of using Lamb waves as the probing mechanism for detecting and characterizing a surface-breaking crack originating from the pipe interior surface is discussed. A similar research effort has been reported by Rokhlin who investigated the interaction of Lamb waves with delaminations in thin sheets. Rokhlin and Adler also reported recently on the use of Lamb waves for evaluating spot welds. The motivation for using this probing mechanism derives from the recognition that the difficulties introduced by beam skewing, beam distortion, and high attenuation are circumvented, since Lamb waves are not bulk waves, but are resonant vibrational modes of a solid plate

Seven-Color Photometry and Classification of Stars in the Vicinity of the Emission Nebula Sh2-205

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Čepas V.

2013-09-01

Full Text Available We present the results of CCD photometry in the seven-color Vilnius system for 922 stars down to V ~ 17 mag in a 1.5 square degree field at the northern edge of the HII region Sh2-205, at the Perseus and Camelopardalis border. Using the intrinsic color indices and photometric reddening-free Q-parameters, two-dimensional spectral types for most stars are determined.

Moving horizon estimation for assimilating H-SAF remote sensing data into the HBV hydrological model

Science.gov (United States)

Montero, Rodolfo Alvarado; Schwanenberg, Dirk; Krahe, Peter; Lisniak, Dmytro; Sensoy, Aynur; Sorman, A. Arda; Akkol, Bulut

2016-06-01

Remote sensing information has been extensively developed over the past few years including spatially distributed data for hydrological applications at high resolution. The implementation of these products in operational flow forecasting systems is still an active field of research, wherein data assimilation plays a vital role on the improvement of initial conditions of streamflow forecasts. We present a novel implementation of a variational method based on Moving Horizon Estimation (MHE), in application to the conceptual rainfall-runoff model HBV, to simultaneously assimilate remotely sensed snow covered area (SCA), snow water equivalent (SWE), soil moisture (SM) and in situ measurements of streamflow data using large assimilation windows of up to one year. This innovative application of the MHE approach allows to simultaneously update precipitation, temperature, soil moisture as well as upper and lower zones water storages of the conceptual model, within the assimilation window, without an explicit formulation of error covariance matrixes and it enables a highly flexible formulation of distance metrics for the agreement of simulated and observed variables. The framework is tested in two data-dense sites in Germany and one data-sparse environment in Turkey. Results show a potential improvement of the lead time performance of streamflow forecasts by using perfect time series of state variables generated by the simulation of the conceptual rainfall-runoff model itself. The framework is also tested using new operational data products from the Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF) of EUMETSAT. This study is the first application of H-SAF products to hydrological forecasting systems and it verifies their added value. Results from assimilating H-SAF observations lead to a slight reduction of the streamflow forecast skill in all three cases compared to the assimilation of streamflow data only. On the other hand

Finite-Element Analysis of Crack Arrest Properties of Fiber Reinforced Composites Application in Semi-Elliptical Cracked Pipelines

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Linyuan; Song, Shulei; Deng, Hongbo; Zhong, Kai

2018-04-01

In nowadays, repair method using fiber reinforced composites as the mainstream pipe repair technology, it can provide security for X100 high-grade steel energy long-distance pipelines in engineering. In this paper, analysis of cracked X100 high-grade steel pipe was conducted, simulation analysis was made on structure of pipes and crack arresters (CAs) to obtain the J-integral value in virtue of ANSYS Workbench finite element software and evaluation on crack arrest effects was done through measured elastic-plastic fracture mechanics parameter J-integral and the crack arrest coefficient K, in a bid to summarize effect laws of composite CAs and size of pipes and cracks for repairing CAs. The results indicate that the K value is correlated with laying angle λ, laying length L2/D1, laying thickness T1/T2of CAs, crack depth c/T1 and crack length a/c, and calculate recommended parameters for repairing fiber reinforced composite CAs in terms of two different crack forms.

Numerical simulations of material mismatch and ductile crack growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oestby, Erling

2002-07-01

Both the global geometry and inhomogeneities in material properties will influence the fracture behaviour of structures in presence of cracks. In this thesis numerical simulations have been used to investigate how some aspects of both these issues affect the conditions at the crack-tip. The thesis is organised in an introduction chapter, summarising the major findings and conclusions, a review chapter, presenting the main aspects of the developments in the field of fracture mechanics, and three research papers. Paper I considers the effect of mismatch in hardening exponent on the local near-tip stress field for stationary interface cracks in bi-materials under small scale yielding conditions. It is demonstrated that the stress level in the weaker material increases compared to what is found in the homogeneous material for the same globally applied load level, with the effect being of increasing importance as the crack-tip is approached. Although a coupling between the radial and angular dependence of the stress fields exists, the evolving stress field can still be normalised with the applied J. The effect on the increase in stress level can closely be characterised by the difference in hardening exponent, {delta}n, termed the hardening mismatch, and is more or less independent of the absolute level of hardening in the two materials. Paper II and Ill deal with the effects of geometry, specimen size, hardening level and yield stress mismatch in relation to ductile crack growth. The ductile crack growth is simulated through use of the Gurson model. In Paper H the effect of specimen size on the crack growth resistance is investigated for deep cracked bend and shallow cracked tensile specimens. At small amounts of crack growth the effect of specimen size on the crack growth resistance is small, but a more significant effect is found for larger amounts of crack growth. The crack growth resistance decreases in smaller specimens loaded in tension, whereas the opposite is

Impact deformation behavior of duplex and superaustenitic stainless steels welds by split Hopkinson pressure bar

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shing-Hoa; Huang, Chih-Sheng; Lee, Woei-Shyan; Chen, Tao-Hsing; Wu, Chia-Chang; Lien, Charles; Tsai, Hung-Yin

2009-12-01

A considerable volume of γ phase increases in the fusion zone (weld metal) for two duplex stainless steels after a high-strain-rate impact. The strain-induced γ phase formation in the fusion zone results in local hardness variation depending on the strain rate. The α phase content in the fusion zone decreases as the impact strain rate increases for SAF 2205 DSS and SAF 2507 DSS. The results of the two-phase content measured by Ferritoscope correspond to that assessed by image analyses. In contrast, superaustenite stainless steel is unaffected by such an impact owing to its fully stable austenization. Impacted welds at a high strain rate of 5 × 103 s-1 reveal feather-like surface creases along the solidified curved columnar grain boundaries. The apparent surface creases are formed due to the presence of diffuse Lüders bands, which are caused by heavy plastic deformation in coarse-grain materials.

Extensive validation of CM SAF surface radiation products over Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Urraca, Ruben; Gracia-Amillo, Ana M; Koubli, Elena; Huld, Thomas; Trentmann, Jörg; Riihelä, Aku; Lindfors, Anders V; Palmer, Diane; Gottschalg, Ralph; Antonanzas-Torres, Fernando

2017-09-15

This work presents a validation of three satellite-based radiation products over an extensive network of 313 pyranometers across Europe, from 2005 to 2015. The products used have been developed by the Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) and are one geostationary climate dataset (SARAH-JRC), one polar-orbiting climate dataset (CLARA-A2) and one geostationary operational product. Further, the ERA-Interim reanalysis is also included in the comparison. The main objective is to determine the quality level of the daily means of CM SAF datasets, identifying their limitations, as well as analyzing the different factors that can interfere in the adequate validation of the products. The quality of the pyranometer was the most critical source of uncertainty identified. In this respect, the use of records from Second Class pyranometers and silicon-based photodiodes increased the absolute error and the bias, as well as the dispersion of both metrics, preventing an adequate validation of the daily means. The best spatial estimates for the three datasets were obtained in Central Europe with a Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) within 8-13 W/m 2 , whereas the MAD always increased at high-latitudes, snow-covered surfaces, high mountain ranges and coastal areas. Overall, the SARAH-JRC's accuracy was demonstrated over a dense network of stations making it the most consistent dataset for climate monitoring applications. The operational dataset was comparable to SARAH-JRC in Central Europe, but lacked of the temporal stability of climate datasets, while CLARA-A2 did not achieve the same level of accuracy despite predictions obtained showed high uniformity with a small negative bias. The ERA-Interim reanalysis shows the by-far largest deviations from the surface reference measurements.

[The use of self-adapting system files (SAF) for controlling microbial biofilms of root canals in the treatment of apical periodontitis].

Science.gov (United States)

Tsarev, V N; Mamedova, L A; Siukaeva, T N; Podporin, M S

The aim of this study was to conduct a clinical and laboratory study and evaluate the effectiveness of endodontic root canal treatment using a self-adapting files system (SAF) in the complex treatment of patients with chronic apical periodontitis. 3% sodium hypochlorite solution was used as irrigation agent in all groups which included 20 patients treated with conventional manual tools, 21 patients receiving treatment with ultrasonic activation of irrigant and 26 patients treated with SAF system. Root canal biofilm structure was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using a Quantum 3D microscope (USA). Clinical efficiency of the root canal treatment was assessed by complications frequency a year after treatment. SEM revealed the presence of high levels of microbial contamination of dentine tubules in the apical portion of the tooth. In standard method group the percentage of re-treatment and surgery was higher than in the studied groups. Use of SAF irrigation system was associated with a decrease in the number of identified pathogens. However, the study revealed high resistance of Enterococcus spp., Porphyromonas gingivalis, Candida albicans to all types of endodontic treatment, so the improvement of methods of root canal microbial biofilms removing need to be continued.

Monitoring crack growth using thermography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djedjiga, Ait Aouita; Abdeldjalil, Ouahabi

2008-01-01

The purpose of this work is to present a novel strategy for real-time monitoring crack growth of materials. The process is based on the use of thermal data extracted along the horizontal axis of symmetry of single edge notch tension (SENT) specimens, during fatigue tests. These data are exploited using an implemented program to detect in situ the growth of fatigue crack, with the critical size and propagation speed of the crack. This technique has the advantage to be applicable to a wide range of materials regardless of their electrical conductivity and their surface texture. (authors)

Micro-crack detection in high-performance cementitious materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lura, Pietro; Guang, Ye; Tanaka, Kyoji

2005-01-01

of high-performance cement pastes in silicone moulds that exert minimal external restraint. Cast-in steel rods with varying diameter internally restrain the autogenous shrinkage and lead to crack formation. Dimensions of the steel rods are chosen so that the size of this restraining inclusion resembles......-ray tomography, do not allow sufficient resolution of microcracks. A new technique presented in this paper allows detection of microcracks in cement paste while avoiding artefacts induced by unwanted restraint, drying or temperature variations. The technique consists in casting small circular cylindrical samples...... aggregate size. Gallium intrusion of the cracks and subsequent examination by electron probe micro analysis, EPMA, are used to identify the cracks. The gallium intrusion technique allows controllable impregnation of cracks in the cement paste. A distinct contrast between gallium and the surrounding material...

A unified model of hydride cracking based on elasto-plastic energy release rate over a finite crack extension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, X.J.; Metzger, D.R.; Sauve, R.G.

1995-01-01

A fracture criterion based on energy balance is proposed for elasto-plastic cracking at hydrides in zirconium, assuming a finite length of crack advance. The proposed elasto-plastic energy release rate is applied to the crack initiation at hydrides in smooth and notched surfaces, as well as the subsequent delayed hydride cracking (DHC) considering limited crack-tip plasticity. For a smooth or notched surface of an elastic body, the fracture parameter is related to the stress intensity factor for the initiated crack. For DHC, a unique curve relates the non-dimensionalized elasto-plastic energy release rate with the length of crack extension relative to the plastic zone size. This fracture criterion explains experimental observations concerning DHC in a qualitative manner. Quantitative comparison with experiments is made for fracture toughness and DHC tests on specimens containing certain hydride structures; very good agreement is obtained. ((orig.))

Effect of Aging on Precipitation Behavior and Pitting Corrosion Resistance of SAF2906 Super Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jianchun; Li, Guoping; Liang, Wei; Han, Peide; Wang, Hongxia

2017-09-01

The effect of aging temperature and holding time on the precipitation of secondary phases and pitting corrosion resistance of SAF2906 super duplex stainless steel was examined. Chromium nitride and σ phase were observed to preferentially precipitate at the ferrite/austenite interface. An amount of nitrides was also observed within the ferrite grain. The precipitation of chromium nitride occurred before the σ phase. The increase in aging temperature and holding time did not affect the concentration of the nitrides but increased the area fraction of the σ phase at a faster rate. The Cr2N precipitation in SAF2906 is more evident than that of the other duplex stainless steels. The variation tendency of the precipitation concentrations is primarily consistent with the prediction results of Thermo-Calc software. The electrochemical results showed that Cr2N and σ phase significantly reduced the pitting potential. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed that pits appear mainly in regions adjacent to sigma phase and Cr2N.

Sub-10-micrometer toughening and crack tip toughness of dental enamel

OpenAIRE

Ang, Siang Fung; Schulz, Anja; Pacher Fernandes, Rodrigo; Schneider, Gerold A.

2011-01-01

In previous studies, enamel showed indications to occlude small cracks in-vivo and exhibited R-curve behaviors for bigger cracks ex-vivo. This study quantifies the crack tip toughness (KI0, KIII0), the crack closure stress and the cohesive zone size at the crack tip of enamel and investigates the toughening mechanisms near the crack tip down to the length scale of a single enamel crystallite. The crack-opening-displacement (COD) profile of cracks induced by Vickers indents on mature bovine en...

On multiple crack detection in beam structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moradi, Shapour; Kargozarfard, Mohammad [Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2013-01-15

This study presents an inverse procedure to identify multiple cracks in beams using an evolutionary algorithm. By considering the crack detection procedure as an optimization problem, an objective function can be constructed based on the change of the eigenfrequencies and some strain energy parameters. Each crack is modeled by a rotational spring. The changes in natural frequencies due to the presence of the cracks are related to a damage index vector. Then, the bees algorithm, a swarm-based evolutionary optimization technique, is used to optimize the objective function and find the damage index vector, whose positive components show the number and position of the cracks. A second objective function is also optimized to find the crack depths. Several experimental studies on cracked cantilever beams are conducted to ensure the integrity of the proposed method. The results show that the number of cracks as well as their sizes and locations can be predicted well through this method.

Study of Sigma Phase in Duplex SAF 2507

Science.gov (United States)

Fellicia, D. M.; Sutarsis; Kurniawan, B. A.; Wulanari, D.; Purniawan, A.; Wibisono, A. T.

2017-05-01

Super duplex stainless steel is one of the stainless steel which has a combination between high strength properties and excellent corrosion resistance. However, the resistance can decrease by precipitation of sigma phase which is formed at high temperature, for example after welding processes. A series of experiments has been performed to study the effect of solution annealing to existence of sigma phase on super duplex SAF 2507. Variations of solution-annealing temperatures were 1000 °C, 1065 °C and 1125 °C with holding time of 15 and 30 minutes for each temperature. Effect of solution annealing process was characterized by using XRD, SEM, and Optical Microscopy. The result showed precipitation of sigma phase completely dissolved at 1065 °C and 1125 °C because it reformed to austenite. After it was heated at 1065 °C, chromium carbide appeared in ferrite site and grain boundary. The amount of chromium carbide increased with the increasing of solution annealing temperature.

Crack formation and prevention in colloidal drops

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jin Young; Cho, Kun; Ryu, Seul-A.; Kim, So Youn; Weon, Byung Mook

2015-08-01

Crack formation is a frequent result of residual stress release from colloidal films made by the evaporation of colloidal droplets containing nanoparticles. Crack prevention is a significant task in industrial applications such as painting and inkjet printing with colloidal nanoparticles. Here, we illustrate how colloidal drops evaporate and how crack generation is dependent on the particle size and initial volume fraction, through direct visualization of the individual colloids with confocal laser microscopy. To prevent crack formation, we suggest use of a versatile method to control the colloid-polymer interactions by mixing a nonadsorbing polymer with the colloidal suspension, which is known to drive gelation of the particles with short-range attraction. Gelation-driven crack prevention is a feasible and simple method to obtain crack-free, uniform coatings through drying-mediated assembly of colloidal nanoparticles.

Crack-tip constraint analyses and constraint-dependent LBB curves for circumferential through-wall cracked pipes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Y.L.; Wang, G.Z., E-mail: gzwang@ecust.edu.cn; Xuan, F.Z.; Tu, S.T.

2015-04-15

Highlights: • Solution of constraint parameter τ* for through-wall cracked pipes has been obtained. • Constraint increases with increasing crack length and radius–thickness ratio of pipes. • Constraint-dependent LBB curve for through-wall cracked pipes has been constructed. • For increasing accuracy of LBB assessments, constraint effect should be considered. - Abstract: The leak-before-break (LBB) concept has been widely applied in the structural integrity assessments of pressured pipes in nuclear power plants. However, the crack-tip constraint effects in LBB analyses and designs cannot be incorporated. In this paper, by using three-dimensional finite element calculations, the modified load-independent T-stress constraint parameter τ* for circumferential through-wall cracked pipes with different geometries and crack sizes has been analyzed under different loading conditions, and the solutions of the crack-tip constraint parameter τ* have been obtained. Based on the τ* solutions and constraint-dependent J–R curves of a steel, the constraint-dependent LBB (leak-before-break) curves have been constructed. The results show that the constraint τ* increases with increasing crack length θ, mean radius R{sub m} and radius–thickness ratio R{sub m}/t of the pipes. In LBB analyses, the critical crack length calculated by the J–R curve of the standard high constraint specimen for pipes with shorter cracks is over-conservative, and the degree of conservatism increases with decreasing crack length θ, R{sub m} and R{sub m}/t. Therefore, the constraint-dependent LBB curves should be constructed to modify the over-conservatism and increase accuracy of LBB assessments.

Two-phase flow experiments through intergranular stress corrosion cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collier, R.P.; Norris, D.M.

1984-01-01

Experimental studies of critical two-phase water flow, through simulated and actual intergranular stress corrosion cracks, were performed to obtain data to evaluate a leak flow rate model and investigate acoustic transducer effectiveness in detecting and sizing leaks. The experimental program included a parametric study of the effects of crack geometry, fluid stagnation pressure and temperature, and crack surface roughness on leak flow rate. In addition, leak detection, location, and leak size estimation capabilities of several different acoustic transducers were evaluated as functions of leak rate and transducer position. This paper presents flow rate data for several different cracks and fluid conditions. It also presents the minimum flows rate detected with the acoustic sensors and a relationship between acoustic signal strength and leak flow rate

Estimation of flow rates through intergranular stress corrosion cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collier, R.P.; Norris, D.M.

1984-01-01

Experimental studies of critical two-phase water flow, through simulated and actual intergranular stress corrosion cracks, were performed to obtain data to evaluate a leak flow rate model and investigate acoustic transducer effectiveness in detecting and sizing leaks. The experimental program included a parametric study of the effects of crack geometry, fluid stagnation pressure and temperature, and crack surface roughness on leak flow rate. In addition, leak detection, location, and leak size estimation capabilities of several different acoustic transducers were evaluated as functions of leak rate and transducer position. This paper presents flow rate data for several different cracks and fluid conditions. It also presents the minimum flow rate detected with the acoustic sensors and a relationship between acoustic signal strength and leak flow rate

Fatigue crack retardation of high strength steel in saltwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokaji, K.; Ando, Z.; Imai, T.; Kojima, T.

1983-01-01

A high strength steel was studied in 3 percent saltwater to investigate the effects of a corrosive environment and sheer thickness on fatigue crack propagation behavior following the application of a single tensile overload. Experiments were carried out under sinusoidally varying loads at a load ratio of 0 and frequency of 10 H /SUB z/ . A single tensile overload was found to cause delayed retardation, and the crack propagation rate at first increased, followed by fairly rapid decrease to a minimum value and then increased gradually to its steady-state value, just as it did in air. The overload affected zone size and the retardation cycles increased with decreasing sheet thickness, just as they did in air. However, the zone size and the cycles were larger in 3 percent saltwater than in air. Since the crack propagation rates through the overload affected zone were not affected by the test environment, the longer retardation cycles in 3 percent saltwater were attributed to an enlargement of the overload affected zone size. The crack propagation behavior following the application of a single tensile overload in 3 percent saltwater was well explained by the crack closure concept

Fracture mechanics of piezoelectric solids with interface cracks

CERN Document Server

Govorukha, Volodymyr; Loboda, Volodymyr; Lapusta, Yuri

2017-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive study of cracks situated at the interface of two piezoelectric materials. It discusses different electric boundary conditions along the crack faces, in particular the cases of electrically permeable, impermeable, partially permeable, and conducting cracks. The book also elaborates on a new technique for the determination of electromechanical fields at the tips of interface cracks in finite sized piezoceramic bodies of arbitrary shape under different load types. It solves scientific problems of solid mechanics in connection with the investigation of electromechanical fields in piezoceramic bodies with interface cracks, and develops calculation models and solution methods for plane fracture mechanical problems for piecewise homogeneous piezoceramic bodies with cracks at the interfaces. It discusses the “open” crack model, which leads to a physically unrealistic oscillating singularity at the crack tips, and the contact zone model for in-plane straight interface cracks betw...

Crack identification and evolution law in the vibration failure process of loaded coal

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chengwu; Ai, Dihao; Sun, Xiaoyuan; Xie, Beijing

2017-08-01

To study the characteristics of coal cracks produced in the vibration failure process, we set up a static load and static and dynamic combination load failure test simulation system, prepared with different particle size, formation pressure, and firmness coefficient coal samples. Through static load damage testing of coal samples and then dynamic load (vibration exciter) and static (jack) combination destructive testing, the crack images of coal samples under the load condition were obtained. Combined with digital image processing technology, an algorithm of crack identification with high precision and in real-time is proposed. With the crack features of the coal samples under different load conditions as the research object, we analyzed the distribution of cracks on the surface of the coal samples and the factors influencing crack evolution using the proposed algorithm and a high-resolution industrial camera. Experimental results showed that the major portion of the crack after excitation is located in the rear of the coal sample where the vibration exciter cannot act. Under the same disturbance conditions, crack size and particle size exhibit a positive correlation, while crack size and formation pressure exhibit a negative correlation. Soft coal is more likely to lead to crack evolution than hard coal, and more easily causes instability failure. The experimental results and crack identification algorithm provide a solid basis for the prevention and control of instability and failure of coal and rock mass, and they are helpful in improving the monitoring method of coal and rock dynamic disasters.

Comparison of finite element J-integral evaluations for the blunt crack model and the sharp crack model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Y.C.; Kennedy, J.M.

1983-01-01

In assessing the safety of a liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR), a major concern is that of hot sodium coming into contact with either unprotected concrete or steel-lined concrete equipment cells and containment structures. An aspect of this is the potential of concrete cracking which would significantly influence the safety assessment. Concrete cracking in finite element analysis can be modeled as a blunt crack in which the crack is assumed to be uniformly distributed throughout the area of the element. A blunt crack model based on the energy release rate and the effective strength concepts which was insensitive to the element size was presented by Bazant and Cedolin. Some difficulties were encountered in incorporating their approach into a general purpose finite element code. An approach based on the J-integral to circumvent some of the difficulties was proposed by Pan, Marchertas, and Kennedy. Alternatively, cracking can also be modeled as a sharp crack where the crack surface is treated as the boundary of the finite element mesh. The sharp crack model is adopted by most researchers and its J-integral has been well established. It is desirable to establish the correlation between the J-integrals, or the energy release rates, for the blunt crack model and the sharp crack model so that data obtained from one model can be used on the other

Phenomenological Model Describing the Formation of Peeling Defects on Hot-Rolled Duplex Stainless Steel 2205

Science.gov (United States)

Yong-jun, Zhang; Hui, Zhang; Jing-tao, Han

2017-05-01

The chemical composition, morphology, and microstructure of peeling defects formed on the surface of sheets from steel 2205 under hot rolling are studied. The microstructure of the surface is analyzed using scanning electron and light microscopy. The zones affected are shown to contain nonmetallic inclusions of types Al2O3 and CaO - SiO2 - Al2O3 - MgO in the form of streak precipitates and to have an unfavorable content of austenite, which causes decrease in the ductility of the area. The results obtained are used to derive a five-stage phenomenological model of formation of such defects.

The feasibility of small size specimens for testing of environmentally assisted cracking of irradiated materials and of materials under irradiation in reactor core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toivonen, A.; Moilanen, P.; Pyykkoenen, M.; Taehtinen, S.; Rintamaa, R.; Saario, T.

1998-01-01

Environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of core materials has become an increasingly important issue of downtime and maintenance costs in nuclear power plants. Small size specimens are necessary in stress corrosion testing of irradiated materials because of difficulties in handling high dose rate materials and because of restricted availability of the materials. The drawback of using small size specimens is that in some cases they do not fulfil the requirements of the relevant testing standards. Recently VTT has developed J-R testing with irradiated and non-irradiated sub size 3 PB specimens, both in inert and in LWR environments. Also, a new materials testing system which will enable simultaneous multiple specimen testing both in laboratory conditions and in operating reactor core is under development. The new testing system will utilize Charpy and sub size 3 PB specimens. The feasibility study of the system has been carried out using different materials. Fracture resistance curves of a Cu-Zr-Cr alloy are shown to be independent of the specimen geometry and size, to some extent. Results gained from tests in simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) water are presented for sensitized SIS 2333 stainless steel. The experimental results indicate that the size of the plastic zone or stress triaxiality must be further studied although no significant effect on the environmentally assisted crack growth rate was observed. (orig.)

The feasibility of small size specimens for testing of environmentally assisted cracking of irradiated materials and of materials under irradiation in reactor core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toivonen, A.; Moilanen, P.; Pyykkoenen, M.; Taehtinen, S.; Rintamaa, R.; Saario, T. [Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus, Espoo (Finland)

1998-11-01

Environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) of core materials has become an increasingly important issue of downtime and maintenance costs in nuclear power plants. Small size specimens are necessary in stress corrosion testing of irradiated materials because of difficulties in handling high dose rate materials and because of restricted availability of the materials. The drawback of using small size specimens is that in some cases they do not fulfil the requirements of the relevant testing standards. Recently VTT has developed J-R testing with irradiated and non-irradiated sub size 3 PB specimens, both in inert and in LWR environments. Also, a new materials testing system which will enable simultaneous multiple specimen testing both in laboratory conditions and in operating reactor core is under development. The new testing system will utilize Charpy and sub size 3 PB specimens. The feasibility study of the system has been carried out using different materials. Fracture resistance curves of a Cu-Zr-Cr alloy are shown to be independent of the specimen geometry and size, to some extent. Results gained from tests in simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) water are presented for sensitized SIS 2333 stainless steel. The experimental results indicate that the size of the plastic zone or stress triaxiality must be further studied although no significant effect on the environmentally assisted crack growth rate was observed. (orig.)

Mechanism of crack healing at room temperature revealed by atomistic simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, J.; Fang, Q.H.; Liu, B.; Liu, Y.; Liu, Y.W.; Wen, P.H.

2015-01-01

Three dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are systematically carried out to reveal the mechanism of the crack healing at room temperature, in terms of the dislocation shielding and the atomic diffusion to control the crack closure, in a copper (Cu) plate suffering from a shear loading. The results show that the process of the crack healing is actualized through the dislocation emission at a crack tip accompanied with intrinsic stacking faults ribbon forming in the crack tip wake, the dislocation slipping in the matrix and the dislocation annihilation in the free surface. Dislocation included stress compressing the crack tip is examined from the MD simulations and the analytical models, and then the crack closes rapidly due to the assistance of the atomic diffusion induced by the thermal activation when the crack opening displacement is less than a threshold value. This phenomenon is very different from the previous results for the crack propagation under the external load applied because of the crack healing (advancing) largely dependent on the crystallographic orientations of crack and the directions of external loading. Furthermore, based on the energy characteristic and considering the crack size effect, a theoretical model is established to predict the relationships between the crack size and the shear stress which qualitatively agree well with that obtained in the MD simulations

Fatigue crack growth studies on a tee junction using ultrasonic non-destructive methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramanian, C.V.; Thavasimuthu, M.; Ramesh, A.S.; Jayakumar, T.; Kalyanasundaram, P.; Baldev Raj

1996-01-01

Fatigue cracks need to be detected and sized to maintain structural integrity. The significance of cracks detected in service must also be assessed. This paper describes the on-line ultrasonic testing carried out on a Tee joint subjected to fatigue loading. The initiation and growth of the cracks were monitored for every 5,000 cycles up to 40,000 cycles. The study demonstrated the use of ultrasonic testing for fatigue crack growth detection and sizing. (author)

Fracture statistics of brittle materials with intergranular cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batdorf, S.B.

1975-01-01

When brittle materials are used for structural purposes, the initial design must take their relatively large dispersion in fracture stress properly into account. This is difficult when failure probabilities must be extremely low, because empirically based statistical theories of fracture, such as that of Weibull, cannot reliably predict the stresses corresponding to failure probabilities much lower than n -1 , where n is the number of specimens tested. Recently McClintock proposed a rational method of predicting the size distribution of intergranular cracks. The method assumed that large cracks are random aggregations of cracked grain boundaries. The present paper employs this method to find the size distribution of penny-shaped cracks, and also P(f), the probability of failure of a specimen of volume V subjected to a tensile stress sigma. The present paper is a pioneering effort, which should be applicable to ceramics and related materials

Crack propagation and arrest simulation of X90 gas pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Fengping; Huo, Chunyong; Luo, Jinheng; Li, He; Li, Yang

2017-01-01

To determine whether X90 steel pipe has enough crack arrest toughness or not, a damage model was suggested as crack arrest criterion with material parameters of plastic uniform percentage elongation and damage strain energy per volume. Fracture characteristic length which characterizes fracture zone size was suggested to be the largest mesh size on expected cracking path. Plastic uniform percentage elongation, damage strain energy per volume and fracture characteristic length of X90 were obtained by five kinds of tensile tests. Based on this criterion, a length of 24 m, Φ1219 × 16.3 mm pipe segment model with 12 MPa internal gas pressure was built and computed with fluid-structure coupling method in ABAQUS. Ideal gas state equation was used to describe lean gas behavior. Euler grid was used to mesh gas zone inside the pipe while Lagrangian shell element was used to mesh pipe. Crack propagation speed and gas decompression speed were got after computation. The result shows that, when plastic uniform percentage elongation is equal to 0.054 and damage strain energy per volume is equal to 0.64 J/mm"3, crack propagation speed is less than gas decompression speed, which means the simulated X90 gas pipe with 12 MPa internal pressure can arrest cracking itself. - Highlights: • A damage model was suggested as crack arrest criterion. • Plastic uniform elongation and damage strain energy density are material parameters. • Fracture characteristic length is suggested to be largest mesh size in cracking path. • Crack propagating simulation with coupling of pipe and gas was realized in ABAQUS. • A Chinese X90 steel pipe with 12 MPa internal pressure can arrest cracking itself.

Remote detection of stress corrosion cracking: Surface composition and crack detection

Science.gov (United States)

Lissenden, Cliff J.; Jovanovic, Igor; Motta, Arthur T.; Xiao, Xuan; Le Berre, Samuel; Fobar, David; Cho, Hwanjeong; Choi, Sungho

2018-04-01

Chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of austenitic stainless steel is a potential issue in long term dry storage of spent nuclear fuel canisters. In order for SCC to occur there must be a corrosive environment, a susceptible material, and a driving force. Because it is likely that the material in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of welded stainless steel structures has been sensitized as a result of chromium depletion at the grain boundaries and a thermal residual stress driving force is likely present if solution annealing is not performed, two issues are critical. Is the environment corrosive, i.e., are chlorides present in solution on the surface? And then, are there cracks that could propagate? Remote detection of chlorides on the surface can be accomplished by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), while cracks can be detected by shear horizontal guided waves generated by electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs). Both are noncontact methods that are amenable to robotic delivery systems and harsh environments. The sensitivity to chlorine on stainless steel of a LIBS system that employs optical fiber for pulse delivery is demonstrated. Likewise, the ability of the EMAT system to detect cracks of a prescribed size and orientation is shown. These results show the potential for remote detection of Cl and cracks in dry storage spent fuel canisters.

Top of Atmosphere Radiation MVIRI/SEVIRI Data Record within the Climate Monitoring SAF

Science.gov (United States)

Urbain, Manon; Clerbaux, Nicolas; Ipe, Alessandro; Tornow, Florian; Hollmann, Rainer; Baudrez, Edward; Velazquez Blazquez, Almudena; Moreels, Johan; Trentmann, Jörg

2017-04-01

The CM SAF Top of Atmosphere (TOA) Radiation MVIRI/SEVIRI Data Record provides a homogeneous satellite-based climatology of the TOA Reflected Solar (TRS) and Emitted Thermal (TET) radiation in all-sky conditions. The continuous monitoring of these two components of the Earth Radiation Budget is of prime importance to study climate variability and change. The Meteosat Visible and InfraRed Imager (MVIRI - from 1983 until 2004) and the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI - from 2004 onward) on board the Meteosat First and Second Generation satellites are combined to generate a long Thematic Climate Data Record (TCDR). Combining MVIRI and SEVIRI allows an unprecedented temporal (30 minutes / 15 minutes) and spatial (2.5 km / 3 km) resolution compared to the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) products. This is a step forward as it helps to increase the knowledge of the diurnal cycle and the small-scale spatial variations of radiation. The MVIRI/SEVIRI Data Record covers a 32 years time period from 1 February 1983 to 30 April 2015. The TOA radiation products are provided as daily mean, monthly mean and monthly averages of the hourly integrated values (diurnal cycle). To ensure consistency with other CM SAF products, the data is provided on a regular grid at a spatial resolution of 0.05 degrees (i.e. about 5.5 km) and covers the region between +/- 70° longitude and +/- 70° latitude. Validation of the MVIRI/SEVIRI Data Record has been performed by intercomparison with several references such as the CERES products (EBAF, SYN1deg-Day and SYN1deg-M3Hour), the HIRS OLR Climate Data Record (Daily and Monthly), the reconstructed ERBS WFOV-CERES (or DEEP-C) dataset and the ISCCP FD products. CERES is considered as the best reference from March 2000 onward. The quality of the early part of the Data Record is verified against the other references. In general, the stability of all the TOA radiation products is estimated to be better than 4 W.m-2

Crack turning in integrally stiffened aircraft structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pettit, Richard Glen

Current emphasis in the aircraft industry toward reducing manufacturing cost has created a renewed interest in integrally stiffened structures. Crack turning has been identified as an approach to improve the damage tolerance and fail-safety of this class of structures. A desired behavior is for skin cracks to turn before reaching a stiffener, instead of growing straight through. A crack in a pressurized fuselage encounters high T-stress as it nears the stiffener---a condition favorable to crack turning. Also, the tear resistance of aluminum alloys typically varies with crack orientation, a form of anisotropy that can influence the crack path. The present work addresses these issues with a study of crack turning in two-dimensions, including the effects of both T-stress and fracture anisotropy. Both effects are shown to have relation to the process zone size, an interaction that is central to this study. Following an introduction to the problem, the T-stress effect is studied for a slightly curved semi-infinite crack with a cohesive process zone, yielding a closed form expression for the future crack path in an infinite medium. For a given initial crack tip curvature and tensile T-stress, the crack path instability is found to increase with process zone size. Fracture orthotropy is treated using a simple function to interpolate between the two principal fracture resistance values in two-dimensions. An extension to three-dimensions interpolates between the six principal values of fracture resistance. Also discussed is the transition between mode I and mode II fracture in metals. For isotropic materials, there is evidence that the crack seeks out a direction of either local symmetry (pure mode I) or local asymmetry (pure mode II) growth. For orthotropic materials the favored states are not pure modal, and have mode mixity that is a function of crack orientation. Drawing upon these principles, two crack turning prediction approaches are extended to include fracture

Microbial corrosion and cracking in steel. A concept for evaluation of hydrogen-assisted stress corrosion cracking in cathodically protected high-pressure gas transmission pipelines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lars Vendelbo

An effort has been undertaken in order to develop a concept for evaluation of the risk of hydrogen-assisted cracking in cathodically protected gas transmission pipelines. The effort was divided into the following subtasks: A. Establish a correlation between the fracture mechanical properties...... crack propagation. This resulted in threshold curves that can be used for assessment of the risk of hydrogen-assisted cracking as a function of operating pressure and hydrogen content - having the flaw size as discrete parameter. The results are to be used mainly on a conceptual basis......, but it was indicated that the requirements for crack propagation include an overprotective CP-condition, a severe sulphate-reducing environment, as well as a large flaw (8 mm or a leak in the present case). A 1 mm flaw (which may be the maximum realistic flaw size) is believed to be unable to provoke crack propagation...

Operational Estimation of Accumulated Precipitation using Satellite Observation, by Eumetsat Satellite Application facility in Support to Hydrology (H-SAF Consortium).

Science.gov (United States)

di Diodato, A.; de Leonibus, L.; Zauli, F.; Biron, D.; Melfi, D.

2009-04-01

Operational Estimation of Accumulated Precipitation using Satellite Observation, by Eumetsat Satellite Application facility in Support to Hydrology (H-SAF Consortium). Cap. Attilio DI DIODATO(*), T.Col. Luigi DE LEONIBUS(*), T.Col Francesco ZAULI(*), Cap. Daniele BIRON(*), Ten. Davide Melfi(*) Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs) are specialised development and processing centres of the EUMETSAT Distributed Ground Segment. SAFs process level 1b data from meteorological satellites (geostationary and polar ones) in conjunction with all other relevant sources of data and appropriate models to generate services and level 2 products. Each SAF is a consortium of EUMETSAT European partners lead by a host institute responsible for the management of the complete SAF project. The Meteorological Service of Italian Air Force is the host Institute for the Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF). HSAF has the commitment to develop and to provide, operationally after 2010, products regarding precipitation, soil moisture and snow. HSAF is going to provide information on error structure of its products and validation of the products via their impacts into Hydrological models. To that purpose it has been structured a specific subgroups. Accumulated precipitation is computed by temporal integration of the instantaneous rain rate achieved by the blended LEO/MW and GEO/IR precipitation rate products generated by Rapid Update method available every 15 minutes. The algorithm provides four outputs, consisting in accumulated precipitation in 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours, delivered every 3 hours at the synoptic hours. These outputs are our precipitation background fields. Satellite estimates can cover most of the globe, however, they suffer from errors due to lack of a direct relationship between observation parameters and precipitation, the poor sampling and algorithm imperfections. For this reason the 3 hours accumulated precipitation is

Thermographic Inspection of Fatigue Crack by Using Contact Thermal Resistance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Seung Yong; Kim, No Hyu [Korean University of Technology and Education, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-04-15

Fatigue crack was detected from a temperature change around surface crack using the thermographic technique. Thermal gradient across the crack decreased very much due to thermal resistance of contact surface in the crack. Heat diffusion flow passing through the discontinuity was visualized in temperature by infrared camera to find and locate the crack. A fatigue crack specimen(SM-45C), which was prepared according to KS specification and notched in its center to initiate fatigue crack from the notch tip, was heated by halogen lamp at the end of one side to generate a heat diffusion flow in lateral direction. A abrupt jump in temperature across the fatigue crack was observed in thermographic image, by which the crack could be located and sized from temperature distribution.

Thermographic Inspection of Fatigue Crack by Using Contact Thermal Resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Seung Yong; Kim, No Hyu

2013-01-01

Fatigue crack was detected from a temperature change around surface crack using the thermographic technique. Thermal gradient across the crack decreased very much due to thermal resistance of contact surface in the crack. Heat diffusion flow passing through the discontinuity was visualized in temperature by infrared camera to find and locate the crack. A fatigue crack specimen(SM-45C), which was prepared according to KS specification and notched in its center to initiate fatigue crack from the notch tip, was heated by halogen lamp at the end of one side to generate a heat diffusion flow in lateral direction. A abrupt jump in temperature across the fatigue crack was observed in thermographic image, by which the crack could be located and sized from temperature distribution.

Reheat cracking in 1/2 CrMoV steel. Heat affected zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batte, A.D.; Miller, R.C.; Murphy, M.C.

1976-01-01

Low alloy creep resisting steels are inherently susceptible to cracking during stress relief heat treatment (reheat cracking) though few welds give rise to problems in manufacture or service. Mechanical tests on simulated affected zone structures in CrMoV forgings have shown that cracking occurs when the high temperature ductility is inadequate to accommodate the residual welding strain. Differences in susceptibility result from differences in heat affected zone grain size if the purity level is sufficiently high; reheat cracking may then be avoided by ensuring complete grain refinement during welding. The susceptibility of a lower purity forging was insensitive to grain size; heat affected zone refinement is unlikely to eliminate cracking in such steel. (orig.) [de

TEM observations of crack tip: cavity interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horton, J.A.; Ohr, S.M.; Jesser, W.A.

1981-01-01

Crack tip-cavity interactions have been studied by performing room temperature deformation experiments in a transmission electron microscope on ion-irradiated type 316 stainless steel with small helium containing cavities. Slip dislocations emitted from a crack tip cut, sheared, and thereby elongated cavities without a volume enlargement. As the crack tip approached, a cavity volume enlargement occurred. Instead of the cavities continuing to enlarge until they touch, the walls between the cavities fractured. Fracture surface dimples do not correlate in size or density with these enlarged cavities

An evaluation on the effect of reversed plastic zone on the fatigue crack opening behavior under 2-D plane stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyeon Chang

2005-01-01

The relationship between fatigue crack opening behavior and the reversed plastic zone sizes is studied. An elastic-plastic Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is performed to examine the opening behavior of fatigue crack, where the contact elements are used in the mesh of the crack tip area. The smaller element size than reversed plastic zone size is used for evaluating the distribution of reversed plastic zone. In the author's previous results the FEA could predict the crack opening level, which crack tip elements were in proportion to the theoretical reversed plastic zone size. It is found that the calculated reversed plastic zone size is related to the theoretical reversed plastic zone size and crack opening level. The calculated reversed plastic zone sizes are almost equal to the reversed plastic zone considering crack opening level obtained by experimental results. It can be possible to predict the crack opening level from the reversed plastic zone size calculated by finite element method. We find that the experimental crack opening levels correspond with the opening values of contact nodes on the calculated reversed plastic zone of finite element simulation

Determination of self absorption correction factor (SAF) for gross alpha measurement in water samples by BIS method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raveendran, Nanda; Baburajan, A.; Ravi, P.M.

2018-01-01

The laboratories accredited by AERB undertake the measurement of gross alpha and gross beta in packaged drinking water from manufactures across the country and analyze as per the procedure of Bureau of Indian standards. The accurate measurements of gross alpha in the drinking water sample is a challenge due to the self absorption of alpha particle from varying precipitate (Fe(OH) 3 +BaSO 4 ) thickness and total dissolved solids (TDS). This paper deals with a study on tracer recovery generation and self absorption correction factor (SAF). ESL, Tarapur has participated in an inter-laboratory comparison exercise conducted by IDS, RSSD, BARC as per the recommendation of AERB for the accredited laboratories. The thickness of the precipitate is an important aspect which affected the counting process. The activity was reported after conducting multiple experiments with uranium tracer recovery and precipitate thickness. Later on to make our efforts simplified, an average tracer recovery and Self Absorption correction Factor (SAF) was derived by the present experiment and the same was used for the re-calculation of activity from the count rate reported earlier

Fatigue crack behaviour in mine excavator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yin, Y.; Grondin, G.Y.; Elwi, A.E. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

2006-05-15

Fatigue cracking in excavation equipment represents a significant operating cost for oil sands operators. It is caused by high impact loads, the high frequency of load cycles, and large component sizes found in oil sands processing facilities. Monitoring and repair strategies for fatigue cracks are typically based on vendor specifications and the experience of maintenance personnel. This paper provided details of an optimized crack management program applied to a BE 395B shovel boom. The proposed crack management tool uses a chart to predict the remaining life of a corner crack in the shovel boom. Predictions are based on limited field measurements of operating loads as well as on data obtained from fatigue testing of boom material, and a finite element analysis of the shovel boom. Field and laboratory data are used along with fracture mechanics and finite element modelling to predict crack life. It was concluded that the tool will allow inspectors and planners to schedule repairs based on safe service life. The tool is applicable for any components subjected to fatigue loading. 3 refs., 21 tabs., 64 figs.

Influence of crack length on crack depth measurement by an alternating current potential drop technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raja, Manoj K; Mahadevan, S; Rao, B P C; Behera, S P; Jayakumar, T; Raj, Baldev

2010-01-01

An alternating current potential drop (ACPD) technique is used for sizing depth of surface cracks in metallic components. Crack depth estimations are prone to large deviations when ACPD measurements are made on very shallow and finite length cracks, especially in low conducting materials such as austenitic stainless steel (SS). Detailed studies have been carried out to investigate the influence of crack length and aspect ratio (length to depth) on depth estimation by performing measurements on electric discharge machined notches with the aspect ratio in the range of 1 to 40 in SS plates. In notches with finite length, an additional path for current to flow through the surface along the length is available causing the notch depths to be underestimated. The experimentally observed deviation in notch depth estimates is explained from a simple mathematical approach using the equivalent resistive circuit model based on the additional path available for the current to flow. A scheme is proposed to accurately measure the depth of cracks with finite lengths in SS components

Efecto de los ciclos térmicos sobre la ZAT de una soldadura multipasos de un acero inoxidable superdúplex SAF 2507 Effect of thermal cycles on the HAZ of a stainless steel multipass weld of superduplex SAF 2507

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Villalobos

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Los ciclos térmicos de una soldadura multipasos que experimenta un acero inoxidable superdúplex SAF 2507, pueden promover la precipitación de fases secundarias reduciendo significativamente las propiedades mecánicas y la resistencia a la corrosión. Debido a su aplicación en la industria petroquímica, el estudio de las aleaciones superdúplex es de suma importancia para predecir su comportamiento en servicio cuando están involucrados procesos de soldadura por arco eléctrico. En este trabajo, se estudia el cambio microestructural de la zona afectada térmicamente correspondiente al primer cordón depositado de una unión multipasos de acero inoxidable superdúplex SAF 2507 mediante el proceso GTAW y bajo tres temperaturas de interpasos. Los resultados muestran que la temperatura de interpasos tiene una influencia sobre la precipitación de fase sigma en la zona afectada térmicamente del primer cordón depositado.Thermal cycles experienced by a superduplex stainless steel SAF 2507 when is welded, can promote the precipitation of secondary phases which decrease the mechanical properties as well as the corrosion resistance. Due to the application of the duplex alloys in the petrochemical industry, the study of these alloys has become very important in order to predict its service behavior. The aim of this work is to study the microstructural changes in the superduplex stainless steel weld joint after applying the GTAW process under three interpass temperatures after the deposition of every single pass. The results showed that slow cooling rates promoted by the deposition of the subsecuent passes and the higher interpass temperature, promote the precipitation of sigma phase in the HAZ while rapid cooling rates promoted by the lower interpass temperature do not promote the sigma phase precipitation.

The effect of sulphate-reducing bacteria biofilm on passivity and development of pitting on 2205 duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dec, Weronika; Mosiałek, Michał; Socha, Robert P.; Jaworska-Kik, Marzena; Simka, Wojciech; Michalska, Joanna

2016-01-01

Results on biofilm formation and microbiologically influenced corrosion induced by pure D. desulfuricans strain on 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) are presented. Biofilm development stimulated by DSM642 standard strain was evaluated with reference to their metabolic activity and to the surface characterization including the structure and configuration of the biofilm. Electrochemical techniques (open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization curves) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were carried out to determine the effect of bacteria on the passivity and corrosion resistance of 2205 DSS. The electrochemical results showed that the DSS corrosion resistance was affected in the presence of DSM642 biofilm. This statement was based on the significant decrease in the charge transfer resistance (R_1) obtained from EIS and the increase in the measured current densities obtained from potentiodynamic polarization curves. Although the breakdown potentials (E_b) were still high, SEM observations revealed micropits as well as signs of crevice attack on the steel surface. Significant sulphidation of the passive film affected the nature of cathodic behaviour of steel and helped to impede micropit growth. XPS analysis revealed the layered structure of the biofilm. Accumulation of sulphides and hydroxides was proved in the outermost layer, while the increasing contents of disulphides, organometallic and C−N bonds were detected along the biofilm thickness in the XPS analysis.

A Small Crack Length Evaluation Technique by Electronic Scanning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Yong Sang; Kim, Jae Hoon

2009-01-01

The results of crack evaluation by conventional UT(Ultrasonic Test)is highly depend on the inspector's experience or knowledge of ultrasound. Phased array UT system and its application methods for small crack length evaluation will be a good alternative method which overcome present UT weakness. This study was aimed at checking the accuracy of crack length evaluation method by electronic scanning and discuss about characteristics of electronic scanning for crack length evaluation. Especially ultrasonic phased array with electronic scan technique was used in carrying out both sizing and detect ability of crack as its length changes. The response of ultrasonic phased array was analyzed to obtain the special method of determining crack length without moving the transducer and detectability of crack minimal length and depth from the material. A method of crack length determining by electronic scanning for the small crack is very real method which has it's accuracy and verify the effectiveness of method compared to a conventional crack length determination

Effect of temperature upon the fatigue-crack propagation behavior of Inconel 625

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, L.A.

1977-03-01

The techniques of linear-elastic fracture mechanics were employed to characterize the effect of temperature upon the fatigue-crack propagation behavior of mill-annealed Inconel 625 in an air environment over the range 75 0 - 1200 0 F (24 0 - 649 0 C). In general, fatigue-crack growth rates increased with increasing test temperature. Two different specimen sizes were employed at each test temperature, and no effects of specimen size upon crack growth were noted

The catalytic cracking mechanism of lignite pyrolysis char on tar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lei, Z.; Huibin, H.; Xiangling, S.; Zhenhua, M.; Lei, Z.

2017-01-01

The influence of different pyrolysis conditions for tar catalytic cracking will be analyzed according to the lignite pyrolysis char as catalyst on pyrolytic tar in this paper. The pyrolysis char what is the by-product of the cracking of coal has an abundant of pore structure and it has good catalytic activity. On this basis, making the modified catalyst when the pyrolysis char is activation and loads Fe by impregnation method. The cracking mechanism of lignite pyrolytic tar is explored by applying gas chromatograph to analyze splitting products of tar. The experimental results showed that: (1) The effect of tar cracking as the pyrolysis temperature, the heating rate, the volatilization of pyrolysis char and particle size increasing is better and better. The effect of the catalytic and cracking of lignite pyrolysis char in tar is best when the heating rate, the pyrolysis temperature, the volatiles of pyrolysis char, particle size is in specific conditions.(2) The activation of pyrolysis char can improve the catalytic effect of pyrolysis char on the tar cracking. But it reduces the effect of the tar cracking when the pyrolysis char is activation loading Fe. (author)

Fatigue crack Behaviour in a High Strength Tool Steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Højerslev, Christian; Carstensen, Jesper V.; Brøndsted, Povl

2002-01-01

The influence of microstructure on fatigue crack initiation and crack growth of a hardened and tempered high speed steel was investigated. The evolution of fatigue cracks was followed in four point bending at room temperature. It was found that a carbide damage zone exists above a threshold load...... value of maximally 80% of the yield strength of the steel. The size of this carbide damage zone increases with increasing load amplitude, and the zone is apparently associated with crack nucleation. On fatigue crack propagation plastic deformation of the matrix occurs in a radius of approximately 4...... microns in front of the fatigue crack tip, which is comparable with the relevant mean free carbide spacing....

Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) imaging of deuterium assisted cracking in a 2205 duplex stainless steel micro-structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobol, Oded; Holzlechner, Gerald; Nolze, Gert; Wirth, Thomas [BAM – Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin (Germany); Eliezer, Dan [Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva (Israel); Boellinghaus, Thomas, E-mail: thomas.boellinghaus@bam.de [BAM – Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin (Germany); Unger, Wolfgang E.S. [BAM – Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin (Germany)

2016-10-31

In the present work, the influence of deuterium on the microstructure of a duplex stainless steel type EN 1.4462 has been characterized by Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) supported by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB), electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) investigations. Characterization has been carried out before and after electrochemical charging with deuterium which has been used as a tracer, due to its similar behavior to hydrogen in the steel microstructure. In a first approach, the distribution of the deuterium occurring at temperatures above −58 °C has been visualized. Further it turned out that sub-surface micro blisters are formed in the ferrite-austenite interface, followed by the formation of needle shaped plates and subsequent cracking at the ferrite surface. In the austenite phase, parallel cracking alongside twins and hexagonal close packed (martensitic) regions has been observed. In both phases and even in the apparent interface, cracking has been associated with high deuterium concentrations, as compared to the surrounding undamaged microstructure. Sub-surface blistering in the ferrite has to be attributed to the accumulation and recombination of deuterium at the ferrite-austenite interface underneath the respective ferrite grains and after fast diffusing through this phase. Generally, the present application of chemometric imaging and structural analyses allows characterization of hydrogen assisted degradation at a sub-micron lateral resolution.

A numerical study of non-linear crack tip parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F.V. Antunes

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Crack closure concept has been widely used to explain different issues of fatigue crack propagation. However, different authors have questioned the relevance of crack closure and have proposed alternative concepts. The main objective here is to check the effectiveness of crack closure concept by linking the contact of crack flanks with non-linear crack tip parameters. Accordingly, 3D-FE numerical models with and without contact were developed for a wide range of loading scenarios and the crack tip parameters usually linked to fatigue crack growth, namely range of cyclic plastic strain, crack tip opening displacement, size of reversed plastic zone and total plastic dissipation per cycle, were investigated. It was demonstrated that: i LEFM concepts are applicable to the problem under study; ii the crack closure phenomenon has a great influence on crack tip parameters decreasing their values; iii the Keff concept is able to explain the variations of crack tip parameters produced by the contact of crack flanks; iv the analysis of remote compliance is the best numerical parameter to quantify the crack opening level; v without contact there is no effect of stress ratio on crack tip parameters. Therefore it is proved that the crack closure concept is valid.

Modified Dugdale cracks and Fictitious cracks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lauge Fuglsang

1998-01-01

A number of theories are presented in the literature on crack mechanics by which the strength of damaged materials can be predicted. Among these are theories based on the well-known Dugdale model of a crack prevented from spreading by self-created constant cohesive flow stressed acting in local...... areas, so-called fictitious cracks, in front of the crack.The Modified Dugdale theory presented in this paper is also based on the concept of Dugdale cracks. Any cohesive stress distribution, however, can be considered in front of the crack. Formally the strength of a material weakened by a modified...... Dugdale crack is the same as if it has been weakened by the well-known Griffith crack, namely sigma_CR = (EG_CR/phi)^1/2 where E and 1 are Young's modulus and crack half-length respectively, and G_CR is the so-called critical energy release rate. The physical significance of G_CR, however, is different...

CDRD and PNPR satellite passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithms: EuroTRMM/EURAINSAT origins and H-SAF operations

Science.gov (United States)

Mugnai, A.; Smith, E. A.; Tripoli, G. J.; Bizzarri, B.; Casella, D.; Dietrich, S.; Di Paola, F.; Panegrossi, G.; Sanò, P.

2013-04-01

Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF) is a EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) program, designed to deliver satellite products of hydrological interest (precipitation, soil moisture and snow parameters) over the European and Mediterranean region to research and operations users worldwide. Six satellite precipitation algorithms and concomitant precipitation products are the responsibility of various agencies in Italy. Two of these algorithms have been designed for maximum accuracy by restricting their inputs to measurements from conical and cross-track scanning passive microwave (PMW) radiometers mounted on various low Earth orbiting satellites. They have been developed at the Italian National Research Council/Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate in Rome (CNR/ISAC-Rome), and are providing operational retrievals of surface rain rate and its phase properties. Each of these algorithms is physically based, however, the first of these, referred to as the Cloud Dynamics and Radiation Database (CDRD) algorithm, uses a Bayesian-based solution solver, while the second, referred to as the PMW Neural-net Precipitation Retrieval (PNPR) algorithm, uses a neural network-based solution solver. Herein we first provide an overview of the two initial EU research and applications programs that motivated their initial development, EuroTRMM and EURAINSAT (European Satellite Rainfall Analysis and Monitoring at the Geostationary Scale), and the current H-SAF program that provides the framework for their operational use and continued development. We stress the relevance of the CDRD and PNPR algorithms and their precipitation products in helping secure the goals of H-SAF's scientific and operations agenda, the former helpful as a secondary calibration reference to other algorithms in H-SAF's complete mix of algorithms. Descriptions of the algorithms' designs are provided

CDRD and PNPR satellite passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithms: EuroTRMM/EURAINSAT origins and H-SAF operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mugnai

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF is a EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites program, designed to deliver satellite products of hydrological interest (precipitation, soil moisture and snow parameters over the European and Mediterranean region to research and operations users worldwide. Six satellite precipitation algorithms and concomitant precipitation products are the responsibility of various agencies in Italy. Two of these algorithms have been designed for maximum accuracy by restricting their inputs to measurements from conical and cross-track scanning passive microwave (PMW radiometers mounted on various low Earth orbiting satellites. They have been developed at the Italian National Research Council/Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate in Rome (CNR/ISAC-Rome, and are providing operational retrievals of surface rain rate and its phase properties. Each of these algorithms is physically based, however, the first of these, referred to as the Cloud Dynamics and Radiation Database (CDRD algorithm, uses a Bayesian-based solution solver, while the second, referred to as the PMW Neural-net Precipitation Retrieval (PNPR algorithm, uses a neural network-based solution solver. Herein we first provide an overview of the two initial EU research and applications programs that motivated their initial development, EuroTRMM and EURAINSAT (European Satellite Rainfall Analysis and Monitoring at the Geostationary Scale, and the current H-SAF program that provides the framework for their operational use and continued development. We stress the relevance of the CDRD and PNPR algorithms and their precipitation products in helping secure the goals of H-SAF's scientific and operations agenda, the former helpful as a secondary calibration reference to other algorithms in H-SAF's complete mix of algorithms. Descriptions of the algorithms' designs are

Analysis of 3D crack propagation by microfocus computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ao Bo; Chen Fuxing; Deng Cuizhen; Zeng Yabin

2014-01-01

The three-point bending test of notched specimens of 2A50 forging aluminum was performed by high frequency fatigue tester, and the surface cracks of different stages were analyzed and contrasted by SEM. The crack was reconstructed by microfocus computed tomography, and its size, position and distribution were visually displayed through 3D visualization. The crack propagation behaviors were researched through gray value and position of crack front of 2D CT images in two adjacent stages, and the results show that crack propagation is irregular. The projection image of crack was obtained if crack of two stages projected onto the reference plane respectively, a significant increase of new crack propagation was observed compared with the previous projection of crack, and the distribution curve of crack front of two stages was displayed. The 3D increment distribution of the crack front propagation was obtained through the 3D crack analysis of two stages. (authors)

The low-temperature aging embrittlement in a 2205 duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weng, K.L.; Chen, H.R.; Yang, J.R.

2004-01-01

The effect of isothermal treatment (at temperatures ranging between 400 and 500 deg. C) on the embrittlement of a 2205 duplex stainless steel (with 45 ferrite-55 austenite, vol.%) has been investigated. The impact toughness and hardness of the aged specimens were measured, while the corresponding fractography was studied. The results show that the steel is susceptible to severe embrittlement when exposed at 475 deg. C; this aging embrittlement is analogous with that of the ferritic stainless steels, which is ascribed to the degenerated ferrite phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that an isotropic spinodal decomposition occurred during aging at 475 deg. C in the steel studied; the original δ-ferrite decomposed into a nanometer-scaled modulated structure with a complex interconnected network, which contained an iron-rich BCC phase (α) and a chromium-enriched BCC phase (α'). It is suggested that the locking of dislocations in the modulated structure leads to the severe embrittlement

Yb-fibre Laser Welding of 6 mm Duplex Stainless Steel 2205

Science.gov (United States)

Bolut, M.; Kong, C. Y.; Blackburn, J.; Cashell, K. A.; Hobson, P. R.

Duplex stainless steel (DSS) is one of the materials of choice for structural and nuclear applications, having high strength and good corrosion resistance when compared with other grades of stainless steel. The welding process used to join these materials is critical as transformation of the microstructure during welding directly affects the material properties. High power laser welding has recently seen an increase in research interest as it offers both speed and flexibility. This paper presents an investigation into the important parameters affecting laser welding of DSS grade 2205, with particular focus given to the critical issue of phase transformation during welding. Bead-on-plate melt-run trials without filler material were performed on 6mm thick plates using a 5 kW Yb-fibre laser. The laser beam was characterized and a Design of Experiment approach was used to quantify the impact of the process parameters. Optical metallographic methods were used to examine the resulting microstructures.

Effect of size of alpha phases on cyclic deformation and fatigue crack initiation during fatigue of an alpha-beta titanium alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sun Qiaoyan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Alpha phase exhibits equiaxed or lamellar morphologies with size from submicron to microns in an alpha-beta titanium alloy. Cyclic deformation, slip characteristics and crack nucleation during fatigue in different microstructures of TC21 alloy (Ti-6Al-2Sn-2Zr-3Mo-1Cr-2Nb-0.1Si were systematically investigated and analyzed. During low-cycle fatigue, equiaxed microstructure (EM in TC21 alloy exhibits higher strength, ductility and longer low-cycle fatigue life than those of the lamellar microstructure (LM. There are more voids in the single lamellar alpha than the equiaxed alpha grains. As a result, voids more easily link up to form crack in the lamellar alpha phase than the equiaxed alpha phase. However, during high-cycle fatigue, the fine lamellar microstructure (FLM shows higher fatigue limit than bimodal microstructure (BM. The localized plastic deformation can be induced during high-cycle fatigue. The slip bands or twins are observed in the equiaxed and lamellar alpha phases(>1micron, which tends to form strain concentration and initiate fatigue crack. The localized slip within nanoscale alpha plates is seldom observed and extrusion/intrusion dispersedly distributed on the sample surface in FLM. This indicates that FLM show super resistance to fatigue crack which bring about higher fatigue limit than BM.

Biaxial loading effects on the growth of cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, M.W.; Miller, K.J.; Walker, T.J.

1983-01-01

Fatigue crack growth under different biaxial stress states is considered for both small scale yielding and high bulk stress conditions. Analytical and elastic finite element results are compared favourably alongside experimental results on a AISI 316 stainless steel at both room and elevated temperatures. Differences in crack growth rates are compared against different crack tip cyclic plastic zone sizes for various degrees of mixed mode loading, thereby overcoming the limitations of the Paris Law and LEFM. The usefulness of the approach is indicated for studies in the behaviour of materials subjected to thermal shock. Where steep temperature gradients are introduced due to rapid thermal transients, high strains are produced which propagate fatigue cracks under cyclic conditions. Since stress gradients are generally associated with thermal shock situations, the cracks grow through a plastically deformed region near the surface into an elastic region. A unified approach to fatigue behaviour, encompassing both linear elastic and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, will enable analysis of thermal shock situations. The approach to crack propagation developed here shows that cyclic growth rates are a function of a severe strain zone size in which local stresses exceed the tensile strength, i.e. monotonic instability. The effects of stress biaxiality and mixed mode loading are included in the analysis, which may be extended to general yielding situations. (orig.)

Electrochemical noise transient analysis for 316 and Duplex 2205 stainless steels in NaCl and FeCl; Analisis de los transitorios de ruido electroquimico para aceros inoxidables 316 Y - DUPLEX 2205 en NaCl Y FeCl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeraya-Calderaon, F.; Estupinan, F.; Zambrano, P.; Martinez-Villafane, A.; Borunda, A.; Colas, R.; Gaona-Tiburcio, C.

2012-11-01

This work shows the results obtained from electrochemical noise measurements for different materials exhibiting pitting corrosion. The transients presented in the potential and current time, correlates with the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) surface analysis. Electrochemical measurements were made at different exposure times to obtain the correlation. The materials used were stainless steel austenitic 316 and duplex 2205, immersed in ferric chloride (FeCl3) and sodium chloride (NaCl) electrolytes. SEM analysis shows that the transients observed in the time series, really correspond to the activity of pit nucleation developed over the surface of the electrodes. (Author) 31 refs.

Fatigue Behavior of Long and Short Cracks in Wrought and Powder Aluminum Alloys.

Science.gov (United States)

1984-05-01

The effects of cyclic frequency, electrochemical potential and bulk solution composition on the kinetics of small corrosion fatigue cracks have not...threshold behavior between cast iron (co = 113 MPa) and maraging steel (co = 1906 MPa), as a function of surface roughness (to simulate crack size) (after...4130 steel the crack size effect on corrosion fatigue, Fig. 2, is predicted in part based on linear superposition of stress corrosion growth rates for

Tomographic visualization of stress corrosion cracks in tubing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, R.A.; Kruger, R.P.; Wecksung, G.W.

1979-06-01

A feasibility study was conducted to determine the possibility of detecting and sizing cracks in reactor cooling water tubes using tomographic techniques. Due to time and financial constraints, only one tomographic reconstruction using the best technique available was made. The results indicate that tomographic reconstructions can, in fact, detect cracks in the tubing and might possibly be capable of measuring the depth of the cracks. Limits of detectability and sensitivity have not been determined but should be investigated in any future work

Influence of crystallite size and shape of zeolite ZSM-22 on its activity and selectivity in the catalytic cracking of n-octane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bager, F.; Ernst, S. [Kaiserslautern Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Chemistry, Chemical Technology

2013-11-01

Light olefins belong to the major building blocks for the petrochemical industry, particularly for the production of polymers. It has become necessary to increase the production of light olefins specifically in the case for propene with so called 'on-purpose propene' technologies. One possible route is to increase the amount of propene that can be obtained from Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) by optimizing the catalyst through introducing new additives, which offer a high selectivity to propene. Zeolite ZSM-22 samples with different crystallite sizes and morphologies have been synthesized via hydrothermal syntheses and characterized by powder X-Ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, atomic absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The zeolites in the Broensted-acid form have been tested as catalysts in the catalytic cracking of n-octane as a model hydrocarbon. Clear influences of the crystallite size on the deactivation behavior have been observed. Larger crystals of zeolite ZSM-22 produce an increased amount of coke deposits resulting in a faster deactivation of the catalyst. The experimental results suggest that there is probably some influence of pore diffusion on the catalytic activity of the ZSM-22 sample with the large crystallite size. However a noticeable influence on the general product distribution could not be observed. (orig.)

Effect of a new specimen size on fatigue crack growth behavior in thick-walled pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shariati, Mahmoud; Mohammadi, Ehsan; Masoudi Nejad, Reza

2017-01-01

Fatigue crack growth in thick-walled pressure vessels is an important factor affecting their fracture. Predicting the path of fatigue crack growth in a pressure vessel is the main issue discussed in fracture mechanics. The objective of this paper is to design a new geometrical specimen in fatigue to define the behavior of semi-elliptical crack growth in thick-walled pressure vessels. In the present work, the importance of the behavior of fatigue crack in test specimen and real conditions in thick-walled pressure vessels is investigated. The results of fatigue loading on the new specimen are compared with the results of fatigue loading in a cylindrical pressure vessel and a standard specimen. Numerical and experimental methods are used to investigate the behavior of fatigue crack growth in the new specimen. For this purpose, a three-dimensional boundary element method is used for fatigue crack growth under stress field. The modified Paris model is used to estimate fatigue crack growth rates. In order to verify the numerical results, fatigue test is carried out on a couple of specimens with a new geometry made of ck45. A comparison between experimental and numerical results has shown good agreement. - Highlights: • This paper provides a new specimen to define the behavior of fatigue crack growth. • We estimate the behavior of fatigue crack growth in specimen and pressure vessel. • A 3D finite element model has been applied to estimate the fatigue life. • We compare the results of fatigue loading for cylindrical vessel and specimens. • Comparison between experimental and numerical results has shown a good agreement.

A theoretical model of semi-elliptic surface crack growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shi Kaikai

2014-06-01

Full Text Available A theoretical model of semi-elliptic surface crack growth based on the low cycle strain damage accumulation near the crack tip along the cracking direction and the Newman–Raju formula is developed. The crack is regarded as a sharp notch with a small curvature radius and the process zone is assumed to be the size of cyclic plastic zone. The modified Hutchinson, Rice and Rosengren (HRR formulations are used in the presented study. Assuming that the shape of surface crack front is controlled by two critical points: the deepest point and the surface point. The theoretical model is applied to semi-elliptic surface cracked Al 7075-T6 alloy plate under cyclic loading, and five different initial crack shapes are discussed in present study. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical results is obtained.

Crack path and fracture surface modifications in cement composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sajjad Ahmad

2015-10-01

Full Text Available There is a tremendous increase in the use of high strength and high performance self-consolidating cementitious composites due to their superior workability and mechanical strengths. Cement composites are quasi-brittle in nature and possess extremely low tensile strength as compared to their compressive strength. Due to the low tensile strength capacity, cracks develop in cementitious composites due to the drying shrinkage, plastic settlements and/or stress concentrations (due to external restrains and/or applied stresses etc. These cracks developed at the nanoscale may grow rapidly due to the applied stresses and join together to form micro and macro cracks. The growth of cracks from nanoscale to micro and macro scale is very rapid and may lead to sudden failure of the cement composites. The present paper reports the modifications in the crack growth pattern of the high performance cement composites to achieve enhanced ductility and toughness. The objective was accomplished by the incorporation of the micro sized inert particulates in the cement composite matrix. The results indicate that the incorporation of micro sized inert particles acted as the obstacles in the growth of the cracks thus improving the ductility and the energy absorption capacity of the self-consolidating cementitious composites.

Dynamic Initiation and Propagation of Multiple Cracks in Brittle Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaodan Ren

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Brittle materials such as rock and ceramic usually exhibit apparent increases of strength and toughness when subjected to dynamic loading. The reasons for this phenomenon are not yet well understood, although a number of hypotheses have been proposed. Based on dynamic fracture mechanics, the present work offers an alternate insight into the dynamic behaviors of brittle materials. Firstly, a single crack subjected to stress wave excitations is investigated to obtain the dynamic crack-tip stress field and the dynamic stress intensity factor. Second, based on the analysis of dynamic stress intensity factor, the fracture initiation sizes and crack size distribution under different loading rates are obtained, and the power law with the exponent of −2/3 is derived to describe the fracture initiation size. Third, with the help of the energy balance concept, the dynamic increase of material strength is directly derived based on the proposed multiple crack evolving criterion. Finally, the model prediction is compared with the dynamic impact experiments, and the model results agree well with the experimentally measured dynamic increasing factor (DIF.

Outline and current status of crack growth evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arai, Taku

2017-01-01

This paper explains the outline of crack growth evaluation against stress corrosion cracking (SCC), knowledge obtained from actual equipment failure cases, and the latest trends of technology development concerning crack growth evaluation. As for the reactor integrity evaluation system, the use of the maintenance standards for the nuclear power generation of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (hereinafter referred to as maintenance standards') is specified for its evaluation. Based on whether or not the result satisfies the evaluation criteria for the SCC soundness assessment, it is judged whether continuous operation within the evaluation period is allowed or repair/replacement is required. According to main findings obtained from the cases of actual equipment failure, the following have been recognized. (1) The SCC generated and developed in the nickel base alloy welded metal stayed at the boundary between low alloy steel and stainless steel. (2) The progress of SCC strongly depends on the growth direction of dendrite, which is the welded solidified structure, and preferentially develops in the direction parallel to the growth direction. The latest development of crack propagation evaluation includes (1) development of solution for stress intensity factor, and (2) crack propagation evaluation by means of FEM analysis. With regard to the SCC of stainless steel in recirculation system piping under BWR environment, if the defect depth and surface length are sized, the progress of cracks in the actual equipment can be reproduced to some extent by crack growth according to maintenance standards. The sizing results of the defect based on non-destructive test are the starting point. (A.O.)

Apical extrusion of debris during the preparation of oval root canals: a comparative study between a full-sequence SAF system and a rotary file system supplemented by XP-endo finisher file.

Science.gov (United States)

Kfir, Anda; Moza-Levi, Rotem; Herteanu, Moran; Weissman, Amir; Wigler, Ronald

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the amount of apically extruded debris during the preparation of oval canals with either a rotary file system supplemented by the XP-endo Finisher file or a full-sequence self-adjusting file (SAF) system. Sixty mandibular incisors were randomly assigned to two groups: group A: stage 1-glide path preparation with Pre-SAF instruments. Stage 2-cleaning and shaping with SAF. Group B: stage 1-glide path preparation with ProGlider file. Stage 2-cleaning and shaping with ProTaper Next system. Stage 3-Final cleaning with XP-endo Finisher file. The debris extruded during each of the stages was collected, and the debris weights were compared between the groups and between the stages within the groups using t tests with a significance level set at P file followed by XP-endo Finisher file extruded significantly more debris than a full-sequence SAF system. Each stage, in either procedure, had its own contribution to the extrusion of debris. Final preparation with XP-endo Finisher file contributes to the total amount of extruded debris, but the clinical relevance of the relative difference in the amount of apically extruded debris remains unclear.

The crack-initiation threshold in ceramic materials subject to elastic/plastic indentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lankford, J.; Davidson, D.L.

1979-01-01

The threshold for indentation cracking is established for a range of ceramic materials, using the techniques of scanning electron microscopy and acoustic emission. It is found that by taking into account indentation plasticity, current theories may be successfully combined to predict threshold indentation loads and crack sizes. Threshold cracking is seen to relate to radial rather than median cracking. (author)

On the constitutive criteria for the fault: influence of size and tensile cracks generation during rupture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riera, J.D.; Miguel, L.F.F.; Gudiel, L.A.D.

2005-01-01

In recent studies the authors consider the possibility of occurrence of tensile crack generation near the free surface during faulting. The main assumption is that the dynamic tensile stress created during the shear rupture process would be dominant over the background stress near the free-surface. The proposed model was able to simulate the mechanism of cracks developed as a flower like-structure surrounding the shear fault in the vicinity of the free surface and explain some aspects of the fracture zones found after the 2000 Tottori earthquake. The applicability of various constitutive laws for the fault employed in numerical analysis of the near source motion, such as the slip-weakening, velocity-weakening or rate- and state-dependent friction laws, were also recently discussed by the authors in connection with results of laboratory experiments on friction. In this paper, the most important conclusions of the studies outlined above are summarized by way of introduction to the numerical modeling of the region adjacent to the fault surface, which includes material nonhomogeneities as well as the possibility of generation of new tensile cracks. In the presence of fracture, both factors exert important influence on the macro constitutive laws for the fault, which relate the static (mean normal and shear stresses) with kinetic (displacements) variables, as well as with their time derivatives. By means of simulation, it is shown that the coefficients in the equation that relate the relevant variables depend on size, that is, they vary with the contact area over which stresses, displacements and velocities are averaged. Any variability in Young's modulus or mass density of the surround rock may however be neglected, the only significant random fields being those that describe friction at the interface and the specific fracture energy. (authors)

On short cracks that depart from elastoplastic notch tips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verônica Miquelin Machado

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The behavior of short cracks that depart from elastoplastic notch tips is modeled to estimate the stresses required to initiate and to propagate cracks in notched structural components, and to evaluate the size of tolerable crack-like defects under general loading conditions. This analysis can model both fatigue and environmentally assisted cracking problems; can evaluate notch sensitivity in both cases; and can as well be used to establish design or acceptance criteria for tolerable non-propagating crack-like defects in such cases. The growth of short cracks is assumed driven by the applied stresses and by the stress gradient ahead the notch tip, and supported by the material resistances to crack initiation and to long crack propagation by fatigue or EAC. In the elastoplastic case, the stress gradient ahead of the notch tip is quantified by a J-field to consider the short crack behavior. The tolerable short crack predictions made by this model are evaluated by suitable fatigue and EAC tests of notched specimens specially designed to start nonpropagating cracks from the notch tips, both under elastic and elastoplastic conditions.

Probabilistic modeling of crack networks in thermal fatigue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malesys, N.

2007-11-01

Thermal superficial crack networks have been detected in mixing zone of cooling system in nuclear power plants. Numerous experimental works have already been led to characterize initiation and propagation of these cracks. The random aspect of initiation led to propose a probabilistic model for the formation and propagation of crack networks in thermal fatigue. In a first part, uniaxial mechanical test were performed on smooth and slightly notched specimens in order to characterize the initiation of multiple cracks, their arrest due to obscuration and the coalescence phenomenon by recovery of amplification stress zones. In a second time, the probabilistic model was established under two assumptions: the continuous cracks initiation on surface, described by a Poisson point process law with threshold, and the shielding phenomenon which prohibits the initiation or the propagation of a crack if this one is in the relaxation stress zone of another existing crack. The crack propagation is assumed to follow a Paris' law based on the computation of stress intensity factors at the top and the bottom of crack. The evolution of multiaxial cracks on the surface can be followed thanks to three quantities: the shielding probability, comparable to a damage variable of the structure, the initiated crack density, representing the total number of cracks per unit surface which can be compared to experimental observations, and the propagating crack density, representing the number per unit surface of active cracks in the network. The crack sizes distribution is also computed by the model allowing an easier comparison with experimental results. (author)

Dark clouds in the vicinity of the emission nebula Sh2-205: interstellar extinction and distances

Science.gov (United States)

Straižys, V.; Čepas, V.; Boyle, R. P.; Zdanavičius, J.; Maskoliūnas, M.; Kazlauskas, A.; Zdanavičius, K.; Černis, K.

2016-05-01

Results of CCD photometry in the seven-colour Vilnius system for 922 stars down to V = 16-17 mag and for 302 stars down to 19.5 mag are used to investigate the interstellar extinction in an area of 1.5 square degrees in the direction of the P7 and P8 clumps of the dark cloud TGU H942, which lies in the vicinity of the emission nebula Sh2-205. In addition, we used 662 red clump giants that were identified by combining the 2MASS and WISE infrared surveys. The resulting plots of extinction versus distance were compared with previous results of the distribution and radial velocities of CO clouds and with dust maps in different passbands of the IRAS and WISE orbiting observatories. A possible distance of the front edge of the nearest cloud layer at 130 ± 10 pc was found. This dust layer probably covers all the investigated area, which results in extinction of up to 1.8 mag in some directions. A second rise of the extinction seems to be present at 500-600 pc. Within this layer, the clumps P7 and P8 of the dust cloud TGU H942, the Sh2-205 emission nebula, and the infrared cluster FSR 655 are probably located. In the direction of these clouds, we identified 88 young stellar objects and a new infrared cluster. Full Tables 1 and 2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/590/A21

Thermal shock cracking of GSO single crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyazaki, Noriyuki; Yamamoto, Kazunari; Tamura, Takaharu; Kurashige, Kazuhisa; Ishibashi, Hiroyuki; Susa, Kenzo

1998-01-01

The quantitative estimation of the failure stress of a gadolinium orthosilicate (Gd 2 SiO 5 , hereafter abbreviated as GSO) single crystal due to thermal shock was investigated. A cylindrical test specimen was heated in a silicone oil bath, then subjected to thermal shock by pouring room temperature silicone oil. Cracking occurred during cooling. The heat conduction analysis was performed to obtain temperature distribution in a GSO single crystal at cracking, using the surface temperatures measured in the thermal shock cracking test. Then the thermal stress was calculated using temperature profile of the test specimen obtained from the heat conduction analysis. It is found from the results of the thermal stress analysis and the observation of the cracking in test specimens that the thermal shock cracking occurs in a cleavage plane due to the stress normal to the plane. Three-point bending tests were also performed to examine the relationship between the critical stress for thermal shock cracking and the three-point bending strength obtained from small-sized test specimens. (author)

Automatic Detection of Inactive Solar Cell Cracks in Electroluminescence Images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Spataru, Sergiu; Hacke, Peter; Sera, Dezso

2017-01-01

We propose an algorithm for automatic determination of the electroluminescence (EL) signal threshold level corresponding to inactive solar cell cracks, resulting from their disconnection from the electrical circuit of the cell. The method enables automatic quantification of the cell crack size...

Influence of Crack Morphology on Leak Before Break Margins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weilin Zang

2007-11-01

The purpose of the project is to evaluate the deterministic LBB-margins for different pipe systems in a Swedish PWR-plant and using different crack morphology parameters. Results: - The influence of crack morphology on Leak Before Break (LBB) margins is studied. The subject of the report is a number of LBB-submittals to SKI where deterministic LBB-margins are reported. These submittals typically uses a surface roughness of 0.0762 mm (300 microinch) and number of turns equal to zero and an in-house code for the leak rate evaluations. The present report has shown that these conditions give the largest LBB-margins both in terms of the quotient between the critical crack length and the leakage crack size and for the leak rate margin. - Crack morphology parameters have a strong influence on the leak rate evaluations. Using the SQUIRT code and more recent recommendations for crack morphology parameters, it is shown that in many cases the evaluated margins, using 1 gpm as the reference leak rate detection limit, are below the safety factor of 2 on crack size and 10 on leak rate, which is generally required for LBB approval. - The effect of including weld residual stresses on the LBB margins is also investigated. It is shown that for the two examples studied, weld residual stresses were important for the small diameter thin wall pipe whereas it was negligible for the large diameter thick wall pipe which had a self-balanced weld residual stress distribution

Role of coupled cataclasis-pressure solution deformation in microearthquake activity along the creeping segment of the SAF: Inferences from studies of the SAFOD core samples

Science.gov (United States)

Hadizadeh, J.; Gratier, J.; Renard, F.; Mittempregher, S.; di Toro, G.

2009-12-01

creeping section of the SAF including hypocenter cluster distribution, moment release rate, seismic rupture area (∝ healed patch size), stress drop and return time characteristics point to a highly heterogeneous internal structure at the SAFOD site, and could be used to test the proposed coupled cataclasis-pressure solution microstructural model.

Ultrasonic signal processing for sizing under-clad flaws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shankar, R.; Paradiso, T.J.; Lane, S.S.; Quinn, J.R.

1985-01-01

Ultrasonic digital data were collected from underclad cracks in sample pressure vessel specimen blocks. These blocks were weld cladded under different processes to simulate actual conditions in US Pressure Water Reactors. Each crack was represented by a flaw-echo dynamic curve which is a plot of the transducer motion on the surface as a function of the ultrasonic response into the material. Crack depth sizing was performed by identifying in the dynamic curve the crack tip diffraction signals from the upper and lower tips. This paper describes the experimental procedure, digital signal processing methods used and algorithms developed for crack depth sizing

Ultrasonic inspection reliability for intergranular stress corrosion cracks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heasler, P G; Taylor, T T; Spanner, J C; Doctor, S R; Deffenbaugh, J D [Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)

1990-07-01

A pipe inspection round robin entitled Mini-Round Robin'' was conducted at Pacific Northwest Laboratory from May 1985 through October 1985. The research was sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research under a program entitled Evaluation and Improvement of NDE Reliability for Inservice Inspection of Light Water Reactors.'' The Mini-Round Robin (MRR) measured the intergranular stress corrosion (GSC) crack detection and sizing capabilities of inservice inspection (ISI) inspectors that had passed the requirements of IEB 83-02 and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) sizing training course. The MRR data base was compared with an earlier Pipe Inspection Round Robin (PIRR) that had measured the performance of inservice inspection prior to 1982. Comparison of the MRR and PIRR data bases indicates no significant change in the inspection capability for detecting IGSCC. Also, when comparing detection of long and short cracks, no difference in detection capability was measured. An improvement in the ability to differentiate between shallow and deeper IGSCC was found when the MRR sizing capability was compared with an earlier sizing round robin conducted by the EPRI. In addition to the pipe inspection round robin, a human factors study was conducted in conjunction with the Mini-Round Robin. The most important result of the human factors study is that the Relative Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves provide a better methodology for describing inspector performance than only probability of detection (POD) or single-point crack/no crack data. 6 refs., 55 figs., 18 tabs.

How Tough is Human Cortical Bone? In-Situ Measurements on Realistically Short Cracks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ritchie, Robert O; Koester, K. J.; Ager III, J. W.; Ritchie, R.O.

2008-05-10

Bone is more difficult to break than to split. Although this is well known, and many studies exist on the behavior of long cracks in bone, there is a need for data on the orientation-dependent crack-growth resistance behavior of human cortical bone which accurately assesses its toughness at appropriate size-scales. Here we use in-situ mechanical testing in the scanning electron microscope and x-ray computed tomography to examine how physiologically-pertinent short (<600 mu m) cracks propagate in both the transverse and longitudinal orientations in cortical bone, using both crack-deflection/twist mechanics and nonlinear-elastic fracture mechanics to determine crack-resistance curves. We find that after only 500 mu m of cracking, the driving force for crack propagation was more than five times higher in the transverse (breaking) direction than in the longitudinal (splitting) direction due to major crack deflections/twists principally at cement sheathes. Indeed, our results show that the true transverse toughness of cortical bone is far higher than previously reported. However, the toughness in the longitudinal orientation, where cracks tend to follow the cement lines, is quite low at these small crack sizes; it is only when cracks become several millimeters in length that bridging mechanisms can develop leading to the (larger-crack) toughnesses generally quoted for bone.

Automatic Detection of Inactive Solar Cell Cracks in Electroluminescence Images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Spataru, Sergiu; Hacke, Peter; Sera, Dezso

2017-01-01

We propose an algorithm for automatic determination of the electroluminescence (EL) signal threshold level corresponding to inactive solar cell cracks, resulting from their disconnection from the electrical circuit of the cell. The method enables automatic quantification of the cell crack size an...

The vibrational behaviour of a cracked turbine rotor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grabowski, B.

1978-01-01

In order to detect an incipient crack on a turbine rotor with the aid of measurement of the shaft vibrations, these must be known in the first place the effects of a crack on the vibrational behavior of a rotor. For this purpose a method using the modal analysis is presented here. The rigidity depending on the angle of rotation at the position of the crack is accounted for by means of a model. Because of the composition of the computer code there may also be worked with measured values for the rigidity. The results of the calculations show that within the range of speeds, in which for many turbines the operating speed lies, a crack will cause distinct variations of the shaft vibrations. The crack stimulates vibrations with frequencies of rotation and frequencies of double-rotation. Both may be used for crack detection. Because of the strong dependence of the size of the amplitudes of vibration on the design of the rotor and the position of the crack each rotor should be subject to a detailed crack calculation for a better judgement of the measured values. (orig.) [de

Biaxial fatigue crack propagation behavior of perfluorosulfonic-acid membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Qiang; Shi, Shouwen; Wang, Lei; Chen, Xu; Chen, Gang

2018-04-01

Perfluorosulfonic-acid membranes have long been used as the typical electrolyte for polymer-electrolyte fuel cells, which not only transport proton and water but also serve as barriers to prevent reactants mixing. However, too often the structural integrity of perfluorosulfonic-acid membranes is impaired by membrane thinning or cracks/pinholes formation induced by mechanical and chemical degradations. Despite the increasing number of studies that report crack formation, such as crack size and shape, the underlying mechanism and driving forces have not been well explored. In this paper, the fatigue crack propagation behaviors of Nafion membranes subjected to biaxial loading conditions have been investigated. In particular, the fatigue crack growth rates of flat cracks in responses to different loading conditions are compared, and the impact of transverse stress on fatigue crack growth rate is clarified. In addition, the crack paths for slant cracks under both uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions are discussed, which are similar in geometry to those found after accelerated stress testing of fuel cells. The directions of initial crack propagation are calculated theoretically and compared with experimental observations, which are in good agreement. The findings reported here lays the foundation for understanding of mechanical failure of membranes.

Multiscale model of short cracks in a random polycrystalline aggregate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonovski, I.; Cizelj, L.; Petric, Z.

2006-01-01

A plane-strain finite element crystal plasticity model of microstructurally small stationary crack emanating at a surface grain in a 316L stainless steel is proposed. The model consisting of 212 randomly shaped, sized and oriented grains is loaded monotonically in uniaxial tension to a maximum load of 1.12Rp0.2 (280MPa). The influence that a random grain structure imposes on a Stage I crack is assessed by calculating the crack tip opening (CTOD) and sliding displacements (CTSD) for single crystal as well as for polycrystal models, considering also different crystallographic orientations. In the single crystal case the CTOD and CTSD may differ by more than one order of magnitude. Near the crack tip slip is activated on all the slip planes whereby only two are active in the rest of the model. The maximum CTOD is directly related to the maximal Schmid factors. For the more complex polycrystal cases it is shown that certain crystallographic orientations result in a cluster of soft grains around the crack-containing grain. In these cases the crack tip can become a part of the localized strain, resulting in a large CTOD value. This effect, resulting from the overall grain orientations and sizes, can have a greater impact on the CTOD than the local grain orientation. On the other hand, when a localized soft response is formed away from the crack, the localized strain does not affect the crack tip directly, resulting in a small CTOD value. The resulting difference in CTOD can be up to a factor of 4, depending upon the crystallographic set. Grains as far as 6 times the value of crack length significantly influence that crack tip parameters. It was also found that a larger crack containing grain tends to increase the CTOD. Finally, smaller than expected drop in the CTOD (12.7%) was obtained as the crack approached the grain boundary. This could be due to the assumption of the unchanged crack direction, only monotonic loading and simplified grain boundary modelling. (author)

A crack growth evaluation method for interacting multiple cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamaya, Masayuki

2003-01-01

When stress corrosion cracking or corrosion fatigue occurs, multiple cracks are frequently initiated in the same area. According to section XI of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, multiple cracks are considered as a single combined crack in crack growth analysis, if the specified conditions are satisfied. In crack growth processes, however, no prescription for the interference between multiple cracks is given in this code. The JSME Post-Construction Code, issued in May 2000, prescribes the conditions of crack coalescence in the crack growth process. This study aimed to extend this prescription to more general cases. A simulation model was applied, to simulate the crack growth process, taking into account the interference between two cracks. This model made it possible to analyze multiple crack growth behaviors for many cases (e.g. different relative position and length) that could not be studied by experiment only. Based on these analyses, a new crack growth analysis method was suggested for taking into account the interference between multiple cracks. (author)

The CM SAF SSM/I-based total column water vapour climate data record: methods and evaluation against re-analyses and satellite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Schröder

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF aims at the provision and sound validation of well documented Climate Data Records (CDRs in sustained and operational environments. In this study, a total column water vapour path (WVPA climatology from CM SAF is presented and inter-compared to water vapour data records from various data sources. Based on homogenised brightness temperatures from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I, a climatology of WVPA has been generated within the Hamburg Ocean–Atmosphere Fluxes and Parameters from Satellite (HOAPS framework. Within a research and operation transition activity the HOAPS data and operation capabilities have been successfully transferred to the CM SAF where the complete HOAPS data and processing schemes are hosted in an operational environment. An objective analysis for interpolation, namely kriging, has been applied to the swath-based WVPA retrievals from the HOAPS data set. The resulting climatology consists of daily and monthly mean fields of WVPA over the global ice-free ocean. The temporal coverage ranges from July 1987 to August 2006. After a comparison to the precursor product the CM SAF SSM/I-based climatology has been comprehensively compared to different types of meteorological analyses from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF-ERA40, ERA INTERIM and operational analyses and from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA–JRA. This inter-comparison shows an overall good agreement between the climatology and the analyses, with daily absolute biases generally smaller than 2 kg m−2. The absolute value of the bias to JRA and ERA INTERIM is typically smaller than 0.5 kg m−2. For the period 1991–2006, the root mean square error (RMSE for both reanalyses is approximately 2 kg m−2. As SSM/I WVPA and radiances are assimilated into JMA and all ECMWF analyses and

Leak-before-break due to fatigue cracks in the cold leg piping system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayfield, M.E.; Collier, R.P.

1984-01-01

This review paper presents the results of a deterministic assessment of the margin of safety against a large break in the cold leg piping system of pressurized water reactors. The paper focuses on the computation of leak rates resulting from fatigue cracks that penetrate the full wall thickness. Results are presented that illustrate the sensitivity of the leak rate to stress level, crack shape and crack orientation. Further, the leak rates for specific conditions are contrasted to detection levels, shutdown criteria, make-up capacity and the leak rate associated with final failure of the piping system. The results of these computations indicate that, in general, leaks far in excess of the present detection sensitivities would result at crack sizes well below the critical crack sizes for the upset loadings on the cold leg piping system

Discrete dislocation plasticity modeling of short cracks in single crystals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deshpande, VS; Needleman, A; Van der Giessen, E

2003-01-01

The mode-I crack growth behavior of geometrically similar edge-cracked single crystal specimens of varying size subject to both monotonic and cyclic axial loading is analyzed using discrete dislocation dynamics. Plastic deformation is modeled through the motion of edge dislocations in an elastic

A surface flaw sizing study by time-of-flight ultrasonic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamy, C.A.

1990-07-01

In this work, sizing of inclined slits and surface cracks in ferritic steel using the ultrasonic time-of-flight technique was studied. The surface cracks were vertical and inclined, nut the slits were only inclined. It was surface Rayleigh wave that was converted to shear wave mode in the material. The specimens with surface crack were submitted to a three four point loading fracture mechanics tests, so that the region of the crack tip became under an increasing tensile stress. Thus, the ultrasonic crack sizing could be compared to the material stress intensity factor (K) of the material for different loadings. Results show that the greater the slope and/or lenght of the slits the greater its subsizing. Vertical cracks int he parent metal are reliably and accuratly sized; in the weld the same remark held if one increases the gain of ultrasonic flaw detector to compensate for the weld attenuation phenomenon. Sizing of inclined cracks in the parent metal shows the same trends of the inclined slits, differing only in slopes over 30 sup(0) where the sizing in surface cracks is no longer reliable. A new appraisal procedure here proposed made reliable these results. The techniques employed in this work lead to reliable and accurate results for sizing of different slits and cracks. It should be noted however that good results are only obtained if a tensile stress state exists in the neighbourhood of the c rack tip. (author)

Fracture Mechanics Analyses for Interface Crack Problems - A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Krueger, Ronald; Shivakumar, Kunigal; Raju, Ivatury S.

2013-01-01

Recent developments in fracture mechanics analyses of the interfacial crack problem are reviewed. The intent of the review is to renew the awareness of the oscillatory singularity at the crack tip of a bimaterial interface and the problems that occur when calculating mode mixity using numerical methods such as the finite element method in conjunction with the virtual crack closure technique. Established approaches to overcome the nonconvergence issue of the individual mode strain energy release rates are reviewed. In the recent literature many attempts to overcome the nonconvergence issue have been developed. Among the many approaches found only a few methods hold the promise of providing practical solutions. These are the resin interlayer method, the method that chooses the crack tip element size greater than the oscillation zone, the crack tip element method that is based on plate theory and the crack surface displacement extrapolation method. Each of the methods is validated on a very limited set of simple interface crack problems. However, their utility for a wide range of interfacial crack problems is yet to be established.

Detection of cracks with low vertical offset in clayey formations from galleries by using seismic methods. Tournemire experimental station. First part: problem analysis and measurement sizing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bretaudeau, Francois; Gelis, Celine; Cabrera, Justo; Leparoux, Donatienne; Cote, Philippe

2012-01-01

Within the frame of the expertise of the ANDRA file on the project of storage of radioactive wastes in clayey formations, the detection of natural cracks which could locally alter the argillite containment properties is a crucial issue. As some previous studies showed that some cracks exhibiting a low vertical offset could not be detected in clayey formations from the surface, this document reports a study which aimed at assessing the possibility of detection of such a crack by means of seismic methods directly implemented from underground works. It reports a detailed analysis of the seismic imagery problem, the characterization of different areas of the investigated environment, the assessment and validation of various hypotheses by using experimental data obtained in an experimental station and numerical simulations. The potential of each envisaged method (migration, tomography, wave form inversion) is assessed, notably with respect to synthetic seismic data obtained by numerical modelling. Preliminary results are used to size a complete seismic measurement campaign aimed at the characterization of the crack area, and at the assessment of detection limitations of the different methods

Crack Detection in Single-Crystalline Silicon Wafer Using Laser Generated Lamb Wave

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min-Kyoo Song

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the semiconductor industry, with increasing requirements for high performance, high capacity, high reliability, and compact components, the crack has been one of the most critical issues in accordance with the growing requirement of the wafer-thinning in recent years. Previous researchers presented the crack detection on the silicon wafers with the air-coupled ultrasonic method successfully. However, the high impedance mismatching will be the problem in the industrial field. In this paper, in order to detect the crack, we propose a laser generated Lamb wave method which is not only noncontact, but also reliable for the measurement. The laser-ultrasonic generator and the laser-interferometer are used as a transmitter and a receiver, respectively. We firstly verified the identification of S0 and A0 lamb wave modes and then conducted the crack detection under the thermoelastic regime. The experimental results showed that S0 and A0 modes of lamb wave were clearly generated and detected, and in the case of the crack detection, the estimated crack size by 6 dB drop method was almost equal to the actual crack size. So, the proposed method is expected to make it possible to detect the crack in the silicon wafer in the industrial fields.

Surface and subsurface cracks characteristics of single crystal SiC wafer in surface machining

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiusheng, Y., E-mail: qsyan@gdut.edu.cn; Senkai, C., E-mail: senkite@sina.com; Jisheng, P., E-mail: panjisheng@gdut.edu.cn [School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006 (China)

2015-03-30

Different machining processes were used in the single crystal SiC wafer machining. SEM was used to observe the surface morphology and a cross-sectional cleavages microscopy method was used for subsurface cracks detection. Surface and subsurface cracks characteristics of single crystal SiC wafer in abrasive machining were analysed. The results show that the surface and subsurface cracks system of single crystal SiC wafer in abrasive machining including radial crack, lateral crack and the median crack. In lapping process, material removal is dominated by brittle removal. Lots of chipping pits were found on the lapping surface. With the particle size becomes smaller, the surface roughness and subsurface crack depth decreases. When the particle size was changed to 1.5µm, the surface roughness Ra was reduced to 24.0nm and the maximum subsurface crack was 1.2µm. The efficiency of grinding is higher than lapping. Plastic removal can be achieved by changing the process parameters. Material removal was mostly in brittle fracture when grinding with 325# diamond wheel. Plow scratches and chipping pits were found on the ground surface. The surface roughness Ra was 17.7nm and maximum subsurface crack depth was 5.8 µm. When grinding with 8000# diamond wheel, the material removal was in plastic flow. Plastic scratches were found on the surface. A smooth surface of roughness Ra 2.5nm without any subsurface cracks was obtained. Atomic scale removal was possible in cluster magnetorheological finishing with diamond abrasive size of 0.5 µm. A super smooth surface eventually obtained with a roughness of Ra 0.4nm without any subsurface crack.

Standard test method for measurement of fatigue crack growth rates

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2015-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the determination of fatigue crack growth rates from near-threshold to Kmax controlled instability. Results are expressed in terms of the crack-tip stress-intensity factor range (ΔK), defined by the theory of linear elasticity. 1.2 Several different test procedures are provided, the optimum test procedure being primarily dependent on the magnitude of the fatigue crack growth rate to be measured. 1.3 Materials that can be tested by this test method are not limited by thickness or by strength so long as specimens are of sufficient thickness to preclude buckling and of sufficient planar size to remain predominantly elastic during testing. 1.4 A range of specimen sizes with proportional planar dimensions is provided, but size is variable to be adjusted for yield strength and applied force. Specimen thickness may be varied independent of planar size. 1.5 The details of the various specimens and test configurations are shown in Annex A1-Annex A3. Specimen configurations other than t...

The application of an atomistic J-integral to a ductile crack.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, Jonathan A; Jones, Reese E

2013-04-17

In this work we apply a Lagrangian kernel-based estimator of continuum fields to atomic data to estimate the J-integral for the emission dislocations from a crack tip. Face-centered cubic (fcc) gold and body-centered cubic (bcc) iron modeled with embedded atom method (EAM) potentials are used as example systems. The results of a single crack with a K-loading compare well to an analytical solution from anisotropic linear elastic fracture mechanics. We also discovered that in the post-emission of dislocations from the crack tip there is a loop size-dependent contribution to the J-integral. For a system with a finite width crack loaded in simple tension, the finite size effects for the systems that were feasible to compute prevented precise agreement with theory. However, our results indicate that there is a trend towards convergence.

Study of toughening mechanisms through the observations of crack propagation in nanostructured and layered metallic sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, A.Y.; Li, D.F.; Zhang, J.B.; Liu, F.; Liu, X.R.; Lu, J.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A nanostructured and layered steel exhibits high strength and large ductility. → The excellent combination originates from a multiple interlaminar cracking. → The initiation and propagation of cracks are controlled by three aspects. → The cracks are deflected by interface and arrested by compressive residual stress. → Finally, the cracks are blunted by the graded grain size distribution. - Abstract: A layered and nanostructured (LN) 304 SS sheet was produced by combination of surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) with warm co-rolling. The microstructure of LN sheet is characterized by a periodic distribution of nanocrystalline layers and micron-grained layers with a graded transition of grain size. Tensile test results show that exceptional properties of high yield strength and large elongation to fracture are achieved. A multiple interlaminar cracking was observed by scanning electron microscopy, which is induced by repeated crack initiation and propagation. The toughening mechanisms of the LN sheet are proposed to be controlling the crack propagation path by several strategies. The main cracks initiating at interface defects are arrested by large compressive residual stress, deflected by weak interface bonding and blunted by the graded grain size distribution.

Correlation of eddy current responses between fatigue cracks and electrical-discharge-machining notches

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Sukho; Choi, Gyudong; Eom, Tae Jhoun; Lee, Bokwon; Lee, Soo Yeol

2017-07-01

The eddy current responses of Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) notches and fatigue cracks are directly compared to verify the reliability of eddy current inspection. The fatigue crack growth tests using a constant load range control mode were conducted to obtain a variety of edge crack sizes, ranging from 0.9 to 6.6 mm for Al alloy and from 0.1 to 3 mm for Ti alloy. EDM notch specimens of Al and Ti alloys were accordingly prepared in lengths similar to that of the fatigued specimen. The crack length was determined by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The eddy current responses between the EDM and fatigued specimens with varying notch/crack length were examined using probe sensors at (100-500) kHz and (1-2) MHz for Al and Ti alloys, respectively. The results show a significant difference in the eddy current signal between the two specimens, based on the correlation between the eddy current response and notch/crack length. This suggests that eddy current inspection using the EDM reference specimen is inaccurate in determining the precise crack size, unless the eddy current response data base is obtained from a fatigue-cracked specimen.

Fatigue crack propagation in self-assembling nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klingler, Andreas; Wetzel, Bernd [Institute for Composite Materials (IVW GmbH) Technical University of Kaiserslautern, 67633 Kaiserslautern (Germany)

2016-05-18

Self-assembling block-copolymers allow the easy manufacturing of nanocomposites due to the thermodynamically driven in situ formation of nanosized phases in thermosetting resins during the curing process. Complex mechanical dispersion processes can be avoided. The current study investigates the effect of a block-copolymer on the fatigue crack propagation resistance of a cycloaliphatic amine cured epoxy resin. It was found that a small amount of MAM triblock-copolymer significantly increases the resistance to fatigue crack propagation of epoxy. Crack growth rate and the Paris law exponent for fatigue-crack growth were considerably reduced from m=15.5 of the neat epoxy to m=8.1 of the nanocomposite. To identify the related reinforcing and fracture mechanisms structural analyses of the fractured surfaces were performed by scanning electron microscope. Characteristic features were identified to be deformation, debonding and fracture of the nano-phases as well as crack pinning. However, the highest resistance against fatigue crack propagation was achieved in a bi-continuous microstructure that consisted of an epoxy-rich phase with embedded submicron sized MAM inclusions, and which was surrounded by a block-copolymer-rich phase that showed rupture and plastic deformation.

Microwave based method of monitoring crack formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aman, Sergej; Aman, Alexander; Majcherek, Soeren; Hirsch, Soeren; Schmidt, Bertram

2014-01-01

The formation of cracks in glass particles was monitored by application of linearly polarized microwaves. The breakage behavior of glass spheres coated with a thin gold layer of about 50 nm, i.e. a thickness that is lower than the microwave penetration depth, was tested. In this way the investigation of fracture behavior of electronic circuits was simulated. A shielding current was induced in the gold layer by the application of microwaves. During the crack formation the distribution of this current changed abruptly and a scattered microwave signal appeared at the frequency of the incident microwaves. The time behavior of the scattered signal reflects the microscopic processes occurring during the fracture of the specimen. The duration of the increasing signal corresponds to the crack formation time in the tested specimen. This time was estimated as particle size divided by crack development speed in glass. An intense emission of electrons occurs during the formation of cracks. Due to this, coherent Thomson scattering of microwaves by emitted electrons becomes significant with a delay of a few microseconds after the initial phase of crack formation. In this time the intensity of the microwave signal increases. (paper)

Fatigue crack propagation in self-assembling nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Klingler, Andreas; Wetzel, Bernd

2016-05-01

Self-assembling block-copolymers allow the easy manufacturing of nanocomposites due to the thermodynamically driven in situ formation of nanosized phases in thermosetting resins during the curing process. Complex mechanical dispersion processes can be avoided. The current study investigates the effect of a block-copolymer on the fatigue crack propagation resistance of a cycloaliphatic amine cured epoxy resin. It was found that a small amount of MAM triblock-copolymer significantly increases the resistance to fatigue crack propagation of epoxy. Crack growth rate and the Paris law exponent for fatigue-crack growth were considerably reduced from m=15.5 of the neat epoxy to m=8.1 of the nanocomposite. To identify the related reinforcing and fracture mechanisms structural analyses of the fractured surfaces were performed by scanning electron microscope. Characteristic features were identified to be deformation, debonding and fracture of the nano-phases as well as crack pinning. However, the highest resistance against fatigue crack propagation was achieved in a bi-continuous microstructure that consisted of an epoxy-rich phase with embedded submicron sized MAM inclusions, and which was surrounded by a block-copolymer-rich phase that showed rupture and plastic deformation.

Fatigue crack propagation in self-assembling nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klingler, Andreas; Wetzel, Bernd

2016-01-01

Self-assembling block-copolymers allow the easy manufacturing of nanocomposites due to the thermodynamically driven in situ formation of nanosized phases in thermosetting resins during the curing process. Complex mechanical dispersion processes can be avoided. The current study investigates the effect of a block-copolymer on the fatigue crack propagation resistance of a cycloaliphatic amine cured epoxy resin. It was found that a small amount of MAM triblock-copolymer significantly increases the resistance to fatigue crack propagation of epoxy. Crack growth rate and the Paris law exponent for fatigue-crack growth were considerably reduced from m=15.5 of the neat epoxy to m=8.1 of the nanocomposite. To identify the related reinforcing and fracture mechanisms structural analyses of the fractured surfaces were performed by scanning electron microscope. Characteristic features were identified to be deformation, debonding and fracture of the nano-phases as well as crack pinning. However, the highest resistance against fatigue crack propagation was achieved in a bi-continuous microstructure that consisted of an epoxy-rich phase with embedded submicron sized MAM inclusions, and which was surrounded by a block-copolymer-rich phase that showed rupture and plastic deformation.

Evaluation of stress corrosion crack growth in BWR piping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassir, M.; Sharma, S.; Reich, M.; Chang, M.T.

1985-05-01

This report presents the results of a study conducted to evaluate the effects of stress intensity factor and environment on the growth behavior of intergranular stress corrosion cracks in type 304 stainless steel piping systems. Most of the detected cracks are known to be circumferential in shape, and initially started at the inside surface in the heat affected zone near girth welds. These cracks grow both radially in-depth and circumferentially in length and, in extreme cases, may cause leakage in the installation. The propagation of the crack is essentially due to the influence of the following simultaneous factors: (1) the action of applied and residual stress; (2) sensitization of the base metal in the heat affected zone adjacent to girth weld; and (3) the continuous exposure of the material to an aggressive environment of high temperature water containing dissolved oxygen and some levels of impurities. Each of these factors and their effects on the piping systems is discussed in detail in the report. The report also evaluates the time required for hypothetical cracks in BWR pipes to propagate to their critical size. The pertinent times are computed and displayed graphically. Finally, parametric study is performed in order to assess the relative influence and sensitivity of the various input parameters (residual stress, crack growth law, diameter of pipe, initial size of defect, etc.) which have bearing on the growth behavior of the intergranular stress corrosion cracks in type 304 stainless steel. Cracks in large-diameter as well as in small-diameter pipes are considered and analyzed. 27 refs., 25 figs., 10 tabs

Delayed hydride cracking: alternative pre-cracking method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mieza, Juan I.; Ponzoni, Lucio M.E.; Vigna, Gustavo L.; Domizzi, Gladys

2009-01-01

The internal components of nuclear reactors built-in Zr alloys are prone to a failure mechanism known as Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC). This situation has triggered numerous scientific studies in order to measure the crack propagation velocity and the threshold stress intensity factor associated to DHC. Tests are carried out on fatigued pre-crack samples to ensure similar test conditions and comparable results. Due to difficulties in implementing the fatigue pre-crack method it would be desirable to replace it with a pre-crack produced by the same process of DHC, for which is necessary to demonstrate equivalence of this two methods. In this work tests on samples extracted from two Zr-2.5 Nb tubes were conducted. Some of the samples were heat treated to obtain a range in their metallurgical properties as well as different DHC velocities. A comparison between velocities measured in test samples pre-cracked by fatigue and RDIH is done, demonstrating that the pre-cracking method does not affect the measured velocity value. In addition, the incubation (t inc ), which is the time between the application of the load and the first signal of crack propagation, in samples pre-cracked by RDIH, was measured. It was found that these times are sufficiently short, even in the worst cases (lower speed) and similar to the ones of fatigued pre-cracked samples. (author)

Mitigation strategies for autogenous shrinkage cracking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bentz, Dale P.; Jensen, Ole Mejlhede

2004-01-01

As the use of high-performance concrete has increased, problems with early-age cracking have become prominent. The reduction in water-to-cement ratio, the incorporation of silica fume, and the increase in binder content of high-performance concretes all contribute to this problem. In this paper......, the fundamental parameters contributing to the autogenous shrinkage and resultant early-age cracking of concrete are presented. Basic characteristics of the cement paste that contribute to or control the autogenous shrinkage response include the surface tension of the pore solution, the geometry of the pore...... of early-age cracking due to autogenous shrinkage. Mitigation strategies discussed in this paper include: the addition of shrinkage-reducing admixtures more commonly used to control drying shrinkage, control of the cement particle size distribution, modification of the mineralogical composition...

Detecting cracks in aircraft engine fan blades using vibrothermography nondestructive evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Chunwang; Meeker, William Q.; Mayton, Donna

2014-01-01

Inspection is an important part of many maintenance processes, especially for safety-critical system components. This work was motivated by the need to develop more effective methods to detect cracks in rotating components of aircraft engines. This paper describes the analysis of data from vibrothermography inspections on aircraft engine turbine blades. Separate but similar analysis were done for two different purposes. In both analyses, we fit statistical models with random effects to describe the crack-to-crack variability and the effect that the experimental variables have on the responses. In the first analysis, the purpose of the study was to find vibrothermography equipment settings that will provide good crack detection capability over the population of similar cracks in the particular kind of aircraft engine turbine blades that were inspected. Then, the fitted model was used to determine the test conditions where the probability of detection (POD) is expected to be high and probability of alarm is expected to be low. In our second analysis, crack size information was added and a similar model was fit. This model provides an estimate of POD as a function of crack size for specified test conditions. This function is needed as an input to models for planning in-service inspection intervals. - Highlights: • Developed experimental design methods to optimize the inspection parameters for a vibrothermography inspection system. • Used mixed effects modeling to describe crack-to-crack variability. • Fit an extended model to provide estimates of the probability of detection as a function of crack length. • Investigated the coverage probability of confidence intervals for probability of detection

Effect of solution annealing temperature on precipitation in 2205 duplex stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashiwar, A.; Vennela, N. Phani; Kamath, S.L.; Khatirkar, R.K.

2012-01-01

In the present study, effect of solution annealing temperature (1050 °C and 1100 °C) and isothermal ageing (700 °C: 15 min to 6 h) on the microstructural changes in 2205 duplex stainless steel has been investigated systematically. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were adopted to follow the microstructural evolution, while an energy dispersive spectrometer attached to scanning electron microscope was used to obtain localised chemical information of various phases. The ferritic matrix of the two phase 2205 duplex stainless steel (∼ 45% ferrite and ∼ 55% austenite) undergoes a series of metallurgical transformations during ageing—formation of secondary austenite (γ 2 ) and precipitation of Cr and Mo rich intermetallic (chi-χ and sigma-σ) phases. For solution annealing at 1050 °C, significant amount of carbides were observed in the ferrite grains after 1 h of ageing at 700 °C. χ Phase precipitated after the precipitation of carbides—preferentially at the ferrite–ferrite and also at the ferrite–austenite boundaries. σ Phase was not observed in significant quantity even after 6 h of ageing. The sequence of precipitation in samples solution annealed at 1050 °C was found to be carbides → χ → σ. On the contrary, for samples solution annealed at 1100 °C, the precipitation of χ phase was negligible. χ Phase precipitated before σ phase, preferentially along the ferrite–ferrite grain boundaries and was later consumed in the σ phase precipitation. The σ phase precipitated via the eutectoid transformation of ferrite to yield secondary austenite γ 2 and σ phase in the ferrite and along the ferrite–austenite grain boundaries. An increase in the volume fraction of γ 2 and σ phase with simultaneous decrease in the ferrite was evidenced with ageing. - Highlights: ► Effect of solution annealing temperature on microstructural evolution is studied. ► χ Phase precipitated preferentially in the samples solution annealed at

Effect of solution annealing temperature on precipitation in 2205 duplex stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kashiwar, A., E-mail: akashiwar@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur-440010, Maharashtra (India); Vennela, N. Phani, E-mail: phanivennela@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur-440010, Maharashtra (India); Kamath, S.L., E-mail: kamath@iitb.ac.in [Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Powai, Mumbai-400076, Maharashtra (India); Khatirkar, R.K., E-mail: rajesh.khatirkar@gmail.com [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur-440010, Maharashtra (India)

2012-12-15

In the present study, effect of solution annealing temperature (1050 Degree-Sign C and 1100 Degree-Sign C) and isothermal ageing (700 Degree-Sign C: 15 min to 6 h) on the microstructural changes in 2205 duplex stainless steel has been investigated systematically. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were adopted to follow the microstructural evolution, while an energy dispersive spectrometer attached to scanning electron microscope was used to obtain localised chemical information of various phases. The ferritic matrix of the two phase 2205 duplex stainless steel ({approx} 45% ferrite and {approx} 55% austenite) undergoes a series of metallurgical transformations during ageing-formation of secondary austenite ({gamma}{sub 2}) and precipitation of Cr and Mo rich intermetallic (chi-{chi} and sigma-{sigma}) phases. For solution annealing at 1050 Degree-Sign C, significant amount of carbides were observed in the ferrite grains after 1 h of ageing at 700 Degree-Sign C. {chi} Phase precipitated after the precipitation of carbides-preferentially at the ferrite-ferrite and also at the ferrite-austenite boundaries. {sigma} Phase was not observed in significant quantity even after 6 h of ageing. The sequence of precipitation in samples solution annealed at 1050 Degree-Sign C was found to be carbides {yields} {chi} {yields} {sigma}. On the contrary, for samples solution annealed at 1100 Degree-Sign C, the precipitation of {chi} phase was negligible. {chi} Phase precipitated before {sigma} phase, preferentially along the ferrite-ferrite grain boundaries and was later consumed in the {sigma} phase precipitation. The {sigma} phase precipitated via the eutectoid transformation of ferrite to yield secondary austenite {gamma}{sub 2} and {sigma} phase in the ferrite and along the ferrite-austenite grain boundaries. An increase in the volume fraction of {gamma}{sub 2} and {sigma} phase with simultaneous decrease in the ferrite was evidenced with ageing. - Highlights

Crack propagation on spherical pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebey, J.; Roche, R.

1975-01-01

The risk presented by a crack on a pressure vessel built with a ductile steel cannot be well evaluated by simple application of the rules of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics, which only apply to brittle materials. Tests were carried out on spherical vessels of three different scales built with the same steel. Cracks of different length were machined through the vessel wall. From the results obtained, crack initiation stress (beginning of stable propagation) and instable propagation stress may be plotted against the lengths of these cracks. For small and medium size, subject to ductile fracture, the resulting curves are identical, and may be used for ductile fracture prediction. Brittle rupture was observed on larger vessels and crack propagation occurred at lower stress level. Preceedings curves are not usable for fracture analysis. Ultimate pressure can be computed with a good accuracy by using equivalent energy toughness, Ksub(1cd), characteristic of the metal plates. Satisfactory measurements have been obtained on thin samples. The risks of brittle fracture may then judged by comparing Ksub(1cd) with the calculated K 1 value, in which corrections for vessel shape are taken into account. It is thus possible to establish the bursting pressure of cracked spherical vessels, with the help of two rules, one for brittle fracture, the other for ductile instability. A practical method is proposed on the basis of the work reported here

Influence of MSD crack pattern on the residual strength of flat stiffened sheets

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, K.-F.

A parameter study of the residual strength for a multiple site damaged (MSD) stiffened sheet is presented. The analysis is based on an elastic-plastic fracture analysis using the yield-strip model for interaction between a lead crack and the smaller MSD cracks. Two crack growth criteria, one with a pronounced crack growth resistance and one with no crack growth resistance and five different MSD crack patterns, are analysed for different sizes of the lead crack and the smaller MSD cracks. The analysis indicates that the residual strength reduction depends on all these parameters and that MSD may totally erode the crack arrest capability of a tear strap. Another important outcome is that for certain combinations also very small MSD cracks may induce a significant residual strength reduction.

Detection of a fatigue crack in a rotor system using full-spectrum ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

parameters identified are the additive stiffness due to crack, disc eccentricity due to unbalance, and system viscous damping. ... to increase in direct proportion to the crack size, accord- ... come defects in traditional methods of vibration signal.

An extension of fracture mechanics/technology to larger and smaller cracks/defects

Science.gov (United States)

Abé, Hiroyuki

2009-01-01

Fracture mechanics/technology is a key science and technology for the design and integrity assessment of the engineering structures. However, the conventional fracture mechanics has mostly targeted a limited size of cracks/defects, say of from several hundred microns to several tens of centimeters. The author and his group has tried to extend that limited size and establish a new version of fracture technology for very large cracks used in geothermal energy extraction and for very small cracks/defects or damage often appearing in the combination of mechanical and electronic components of engineering structures. Those new versions are reviewed in this paper. PMID:19907123

Techniques for intergranular crack formation and assessment in alloy 600 base and alloy 182 weld metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Tae Hyun; Hwang, Il Soon; Kim, Hong Deok; Kim, Ji Hyun

2015-01-01

A technique developed to produce artificial intergranular stress corrosion cracks in structural components was applied to thick, forged alloy 600 base and alloy 182 weld metals for use in the qualification of nondestructive examination techniques for welded components in nuclear power plants. An externally controlled procedure was demonstrated to produce intergranular stress corrosion cracks that are comparable to service-induced cracks in both the base and weld metals. During the process of crack generation, an online direct current potential drop method using array probes was used to measure and monitor the sizes and shapes of the cracks. A microstructural characterization of the produced cracks revealed realistic conformation of the crack faces unlike those in machined notches produced by an electrodischarge machine or simple fatigue loading using a universal testing machine. A comparison with a destructive metallographic examination showed that the characteristics, orientations, and sizes of the intergranular cracks produced in this study are highly reproducible.

Femtosecond Cr:LiSAF and Cr:LiCAF lasers pumped by tapered diode lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirbas, Umit; Schmalz, Michael; Sumpf, Bernd; Erbert, Götz; Petrich, Gale S; Kolodziejski, Leslie A; Fujimoto, James G; Kärtner, Franz X; Leitenstorfer, Alfred

2011-10-10

We report compact, low-cost and efficient Cr:Colquiriite lasers that are pumped by high brightness tapered laser diodes. The tapered laser diodes provided 1 to 1.2 W of output power around 675 nm, at an electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of about 30%. Using a single tapered diode laser as the pump source, we have demonstrated output powers of 500 mW and 410 mW together with slope efficiencies of 47% and 41% from continuous wave (cw) Cr:LiSAF and Cr:LiCAF lasers, respectively. In cw mode-locked operation, sub-100-fs pulse trains with average power between 200 mW and 250 mW were obtained at repetition rates around 100 MHz. Upon pumping the Cr:Colquiriite lasers with two tapered laser diodes (one from each side of the crystal), we have observed scaling of cw powers to 850 mW in Cr:LiSAF and to 650 mW in Cr:LiCAF. From the double side pumped Cr:LiCAF laser, we have also obtained ~220 fs long pulses with 5.4 nJ of pulse energy at 77 MHz repetition rate. These are the highest energy levels reported from Cr:Colquiriite so far at these repetition rates. Our findings indicate that tapered diodes in the red spectral region are likely to become the standard pump source for Cr:Colquiriite lasers in the near future. Moreover, the simplified pumping scheme might facilitate efficient commercialization of Cr:Colquiriite systems, bearing the potential to significantly boost applications of cw and femtosecond lasers in this spectral region (750-1000 nm).

A study on fatigue crack growth behavior subjected to a single tensile overload

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.Y.; Liaw, P.K.; Choo, H.; Rogge, R.B.

2011-01-01

Neutron diffraction and electric potential experiments were carried out to investigate the growth behavior of a fatigue crack subjected to a single tensile overload. The specific objectives were to (i) probe the crack tip deformation and fracture behaviors under applied loads; (ii) examine the overload-induced transient crack growth micromechanism; (iii) validate the effective stress intensity factor range based on the crack closure approach as the fatigue crack tip driving force; and (iv) establish a quantitative relationship between the crack tip driving force and crack growth behavior. Immediately after a single tensile overload was introduced and then unloaded, the crack tip became blunt and enlarged compressive residual stresses in both magnitude and zone size were observed around the crack tip. The results show that the combined contributions of the overload-induced enlarged compressive residual stresses and crack tip blunting with secondary cracks are responsible for the observed changes in the crack opening load and the resultant post-overload transient crack growth behavior.

STAC -- a new Swedish code for statistical analysis of cracks in SG-tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poern, K.

1997-01-01

Steam generator (SG) tubes in pressurized water reactor plants are exposed to various types of degradation processes, among which stress corrosion cracking in particular has been observed. To be able to evaluate the safety importance of such cracking of SG-tubes one has to have a good and empirically founded knowledge about the scope and the size of the cracks as well as the rate of their continuous growth. The basis of experience is to a large extent constituted of the annually performed SG-inspections and crack sizing procedures. On the basis of this experience one can estimate the distribution of existing crack lengths, and modify this distribution with regard to maintenance (plugging) and the predicted rate of crack propagation. Finally, one can calculate the rupture probability of SG-tubes as a function of a given critical crack length. On account of the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate an introductory study has been performed in order to get a survey of what has been done elsewhere in this field. The study resulted in a proposal of a computerizable model to be able to estimate the distribution of true cracks, to modify this distribution due to the crack growth and to compute the probability of tube rupture. The model has now been implemented in a compute code, called STAC (STatistical Analysis of Cracks). This paper is aimed to give a brief outline of the model to facilitate the understanding of the possibilities and limitations associated with the model

Evaluation method for ductile crack propagation in pre-strained plates; Yohizumizai no ensei kiretsu denpa hyokaho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ueda, Y.; Murakawa, H. [Osaka Univ., Osaka (Japan). Welding Research Inst.; Tanigawa, M. [Hitachi Zosen Corp., Osaka (Japan)

1996-12-31

In order to investigate an effect of the plastic deformation, which was generated on ship side outer platings subjected to collision load before crack initiation, on the crack propagation behavior, crack propagation experiments using pre-strained specimens and simulation analysis by means of FEM method were carried out, to discuss about the practical simulation analysis method. As a result of the crack propagation experiments using pre-strained center notched plate specimens, a phenomenon where the crack is apt to propagate due to the pre-strains was confirmed, and measured data of crack tip opening angles were obtained. A method was proposed, in which the critical crack tip opening angle values are corrected by considering the difference between the crack shapes obtained from the FEM analysis model and actually measured, and its effectiveness was confirmed. The finite element size effect was also examined. A method using an equivalent plastic strain as the crack propagation condition was shown to determine the relationship between the element size and the critical value of equivalent plastic strain. 5 refs., 21 figs., 4 tabs.

Evaluation method for ductile crack propagation in pre-strained plates; Yohizumizai no ensei kiretsu denpa hyokaho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ueda, Y; Murakawa, H [Osaka Univ., Osaka (Japan). Welding Research Inst.; Tanigawa, M [Hitachi Zosen Corp., Osaka (Japan)

1997-12-31

In order to investigate an effect of the plastic deformation, which was generated on ship side outer platings subjected to collision load before crack initiation, on the crack propagation behavior, crack propagation experiments using pre-strained specimens and simulation analysis by means of FEM method were carried out, to discuss about the practical simulation analysis method. As a result of the crack propagation experiments using pre-strained center notched plate specimens, a phenomenon where the crack is apt to propagate due to the pre-strains was confirmed, and measured data of crack tip opening angles were obtained. A method was proposed, in which the critical crack tip opening angle values are corrected by considering the difference between the crack shapes obtained from the FEM analysis model and actually measured, and its effectiveness was confirmed. The finite element size effect was also examined. A method using an equivalent plastic strain as the crack propagation condition was shown to determine the relationship between the element size and the critical value of equivalent plastic strain. 5 refs., 21 figs., 4 tabs.

An experimental study of crack development in flexural reinforced concrete members

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Annette Beedholm; Hagsten, Lars German; Würst Sørensen, Bjarke

2017-01-01

This paper presents the results of an experimental program of eight reinforced concrete beams carried out in order to investigate the development of cracks related to flexure. To be able to investigate possible size effects with respect to cracking, beams of two different depths were tested...

Evaluation of a leaking crack in an irradiated CANDU pressure tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coleman, C.E.; Simpson, L.A.

1988-06-01

Leak-before-break is used in CANDU reactors as part of the defence against rupture of the pressure tubes. Two important features of this technique are the action time available for detection of a leaking crack and the size of the leak allowing crack location. Support for continued reliance on leak-before-break is being obtained from experiments, on irradiated Zr-2.5 Nb pressure tubes attached to their end fittings, that simulate the behaviour of a leaking crack in a reactor. At reactor operating temperatures leaking cracks grow more slowly than dry cracks in the laboratory because they are cooled when pressurised water flashes to steam on their surface. These cracks remain stable till they are at least 70 mm long. From the results of these experiments the action time is at least 100 h. The leak rate increases rapidly when a through-wall crack extends a small amount, thus greatly assisting with crack location

Self-repair of cracks in brittle material systems

Science.gov (United States)

Dry, Carolyn M.

2016-04-01

One of the most effective uses for self repair is in material systems that crack because the cracks can allow the repair chemical to flow into the crack damage sites in all three dimensions. In order for the repair chemical to stay in the damage site and flow along to all the crack and repair there must be enough chemical to fill the entire crack. The repair chemical must be designed appropriately for the particular crack size and total volume of cracks. In each of the three examples of self repair in crackable brittle systems, the viscosity and chemical makeup and volume of the repair chemicals used is different for each system. Further the chemical delivery system has to be designed for each application also. Test results from self repair of three brittle systems are discussed. In "Self Repair of Concrete Bridges and Infrastructure" two chemicals were used due to different placements in bridges to repair different types of cracks- surface shrinkage and shear cracks, In "Airplane Wings and Fuselage, in Graphite" the composite has very different properties than the concrete bridges. In the graphite for airplane components the chemical also had to survive the high processing temperatures. In this composite the cracks were so definite and deep and thin that the repair chemical could flow easily and repair in all layers of the composite. In "Ceramic/Composite Demonstrating Self Repair" the self repair system not only repaired the broken ceramic but also rebounded the composite to the ceramic layer

Stress corrosion cracking experience in steam generators at Bruce NGS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, P.J.; Gonzalez, F.; Brown, J.

1993-01-01

In late 1990 and through 1991, units 1 and 2 at the Bruce A Nuclear Generating Station (BNGS-A) experienced a number of steam generator tube leaks. Tube failures were identified by eddy current to be circumferential cracks at U-bend supports on the hot-leg side of the boilers. In late 1991, tubes were removed from these units for failure characterization. Two active failure modes were found: corrosion fatigue in both units 1 and 2 and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in unit 2. In unit 2, lead was found in deposits, on tubes, and in cracks, and the cracking was mixed-mode: transgranular and intergranular. This convincingly indicated the involvement of lead in the stress corrosion cracking failures. A program of inspection and tube removals was carried out to investigate more fully the extent of the problem. This program found significant cracking only in lead-affected boilers in unit 2, and also revealed a limited extent of non-lead-related intergranular stress corrosion cracking in other boilers and units. Various aspects of the failures and tube examinations are presented in this paper. Included is discussion of the cracking morphology, measured crack size distributions, and chemical analysis of tube surfaces, crack faces, and deposits -- with particular emphasis on lead

FASTRAN II - FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS (UNIX VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, J. C.

1994-01-01

Predictions of fatigue crack growth behavior can be made with the Fatigue Crack Growth Structural Analysis (FASTRAN II) computer program. As cyclic loads are applied to a selected crack configuration with an initial crack size, FASTRAN II predicts crack growth as a function of cyclic load history until either a desired crack size is reached or failure occurs. FASTRAN II is based on plasticity-induced crack-closure behavior of cracks in metallic materials and accounts for load-interaction effects, such as retardation and acceleration, under variable-amplitude loading. The closure model is based on the Dugdale model with modifications to allow plastically deformed material to be left along the crack surfaces as the crack grows. Plane stress and plane strain conditions, as well as conditions between these two, can be simulated in FASTRAN II by using a constraint factor on tensile yielding at the crack front to approximately account for three-dimensional stress states. FASTRAN II contains seventeen predefined crack configurations (standard laboratory fatigue crack growth rate specimens and many common crack configurations found in structures); and the user can define one additional crack configuration. The baseline crack growth rate properties (effective stress-intensity factor against crack growth rate) may be given in either equation or tabular form. For three-dimensional crack configurations, such as surface cracks or corner cracks at holes or notches, the fatigue crack growth rate properties may be different in the crack depth and crack length directions. Final failure of the cracked structure can be modelled with fracture toughness properties using either linear-elastic fracture mechanics (brittle materials), a two-parameter fracture criterion (brittle to ductile materials), or plastic collapse (extremely ductile materials). The crack configurations in FASTRAN II can be subjected to either constant-amplitude, variable-amplitude or spectrum loading. The applied

Modified Dugdale crack models - some easy crack relations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lauge Fuglsang

1997-01-01

the same strength as a plain Dugdale model. The critical energy release rates Gamma_CR, however, become different. Expressions (with easy computer algorithms) are presented in the paper which relate critical energy release rates and crack geometry to arbitrary cohesive stress distributions.For future...... lifetime analysis of viscoelastic materials strain energy release rates, crack geometries, and cohesive stress distributions are considered as related to sub-critical loads sigma stress-deformation tests......The Dugdale crack model is widely used in materials science to predict strength of defective (cracked) materials. A stable Dugdale crack in an elasto-plastic material is prevented from spreading by uniformly distributed cohesive stresses acting in narrow areas at the crack tips. These stresses...

Phase transformation and mechanical behavior in annealed 2205 duplex stainless steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badji, Riad; Bouabdallah, Mabrouk; Bacroix, Brigitte; Kahloun, Charlie; Belkessa, Brahim; Maza, Halim

2008-01-01

The phase transformations and mechanical behaviour during welding and subsequent annealing treatment of 2205 duplex stainless steel have been investigated. Detailed microstructural examination showed the presence of higher ferrite amounts in the heat affected zone (HAZ), while higher amounts of austenite were recorded in the centre region of the weld metal. Annealing treatments in the temperature range of 800-1000 deg. C resulted in a precipitation of σ phase and M 23 C 6 chromium carbides at the γ/δ interfaces that were found to be preferential precipitation sites. Above 1050 deg. C, the volume fraction of δ ferrite increases with annealing temperature. The increase of δ ferrite occurs at a faster rate in the HAZ than in the base metal and fusion zone. Optimal mechanical properties and an acceptable ferrite/austenite ratio throughout the weld regions corresponds to annealing at 1050 deg. C. Fractographic examinations showed that the mode of failure changed from quasi-cleavage fracture to dimple rupture with an increase in the annealing temperature from 850 to 1050 deg. C

Heat affected zone and fatigue crack propagation behavior of high performance steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sung Won; Kang, Dong Hwan; Kim, Tae Won; Lee, Jong Kwan

2009-01-01

The effect of heat affected zone in high performance steel on fatigue crack propagation behavior, which is related to the subsequent microstructure, was investigated. A modified Paris-Erdogan equation was presented for the analysis of fatigue crack propagation behavior corresponding to the heat affected zone conditions. Fatigue crack propagation tests under 0.3 stress ratio and 0.1 load frequency were conducted for both finegrained and coarse-grained heat affected zones, respectively. As shown in the results, much higher crack growth rate occurred in a relatively larger mean grain size material under the same stress intensity range of fatigue crack propagation process for the material.

Pipe stress intensity factors and coupled depressurization and dynamic crack propagation. 1976 Annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, A.F.; Kobayashi, A.S.; Love, W.J.

1978-04-01

This report contains the description of predictive models for the initiation and propagation of cracks in pipes and the numerical results obtained. The initiation of the crack was studied by evaluating stress intensity factors under static conditions for a series of representative flaws. Three-dimensional static stress intensity factors were determined for quarter-elliptical cracks at the corner of a hole in an infinite plate and at the corner of a bore in a rotating disk. Semi-elliptical cracks for plates in bending and in pressurized and thermally stressed hollow cylinders were also evaluated. The stress fields, in the absence of a crack, were used in the ''alternating technique'' to compute the stress intensity factors along the crack front. Parametric studies were made to assess the effects of crack thickness, the ratio of the major and minor axes of the ellipse and the thickness of the cylinders or plates. These parametric results may be used to predict critical flaw sizes for the initiation of the running crack. The initiation and propagation of axial through cracks in pressurized pipes was studied by using an elastic-plastic finite different shell code coupled with a one-dimensional thermal-hydraulic code which computed the leakage through the crack opening and the depressurization of the fluid in the pipe. The effects of large deflections and different fluid pressure profiles were investigated. The results showed that the crack opening shape is dependent upon the fracture criterion used and upon the average pressure on the crack flaps, but not upon the specific pressure profile. The consideration of large deflections changed the opening size of the crack and through the coupling with the pipe pressures, strongly affected the crack tip speed. However, for equal crack lengths, there was little difference between calculations made for large and small deflection

Effect of the surface film electric resistance on eddy current detectability of surface cracks in Alloy 600 tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saario, T.; Paine, J.P.N.

1995-01-01

The most widely used technique for NDE of steam generator tubing is eddy current. This technique can reliably detect cracks grown in sodium hydroxide environment only at depths greater than 50% through wall. However, cracking caused by thiosulphate solutions have been detected and sized at shallower depths. The disparity has been proposed to be caused by the different electric resistance of the crack wall surface films and corrosion products in the cracks formed in different environments. This work was undertaken to clarify the role of surface film electric resistance on the disparity found in eddy current detectability of surface cracks in alloy 600 tubes. The proposed model explaining the above mentioned disparity is the following. The detectability of tightly closed cracks by the eddy current technique depends on the electric resistance of the surface films of the crack walls. The nature and resistance of the films which form on the crack walls during operation depends on the composition of the solution inside the crack and close to the crack location. During cooling down of the steam generator, because of contraction and loss of internal pressurization, the cracks are rather tightly closed so that exchange of electrolyte and thus changes in the film properties become difficult. As a result, the surface condition prevailing at high temperature is preserved. If the environment is such that the films formed on the crack walls under operating conditions have low electric resistance, eddy current technique will fail to indicate these cracks or will underestimate the size of these cracks. However, if the electric resistance of the films is high, a tightly closed crack will resemble an open crack and will be easily indicated and correctly sized by eddy current technique

Stress-corrosion cracking in BWR and PWR piping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weeks, R.W.

1983-07-01

Intergranular stress-corrosion cracking of weld-sensitized wrought stainless steel piping has been an increasingly ubiquitous and expensive problem in boiling-water reactors over the last decade. In recent months, numerous cracks have been found, even in large-diameter lines. A number of potential remedies have been developed. These are directed at providing more resistant materials, reducing weld-induced stresses, or improving the water chemistry. The potential remedies are discussed, along with the capabilities of ultrasonic testing to find and size the cracks and related safety issues. The problem has been much less severe to date in pressurized-water reactors, reflecting the use of different materials and much lower coolant oxygen levels

A numerical analysis of crack growth in brittle microcracking composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biner, S.B.

1993-01-01

A set of numerical analyses of crack growth was performed to elucidate the mechanism of microcracking on the observed fracture behavior of brittle solids and composites. The random nucleation, orientation and size effects of discrete microcracks and resulting interactions are fully accounted for in a hybrid finite element model. The results indicate that the energy expenditure due the microcrack nucleation seems not to contribute significantly to the resistance to crack growth. The main controlling parameter appears to be elastic interaction of the microcracks with the main crack in the absence of a reinforcing phase; therefore, the microcrack density plays an important role. In the case of the composites, the interaction of the main crack with the stress fields of the reinforcing phase, rather than interaction of microcracks, is the controlling parameter for the resistance to the crack growth even in the presence of a large population of microcracks. It will be also shown that the crack branching and crack kinking can readily develop as a result of microcracking

Influence of intermetallic particles on short fatigue crack initiation in AA2050-T8 and AA7050-T7451

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nizery Erembert

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Fatigue crack initiation at particles is studied in hot rolled 2050-T8 and 7050-T7451 material, using 1 to 4 mm cross section specimens. Both size and aspect ratio of particles are observed to affect their probability of being damaged. In 2050-T8 material, the probability that a matrix crack initiate at a cracked particle increases with its size, and no effect of aspect ratio is observed. In 2050-T8 specimens, matrix cracks initiate at both precracked (Al, Cu, Fe, Mn particles and particles cracked during cycling. Initiation in 7050-T74 specimens occur on Mg2Si particles which may be cracked or debonded, and Al7Cu2Fe particles that are cracked during cyclic loading.

Investigations on creep and creep fatigue crack behaviour for component assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gengenbach, T.; Klenk, A.; Maile, K.

2004-01-01

There are various methods to assess crack initiation and crack growth behaviour of components under creep and creep fatigue loading. The programme system HT-Riss has been developed to support calculations aimed to determine the behaviour of a crack under creep or creep-fatigue loading using methods based on stress-intensity factor K (e.g. the Two-Criteria-Diagram) or C*-Integral. This paper describes the steps which have to be performed to assess crack initiation and growth of a component using this programme system. First the size of the maximum initial defect in a specimen or in a component has to be estimated and the necessary fracture mechanics parameters have to be determined. Then the time for creep crack initiation and creep crack growth is calculated. Using these values a prediction of life time and necessary inspection intervals is possible. For exemplification the crack assessment of a component-like specimen and a component is shown. (orig.)

Ce and Eu-doped LiSrAlF6 scintillators for neutron detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Yamazaki, Atsushi; Watanabe, Kenichi; Kamada, Kei; Yoshikawa, Akira; Chani, Valery

2011-01-01

Ce 1%, Eu 1%, and Eu 2%-doped LiSrAlF 6 (LiSAF) single crystals were grown by the micro-pulling-down method for thermal neutron applications. The crystals were transparent, 2.0 mm in diameter and 20–40 mm in length. Neither visible inclusions nor cracks were observed. Their transmittance spectra were measured. The strong absorption lines were observed at 200, 240, and 300 nm for Ce:LiSAF due to Ce 3+ 4f–5d transition. In Eu:LiSAF, 200 (4f–5d) and 300 (4f–4f) nm absorption lines were detected. The samples demonstrated strong emission peaks at 300 nm (Ce:LiSAF) and 370 nm (Eu:LiSAFs) when they were irradiated with 241 Am α-rays simulating the α-particles from the 6 Li(n, α) reaction. Thermal neutron responses were examined under 252 Cf irradiation. The absolute light yield of Ce, Eu 1%, and Eu 2% crystals were 3400, 18000, and 30000 ph/n, respectively. Main components of the scintillation decay time of Ce, Eu 1%, and Eu 2%-doped LiSAFs were 63, 1293, and 1205 ns.

Mechanical factors affecting reliability of pressure components (fatigue, cracking)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebey, J.; Garnier, C.; Roche, R.; Barrachin, B.

1978-01-01

The reliability of a pressure component can be seriously affected by the formation and development of cracks. The experimental studies presented in this paper are devoted to three different aspects of crack propagation phenomena which have been relatively little described. In close connection with safety analyses of PWR, the authors study the influence of the environment by carrying out fatigue tests with samples bathed in hot pressurized water. Ferritic, austenitic and Incolloy 800 steels were used and the results are presented in the form of fatigue curves in the oligocyclic region. The second part of the paper relates to crack initiation cirteria in ductile steels weakened by notches. The CT samples used make it possible to study almost all types of fracture (ductile, intermediate and brittle). The use of two criteria based on the load limit and on the toughness of the material constitutes a practical way of evaluating crack propagation conditions. A series of tests carried out on notched spherical vessels of different size shows that large vessels are relatively brittle; fast unstable fracture is observed as size increases. Crack growth rate in PWR primary circuits (3/6 steel) is studied on piping elements (0.25 scale) subjected to cyclic stress variations (285 0 C and with pressure varying between 1 and 160 bar in each cycle). By calculating the stress intensity factor, correlation with results obtained in the laboratory on CT samples is possible. (author)

Evaluations of environmental effect on micro crack initiation and propagation by surface observations of fatigue specimens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujikawa, Ryosuke; Abe, Shigeki; Nakamura, Takao; Kamaya, Masayuki

2014-01-01

Fatigue life of nuclear facilities tends to be decreased by the influence of reactor coolant, which is called environmental effect. The effect accelerates crack growth rate but the influence for crack initiation is not clarified. This study intends to discuss the environmental effect in crack initiation. The crack length and the number of cracks are measured from the investigation of fatigue test specimens in reactor coolant and air. The behavior of crack initiation is revealed from the measurement of number of cracks, crack sizes and fatigue life. From this study, environmental effect of reactor coolant is considered to influence crack initiation and increase the number of micro crack. It is also estimated that the coalescence of cracks influences the acceleration of crack growth. (author)

Crack modeling of rotating blades with cracked hexahedral finite element method

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chao; Jiang, Dongxiang

2014-06-01

Dynamic analysis is the basis in investigating vibration features of cracked blades, where the features can be applied to monitor health state of blades, detect cracks in an early stage and prevent failures. This work presents a cracked hexahedral finite element method for dynamic analysis of cracked blades, with the purpose of addressing the contradiction between accuracy and efficiency in crack modeling of blades in rotor system. The cracked hexahedral element is first derived with strain energy release rate method, where correction of stress intensity factors of crack front and formulation of load distribution of crack surface are carried out to improve the modeling accuracy. To consider nonlinear characteristics of time-varying opening and closure effects caused by alternating loads, breathing function is proposed for the cracked hexahedral element. Second, finite element method with contact element is analyzed and used for comparison. Finally, validation of the cracked hexahedral element is carried out in terms of breathing effects of cracked blades and natural frequency in different crack depths. Good consistency is acquired between the results with developed cracked hexahedral element and contact element, while the computation time is significantly reduced in the previous one. Therefore, the developed cracked hexahedral element achieves good accuracy and high efficiency in crack modeling of rotating blades.

Measuring conditions and trends in ecosystem services at multiple scales: the Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA) experience

OpenAIRE

van Jaarsveld, A.S; Biggs, R; Scholes, R.J; Bohensky, E; Reyers, B; Lynam, T; Musvoto, C; Fabricius, C

2005-01-01

The Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA) evaluated the relationships between ecosystem services and human well-being at multiple scales, ranging from local through to sub-continental. Trends in ecosystem services (fresh water, food, fuel-wood, cultural and biodiversity) over the period 1990-2000 were mixed across scales. Freshwater resources appear strained across the continent with large numbers of people not securing adequate supplies, especially of good quality water. T...

A method for detecting crack wave arrival time and crack localization in a tunnel by using moving window technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Young Chul; Park, Tae Jin [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

Source localization in a dispersive medium has been carried out based on the time-of-arrival-differences (TOADs) method: a triangulation method and a circle intersection technique. Recent signal processing advances have led to calculation TOAD using a joint time-frequency analysis of the signal, where a short-time Fourier transform(STFT) and wavelet transform can be included as popular algorithms. The time-frequency analysis method is able to provide various information and more reliable results such as seismic-attenuation estimation, dispersive characteristics, a wave mode analysis, and temporal energy distribution of signals compared with previous methods. These algorithms, however, have their own limitations for signal processing. In this paper, the effective use of proposed algorithm in detecting crack wave arrival time and source localization in rock masses suggest that the evaluation and real-time monitoring on the intensity of damages related to the tunnels or other underground facilities is possible. Calculation of variances resulted from moving windows as a function of their size differentiates the signature from noise and from crack signal, which lead us to determine the crack wave arrival time. Then, the source localization is determined to be where the variance of crack wave velocities from real and virtual crack localization becomes a minimum. To validate our algorithm, we have performed experiments at the tunnel, which resulted in successful determination of the wave arrival time and crack localization.

Corrosion cracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goel, V.S.

1985-01-01

This book presents the papers given at a conference on alloy corrosion cracking. Topics considered at the conference included the effect of niobium addition on intergranular stress corrosion cracking, corrosion-fatigue cracking in fossil-fueled-boilers, fracture toughness, fracture modes, hydrogen-induced thresholds, electrochemical and hydrogen permeation studies, the effect of seawater on fatigue crack propagation of wells for offshore structures, the corrosion fatigue of carbon steels in seawater, and stress corrosion cracking and the mechanical strength of alloy 600

Cracks propagation by stress corrosion cracking in conditions of Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuentes C, P.

2003-01-01

This work presents the results of the assays carried out in the Laboratory of Hot Cells of the National Institute of Nuclear Research (ININ) to a type test tube Compact Tension (CT), built in steel austenitic stainless type 304L, simulating those conditions those that it operates a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), at temperature 288 C and pressure of 8 MPa, to determine the speed to which the cracks spread in this material that is of the one that different components of a reactor are made, among those that it highlights the reactor core vessel. The application of the Hydrogen Chemistry of the Water is presented (HWC) that is one alternative to diminish the corrosion effect low stress in the component, this is gets controlling the quantity of oxygen and of hydrogen as well as the conductivity of the water. The rehearsal is made following the principles of the Mechanics of Elastic Lineal Fracture (LEFM) that considers a crack of defined size with little plastic deformation in the tip of this; the measurement of crack advance is continued with the technique of potential drop of direct current of alternating signal, this is contained inside the standard Astm E-647 (Method of Test Standard for the Measurement of Speed of Growth of Crack by fatigue) that is the one that indicates us as carrying out this test. The specifications that should complete the test tubes that are rehearsed as for their dimensions, it forms, finish and determination of mechanical properties (tenacity to the fracture mainly) they are contained inside the norm Astm E-399, the one which it is also based on the principles of the fracture mechanics. The obtained results were part of a database to be compared with those of other rehearsals under different conditions, Normal Chemistry of the Water (NWC) and it dilutes with high content of O 2 ; to determine the conditions that slow more the phenomena of stress corrosion cracking, as well as the effectiveness of the used chemistry and of the method of

The effect of a self-balancing through wall residual stress distribution on the extension of a through-wall crack in a pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, E.

1993-01-01

Leak-before-break arguments for pressurized components involve a comparison of the critical size of crack that will grow unstably under accident loadings and the critical leakage crack size for normal operation loadings. The paper is concerned with the former crack size and particularly with regard to the effect of residual stresses on the critical unstable crack size. Results from an analysis of a simple simulation model are used to provide underpinning for the view, expressed by Green and Knowles at the 1992 American Society of Mechanical Engineers Pressure Vessel and Piping Conference, that self-balancing through-wall residual stresses have little overall effect on the extension of a through-wall crack in a pressure vessel

Crack modelling for the assessment of stiffness loss of reinforced concrete structures under mechanical loading - determination of the permeability of the micro-cracked body

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bongue Boma, M.

2007-12-01

We propose a model describing the evolution of mechanical and permeability properties of concrete under slow mechanical loading. Calling upon the theory of continua with microstructure, the kinematic of the domain is enriched by a variable characterising size and orientation of the crack field. We call upon configurational forces to deal with crack propagation and we determine the balance equations governing both strain and propagation. The geometry of the microstructure is representative of the porous media: the permeability is obtained from the resolution of Stokes equations in an elementary volume. An example has been treated: we considered simple assumptions (uniform crack field, application of linear fracture mechanics...) and we determined the behaviour of a body under tensile loading. Strain, crack propagation and stiffness loss are completely assessed. Finally the evolution of permeability is plotted: once activated, crack propagation is the main cause of water tightness loss. (author)

Eddy-current inversion in the thin-skin limit: Determination of depth and opening for a long crack

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, S. K.

1994-09-01

A method for crack size determination using eddy-current nondestructive evaluation is presented for the case of a plate containing an infinitely long crack of uniform depth and uniform crack opening. The approach is based on the approximate solution to Maxwell's equations for nonmagnetic conductors in the limit of small skin depth and relies on least-squares polynomial fits to a normalized coil impedance function as a function of skin depth. The method is straightforward to implement and is relatively insensitive to both systematic and random errors. The procedure requires the computation of two functions: a normalizing function, which depends both on the coil parameters and the skin depth, and a crack-depth function which depends only on the coil parameters in addition to the crack depth. The practical perfomance of the method was tested using a set of simulated cracks in the form of electro-discharge machined slots in aluminum alloy plates. The crack depths and crack opening deduced from the eddy-current measurements agree with the actual crack dimensions to within 10% or better. Recommendations concerning the optimum conditions for crack sizing are also made.

Fatigue crack growth analysis of a 450 PWR - lateral

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taupin, P.; Flamand, F.

1988-01-01

Fatigue Crack Growth analysis of a 5 mm deep surface crack in the crotch region of a 45 0 Lateral (12 inch diameter) was performed on a 3-Loop 900 MWe PWR Plant under Normal and upset loading conditions. Stress Intensity factors were computed using the weight-function technique. The latter were obtained for a polynomial stress distribution at the corner of the lateral under contract with the Pressure Vessel Research Committee of the WRC. The study shows that after 40 years of normal operation the size of the end of life crack is limited to about 25 mm for the chosen lateral with a thickness of 300 mm

Crack closure and growth behavior of short fatigue cracks under random loading (part I : details of crack closure behavior)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Shin Young; Song, Ji Ho

2000-01-01

Crack closure and growth behavior of physically short fatigue cracks under random loading are investigated by performing narrow-and wide-band random loading tests for various stress ratios. Artificially prepared two-dimensional, short through-thickness cracks are used. The closure behavior of short cracks under random loading is discussed, comparing with that of short cracks under constant-amplitude loading and also that of long cracks under random loading. Irrespective of random loading spectrum or block length, the crack opening load of short cracks is much lower under random loading than under constant-amplitude loading corresponding to the largest load cycle in a random load history, contrary to the behavior of long cracks that the crack opening load under random loading is nearly the same as or slightly higher than constant-amplitude results. This result indicates that the largest load cycle in a random load history has an effect to enhance crack opening of short cracks

Analysis of crack opening stresses for center- and edge-crack tension specimens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tong Di-Hua

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Accurate determination of crack opening stress is of central importance to fatigue crack growth analysis and life prediction based on the crack-closure model. This paper studies the crack opening behavior for center- and edge-crack tension specimens. It is found that the crack opening stress is affected by the crack tip element. By taking the crack tip element into account, a modified crack opening stress equation is given for the center-crack tension specimen. Crack surface displacement equations for an edge crack in a semi-infinite plate under remote uniform tension and partially distributed pressure are derived by using the weight function method. Based on these displacements, a crack opening stress equation for an edge crack in a semi-infinite plate under uniform tension has been developed. The study shows that the crack opening stress is geometry-dependent, and the weight function method provides an effective and reliable tool to deal with such geometry dependence.

A consistent partly cracked XFEM element for cohesive crack growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Asferg, Jesper L.; Poulsen, Peter Noe; Nielsen, Leif Otto

2007-01-01

Present extended finite element method (XFEM) elements for cohesive crack growth may often not be able to model equal stresses on both sides of the discontinuity when acting as a crack-tip element. The authors have developed a new partly cracked XFEM element for cohesive crack growth with extra...... enrichments to the cracked elements. The extra enrichments are element side local and were developed by superposition of the standard nodal shape functions for the element and standard nodal shape functions for a sub-triangle of the cracked element. With the extra enrichments, the crack-tip element becomes...... capable of modelling variations in the discontinuous displacement field on both sides of the crack and hence also capable of modelling the case where equal stresses are present on each side of the crack. The enrichment was implemented for the 3-node constant strain triangle (CST) and a standard algorithm...

Crack blunting, cleavage fracture in transition area and stable crack growth - investigated using the nonlinear fracture mechanics method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heerens, J.

1990-01-01

A procedure is developed which allows to estimate crack tip blunting using the stress-strain curve of the material and the J-integral. The second part deals with cleavage fracture in a quenched and tempered pressure vessel steel. It was found that within the ductile to brittle transition regime the fracture toughness is controlled by cleavage initiated at 'weak spots of the material' and by the normal stresses at the weak spots. In the last part of the paper the influence of specimen size on J-, Jm- and δ 5 -R-curves for side grooved CT-specimens under fully plastic condition is investigated. In order to characterize constraint-effects the necking of the specimens was measured. For specimens having similar constraint the parameters Jm and δ 5 yielded size independent R-curves over substantial larger amounts of crack extension than the J-integral. (orig.) With 114 figs., 10 tabs [de

HSST crack-arrest studies overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pugh, C.E.; Whitman, G.D.

1985-01-01

An overview is given of the efforts underway in the Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program to better understand and model crack-arrest behavior in reactor pressure vessel steels. The efforts are both experimental and analytical. The experimental work provides K/sub Ia/ data from laboratory-sized specimens, from thick-wall cylinders which exhibit essentially-full restraint and from nonisothermal wide-plate specimens. These data serve to define toughness-temperature trends and to provide validation data under prototypical reactor conditions. The analytical efforts interpret and correlate the data, plus provide LEFM, elastodynamic and viscoplastic methods for analyzing crack run-arrest behavior in reactor vessels. The analysis methods are incorporated into finite element computer programs which are under development at three separate laboratories. 22 refs., 10 figs

Fracture mechanics characterisation of medium-size adhesive joint specimens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Bent F.; Jacobsen, T.K.

2004-01-01

Medium-size specimens (glass-fibre beams bonded together by an adhesive layer were tested in four point bending to determine their load carrying capacity. Specimens having different thickness were tested. Except for onespecimen, the cracking occurred as cracking...... along the adhesive layer; initially cracking occurred along the adhesive/laminate interface, but after some crack extension the cracking took place inside the laminate (for one specimen the later part of thecracking occurred unstably along the adhesive/ laminate interface). Crack bridging by fibres...

Study of initiation and growth of stress corrosion cracks. Quantitative characterization and modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peyrat, Christine

1997-01-01

A phenomenological study of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) cracks initiation and growth was carried out on a Z 2 CN 18.10 stainless steel in a boiling aqueous magnesium chloride solution at 153 deg. C. The characterization method exploits the morphological information (cracks shape and size distribution) available on a specimen after SCC test. This method, independent of any mechanistic hypothesis, led to the analytical representation of the growth rate of a given crack as a function of its depth and of the density of deeper cracks. The presence of this last parameter could be the expression of a 'shielding effect' of mechanical origin, exerted by the cracks of large size. A 'true initiation' rate was calculated by an extrapolation based on the analytical expression of the growth rate. This analytical representation of cracks initiation and growth accounts for the saturation observed in the experimental determination of the 'apparent initiation'. As time goes, the number of cracks deeper than a given threshold depth tends towards a limit which depends very strongly on the chosen threshold. This saturation effect can be interpreted as exclusively due to the way the small cracks propagate, as the 'true initiation' rate can be expressed versus time by a simple power law. In the case of slow strain rate tests, it is shown that the kinetic parameters characteristic of initiation and growth depend on the applied elongation rate. In particular, the initial crack growth rate increases with elongation rate. The validity domains of the proposed expressions have been specified by means of SCC tests carried out under different types of mechanical loading. (author) [fr

The performance of electroless nickel deposits in oil-field environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mack, R.; Bayes, M.

1984-01-01

An experimental study was conducted on an electroless nickel plated (represented by Enplate NI-422) C-90 steel, uncoated C-90 steel, AISI 420, 174 PH, SAF 2205, and HASTELLOY /sup R/ G-3 to determine their corrosion-performance in twelve simulated downhole oil or gas production environments during 28 day exposures. These environments were aqueous brines containing various concentrations of Cl - , H 2 S and/or CO 2 , and over a range of temperatures. The results from this study and oilfield data for electroless nickel plated low alloy steels are presented and discussed. The study demonstrates the feasibility of electroless nickel coated low alloy steels as an economical substitute for some highly alloyed materials in certain oilfield applications; the field data support this

Ultrasonic detection and sizing of cracks in cast stainless steel samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allidi, F.; Edelmann, X.; Phister, O.; Hoegberg, K.; Pers-Anderson, E.B.

1986-01-01

The test consisted of 15 samples of cast stainless steel, each with a weld. Some of the specimens were provided with artificially made thermal fatique cracks. The inspection was performed with the P-scan method. The investigations showed an improvement of recognizability relative to earlier investigations. One probe, the dual type, longitudinal wave 45 degrees, low frequence 0.5-1 MHz gives the best results. (G.B.)

Unsaturated Seepage Analysis of Cracked Soil including Development Process of Cracks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ling Cao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Cracks in soil provide preferential pathways for water flow and their morphological parameters significantly affect the hydraulic conductivity of the soil. To study the hydraulic properties of cracks, the dynamic development of cracks in the expansive soil during drying and wetting has been measured in the laboratory. The test results enable the development of the relationships between the cracks morphological parameters and the water content. In this study, the fractal model has been used to predict the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC of the cracked soil, including the developmental process of the cracks. The cracked expansive soil has been considered as a crack-pore medium. A dual media flow model has been developed to simulate the seepage characteristics of the cracked expansive soil. The variations in pore water pressure at different part of the model are quite different due to the impact of the cracks. This study proves that seepage characteristics can be better predicted if the impact of cracks is taken into account.

Evaluation of nondestructive evaluation size measurement for integrity assessment of axial outside diameter stress corrosion cracking in steam generator tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, Kyung Mun; Hong, Jun Hee

2015-01-01

Recently, the initiation of outside diameter stress corrosion cracking (ODSCC) at the tube support plate region of domestic steam generators (SG) with Alloy 600 HTMA tubes has been increasing. As a result, SGs with Alloy 600 HTMA tubes must be replaced early or are scheduled to be replaced prior to their designed lifetime. ODSCC is one of the biggest threats to the integrity of SG tubes. Therefore, the accurate evaluation of tube integrity to determine ODSCC is needed. Eddy current testing (ECT) is conducted periodically, and its results could be input as parameters for evaluating the integrity of SG tubes. The reliability of an ECT inspection system depends on the performance of the inspection technique and ability of the analyst. The detection probability and ECT sizing error of degradation are considered to be the performance indices of a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) system. This paper introduces an optimized evaluation method for ECT, as well as the sizing error, including the analyst performance. This study was based on the results of a round robin program in which 10 inspection analysts from 5 different companies participated. The analysis of ECT sizing results was performed using a linear regression model relating the true defect size data to the measured ECT size data.

Evaluation of nondestructive evaluation size measurement for integrity assessment of axial outside diameter stress corrosion cracking in steam generator tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joo, Kyung Mun [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company Ltd., Central Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Jun Hee [Dept. of mechanical Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-02-15

Recently, the initiation of outside diameter stress corrosion cracking (ODSCC) at the tube support plate region of domestic steam generators (SG) with Alloy 600 HTMA tubes has been increasing. As a result, SGs with Alloy 600 HTMA tubes must be replaced early or are scheduled to be replaced prior to their designed lifetime. ODSCC is one of the biggest threats to the integrity of SG tubes. Therefore, the accurate evaluation of tube integrity to determine ODSCC is needed. Eddy current testing (ECT) is conducted periodically, and its results could be input as parameters for evaluating the integrity of SG tubes. The reliability of an ECT inspection system depends on the performance of the inspection technique and ability of the analyst. The detection probability and ECT sizing error of degradation are considered to be the performance indices of a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) system. This paper introduces an optimized evaluation method for ECT, as well as the sizing error, including the analyst performance. This study was based on the results of a round robin program in which 10 inspection analysts from 5 different companies participated. The analysis of ECT sizing results was performed using a linear regression model relating the true defect size data to the measured ECT size data.

A Mesoscopic Simulation for the Early-Age Shrinkage Cracking Process of High Performance Concrete in Bridge Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guodong Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available On a mesoscopic level, high performance concrete (HPC was assumed to be a heterogeneous composite material consisting of aggregates, mortar, and pores. The concrete mesoscopic structure model had been established based on CT image reconstruction. By combining this model with continuum mechanics, damage mechanics, and fracture mechanics, a relatively complete system for concrete mesoscopic mechanics analysis was established to simulate the process of early-age shrinkage cracking in HPC. This process was based on the dispersion crack model. The results indicated that the interface between the aggregate and mortar was the crack point caused by shrinkage cracks in HPC. The locations of early-age shrinkage cracks in HPC were associated with the spacing and the size of the aggregate particle. However, the shrinkage deformation size of the mortar was related to the scope of concrete cracking and was independent of the crack position. Whereas lower water to cement ratios can improve the early strength of concrete, this ratio cannot control early-age shrinkage cracks in HPC.

Probabilistic and microstructural aspects of fatigue cracks initiation in Inconel 718

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandre, F.

2004-03-01

Thermomechanical treatments have been recently developed to produce Inconel 718DA (Direct Aged). This alloy optimisation leads to an increase of the fatigue life but also the scatter. The aim of this study is on the one hand the understanding of the fatigue crack initiation mechanisms and on the other hand the modelling of the fatigue life and the scatter. An experimental study showed that the fatigue cracks were initiated from carbide particles in fine grain alloy. Interrupted tensile tests show that the particles cracking occurred at the first quarter of the fatigue cycle. Fatigue behaviour tests were also performed on various grain size 718 alloys. The last experimental part was devoted to measurements of the low cycle fatigue crack growth rates using a high focal distance microscope. For these tests, EDM micro-defects were used for the fatigue crack initiation sites. This method was also used to observe the small fatigue crack coalescence. A fatigue life model is proposed. It is based on the three fatigue crack initiation mechanisms competition: particle crack initiation on the surface, internal particle crack initiation and Stade I crack initiation. The particle fatigue crack initiation is supposed instantaneous at a critical stress level. The Tanaka and Mura model is used for analysing the Stage I crack initiation number of cycles. The fatigue crack growth rate was analysed using the Tomkins model identified on the small fatigue crack growth rate measurements. The proposed fatigue life model decomposed in three levels: a deterministic one and two probabilistic with and without crack coalescence. (author)

Sub-10-micrometer toughening and crack tip toughness of dental enamel.

Science.gov (United States)

Ang, Siang Fung; Schulz, Anja; Pacher Fernandes, Rodrigo; Schneider, Gerold A

2011-04-01

In previous studies, enamel showed indications to occlude small cracks in-vivo and exhibited R-curve behaviors for bigger cracks ex-vivo. This study quantifies the crack tip's toughness (K(I0),K(III0)), the crack's closure stress and the cohesive zone size at the crack tip of enamel and investigates the toughening mechanisms near the crack tip down to the length scale of a single enamel crystallite. The crack-opening-displacement (COD) profile of cracks induced by Vickers indents on mature bovine enamel was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The mode I crack tip toughness K(I0) of cracks along enamel rod boundaries and across enamel rods exhibit a similar range of values: K(I0,Ir)=0.5-1.6MPa m(0.5) (based on Irwin's 'near-field' solution) and K(I0,cz)=0.8-1.5MPa m(0.5) (based on the cohesive zone solution of the Dugdale-Muskhelishvili (DM) crack model). The mode III crack tip toughness K(III0,Ir) was computed as 0.02-0.15MPa m(0.5). The crack-closure stress at the crack tip was computed as 163-770 MPa with a cohesive zone length and width 1.6-10.1μm and 24-44 nm utilizing the cohesive zone solution. Toughening elements were observed under AFM and SEM: crack bridging due to protein ligament and hydroxyapatite fibres (micro- and nanometer scale) as well as microcracks were identified. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Natural frequencies of Euler-Bernoulli beam with open cracks on elastic foundations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Young Jae; Yun, Jong Hak; Seong, Kyeong Youn; Kim, Jae Ho; Kang, Sung Hwang

2006-01-01

A study of the natural vibrations of beam resting on elastic foundation with finite number of transverse open cracks is presented. Frequency equations are derived for beams with different end restraints. Euler-Bernoulli beam on Winkler foundation and Euler-Bernoulli beam on Paster nak foundation are investigated. The cracks are modeled by massless substitute spring. The effects of the crack location, size and its number and the foundation constants, on the natural frequencies of the beam, are investigated

Three-dimensional shape of the early stages of fatigue cracks nucleated in nodular cast iron

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verdu, C. [GEMPPM, UMR 5510, INSA de Lyon, 20 Avenue Albert Einstein, 69621 Villeurbanne Cedex (France)], E-mail: catherine.verdu@insa-lyon.fr; Adrien, J.; Buffiere, J.Y. [GEMPPM, UMR 5510, INSA de Lyon, 20 Avenue Albert Einstein, 69621 Villeurbanne Cedex (France)

2008-06-15

High resolution synchrotron X-ray tomography has been used to obtain three-dimensional (3D) images of the early stages of fatigue crack nucleation in a nodular cast iron. Microcracks were observed to initiate at casting defects (microshrinkage) and graphite nodules. The 3D observations have shown that the microcracks form in the material ligament comprised between the specimen surface and the defect. The probability of a defect to initiate a crack was correlated with the size of the defect and its position with respect to the surface. This correlation has been explained on the basis of local stress concentrations in the vicinity of the defect. The 3D observations of samples submitted to different fatigue cycles revealed that a large part of the fatigue life consisted in the progressive fracture of the ligament. The majority of the observed cracks stopped after this fracture process and, therefore, their size did not exceed the initiating defect size even if the crack seemed larger than the defect on the optical surface observations. Only few microcracks, nucleated on the largest defects, continued to grow with short-crack behaviour.

Damage assessment of low-cycle fatigue by crack growth prediction. Development of growth prediction model and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamaya, Masayuki; Kawakubo, Masahiro

2012-01-01

In this study, the fatigue damage was assumed to be equivalent to the crack initiation and its growth, and fatigue life was assessed by predicting the crack growth. First, a low-cycle fatigue test was conducted in air at room temperature under constant cyclic strain range of 1.2%. The crack initiation and change in crack size during the test were examined by replica investigation. It was found that a crack of 41.2 μm length was initiated almost at the beginning of the test. The identified crack growth rate was shown to correlate well with the strain intensity factor, whose physical meaning was discussed in this study. The fatigue life prediction model (equation) under constant strain range was derived by integrating the crack growth equation defined using the strain intensity factor, and the predicted fatigue lives were almost identical to those obtained by low-cycle fatigue tests. The change in crack depth predicted by the equation also agreed well with the experimental results. Based on the crack growth prediction model, it was shown that the crack size would be less than 0.1 mm even when the estimated fatigue damage exceeded the critical value of the design fatigue curve, in which a twenty-fold safety margin was used for the assessment. It was revealed that the effect of component size and surface roughness, which have been investigated empirically by fatigue tests, could be reasonably explained by considering the crack initiation and growth. Furthermore, the environmental effect on the fatigue life was shown to be brought about by the acceleration of crack growth. (author)

FASTRAN II - FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS (IBM PC VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, J. C.

1994-01-01

Predictions of fatigue crack growth behavior can be made with the Fatigue Crack Growth Structural Analysis (FASTRAN II) computer program. As cyclic loads are applied to a selected crack configuration with an initial crack size, FASTRAN II predicts crack growth as a function of cyclic load history until either a desired crack size is reached or failure occurs. FASTRAN II is based on plasticity-induced crack-closure behavior of cracks in metallic materials and accounts for load-interaction effects, such as retardation and acceleration, under variable-amplitude loading. The closure model is based on the Dugdale model with modifications to allow plastically deformed material to be left along the crack surfaces as the crack grows. Plane stress and plane strain conditions, as well as conditions between these two, can be simulated in FASTRAN II by using a constraint factor on tensile yielding at the crack front to approximately account for three-dimensional stress states. FASTRAN II contains seventeen predefined crack configurations (standard laboratory fatigue crack growth rate specimens and many common crack configurations found in structures); and the user can define one additional crack configuration. The baseline crack growth rate properties (effective stress-intensity factor against crack growth rate) may be given in either equation or tabular form. For three-dimensional crack configurations, such as surface cracks or corner cracks at holes or notches, the fatigue crack growth rate properties may be different in the crack depth and crack length directions. Final failure of the cracked structure can be modelled with fracture toughness properties using either linear-elastic fracture mechanics (brittle materials), a two-parameter fracture criterion (brittle to ductile materials), or plastic collapse (extremely ductile materials). The crack configurations in FASTRAN II can be subjected to either constant-amplitude, variable-amplitude or spectrum loading. The applied

Determination of crack morphology parameters from service failures for leak-rate analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilkowski, G.; Ghadiali, N.; Paul, D. [Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH (United States)] [and others

1997-04-01

In leak-rate analyses described in the literature, the crack morphology parameters are typically not well agreed upon by different investigators. This paper presents results on a review of crack morphology parameters determined from examination of service induced cracks. Service induced cracks were found to have a much more tortuous flow path than laboratory induced cracks due to crack branching associated with the service induced cracks. Several new parameters such as local and global surface roughnesses, as well as local and global number of turns were identified. The effect of each of these parameters are dependent on the crack-opening displacement. Additionally, the crack path is typically assumed to be straight through the pipe thickness, but the service data show that the flow path can be longer due to the crack following a fusion line, and/or the number of turns, where the number of turns in the past were included as a pressure drop term due to the turns, but not the longer flow path length. These parameters were statistically evaluated for fatigue cracks in air, corrosion-fatigue, IGSCC, and thermal fatigue cracks. A refined version of the SQUIRT leak-rate code was developed to account for these variables. Sample calculations are provided in this paper that show how the crack size can vary for a given leak rate and the statistical variation of the crack morphology parameters.

Pulsed magnetic flux leakage method for hairline crack detection and characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Okolo, Chukwunonso K.; Meydan, Turgut

2018-04-01

The Magnetic Flux leakage (MFL) method is a well-established branch of electromagnetic Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), extensively used for evaluating defects both on the surface and far-surface of pipeline structures. However the conventional techniques are not capable of estimating their approximate size, location and orientation, hence an additional transducer is required to provide the extra information needed. This research is aimed at solving the inevitable problem of granular bond separation which occurs during manufacturing, leaving pipeline structures with miniature cracks. It reports on a quantitative approach based on the Pulsed Magnetic Flux Leakage (PMFL) method, for the detection and characterization of the signals produced by tangentially oriented rectangular surface and far-surface hairline cracks. This was achieved through visualization and 3D imaging of the leakage field. The investigation compared finite element numerical simulation with experimental data. Experiments were carried out using a 10mm thick low carbon steel plate containing artificial hairline cracks with various depth sizes, and different features were extracted from the transient signal. The influence of sensor lift-off and pulse width variation on the magnetic field distribution which affects the detection capability of various hairline cracks located at different depths in the specimen is explored. The findings show that the proposed technique can be used to classify both surface and far-surface hairline cracks and can form the basis for an enhanced hairline crack detection and characterization for pipeline health monitoring.

Studies on the Parametric Effects of Plasma Arc Welding of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Selva Bharathi, R.; Siva Shanmugam, N.; Murali Kannan, R.; Arungalai Vendan, S.

2018-03-01

This research study attempts to create an optimized parametric window by employing Taguchi algorithm for Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) of 2 mm thick 2205 duplex stainless steel. The parameters considered for experimentation and optimization are the welding current, welding speed and pilot arc length respectively. The experimentation involves the parameters variation and subsequently recording the depth of penetration and bead width. Welding current of 60-70 A, welding speed of 250-300 mm/min and pilot arc length of 1-2 mm are the range between which the parameters are varied. Design of experiments is used for the experimental trials. Back propagation neural network, Genetic algorithm and Taguchi techniques are used for predicting the bead width, depth of penetration and validated with experimentally achieved results which were in good agreement. Additionally, micro-structural characterizations are carried out to examine the weld quality. The extrapolation of these optimized parametric values yield enhanced weld strength with cost and time reduction.

Propagation of stress-corrosion cracks in unirradiated zircaloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norring, K.; Haag, Y.; Wikstroem, C.

1982-01-01

Propagation of iodine-induced stress-corrosion cracks in Zircaloy was studied using pre-cracked and internally pressurized cladding tubes. These were recrystallized at different temperatures, to obtain grain sizes between 4 μm and 10 μm. No statistically significant difference in propagation rate due to the difference in grain size was observed. If the obtained data, with Ksub(I) values ranging from 4 to 11 MNmsup(-3/2), were log-log plotted (da/dt = CKsub(I)sup(N)), as usual, they fell within the scatter-band of data reported earlier. But from this plot it could also be seen that the Ksub(I) interval can be divided into two separate parts having different da/dt-Ksub(I) relations. The transition takes place at a Ksub(I) value of about 8 MNmsup(-3/2). The region with lower Ksub(I) values shows a substantially lower n value than the upper region (2.4 and 9.8 respectively), and earlier reported values (n = 7 to 10). This transition is in good agreement with a transition from an intergranular to a transgranular propagation mode of the stress-corrosion crack. (orig.)

Sensitivity of using blunt and sharp crack models in elastic-plastic fracture mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Y.C.; Kennedy, J.M.; Marchertas, A.H.

1985-01-01

J-integral values are calculated for both the blunt (smeared) crack and the sharp (discrete) crack models in elastic-plastic fracture mechanics problems involving metallic materials. A sensitivity study is performed to show the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two cracking models. It is concluded that the blunt crack model is less dependent on the orientation of the mesh. For the mesh which is in line with the crack direction, however, the sharp crack model is less sensitive to the mesh size. Both models yield reasonable results for a properly discretized finite-element mesh. A subcycling technique is used in this study in the explicit integration scheme so that large time steps can be used for the coarse elements away from the crack tip. The savings of computation time by this technique are reported. 6 refs., 9 figs

Crack detecting method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narita, Michiko; Aida, Shigekazu

1998-01-01

A penetration liquid or a slow drying penetration liquid prepared by mixing a penetration liquid and a slow drying liquid is filled to the inside of an artificial crack formed to a member to be detected such as of boiler power generation facilities and nuclear power facilities. A developing liquid is applied to the periphery of the artificial crack on the surface of a member to be detected. As the slow-drying liquid, an oil having a viscosity of 56 is preferably used. Loads are applied repeatedly to the member to be detected, and when a crack is caused to the artificial crack, the permeation liquid penetrates into the crack. The penetration liquid penetrated into the crack is developed by the developing liquid previously coated to the periphery of the artificial crack of the surface of the member to be detected. When a crack is caused, since the crack is developed clearly even if it is a small opening, the crack can be recognized visually reliably. (I.N.)

Deterministic and probabilistic crack growth analysis for the JRC Ispra 1/5 scale pressure vessel n0 R2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruckner-Foit, A.; Munz, D.

1989-10-01

A deterministic and a probabilistic crack growth analysis is presented for the major defects found in the welds during ultrasonic pre-service inspection. The deterministic analysis includes first a determination of the number of load cycles until crack initiation, then a cycle-by-cycle calculation of the growth of the embedded elliptical cracks, followed by an evaluation of the growth of the semi-elliptical surface crack formed after the crack considered has broken through the wall and, finally, a determination of the critical crack size and shape. In the probabilistic analysis, a Monte-Carlo simulation is performed with a sample of cracks where the statistical distributions of the crack dimensions describe the uncertainty in sizing of the ultrasonic inspection. The distributions of crack depth, crack length and location are evaluated as a function of the number of load cycles. In the simulation, the fracture mechanics model of the deterministic analysis is employed for each random crack. The results of the deterministic and probabilistic crack growth analysis are compared with the results of the second in-service inspection where stable extension of some of the cracks had been observed. It is found that the prediction and the experiment agree only with a probability of the order of 5% or less

Studies on the behavior of part-through circumferential crack at intrados in elbows under in-plane bending moment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, A.; Prabhakaran, K.M.; Ghosh, A.K.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Behavior of cracked elbows with part-through crack at intrados under bending moment is studied. → Some part of crack always opens and some part gets closed irrespective of mode of applied moment. → Fraction of the crack that opens basically decides the weakening effect of the cracked elbow. → Results will be useful for fracture studies and limit load estimation especially for LBB. - Abstract: This paper presents the behavior of part-through circumferential crack at intrados in elbows under in-plane bending moment. This is based on detailed non-linear (both material and geometric) finite element analysis performed on various sizes of elbows (generally used in piping industry), having different crack sizes. It is observed that some part of the crack always opens and some part gets closed irrespective of the mode of applied bending moment (opening/closing). The fraction of the crack that opens basically decides the weakening effect of the cracked elbow. It is observed that there is a threshold value of crack length and crack depth, before which no crack opening is observed under opening mode. Also as elbow becomes thinner, the threshold value of above two parameters increases. Quite interestingly, the part of crack which closes in opening mode opens under closing mode. The above mentioned study on the behavior of crack will be useful for fracture studies and limit load estimation especially when leak before break concept is to be employed.

Dynamic propagation and cleavage crack arrest in bainitic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajjaj, M.

2006-06-01

In complement of the studies of harmfulness of defects, generally realized in term of initiation, the concept of crack arrest could be used as complementary analyses to the studies of safety. The stop occurs when the stress intensity factor becomes lower than crack arrest toughness (KIa) calculated in elasto-statics (KI ≤ KIa). The aim of this thesis is to understand and predict the stop of a crack propagating at high speed in a 18MND5 steel used in the pressure water reactor (PWR). The test chosen to study crack arrest is the disc thermal shock test. The observations under the scanning electron microscope of the fracture surface showed that the crack arrest always occurs in cleavage mode and that the critical microstructural entity with respect to the propagation and crack arrest corresponds to at least the size of the prior austenitic grain. The numerical analyses in elasto-statics confirm the conservatism of the codified curve of the RCC-M with respect to the values of KIa. The dynamic numerical analyses show that the deceleration of the crack measured at the end of the propagation is related to the global dynamic of the structure (vibrations). The transferability to components of crack arrest toughness obtained from tests analysed in static is thus not assured. The disc thermal shock tests were also modelled by considering a criterion of propagation and arrest of the type 'RKR' characterized by a critical stress sc which depends on the temperature. The results obtained account well for the crack jump measured in experiments as well as the shape of the crack arrest front. (author)

Effect of ultrafine grain on tensile behaviour and corrosion resistance of the duplex stainless steel.

Science.gov (United States)

Jinlong, Lv; Tongxiang, Liang; Chen, Wang; Limin, Dong

2016-05-01

The ultrafine grained 2205 duplex stainless steel was obtained by cold rolling and annealing. The tensile properties were investigated at room temperature. Comparing with coarse grained stainless steel, ultrafine grained sample showed higher strength and plasticity. In addition, grain size changed deformation orientation. The strain induced α'-martensite was observed in coarse grained 2205 duplex stainless steel with large strain. However, the grain refinement inhibited the transformation of α'-martensite;nevertheless, more deformation twins improved the strength and plasticity of ultrafine grained 2205 duplex stainless steel. In addition, the grain refinement improved corrosion resistance of the 2205 duplex stainless steel in sodium chloride solution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling of multibranched crosslike crack growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canessa, E.; Tanatar, B.

1991-06-01

Multibranched crosslike crack patterns formed in concentrically loaded square plates are studied in terms of fractal geometry, where the associated fractal dimension d f is calculated for their characterization. We apply simplest deterministic and stochastic approaches at a phenomenological level in an attempt to find generic features as guidelines for future experimental and theoretical work. The deterministic model for fracture propagation we apply, which is a variant of the discretized Laplace approach for randomly ramified fractal cracks proposed by Takayasu, reproduces the basic ingredients of observed complex fracture patters. The stochastic model, although is not strictly a model for crack propagation, is based on diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) for fractal growth and produces slightly more realistic assessment of the crosslike growth of the cracks in asymmetric multibranches. Nevertheless, this simple ad-hoc DLA-version for modeling the present phenomena as well as the deterministic approach for fracture propagation give fractal dimensionality for the fracture pattern in accord with our estimations made from recent experimental data. It is found that there is a crossover of two fractal dimensions, corresponding to the core (higher d f ) and multibranched crosslike (lower D f ) regions, that contains loops, that are interpreted as representing different symmetry regions within the square plates of finite size. (author). 26 refs, 5 figs

Standard test method for measurement of creep crack growth times in metals

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2007-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the determination of creep crack growth (CCG) in metals at elevated temperatures using pre-cracked specimens subjected to static or quasi-static loading conditions. The time (CCI), t0.2 to an initial crack extension δai = 0.2 mm from the onset of first applied force and creep crack growth rate, ˙a or da/dt is expressed in terms of the magnitude of creep crack growth relating parameters, C* or K. With C* defined as the steady state determination of the crack tip stresses derived in principal from C*(t) and Ct (1-14). The crack growth derived in this manner is identified as a material property which can be used in modeling and life assessment methods (15-25). 1.1.1 The choice of the crack growth correlating parameter C*, C*(t), Ct, or K depends on the material creep properties, geometry and size of the specimen. Two types of material behavior are generally observed during creep crack growth tests; creep-ductile (1-14) and creep-brittle (26-37). In creep ductile materials, where cr...

On crack initiation in notched, cross-plied polymer matrix composites

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Q. D.; Schesser, D.; Niess, M.; Wright, P.; Mavrogordato, M. N.; Sinclair, I.; Spearing, S. M.; Cox, B. N.

2015-05-01

The physics of crack initiation in a polymer matrix composite are investigated by varying the modeling choices made in simulations and comparing the resulting predictions with high-resolution in situ images of cracks. Experimental data were acquired using synchrotron-radiation computed tomography (SRCT) at a resolution on the order of 1 μm, which provides detailed measurement of the location, shape, and size of small cracks, as well as the crack opening and shear displacements. These data prove sufficient to discriminate among competing physical descriptions of crack initiation. Simulations are executed with a high-fidelity formulation, the augmented finite element method (A-FEM), which permits consideration of coupled damage mechanisms, including both discrete cracks and fine-scale continuum damage. The discrete cracks are assumed to be nonlinear fracture events, governed by reasonably general mixed-mode cohesive laws. Crack initiation is described in terms of strength parameters within the cohesive laws, so that the cohesive law provides a unified model for crack initiation and growth. Whereas the cracks investigated are typically 1 mm or less in length, the fine-scale continuum damage refers to irreversible matrix deformation occurring over gauge lengths extending down to the fiber diameter (0.007 mm). We find that the location and far-field stress for crack initiation are predicted accurately only if the variations of local stress within plies and in the presence of stress concentrators (notches, etc.) are explicitly computed and used in initiation criteria; stress redistribution due to matrix nonlinearity that occurs prior to crack initiation is accounted for; and a mixed-mode criterion is used for crack initiation. If these factors are not all considered, which is the case for commonly used failure criteria, predictions of the location and far-field stress for initiation are not accurate.

Effect of the size of the apical enlargement with rotary instruments, single-cone filling, post space preparation with drills, fiber post removal, and root canal filling removal on apical crack initiation and propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Çapar, İsmail Davut; Uysal, Banu; Ok, Evren; Arslan, Hakan

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of apical crack initiation and propagation in root dentin after several endodontic procedures. Sixty intact mandibular premolars were sectioned perpendicular to the long axis at 1 mm from the apex, and the apical surface was polished. Thirty teeth were left unprepared and served as a control, and the remaining 30 teeth were instrumented with ProTaper Universal instruments (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) up to size F5. The root canals were filled with the single-cone technique. Gutta-percha was removed with drills of the Rebilda post system (VOCO, Cuxhaven, Germany). Glass fiber-reinforced composite fiber posts were cemented using a dual-cure resin cement. The fiber posts were removed with a drill of the post system. Retreatment was completed after the removal of the gutta-percha. Crack initiation and propagation in the apical surfaces of the samples were examined with a stereomicroscope after each procedure. The absence/presence of cracks was recorded. Logistic regression was performed to analyze statistically the incidence of crack initiation and propagation with each procedure. The initiation of the first crack and crack propagation was associated with F2 and F4 instruments, respectively. The logistic regression analysis revealed that instrumentation and F2 instrument significantly affected apical crack initiation (P .05). Rotary nickel-titanium instrumentation had a significant effect on apical crack initiation, and post space preparation with drills had a significant impact on crack propagation. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crack

Science.gov (United States)

... spending time in a rehab facility or getting cognitive-behavioral therapy or other treatments. Right now, there are no medicines to treat a crack addiction. If you smoke crack, talking with a counselor ...

Multiscale probabilistic modeling of a crack bridge in glass fiber reinforced concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rypla R.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The present paper introduces a probabilistic approach to simulating the crack bridging effects of chopped glass strands in cement-based matrices and compares it to a discrete rigid body spring network model with semi-discrete representation of the chopped strands. The glass strands exhibit random features at various scales, which are taken into account by both models. Fiber strength and interface stress are considered as random variables at the scale of a single fiber bundle while the orientation and position of individual bundles with respect to a crack plane are considered as random variables at the crack bridge scale. At the scale of the whole composite domain, the distribution of fibers and the resulting number of crack-bridging fibers is considered. All the above random effects contribute to the variability of the crack bridge performance and result in size-dependent behavior of a multiply cracked composite.

Weibull modeling of particle cracking in metal matrix composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, C.A.; Withers, P.J.

1995-01-01

An investigation into the occurrence of reinforcement cracking within a particulate ZrO 2 /2618 Al alloy metal matrix composite under tensile plastic straining has been carried out, special attention being paid to the dependence of fracture on particle size and shape. The probability of particle cracking has been modeled using a Weibull approach, giving good agreement with the experimental data. Values for the Weibull modulus and the stress required to crack the particles were found to be within the range expected for the cracking of ceramic particles. Additional information regarding the fracture behavior of the particles was provided by in-situ neutron diffraction monitoring of the internal strains, measurement of the variation in the composite Young's modulus with straining and by direct observation of the cracked particles. The values of the particle stress required for the initiation of particle cracking deduced from these supplementary experiments were found to be in good agreement with each other and with the results from the Weibull analysis. Further, it is shown that while both the current experiments, as well as the previous work of others, can be well described by the Weibull approach, the exact values of the Weibull parameters do deduced are very sensitive to the approximations and the assumptions made in constructing the model

Crack shape developments and leak rates for circumferential complex-cracked pipes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brickstad, B.; Bergman, M. [SAQ Inspection Ltd., Stockholm (Sweden)

1997-04-01

A computerized procedure has been developed that predicts the growth of an initial circumferential surface crack through a pipe and further on to failure. The crack growth mechanism can either be fatigue or stress corrosion. Consideration is taken to complex crack shapes and for the through-wall cracks, crack opening areas and leak rates are also calculated. The procedure is based on a large number of three-dimensional finite element calculations of cracked pipes. The results from these calculations are stored in a database from which the PC-program, denoted LBBPIPE, reads all necessary information. In this paper, a sensitivity analysis is presented for cracked pipes subjected to both stress corrosion and vibration fatigue.

Analytical Model for the Probability Characteristics of a Crack Penetrating Capsules in Capsule-Based Self-Healing Cementitious Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhong LV

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Autonomous crack healing using pre-embedded capsules containing healing agent is becoming a promising approach to restore the strength of damaged structures. In addition to the material properties, the size and volume fraction of capsules influence crack healing in the matrix. Understanding the crack and capsule interaction is critical in the development and design of structures made of capsule-based self-healing materials. Continuing our previous study, in this contribution a more practical rupturing mode of capsules characterizing the rupturing manner of capsules fractured by cracks in cementitious materials is presented, i.e., penetrating mode. With the underlying assumption that a crack penetrating capsules undoubtedly leads to crack healing, geometrical probability theory is employed to develop the quantitative relationship between crack size and capsule size, capsule concentration in capsule-based self-healing virtual cementitious material. Moreover, an analytical expression of probability of a crack penetrating with randomly dispersed capsules is developed in two-dimensional material matrix setup. The influences of the induced rupturing modes of capsules embedded on the self-healing efficiency are analyzed. Much attention is paid to compare the penetrating probability and the hitting probability, in order to assist the designer to make a choice of the optimal rupturing modes of capsules embedded. The accuracy of results of the theoretical model is also compared with Monte-Carlo numerical analysis of crack interacting with capsules. It shows that the developed probability characteristics of a crack interaction with capsules for different rupturing modes is helpful to provide guidelines for designer working with capsule-based self-healing cementitious materials.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.3.16888

Time-dependent crack growth in Alloy 718: An interim assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, L.A.

1982-08-01

Previous results on the time-dependent nature of fatigue-crack propagation (FCP) in Alloy 718 at elevated temperatures were reviewed. Additional experiments were conducted to further define certain aspects of the time-dependent crack growth behavior. it was found that loading waveform influenced FCP behavior, with tensile hold-times producing higher growth rates than continuous cycling at the same frequency. Crack growth rates under hold-time conditions tended to increase with decreasing grain size. Finally, experiments were conducted which tended to cast some doubt upon the ability of linear-elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) techniques to characterize cracking behavior in this alloy under hold-time conditions. However, since a superior correlating parameter has not yet been proven, it is suggested that LEFM methods be used in the interim with appropriate safety factors to account for the potential errors. 34 refs., 10 figs., 4 tabs

Influence of cracks on rebar corrosion in carbonated concretes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghantous, R.M.; L'Hostis, V.; Poyet, S.; Francois, R.; Tran, N.C.

2015-01-01

This paper presents an experimental program allowing the determination of the effect of pre-cracks and their orientations on both initiation and propagation of reinforcement steel corrosion due to carbonation in different environmental conditions, in order to propose an operational model allowing the evaluation of the kinetic of corrosion of the reinforcement steel in cooling towers of nuclear power plants. The cracking mode that generates cracks which are representative of those appearing on the cooling towers is a three-point bending test performed on prismatic samples of 7*7*28 cm 3 size with 6 mm steel bars. The length of damaged steel / concrete interface, which appears following a three-point bending test, is then quantified. This length could be determining in the initiation and the propagation of corrosion. Results show that this length is dependent on the residual crack opening and that the length of damaged interface in its lower part is larger than that on the upper part due to the Top Bar effect. After cracking, the samples will be exposed to carbon dioxide to ensure carbonation of the steel bar localized at the bottom of the crack and the concrete/steel interface, damaged by the load applied during the three-point bending test. After carbonation of the interface, samples will be submitted to corrosion in different environmental conditions whose effect on the kinetics of corrosion will be determined. The work done so far permits the definition of the cracking protocol (three points bending) that allows obtaining cracks which are representative of those existing on cooling towers. Moreover, the length of steel/concrete damaged interface with respect to crack opening is quantified. It was found that this length is proportional to the crack opening. In addition, it was shown that the Top Bar effect increases the damaged interface length at the lower part of steel bars

Observation and simulation of crack growth in Zry-4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertolino, Graciela; Meyer, Gabriel; Perez Ipina, J

2003-01-01

Security and life extension of components of nuclear reactors are the most motivating aspects that encourage to study embrittlement processes of zirconium alloys by reaction with hydrogen.Here, the use of fracture mechanics tests are suitable to monitor the material resistance of components under service.Because many times is difficult to obtain normalized probes from real size components, researchers look for alternative experimental techniques or crack growth simulation from the knowledge of particular material properties.In this work we present the results obtained after experimental observation and computer simulation of crack growth in Zry-4 probes.Experimental observation were obtained by performing flexion tests in three point probes SSEN(B) of 3 x 7 x 32 mm 3 located in the chamber of a scanning electron microscope, measuring in situ the crack length and opening when an external load is applied.Using the information obtained from stress-displacement measurements after tensile tests and the empiric relationship between crack opening and crack length, the crack growth process was simulated.Displacement field in the zone close to the crack tip was obtained by finite elements technique (Castem, DMT, CEA) assuming plain stress, a plastic bilinear homogeneous material and neglecting texture or directional anisotropy.To compare experimental observation and simulation, a grid (10 x 10 μm 2 each square) was drawn in the zone close to the crack tip by selective sputtering.Following the movement of two (three) points of the surface allows to compare uni (bi) dimensional deformation.A good agreement between observation and simulation was observed: after the crack opening grew 28 times (from 1.5 to 42 μm) the base-height relationship of a triangle involving the crack tip change 40% (35%) in the experimental observation (simulation)

Critical size of defaults inducing fast fracture of deposit stellite on a valve gate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boneh, B.; Gilles, P.; Champomier, F.; Abisror, A.

1986-10-01

The present study has been made to determine if, in the case of a valve gate, transversal cracks are the result of fatigue propagation or the result of fast fracture. The author shows that only a transversal crack, with a size up to 0.7 mm, induces a fast fracture and shows also that, at equal size, a crack located under the stellite is not also injurious than a transversal crack [fr

Analytical Model for Fictitious Crack Propagation in Concrete Beams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulfkjær, J. P.; Krenk, Steen; Brincker, Rune

1995-01-01

An analytical model for load-displacement curves of concrete beams is presented. The load-displacement curve is obtained by combining two simple models. The fracture is modeled by a fictitious crack in an elastic layer around the midsection of the beam. Outside the elastic layer the deformations...... are modeled by beam theory. The state of stress in the elastic layer is assumed to depend bilinearly on local elongation corresponding to a linear softening relation for the fictitious crack. Results from the analytical model are compared with results from a more detailed model based on numerical methods...... for different beam sizes. The analytical model is shown to be in agreement with the numerical results if the thickness of the elastic layer is taken as half the beam depth. It is shown that the point on the load-displacement curve where the fictitious crack starts to develop and the point where the real crack...

Evaluation of strength and failure of brittle rock containing initial cracks under lithospheric conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaozhao; Qi, Chengzhi; Shao, Zhushan; Ma, Chao

2018-02-01

Natural brittle rock contains numerous randomly distributed microcracks. Crack initiation, growth, and coalescence play a predominant role in evaluation for the strength and failure of brittle rocks. A new analytical method is proposed to predict the strength and failure of brittle rocks containing initial microcracks. The formulation of this method is based on an improved wing crack model and a suggested micro-macro relation. In this improved wing crack model, the parameter of crack angle is especially introduced as a variable, and the analytical stress-crack relation considering crack angle effect is obtained. Coupling the proposed stress-crack relation and the suggested micro-macro relation describing the relation between crack growth and axial strain, the stress-strain constitutive relation is obtained to predict the rock strength and failure. Considering different initial microcrack sizes, friction coefficients and confining pressures, effects of crack angle on tensile wedge force acting on initial crack interface are studied, and effects of crack angle on stress-strain constitutive relation of rocks are also analyzed. The strength and crack initiation stress under different crack angles are discussed, and the value of most disadvantaged angle triggering crack initiation and rock failure is founded. The analytical results are similar to the published study results. Rationality of this proposed analytical method is verified.

Nominally brittle cracks in inhomogeneous solids: From microstructural disorder to continuum-level scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan eBarés

2014-11-01

Full Text Available We analyze the intermittent dynamics of cracks in heterogeneous brittle materials and the roughness of the resulting fracture surfaces by investigating theoretically and numerically crack propagation in an elastic solid of spatially-distributed toughness. The crack motion split up into discrete jumps, avalanches, displaying scale-free statistical features characterized by universal exponents. Conversely, the ranges of scales are non-universal and the mean avalanche size and duration depend on the loading microstructure and specimen parameters according to scaling laws which are uncovered. The crack surfaces are found to be logarithmically rough. Their selection by the fracture parameters is formulated in term of scaling laws on the structure functions measured on one-dimensional roughness profiles taken parallel and perpendicular to the direction of crack growth.

Fatigue crack growth monitoring: fracture mechanics and non-destructive testing requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, S.; Mudge, P.J.

1982-01-01

If a fatigue crack is found in a component in service, two options exist if plant integrity is to be maintained: first, the plant can be removed from service and repairs effected or replacements fitted; second, the growth of the crack can be monitored non-destructively until it is either considered to be too large to tolerate, in which case it must be repaired, or until a convenient down time when repair can be effected. The second option has obvious benefits for plant operators, but in such a situation it is essential that errors of the non-destructive estimate of defect size, which will undoubtedly exist, and uncertainties in the fatigue crack growth laws in operation must both be allowed for if a safe extension of service life is to be obtained; i.e. without failure by leakage or fast fracture arising from the fatigue crack. This paper analyses the accuracy required of non-destructive crack measurement techniques to permit the safe monitoring of crack growth by periodic inspection. It then demonstrates that it is possible to achieve adequate crack monitoring using conventional ultrasonic techniques. (author)

Process for the selective cracking of straight-chained and slightly branched hydrocarbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gorring, R L; Shipman, G F

1975-01-23

The invention describes a method for the selective (hydro) cracking of petroleum materials, containing normal straight-chained and/or slightly branched-chained hydrocarbons. The mixture is brought into contact with a selective, crystalline alumino silicate zeolite cracking catalyst housing a silicon oxide/aluminum oxide ratio of at least about 12 and a constraint index of about 1 to 12 under cracking conditions. A zeolite catalyst with a crystal size of up to 0.05 ..mu.. is used. Solidification point and viscosity in particular of oils are to be lowered through the catalytic dewaxing.

Restraint of fatigue crack growth by wedge effects of fine particles

CERN Document Server

Takahashi, I; Kotani, N

2000-01-01

Presents some experimental results which demonstrate restraint of fatigue crack growth in an Al-Mg alloy by wedge effects of fine particles. Fatigue test specimens were machined from a JIS A5083P-O Al-Mg alloy plate of 5 mm thickness and an EDM starter notch was introduced to each specimen. Three kinds of fine particles were prepared as the materials to be wedged into the fatigue cracks, i.e. magnetic particles and two kinds of alumina particles having different mean particle sizes of 47.3 mu m and 15.2 mu m. Particles of each kind were suspended in an oil to form a paste, which was applied on the specimen surface covering the notch zone prior to the fatigue tests. In order to make some fracture mechanics approaches, in situ observations of fatigue cracks were performed for the two cases using a CCD microscope, with a magnification of *1000. The crack length and the crack opening displacement (COD) at the notch root, delta , were measured. The crack retardation effect continues almost through the entire lifet...

On applicability of crack shape characterization rules for multiple in-plane surface cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Min; Choi, Suhn; Park, Keun Bae; Choi, Jae Boong; Huh, Nam Su

2009-01-01

The fracture mechanics assessment parameters, such as the elastic stress intensity factor and the elastic-plastic J-integral, for a surface crack can be significantly affected by adjacent cracks. Regarding such an interaction effect, the relative distance between adjacent cracks, crack aspect ratio and loading condition were known to be important factors for multiple cracks, which affects the fracture mechanics assessment parameters. Although several guidance (ASME Sec. XI, BS7910, British Energy R6 and API RP579) on a crack interaction effect (crack combination rule) have been proposed and used for assessing the interaction effect, each guidance provides different rules for combining multiple surface cracks into a single surface crack. Based on the systematic elastic and elastic-plastic finite element analyses, the present study investigated the acceptability of the crack combination rules provided in the existing guidance, and the relevant recommendations on a crack interaction for in-plane surface cracks in a plate were discussed. To quantify the interaction effect, the elastic stress intensity factor and elastic-plastic J-integral along the crack front were used. As for the loading condition, only axial tension was considered. As a result, BS7910 seems to provide the most relevant crack combination rule for in-plane dual surface cracks, whereas API RP579 provides the most conservative results. In particular, ASME Sec. XI still seems to have some room for a revision to shorten the critical distance between two adjacent cracks for a crack combination. The overall tendency of the elastic-plastic analyses results is identical to that of the elastic analyses results.

Nonlinear response arising from non self-similar crack growth in finite thickness plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sih, G.C.; Chen, C.

1982-07-01

Described in this report is a three-dimensional finite element procedure for finding the stresses in a finite thickness plate with a through crack. The Mode I loading is increased incrementally such that crack growth occurs in segments. The individual crack profiles are assumed to coincide with the locations of minimum strain energy density, (dW/dV)/sub min/. Its shape is found to change during growth. Each successive crack growth increment will increase even though the rising load increment is kept constant. Three different plate thickness to half crack length ratios were analyzed. An average critical crack ligament distance r/sub c/ = 0.172 in (0.437 cm) being independent of crack and specimen size was obtained. This corresponds to an analytically predicted fracture toughness S/sub c/ = r/sub c/ (dW/dV)/sub c/ = 15.489 lb/in (2708.825 N/m) for A533B steel at -10 0 F. Data at low temperature were used in order to confine crack growth within the linear elastic range

Full thickness crack arrest investigations on compact specimens and a heavy wide-plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kussmaul, K.; Gillot, R.; Elenz, T.

1993-01-01

In order to determine the influence of specimen size and testing procedure on the crack arrest toughness K Ia at various temperatures, investigations were carried out on a wide-plate and compact specimens using a highly brittle material. Test interpretation included static as well as dynamic methods. The comparison of the measured K Ia -values shows good agreement although there is a distinct difference in specimen size. In general, the (static) ASTM test method yields a lower and thus conservative estimate of the crack arrest toughness K Ia . 14 refs., 27 figs., 3 tabs

Stress Intensity Factors for Cracked Metallic Structures Under Rapid Thermal Loading

Science.gov (United States)

1987-10-01

solution algorithm was developed based on the influence function method, and numerical results were generated to show the variation of K with flaw size and...numerical algorithms developed can be executed on a desktop microcomputer illustrating the efficient and powerful characteristic of the influence function method... Function Method 3-6 Superposition and Crack Face Loading Equivalence 3-7 Influence Function Generation 3-10 Influence Functions For Two Cracked Body

Effect of T-stress on the cleavage crack growth resistance resulting from plastic flow

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

1998-01-01

Crack growth is studied numerically for cases where fracture occurs by atomic separation, sc that the length scale of the fracture process is typically much smaller than the dislocation spacing. Thus, the crack growth mechanism is brittle, but due to plastic flow at some distance from the crack tip......, the materials show crack growth resistance. It is shown here that the resistance is strongly dependent on the value of the non-singular T-stress, acting parallel to the crack plane. The numerical technique employed makes use of a thin dislocation-free strip of elastic material inside which the crack propagates......, with the material outside described by continuum plasticity. Thus the width of the strip is a material length scale comparable to the dislocation spacing or the dislocation cell size....

Size determinations, by ultrasonic techniques, of cracks in hydride blisters formed in Zr-2.5 % Nb pressure tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trujillo Badillo, Giovanna; Desimone, Carlos; Domizzi, Gladys

1999-01-01

Non destructive techniques (NDT) are very useful in the detection of flaws produced in structural components in service. During the service of CANDU nuclear power reactors, it is possible that pressure tubes (PT) may contact calandria tubes (CT). After the PT/CT contact, zirconium hydride blisters may form at the point of contact depending on the concentration of hydrogen/deuterium. Zirconium hydride is brittle and is therefore prone to cracking under stress. Ultrasonic NDT is routinely use during PT in service inspection. In order to be able of detecting cracked blisters, it is of great importance the development of standards to calibrate the employed equipment. On this purpose, hydride blisters were grown, in laboratory, on sections of pressure tube. The cracks in the blisters were detected and measured by ultrasonic techniques. The obtained results were compared with measurements carried out in optic microscope, on successive sections of the samples. The crack tip diffraction technique was found to be the more effective for the mentioned ends. (author)

The effect of low energy protons on silicon solar cells with simulated coverglass cracks

Science.gov (United States)

Gasner, S.; Anspaugh, B.; Francis, R.; Marvin, D.

1991-01-01

Results of a series of low-energy proton (LEP) tests are presented. The purpose of the tests was to investigate the effect of low-energy protons on the electrical performance of solar cells with simulated cracked covers. The results of the tests were then related to the space environment. A matrix of LEP tests was set up using solar cells with simulated cracks to determine the effect on electrical performance as a function of fluence, energy, crack width, coverglass adhesive shielding, crack location, and solar cell size. The results of the test were, for the most part, logical, and consistent.

Subsurface metals fatigue cracking without and with crack tip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey Shanyavskiy

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Very-High-Cycle-Fatigue regime for metals was considered and mechanisms of the subsurface crack origination were introduced. In many metals first step of crack origination takes place with specific area formation because of material pressing and rotation that directed to transition in any volume to material ultra-high-plasticity with nano-structure appearing. Then by the border of the nano-structure takes place volume rotation and fracture surface creates with spherical particles which usually named Fine-Granular-Area. In another case there takes place First-Smooth-Facet occurring in area of origin due to whirls appearing by the one of the slip systems under discussed the same stress-state conditions. Around Fine-Granular-Area or First-Smooth-Facet there plastic zone appeared and, then, subsurface cracking develops by the same manner as for through cracks. In was discussed quantum-mechanical nature of fatigue crack growth in accordance with Yang’s modulus quantization for low level of deformations. New simply equation was considered for describing subsurface cracking in metals out of Fine-Granular-Area or Fist-Smooth-Facet.

Modal method for crack identification applied to reactor recirculation pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, W.H.; Brook, R.

1991-01-01

Nuclear reactors have been operating and producing useful electricity for many years. Within the last few years, several plants have found cracks in the reactor coolant pump shaft near the thermal barrier. The modal method and results described herein show the analytical results of using a Modal Analysis test method to determine the presence, size, and location of a shaft crack. The authors have previously demonstrated that the test method can analytically and experimentally identify shaft cracks as small as five percent (5%) of the shaft diameter. Due to small differences in material property distribution, the attempt to identify cracks smaller than 3% of the shaft diameter has been shown to be impractical. The rotor dynamics model includes a detailed motor rotor, external weights and inertias, and realistic total support stiffness. Results of the rotor dynamics model have been verified through a comparison with on-site vibration test data

Crystallographic fatigue crack growth in a polycrystal: simulations based on FEM and discrete dislocation dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertolino, G.; Sauzay, M.; Bertolino, G.; Doquet, V.

2003-01-01

An attempt to model the variability of short cracks development in high-cycle fatigue is made by coupling finite element calculations of the stresses ahead of a microcrack in a polycrystal with simulations of crack growth along slip planes based on discrete dislocations dynamics. The model predicts a large scatter in growth rates related to the roughness of the crack path. It also describes the influence of the mean grain size and the fact that overloads may suppress the endurance limit by allowing arrested cracks to cross the grain boundaries. (authors)

Finite element model study of the effect of corner rounding on detectability of corner cracks using bolt hole eddy current

Science.gov (United States)

Underhill, P. R.; Krause, T. W.

2017-02-01

Recent work has shown that the detectability of corner cracks in bolt-holes is compromised when rounding of corners arises, as might occur during bolt-hole removal. Probability of Detection (POD) studies normally require a large number of samples of both fatigue cracks and electric discharge machined notches. In the particular instance of rounding of bolt-hole corners the generation of such a large set of samples representing the full spectrum of potential rounding would be prohibitive. In this paper, the application of Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling is used to supplement the study of detection of cracks forming at the rounded corners of bolt-holes. FEM models show that rounding of the corner of the bolt-hole reduces the size of the response to a corner crack to a greater extent than can be accounted for by loss of crack area. This reduced sensitivity can be ascribed to a lower concentration of eddy currents at the rounded corner surface and greater lift-off of pick-up coils relative to that of a straight-edge corner. A rounding with a radius of 0.4 mm (.016 inch) showed a 20% reduction in the strength of the crack signal. Assuming linearity of the crack signal with crack size, this would suggest an increase in the minimum detectable size by 25%.

Effect of service exposure on fatigue crack propagation of Inconel 718 turbine disc material at elevated temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Dae-Ho [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, RECAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Chinju (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Myung-Je [Korea Aerospace Industry, Sacheon (Korea, Republic of); Goto, Masahiro [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Oita University, Oita (Japan); Lee, Hong-Chul [Republic of Korea Air Force (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sangshik, E-mail: sang@gnu.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, RECAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Chinju (Korea, Republic of)

2014-09-15

In this study, the fatigue crack propagation behavior of Inconel 718 turbine disc with different service times from 0 to 4229 h was investigated at 738 and 823 K. No notable change in microstructural features, other than the increase in grain size, was observed with increasing service time. With increasing service time from 0 to 4229 h, the fatigue crack propagation rates tended to increase, while the ΔK{sub th} value decreased, in low ΔK regime and lower Paris' regime at both testing temperatures. The fractographic observation using a scanning electron microscope suggested that the elevated temperature fatigue crack propagation mechanism of Inconel 718 changed from crystallographic cleavage mechanism to striation mechanism in the low ΔK regime, depending on the grain size. The fatigue crack propagation mechanism is proposed for the crack propagating through small and large grains in the low ΔK regime, and the fatigue crack propagation behavior of Inconel 718 with different service times at elevated temperatures is discussed. - Highlights: • The specimens were prepared from the Inconel 718 turbine disc used for 0 to 4229 h. • FCP rates were measured at 738 and 823 K. • The ΔK{sub th} values decreased with increasing service time. • The FCP behavior showed a strong correlation with the grain size of used turbine disc.

Long-term archives of land surface albedo products through the EUMETSAT/LSA-SAF and ECMWF/C3S projects: status and project development plan

Science.gov (United States)

Carrer, D.; Pinault, F.; Ceamanos, X.; Meurey, C.; Moparthy, S.; Swinnen, E.; Trigo, I.

2017-12-01

The two space programs of EUMETSAT (project CDOP3, LSA-SAF) and ECMWF (the Copernicus Climate Change Service; C3S_312a Lot9) provide (or will provide) added-value satellite products for the meteorological and environmental science communities, especially in the fields of climate modeling, environmental management, natural hazards management, and climate change detection. The EUMETSAT/LSA-SAF project started in 1999 with research and development activities. The Third Continuous Development and Operations Phase (CDOP-3) starts in March 2017 and will end in 2022. This project uses instruments on board European satellites that were, or will be, launched between 2004 and 2022. Unlike the LSA-SAF, the COPERNICUS/C3S_312a project has no NRT constraint. Its first phase started in november 2016. One of the major objective of the COPERNICUS/C3S_312a project is to harmonize datasets from various sensors in order to provide consistent and continuous ECV products from the 80's until now.Presently, the delivered operational products comprise several surface albedo products using data from various space missions (METEOSAT, NOAA, METOP, …). We present here the portfolio of the surface albedo products that are disseminated with an operational status. Their characteristics and accuracy are detailed here after. Also we will present the development plan to produce long-term re-analysis and to prepare the arrival of the next generation of satellite (MTG, EPS-SG, ...). This work will lead in 2018 to 40 years of products characterizing the albedo properties of the surface. These programs provide a great opportunity to monitor and identify human-induced climate change since consistent production of data sets is guaranteed until at least 2022.

Process of cracking in reinforced concrete beams (simulation and experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. N. Shardakov

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical investigations of the mechanisms of crack formation in reinforced concrete beams subjected to quasi-static bending. The boundary-value problem has been formulated in the framework of brittle fracture mechanics and solved using the finite-element method. Numerical simulation of the vibrations of an uncracked beam and a beam with cracks of different size serves to determine the pattern of changes in the spectrum of eigenfrequencies observed during crack evolution. A series of sequential quasi-static 4-point bend tests leading to the formation of cracks in a reinforced concrete beam were performed. At each loading step, the beam was subjected to an impulse load to induce vibrations. Two stages of cracking were detected. During the first stage the nonconservative process of deformation begins to develope, but has not visible signs. The second stage is an active cracking, which is marked by a sharp change in eingenfrequencies. The boundary of a transition from one stage to another is well registered. The vibration behavior was examined for the ordinary concrete beams and the beams strengthened with a carbon-fiber polymer. The obtained results show that the vibrodiagnostic approach is an effective tool for monitoring crack formation and assessing the quality of measures aimed at strengthening concrete structures

Fatigue crack growth behavior of a new single crystal nickel-based superalloy (CMSX-4) at 650 C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, A.; Putatunda, S.K.

1994-01-01

CMSX-4 is a recently developed rhenium containing single crystal nickel-based superalloy. This alloy has potential applications in many critical high-temperature applications such as turbine blades, rotors, nuclear reactors, etc. The fatigue crack growth rate and the fatigue threshold data of this material is extremely important for accurate life prediction, as well as failure safe design, at elevated temperatures. In this paper, the fatigue crack growth behavior of CMSX-4 has been studied at 650 C. The investigation also examined the influence of γ' precipitates (size and distribution) on the near-threshold fatigue crack growth rate and the fatigue threshold. The influence of load ratio on the fatigue crack growth rate and the fatigue threshold was also examined. Detailed fractographic studies were carried out to determine the crack growth mechanism in fatigue in the threshold region. Compact tension specimens were prepared from the single crystal nickel-based superalloy CMSX-4 with [001] orientation as the tensile loading axis direction. These specimens were given three different heat treatments to produce three different γ' precipitate sizes and distributions. Fatigue crack growth behavior of these specimens was studied at 650 C in air. The results of the present investigation indicate that the near-threshold fatigue crack growth rate decreases and that the fatigue threshold increases with an increase in the γ' precipitate size at 650 C. The fatigue threshold decreased linearly with an increase in load ratio. Fractographs at 650 C show a stage 2 type of crack growth along {100} type of crystal planes in the threshold region, and along {111} type of crystal planes in the high ΔK region

Effects of δ-hydride precipitation at a crack tip on crack propagation in delayed hydride cracking of Zircaloy-2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kubo, T., E-mail: kubo@nfd.co.jp [Nippon Nuclear Fuel Development Co., Ltd., 2163 Narita-cho, Oarai-machi, Ibaraki 311-1313 (Japan); Kobayashi, Y. [M.O.X. Co., Ltd., 1828-520 Hirasu-cho, Mito, Ibaraki 311-0853 (Japan)

2013-08-15

Highlights: • Steady state crack velocity of delayed hydride cracking in Zircaloy-2 was analyzed. • A large stress peak is induced at an end of hydride by volume expansion of hydride. • Hydrogen diffuses to the stress peak, thereby accelerating steady hydride growth. • Crack velocity was estimated from the calculated hydrogen flux into the stress peak. • There was good agreement between calculation results and experimental data. -- Abstract: Delayed hydride cracking (DHC) of Zircaloy-2 is one possible mechanism for the failure of boiling water reactor fuel rods in ramp tests at high burnup. Analyses were made for hydrogen diffusion around a crack tip to estimate the crack velocity of DHC in zirconium alloys, placing importance on effects of precipitation of δ-hydride. The stress distribution around the crack tip is significantly altered by precipitation of hydride, which was strictly analyzed using a finite element computer code. Then, stress-driven hydrogen diffusion under the altered stress distribution was analyzed by a differential method. Overlapping of external stress and hydride precipitation at a crack tip induces two stress peaks; one at a crack tip and the other at the front end of the hydride precipitate. Since the latter is larger than the former, more hydrogen diffuses to the front end of the hydride precipitate, thereby accelerating hydride growth compared with that in the absence of the hydride. These results indicated that, after hydride was formed in front of the crack tip, it grew almost steadily accompanying the interaction of hydrogen diffusion, hydride growth and the stress alteration by hydride precipitation. Finally, crack velocity was estimated from the calculated hydrogen flux into the crack tip as a function of temperature, stress intensity factor and material strength. There was qualitatively good agreement between calculation results and experimental data.

Crack retardation by load reduction during fatigue crack propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyun Soo; Nam, Ki Woo; Ahn, Seok Hwan; Do, Jae Yoon

2003-01-01

Fracture life and crack retardation behavior were examined experimentally using CT specimens of aluminum alloy 5083. Crack retardation life and fracture life were a wide difference between 0.8 and 0.6 in proportion to ratio of load reduction. The wheeler model retardation parameter was used successfully to predict crack growth behavior. By using a crack propagation rule, prediction of fracture life can be evaluated quantitatively. A statistical approach based on Weibull distribution was applied to the test data to evaluate the dispersion in the retardation life and fracture life by the change of load reduction

Investigation of Helicopter Longeron Cracks

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, John A.; Baughman, James; Wallace, Terryl A.

2009-01-01

Four cracked longerons, containing a total of eight cracks, were provided for study. Cracked regions were cut from the longerons. Load was applied to open the cracks, enabling crack surface examination. Examination revealed that crack propagation was driven by fatigue loading in all eight cases. Fatigue crack initiation appears to have occurred on the top edge of the longerons near geometric changes that affect component bending stiffness. Additionally, metallurgical analysis has revealed a local depletion in alloying elements in the crack initiation regions that may be a contributing factor. Fatigue crack propagation appeared to be initially driven by opening-mode loading, but at a crack length of approximately 0.5 inches (12.7 mm), there is evidence of mixed-mode crack loading. For the longest cracks studied, shear-mode displacements destroyed crack-surface features of interest over significant portions of the crack surfaces.

Neutron diffraction studies on lattice strain evolution around a crack-tip during tensile loading and unloading cycles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun Yinan [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States)]. E-mail: ysun1@utk.edu; Choo, Hahn [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Metals and Ceramics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Liaw, Peter K. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Lu Yulin [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Yang Bing [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Brown, Donald W. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Bourke, Mark A.M. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

2005-10-15

Elastic lattice-strain profiles ahead of a fatigue-crack-tip were measured during tensile loading and unloading cycles using neutron diffraction. The crack-closure phenomenon after an overload was observed. Furthermore, the plastic-zone size in front of the crack-tip was estimated from the diffraction-peak broadening, which showed good agreement with the calculated result.

Estimation of Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Cracked Specimen Under Mixed-mode Loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jeong Woo; Woo, Eun Taek; Han, Seung Ho

2015-01-01

To estimate the fatigue crack propagation behavior of compact tension shear (CTS) specimen under mixed-mode loads, crack path prediction theories and Tanaka’s equation were applied. The stress intensity factor at a newly created crack tip was calculated using a finite element method via ANSYS, and the crack path and crack increment were then obtained from the crack path prediction theories, Tanaka’s equation, and the Paris’ equation, which were preprogrammed in Microsoft Excel. A new method called the finite element crack tip updating method (FECTUM) was developed. In this method, the finite element method and Microsoft Excel are used to calculate the stress intensity factors and the crack path, respectively, at the crack tip per each crack increment. The developed FECTUM was applied to simulate the fatigue crack propagation of a single-edge notched bending (SENB) specimen under eccentric three-point bending loads. The results showed that the number of cycles to failure of the specimen obtained experimentally and numerically were in good agreement within an error range of less than 3%

Estimation of Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Cracked Specimen Under Mixed-mode Loads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Jeong Woo [KIMM, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Woo, Eun Taek; Han, Seung Ho [Dong-A University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-07-15

To estimate the fatigue crack propagation behavior of compact tension shear (CTS) specimen under mixed-mode loads, crack path prediction theories and Tanaka’s equation were applied. The stress intensity factor at a newly created crack tip was calculated using a finite element method via ANSYS, and the crack path and crack increment were then obtained from the crack path prediction theories, Tanaka’s equation, and the Paris’ equation, which were preprogrammed in Microsoft Excel. A new method called the finite element crack tip updating method (FECTUM) was developed. In this method, the finite element method and Microsoft Excel are used to calculate the stress intensity factors and the crack path, respectively, at the crack tip per each crack increment. The developed FECTUM was applied to simulate the fatigue crack propagation of a single-edge notched bending (SENB) specimen under eccentric three-point bending loads. The results showed that the number of cycles to failure of the specimen obtained experimentally and numerically were in good agreement within an error range of less than 3%.

Evaluation of crack interaction effect for in-plane surface cracks using elastic finite element analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huh, Nam Su; Choi, Suhn; Park, Keun Bae; Kim, Jong Min; Choi, Jae Boong; Kim, Young Jin

2008-01-01

The crack-tip stress fields and fracture mechanics assessment parameters, such as the elastic stress intensity factor and the elastic-plastic J-integral, for a surface crack can be significantly affected by adjacent cracks. Such a crack interaction effect due to multiple cracks can magnify the fracture mechanics assessment parameters. There are many factors to be considered, for instance the relative distance between adjacent cracks, crack shape and loading condition, to quantify a crack interaction effect on the fracture mechanics assessment parameters. Thus, the current guidance on a crack interaction effect (crack combination rule), including ASME Sec. XI, BS7910, British Energy R6 and API RP579, provide different rules for combining multiple surface cracks into a single surface crack. The present paper investigates a crack interaction effect by evaluating the elastic stress intensity factor of adjacent surface cracks in a plate along the crack front through detailed 3-dimensional elastic finite element analyses. The effects of the geometric parameters, the relative distance between cracks and the crack shape, on the stress intensity factor are systematically investigated. As for the loading condition, only axial tension is considered. Based on the elastic finite element results, the acceptability of the crack combination rules provided in the existing guidance was investigated, and the relevant recommendations on a crack interaction for in-plane surface cracks in a plate were discussed

Corrosion cracking resistance of the VT3-1 titanium alloy with initial defects in the metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konradi, G.G.; Mozhaev, A.V.; Zmievskij, V.I.; Sokolov, V.S.

1978-01-01

Investigated is the corrosion cracking resistance of thick sheet half-finished product of the VT3-1 alloy in 3% NaCl solution during 800 hrs. It is shown that crack development occurs during the first 24 hours with stress intensities above the threshold coefficient of stress intensities. Ratios of crack sizes permissible for using the alloy in the air and NaCl solution media are obtained

Crack-opening area calculations for circumferential through-wall pipe cracks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kishida, K.; Zahoor, A.

1988-08-01

This report describes the estimation schemes for crack opening displacement (COD) of a circumferential through-wall crack, then compares the COD predictions with pipe experimental data. Accurate predictions for COD are required to reliably predict the leak rate through a crack in leak-before-break applications.

Crack-opening area calculations for circumferential through-wall pipe cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishida, K.; Zahoor, A.

1988-08-01

This report describes the estimation schemes for crack opening displacement (COD) of a circumferential through-wall crack, then compares the COD predictions with pipe experimental data. Accurate predictions for COD are required to reliably predict the leak rate through a crack in leak-before-break applications

Cracking and delamination of vapor-deposited tantalum films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, R.M.; Duan, J.Z.; Liu, J.B.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on tantalum films which begin to crack and spall during vapor deposition on glass at a thickness of 180 nm. Islands and ribbons, 10 - 30 μm in size, delaminate by crack growth along the Ta/glass interface for several μm after which the crack penetrates into the glass to a depth of 0.5 - 1 μm and complete spalling occurs. X-ray diffraction showed that about 50% of the original bct, β-tantalum, phase had transformed to the bcc α-Ta phase. When Ta was deposited on glass that was first covered with 52 nm of copper, spalling was observed to begin at a thickness of 105 nm. In this case, the film first cracks and then peels along the Cu/glass interface and curls into scrolls indicating the presence of a small stress gradient. X-ray diffraction of the as-deposited film, and electron diffraction of ion-milled flakes, showed that the Ta films deposited on Cu-coated glass almost completely transform to bcc α-Ta. The critical thickness for delamination along the Cu/glass interface is about 1/2 that for cracking in the glass substrate when an intermediate layer of Cu is not present. All of the above findings are in good agreement with previous observations on Cr films

Measuring conditions and trends in ecosystem services at multiple scales: the Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA) experience.

Science.gov (United States)

van Jaarsveld, A S; Biggs, R; Scholes, R J; Bohensky, E; Reyers, B; Lynam, T; Musvoto, C; Fabricius, C

2005-02-28

The Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA) evaluated the relationships between ecosystem services and human well-being at multiple scales, ranging from local through to sub-continental. Trends in ecosystem services (fresh water, food, fuel-wood, cultural and biodiversity) over the period 1990-2000 were mixed across scales. Freshwater resources appear strained across the continent with large numbers of people not securing adequate supplies, especially of good quality water. This translates to high infant mortality patterns across the region. In some areas, the use of water resources for irrigated agriculture and urban-industrial expansion is taking place at considerable cost to the quality and quantity of freshwater available to ecosystems and for domestic use. Staple cereal production across the region has increased but was outstripped by population growth while protein malnutrition is on the rise. The much-anticipated wood-fuel crisis on the subcontinent has not materialized but some areas are experiencing shortages while numerous others remain vulnerable. Cultural benefits of biodiversity are considerable, though hard to quantify or track over time. Biodiversity resources remain at reasonable levels, but are declining faster than reflected in species extinction rates and appear highly sensitive to land-use decisions. The SAfMA sub-global assessment provided an opportunity to experiment with innovative ways to assess ecosystem services including the use of supply-demand surfaces, service sources and sink areas, priority areas for service provision, service 'hotspots' and trade-off assessments.

Ethnicity and skin autofluorescence-based risk-engines for cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Saeed Ahmad

Full Text Available Skin auto fluorescence (SAF is used as a proxy for the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs and has been proposed to stratify patients into cardiovascular disease (CVD and diabetes mellitus (DM risk groups. This study evaluates the effects of seven different ethnicities (Arab, Central-East African, Eastern Mediterranean, European, North African, South Asian and Southeast Asian and gender on SAF as well as validating SAF assessment as a risk estimation tool for CVD and DM in an Arabian cohort. SAF data from self-reported healthy 2,780 individuals, collated from three independent studies, has been linear modelled using age and gender as a covariate. A cross-study harmonized effect size (Cohens'd is provided for each ethnicity. Furthermore, new data has been collected from a clinically well-defined patient group of 235 individuals, to evaluate SAF as a clinical tool for DM and CVD-risk estimation in an Arab cohort. In an Arab population, SAF-based CVD and/or DM risk-estimation can be improved by referencing to ethnicity and gender-specific SAF values. Highest SAF values were observed for the North African population, followed by East Mediterranean, Arab, South Asian and European populations. The South Asian population had a slightly steeper slope in SAF values with age compared to other ethnic groups. All ethnic groups except Europeans showed a significant gender effect. When compared with a European group, effect size was highest for Eastern Mediterranean group and lowest for South Asian group. The Central-East African and Southeast Asian ethnicity matched closest to the Arab and Eastern Mediterranean ethnicities, respectively. Ethnic and gender-specific data improves performance in SAF-based CVD and DM risk estimation. The provided harmonized effect size allows a direct comparison of SAF in different ethnicities. For the first time, gender differences in SAF are described for North African and East Mediterranean populations.

A non-destructive evaluation of transverse hydrogen cracking in high strength flux-cored weld metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterjovski, Z.; Carr, D. G.; Holdstock, R.; Nolan, D.; Norrish, J.

2007-01-01

Transverse hydrogen cracking in high strength weld metal (WM) is a potentially serious problem in thick-sections, especially in highly restrained structures. This paper presents preliminary re suits for which transverse weld metal hydrogen cracking was purposefully generated in 40 mm thick high strength WM to study the effectiveness of various non-destructive testing methods in locating and sizing transverse cracks. Transverse WM hydrogen cracking was intentionally produced by: increasing diffusible hydrogen levels through the introduction of 2% hydrogen in CO 2 shielding gas and minimizing interpass temperature and time; increasing the cracking susceptibility of the micro structure by increasing cooling rate with a large-scale test plate and maintaining an interpass temperature below 70 deg C; increasing stress levels with the use of stiffeners and end welds; and rapid postweld cooling to a temperature lower than 100 deg C. The extent of transverse weld metal hydrogen cracking was evaluated by non-destructive testing (NDT), which included conventional ultrasonic testing, radiography, acoustic emission monitoring and magnetic particle inspection. It was established that conventional ultrasonic testing was the most effective of the NDT techniques used. Acoustic emission monitoring revealed that two different types of emissions emanated from the weld metal and that the majority of emissions occurred within the first 48 hours of welding, although there was some evidence of cracking well after this initial 48 hour period. Larger sized cracks were observed near the transverse stiffeners (and weld ends) where tensile residual stresses (both longitudinal and transverse) were thought to be highest and the micro structure was therefore more susceptible to cracking. Additionally, numerous finer cracks were located in the top third of the plate (in the thickness direction) and on both sides of the weld centre line

Crack embryo formation before crack initiation and growth in high temperature water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arioka, Koji; Yamada, Takuyo; Terachi, Takumi; Miyamoto, Tomoki

2008-01-01

Crack growth measurements were performed in high temperature water and in air to examine the role of creep on IGSCC growth using cold rolled non-sensitized Type316(UNS S31600), TT690 alloy, MA600 alloy, and Carbon steel (STPT42). In addition, crack initiation tests were performed also in high temperature water and in air using specially designed CT specimen. The obtained major results are as follows: (1) TT690 did crack in intergranularly in hydrogenated high temperature water if material is cold worked in heavily. (2) Cold worked carbon steel also cracked in intergranularly in dearated high temperature water. (3) Intergranular crack growth was recognized on cold worked 316, TT690, MA600, and carbon steel even in air which might be crack embryo of IGSCC. (4) Simple Arrhenius type temperature dependence was observed on IGSCC in high temperature water and creep crack growth in air. This suggested that intergranular crack growth rate was determined by some thermal activated reaction. (5) Vacancy condensation was recognized at just ahead of the crack tips of IGSCC and creep crack of cold worked steel. This showed that IGSCC and creep crack growth was controlled by same mechanism. (6) Clear evidence of vacancies condensation was recognized at just beneath the surface before crack initiation. This proved that crack did initiate as the result of diffusion of vacancies in the solid. And the incubation time seems to be controlled by the required time for the condensation of vacancies to the stress concentrated zone. (7) Diffusion of subsituational atoms was also driven by stress gradient. This is the important knowledge to evaluate the SCC initiation after long term operation in LWR's. Based on the observed results, IGSCC initiation and growth mechanism were proposed considering the diffusion process of cold worked induced vacancies. (author)

Cessation of environmentally-assisted cracking in a low-alloy steel: Theoretical analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wire, G.L.

1997-01-01

Environmentally Assisted Cracking (EAC) can cause increases in fatigue crack growth rates of 40 to 100 times the rate in air for low alloy steels. The increased rates can lead to very large predicted crack growth. EAC is activated by a critical level of dissolved sulfides at the crack tip. Sulfide inclusions (MnS) in the steel produce corrosive sulfides in solution following exposure by a growing crack. In stagnant, low oxygen water conditions considered here, diffusion is the dominant mass transport mechanism acting to change the sulfide concentration within the crack. The average crack tip velocity is below the level required to produce the critical crack tip sulfide ion concentration required for EAC. Crack extension analyses also consider the breakthrough of large, hypothetical embedded defects with the attendant large freshly exposed sulfide inventory. Combrade et al. noted that a large inventory of undissolved metallurgical sulfides on crack flanks could trigger EAC, but did not quantify the effects. Diffusion analysis is extended herein to cover breakthrough of embedded defects with large sulfide inventories. The mass transport via diffusion is limited by the sulfide solubility. As a result, deep cracks in high sulfur steels are predicted to retain undissolved sulfides for extended but finite periods of time t diss which increase with the crack length and the metallurgical sulfide content in the steel. The analysis shows that the duration of EAC is limited to t diss providing V eac , the crack tip velocity associated with EAC is less than V In , the crack tip velocity below which EAC will not occur in an initially sulfide free crack. This condition on V eac need only be met for a short time following crack cleanup to turn off EAC. The predicted crack extension due to limited duration of EAC is a small fraction of the initial embedded defect size and would not greatly change calculated crack depths

Influence of cracks and pitting corrosion on residual ultimate strength of stiffened plates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHANG Jing

2018-02-01

Full Text Available [Objectives] Ships and offshore platforms serve in the harsh sea environment for a long time. Cracks and pitting corrosion will occur in such a structure and the damage will affect its ultimate strength.[Methods] To investigate the influence of cracks and pitting corrosion on ultimate bearing capacity, the ultimate strength of a structure under axial compression is studied by using a nonlinear finite element. The mesh size of a stiffened plate with cracks and pitting corrosion is first discussed. Then the influence of the relative positions of cracks and pitting corrosion, number of corrosion points and crack length impact on the residual ultimate strength of damaged stiffened plates is discussed via a series of calculations.[Results] The results indicate that the increase in crack length and pitting corrosion significantly decreases the ultimate strength of a stiffened plate. [Conclusions] This provides a useful reference for designing and maintaining ships and offshore structures in their life cycles.

Microstructural modelling of creep crack growth from a blunted crack

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onck, P.R.; Giessen, E. van der

1998-01-01

The effect of crack tip blunting on the initial stages of creep crack growth is investigated by means of a planar microstructural model in which grains are represented discretely. The actual linking-up process of discrete microcracks with the macroscopic crack is simulated, with full account of the

Crack-tip chemistry modeling of stage I stress corrosion cracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, R.H.; Simonen, E.P.

1991-10-01

Stage I stress corrosion cracking usually exhibits a very strong K dependence with Paris law exponents of up to 30. 2 Model calculations indicate that the crack velocity in this regime is controlled by transport through a salt film and that the K dependence results from crack opening controlled salt film dissolution. An ionic transport model that accounts for both electromigration through the resistive salt film and Fickian diffusion through the aqueous solution was used for these predictions. Predicted crack growth rates are in excellent agreement with measured values for Ni with P segregated to the grain boundaries and tested in IN H 2 SO 4 at +900 mV. This salt film dissolution may be applicable to stage I cracking of other materials

Evaluation of the inner wall axial cracks of steam generator tubes by eddy current test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hur, Do Haeng; Choi, Myung Sik; Lee, Doek Hyun; Han, Jung Ho

2001-01-01

For the enhancement of ECT reliability on the primary water stress corrosion cracks of nuclear steam generator tubes, it is important to comprehend the signal characteristics on crack morphology and to select an appropriate probe type. In this paper, the sizing accuracy and the detectability for the inner wall axial cracks of tubes were quantitatively evaluated using the electric discharge machined notches and the corrosion cracks which were developed on the operating steam generator tubes. The difference of eddy current signal characteristics between pancake and axial coil were also investigated. The results obtained from this study provide a useful information for more precise evaluation on the inner wall axial cracks of steam generator tubes.

The influence of microstructure on fatigue crack initiation in spheroidal graphite cast irons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Starkey, M.S.; Irving, P.E.

1979-01-01

This paper reports the first stage of this work which concentrates on fatigue crack initiation with particular emphasis on the influence of microstructure. The fatigue lives of three fully ferritic and two fully pearlitic irons, each with different graphite nodule size distributions, have been determined at two strain amplitudes, 0.005 and 0.00018. The tests were carried out in fully reversed strain control on smooth cylindrical specimens in a servohydraulic testing machine. The effects of matrix structure and strength were clearly seen in that the pearlitic irons were superior at both strain levels. Nodule size on the other hand appeared to have no significant effect. The crack initiation sites in the specimens were located by interrupting the tests on detection of a 5% tensile load drop and heat tinting, before continuing. After failure, which was defined as complete separation, the fracture faces were examined on the scanning electron microscope. In the majority of the specimens the major crack origin was found to be a surface micropore with depths ranging from 50 to 250 μm. It is suggested that these micropores and not the graphite modules strongly influence the crack initiation behaviour in SG iron. These findings were confirmed by monitoring the initiation and growth of surface cracks from micropores using surface replica techniques. The influence of microstructure on the percentage of life spent in initiating and propagating a crack was thus determined. Hence the factors contributing to the fatigue behaviour of SG irons can be quantified. Their influence on predictions of cycles to crack initiation using the local approach is discussed. (orig.) 891 RW/orig. 892 RKD [de

Fiber Laser Welding of Dissimilar 2205/304 Stainless Steel Plates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghusoon Ridha Mohammed

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, an attempt on pulsed-fiber laser welding on an austenitic-duplex stainless steel butt joint configuration was investigated. The influence of various welding parameters, such as beam diameter, peak power, pulse repetition rate, and pulse width on the weld beads geometry was studied by checking the width and depth of the welds after each round of welding parameters combination. The weld bead dimensions and microstructural progression of the weld joints were observed microscopically. Finally, the full penetration specimens were subjected to tensile tests, which were coupled with the analysis of the fracture surfaces. From the results, combination of the selected weld parameters resulted in robust weldments with similar features to those of duplex and austenitic weld metals. The weld depth and width were found to increase proportionally to the laser power. Furthermore, the weld bead geometry was found to be positively affected by the pulse width. Microstructural studies revealed the presence of dendritic and fine grain structures within the weld zone at low peak power, while ferritic microstructures were found on the sides of the weld metal near the SS 304 and austenitic-ferritic microstructure beside the duplex 2205 boundary. Regarding the micro-hardness tests, there was an improvement when compared to the hardness of duplex and austenitic stainless steels base metals. Additionally, the tensile strength of the fiber laser welded joints was found to be higher when compared to the tensile strength of the base metals (duplex and austenitic in all of the joints.

Molecular dynamics simulation of effect of hydrogen atoms on crack propagation behavior of α-Fe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, H.Y., E-mail: gsfshy@sohu.com; Zhang, L.; Xiao, M.X.

2016-12-16

The effect of the hydrogen concentration and hydrogen distribution on the mechanical properties of α-Fe with a pre-existing unilateral crack under tensile loading is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The results reveal that the models present good ductility when the front region of crack tip has high local hydrogen concentration. The peak stress of α-Fe decreases with increasing hydrogen concentration. The studies also indicate that for the samples with hydrogen atoms, the crack propagation behavior is independent of the model size and boundaries. In addition, the crack propagation behavior is significantly influenced by the distribution of hydrogen atoms. - Highlights: • The distribution of hydrogen plays a critical role in the crack propagation. • The peak stress decrease with the hydrogen concentration increasing. • The crack deformation behavior is disclosed and analyzed.

Fatigue crack growth from a cracked elastic particle into a ductile matrix

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groh, S.; Olarnrithinun, S.; Curtin, W. A.; Needleman, A.; Deshpande, V. S.; Van der Giessen, E.

2008-01-01

The monotonic and cyclic crack growth rate of cracks is strongly influenced by the microstructure. Here, the growth of cracks emanating from pre-cracked micron-scale elastic particles and growing into single crystals is investigated, with a focus on the effects of (i) plastic confinement due to the

Power and efficiency scaling of diode pumped Cr:LiSAF lasers: 770-1110 nm tuning range and frequency doubling to 387-463 nm.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirbas, Umit; Baali, Ilyes

2015-10-15

We report significant average power and efficiency scaling of diode-pumped Cr:LiSAF lasers in continuous-wave (cw), cw frequency-doubled, and mode-locked regimes. Four single-emitter broad-area laser diodes around 660 nm were used as the pump source, which provided a total pump power of 7.2 W. To minimize thermal effects, a 20 mm long Cr:LiSAF sample with a relatively low Cr-concentration (0.8%) was used as the gain medium. In cw laser experiments, 2.4 W of output power, a slope efficiency of 50%, and a tuning range covering the 770-1110 nm region were achieved. Intracavity frequency doubling with beta-barium borate (BBO) crystals generated up to 1160 mW of blue power and a record tuning range in the 387-463 nm region. When mode locked with a saturable absorber mirror, the laser produced 195 fs pulses with 580 mW of average power around 820 nm at a 100.3 MHz repetition rate. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of the system was 33% in cw, 16% in cw frequency-doubled, and 8% in cw mode-locked regimes.

Experimental and numerical modelling of ductile crack propagation in large-scale shell structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Bo Cerup; Törnquist, R.

2004-01-01

plastic and controlled conditions. The test specimen can be deformed either in combined in-plane bending and extension or in pure extension. Experimental results are described for 5 and 10 mm thick aluminium and steel plates. By performing an inverse finite-element analysis of the experimental results......This paper presents a combined experimental-numerical procedure for development and calibration of macroscopic crack propagation criteria in large-scale shell structures. A novel experimental set-up is described in which a mode-I crack can be driven 400 mm through a 20(+) mm thick plate under fully...... for steel and aluminium plates, mainly as curves showing the critical element deformation versus the shell element size. These derived crack propagation criteria are then validated against a separate set of experiments considering centre crack specimens (CCS) which have a different crack-tip constraint...

An energy analysis of crack-initiation and arrest in epoxy

Science.gov (United States)

Chudnovsky, A.; Kim, A.; Bosnyak, C. P.

1992-01-01

The objective of this work is to study fracture processes such as crack initiation and arrest in epoxy. A compact tension specimen with displacement-controlled loading is employed to observe multiple crack initiations and arrests. The energy release rate at crack initiation is significantly higher than that at crack arrest, as has been observed elsewhere. In this study, the difference between these energy release rates is found to depend on specimen size (scale effect), and is quantitatively related to the fracture surface morphology. The scale effect, similar to that in strength theory, is conventionally attributed to the statistics of defects which control the fracture process. Triangular shaped ripples, deltoids, are formed on the fracture surface of the epoxy during the slow sub-critical crack growth, prior to the smooth mirrorlike surface characteristic of fast cracks. The deltoids are complimentary on the two crack faces which excludes any inelastic deformation from consideration. The deltoids are analogous to the ripples created on a river surface downstream from a small obstacle. However, in spite of the expectation based on this analogy and the observed scale effect, there are no 'defects' at the apex of the deltoids detectable down to the 0.1 micron level. This suggests that the formation of deltoids during the slow process of subcritical crack growth is an intrinsic feature of the fracture process itself, triggered by inhomogeneity of material on a submicron scale. This inhomogeneity may be related to a fluctuation in the cross-link density of the epoxy.

Probabilistic Estimation of Critical Flaw Sizes in the Primary Structure Welds of the Ares I-X Launch Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Pai, Shantaram S.; Hoge, Peter A.; Patel, B. M.; Nagpal, Vinod K.

2009-01-01

The primary structure of the Ares I-X Upper Stage Simulator (USS) launch vehicle is constructed of welded mild steel plates. There is some concern over the possibility of structural failure due to welding flaws. It was considered critical to quantify the impact of uncertainties in residual stress, material porosity, applied loads, and material and crack growth properties on the reliability of the welds during its pre-flight and flight. A criterion--an existing maximum size crack at the weld toe must be smaller than the maximum allowable flaw size--was established to estimate the reliability of the welds. A spectrum of maximum allowable flaw sizes was developed for different possible combinations of all of the above listed variables by performing probabilistic crack growth analyses using the ANSYS finite element analysis code in conjunction with the NASGRO crack growth code. Two alternative methods were used to account for residual stresses: (1) The mean residual stress was assumed to be 41 ksi and a limit was set on the net section flow stress during crack propagation. The critical flaw size was determined by parametrically increasing the initial flaw size and detecting if this limit was exceeded during four complete flight cycles, and (2) The mean residual stress was assumed to be 49.6 ksi (the parent material s yield strength) and the net section flow stress limit was ignored. The critical flaw size was determined by parametrically increasing the initial flaw size and detecting if catastrophic crack growth occurred during four complete flight cycles. Both surface-crack models and through-crack models were utilized to characterize cracks in the weld toe.

The Relation Between Alloy Chemistry and Hot-Cracking

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, A. C., Jr.; Talia, J. E.

2000-01-01

Hot cracking is a problem in welding 2195 aluminum-lithium alloy. Weld wire additives seem to reduce the problem. This study proposes a model intended to clarify the way alloying elements affect hot-cracking. The brittle temperature range of an alloy extends wherever the tensile stress required to move the meniscus of the liquid film at the grain/dendrite boundaries is less than the bulks flow stress Sigma(sub B) of the grains: 2gamma/delta alloys outgas.) If the above condition is not met, the grains deform under stress and the liquid film remains in place. Curves of 2gamma/delta and sigma(sub B) vs. temperature in the range just below the melting temperature determine the hot cracking susceptibility of an alloy. Both are zero at onset of solidification. sigma(sub B) rises as the thermal activation of the slip mechanism is reduced. 2gamma/delta rises as the film thickness delta which can be estimated from the Scheil equation, drops. But, given an embrittled alloy, whether the alloy actually cracks is determined by the strain imposed upon it in the embrittled condition. A critical strain is estimated, Epsilon(sub C) on the order of Epsilon(sub C) is approximately delta/l where L = grain size and where the the volume increment due to the strain, concentrated at the liquid film, is on the order of the liquid film volume. In the early 80's an empirical critical strain cracking envelope Epsilon(sub C)(T) was incorporated into a damage criterion to estimate the effect of welding parameters on the formation of microfissures in a superalloy with good results. These concepts, liquid film decoherence vs. grain bulk deformation and critical strain, form the key elements of a quantitative theory of hot-cracking applicable for assessing the effect of alloying elements on hot-cracking during welding.

Improvement of elastic-plastic fatigue crack growth evaluation method. 2. Crack opening behavior

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Yukio [Central Research Inst. of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo (Japan)

2001-05-01

Evaluation of crack growth behavior under cyclic loading is often required in the structural integrity assessment of cracked components. Closing and re-opening of the crack give large influence on crack growth rate through the change of fracture mechanics parameters. Based on the finite element analysis for a center-cracked plate, dependency of crack opening ratio on applied stress range and mean stress was examined. Simple formulae for representing the results were derived for plane stress and plane strain conditions. (author)

A method for crack profiles identification in eddy current testing by the multi-directional scan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojima, Fumio; Ikeda, Takuya; Nguyen, Doung

2006-01-01

This paper is concerned with a method for identification of crack shape in conducting materials. Multi-directional scanning strategies using Eddy Current Testing is performed for sizing complex natural crackings. Two dimensional measurements by means of multi-directional scan are used in a output least square identifications. (author)

Identification of cracks in thick beams with a cracked beam element model

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Chuanchuan; Lu, Yong

2016-12-01

The effect of a crack on the vibration of a beam is a classical problem, and various models have been proposed, ranging from the basic stiffness reduction method to the more sophisticated model involving formulation based on the additional flexibility due to a crack. However, in the damage identification or finite element model updating applications, it is still common practice to employ a simple stiffness reduction factor to represent a crack in the identification process, whereas the use of a more realistic crack model is rather limited. In this paper, the issues with the simple stiffness reduction method, particularly concerning thick beams, are highlighted along with a review of several other crack models. A robust finite element model updating procedure is then presented for the detection of cracks in beams. The description of the crack parameters is based on the cracked beam flexibility formulated by means of the fracture mechanics, and it takes into consideration of shear deformation and coupling between translational and longitudinal vibrations, and thus is particularly suitable for thick beams. The identification procedure employs a global searching technique using Genetic Algorithms, and there is no restriction on the location, severity and the number of cracks to be identified. The procedure is verified to yield satisfactory identification for practically any configurations of cracks in a beam.

Bursting tests on pressure vessels with cracks differing in configuration and location

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stahlberg, R.

1978-01-01

For assessing the safety of nuclear pressure vessels exhibiting cracks, bursting test were carried out on a series of medium-size pressure vessels with and without welded nozzles and exhibiting cracks differing in configuration and location. The linear-elastic approach proved to be sufficiently accurate for straight strain conditions up to the onset of general yielding. Other analytical methods were successfully used to cover the plastic region. (orig.) [de

Strain rate dependent environmental cracking of ferritic steels in high temperature water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tice, D.R.

1989-01-01

Corrosion fatigue crack growth testing demonstrates that a pre-existing defect which might be inadvertently present in the wall of a thick walled component such as the main reactor pressure vessel would not grow in service under transient loading to reach a critical size which would threaten vessel integrity. Steady load stress corrosion has received renewed attention following publication of data showing that stress corrosion cracking can occur in high temperature aqueous environments. Evidence shows that stress corrosion cracking cannot occur in normal pressurized water reactor (PWR) operating conditions. Environmental cracking of ferritic steels in high temperature aqueous environments is influenced by a range of material and environmental variables, amongst the most important being dissolved oxygen (or other oxidants) in the water, water purity and the sulphur content of the steel

Reliably detectable flaw size for NDE methods that use calibration

Science.gov (United States)

Koshti, Ajay M.

2017-04-01

Probability of detection (POD) analysis is used in assessing reliably detectable flaw size in nondestructive evaluation (NDE). MIL-HDBK-1823 and associated mh18232 POD software gives most common methods of POD analysis. In this paper, POD analysis is applied to an NDE method, such as eddy current testing, where calibration is used. NDE calibration standards have known size artificial flaws such as electro-discharge machined (EDM) notches and flat bottom hole (FBH) reflectors which are used to set instrument sensitivity for detection of real flaws. Real flaws such as cracks and crack-like flaws are desired to be detected using these NDE methods. A reliably detectable crack size is required for safe life analysis of fracture critical parts. Therefore, it is important to correlate signal responses from real flaws with signal responses form artificial flaws used in calibration process to determine reliably detectable flaw size.

Pearlitic ductile cast iron: damaging micromechanisms at crack tip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Iacoviello

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Ductile cast irons (DCIs are characterized by a wide range of mechanical properties, mainly depending on microstructural factors, as matrix microstructure (characterized by phases volume fraction, grains size and grain distribution, graphite nodules (characterized by size, shape, density and distribution and defects presence (e.g., porosity, inclusions, etc.. Versatility and higher performances at lower cost if compared to steels with analogous performances are the main DCIs advantages. In the last years, the role played by graphite nodules was deeply investigated by means of tensile and fatigue tests, performing scanning electron microscope (SEM observations of specimens lateral surfaces during the tests (“in situ” tests and identifying different damaging micromechanisms.In this work, a pearlitic DCIs fatigue resistance is investigated considering both fatigue crack propagation (by means of Compact Type specimens and according to ASTM E399 standard and overload effects, focusing the interaction between the crack and the investigated DCI microstructure (pearlitic matrix and graphite nodules. On the basis of experimental results, and considering loading conditions and damaging micromechanisms, the applicability of ASTM E399 standard on the characterization of fatigue crack propagation resistance in ferritic DCIs is critically analyzed, mainly focusing the stress intensity factor amplitude role.

Contribution to the study of the mechanism of crack in amorphous silica: study by the molecular dynamics of crack in amorphous silica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Brutzel, L.

2000-01-01

The aim of this thesis was to understand the mechanism which occurs during the crack at the atomic scale in amorphous silica. The difficulties of the experimental observations at this length scale lead us to use numerical studies by molecular dynamics to access to the dynamical and the thermodynamical informations. We have carried out large simulations with 500000 atoms and studied the structure of the amorphous silica before to studying their behaviours under an imposed strain. The structure of this simulated amorphous silica settled in three length scales. In small length scale between 0 and 5 angstrom glass is composed of tetrahedra, this is close to the crystalline structure. In intermediate length scale between 3 and 10 angstrom tetrahedra are connected together and build rings of different sizes composed in majority between 5 and 7 tetrahedra. In bigger length scale between 15 and 60 angstrom, areas with high density of rings are surrounded by areas with low density of rings. These structural considerations play an important role in initiation and propagation of a crack. Indeed. in this length scale. crack propagates by growth and coalescence of some small cavities which appear in area with low density of rings behind the crack tip. The cavities dissipate the stress with carries away a delay to propagation of the crack. This phenomenons seems ductile and leads to non linear elastic behaviour near the crack tip. We have also shown that the addition of alkali in the amorphous silica changes the structure by creation of nano-porosities and leads to enhance the ductility during the crack propagation. (author)

Crack Tip Parameters for Growing Cracks in Linear Viscoelastic Materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brincker, Rune

In this paper the problem of describing the asymptotic fields around a slowly growing crack in a linearly viscoelastic material is considered. It is shown that for plane mixed mode problems the asymptotic fields must be described by 6 parameters: 2 stress intensity factors and 4 deformation...... intensity factors. In the special case of a constant Poisson ratio only 2 deformation intensity factors are needed. Closed form solutions are given both for a slowly growing crack and for a crack that is suddenly arrested at a point at the crack extension path. Two examples are studied; a stress boundary...... value problem, and a displacement boundary value problem. The results show that the stress intensity factors and the displacement intensity factors do not depend explicitly upon the velocity of the crack tip....

Production of steam cracking feedstocks by mild cracking of plastic wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Angyal, Andras; Miskolczi, Norbert; Bartha, Laszlo; Tungler, Antal; Nagy, Lajos; Vida, Laszlo; Nagy, Gabor

2010-11-15

In this work the utility of new possible petrochemical feedstocks obtained by plastic waste cracking has been studied. The cracking process of polyethylene (PE), polyethylene-polypropylene (PEPP) and polyethylene-polystyrene (PEPS) has been carried out in a pilot scale tubular reactor. In this process mild reaction parameters has been applied, with the temperature of 530 C and the residence time of 15 min. The produced hydrocarbon fractions as light- and middle distillates were tested by using a laboratory steam cracking unit. It was concluded that the products of the mild cracking of plastic wastes could be applied as petrochemical feedstocks. Based on the analytical data it was determined that these liquid products contained in significant concentration (25-50 wt.%) of olefin hydrocarbons. Moreover the cracking of polystyrene containing raw material resulted in liquid products with significant amounts of aromatic hydrocarbons too. The steam cracking experiments proved that the products obtained by PE and PEPP cracking resulted in similar or better ethylene and propylene yields than the reference samples, however the aromatic content of PEPS products reduced the ethylene and propylene yields. (author)

Short intergranular cracks in the piecewise anisotropic continuum model of the microstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cizelj, L.; Kovse, I.

2001-01-01

Computational algorithms aiming at modeling and visualization of the initiation and growth of intergranular stress corrosion cracks (e.g., in the steam generator tubes) on the grain-size scale have already been proposed [6]. The main focus of the paper is given to the influence of randomly oriented neighboring grains on the microscopic stress fields at crack tips. The incompatibility strains, which develop along the boundaries of randomly oriented anisotropic grains, are shown to influence the local stress fields at crack tips significantly. Special attention has been paid to the implementation and comparison of different numerical methods estimating the local stress fields at crack tips, aiming at optimizing the computational time and the numerical accuracy of the results. The limited number of calculations indicate that the anisotropic arrangement of grains with local incompatibility strains causes on average about 10% (plane strain) and 26% (plane stress) higher J-integral values at the crack tips than expected from the calculations in the isotropic case.(author)

The initiation of environmentally-assisted cracking in semi-elliptical surface cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, L.A.

1997-01-01

A criterion to predict under what conditions EAC would Initiate In cracks In a high-sulfur steel in contact with low-oxygen water was recently proposed by Wire and U. This EAC Initiation Criterion was developed using transient analyses for the diffusion of sulfides plus experimental test results. The experiments were conducted mainly on compact tension-type specimens with initial crack depths of about 2.54 mm. The present paper expands upon the work of Wire and U by presenting results for significantly deeper initial semi-elliptical surface cracks. In addition, in one specimen, the surface crack penetrated weld-deposited cladding into the high-sulfur steel. The results for the semi-elliptical surface cracks agreed quite well with the EAC Initiation Criterion, and provide confirmation of the applicability of the criterion to crack configurations with more restricted access to water

Fracture toughness of Charpy-size compound specimens and its application in engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, X.P.; Shi, Y.W.

1994-01-01

The use of a pre-cracked Charpy-size specimen with a side-groove to evaluate the fracture toughness of materials has been researched and considered. This method not only satisfies the demand for small-size specimens in surveillance tests of fracture toughness but also avoids using complicated physical methods to monitor the initial conditions of crack propagation. For most materials this method has solved the problem in which the small-size specimen did not satisfy the valid conditions of a fracture toughness measurement. In order to obtain more information from neutron-irradiated sample specimens and raise the reliability of fracture toughness surveillance tests, it has been considered more important to repeatedly exploit the broken Charpy-size specimen tested in the surveillance test, and to make it renewable. In this work, on the renewing design and utilization of Charpy-size specimens, nine data on fracture toughness can be obtained from one pre-cracked side-grooved Charpy-size specimen, while at present usually only one to three data on fracture toughness can be obtained from one Charpy-size specimen. Thus, it is found that the new method would improve the reliability of fracture toughness surveillance testing and evaluation. In addition, some factors that affect the optimum design of pre-cracked deep side-groove Charpy-size compound specimens have also been discussed. (author)

Cracked gas generator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abthoff, J; Schuster, H D; Gabler, R

1976-11-17

A small cracked-gas generator in a vehicle driven, in particular, by an air combustion engine has been proposed for the economic production of the gases necessary for low toxicity combustion from diesel fuel. This proceeds via catalytic crack-gasification and exploitation of residual heat from exhaust gases. This patent application foresees the insertion of one of the catalysts supporting the cracked-gas reaction in a container through which the reacting mixture for cracked-gas production flows in longitudinal direction. Further, air ducts are embedded in the catalyst through which exhaust gases and fresh air flow in counter direction to the cracked gas flow in the catalyst. The air vents are connected through heat conduction to the catalyst. A cracked gas constituting H/sub 2//CO/CO/sub 2//CH/sub 4/ and H/sub 2/O can be produced from the air-fuel mixture using appropriate catalysts. By the addition of 5 to 25% of cracked gas to the volume of air drawn in by the combustion engine, a more favourable combustion can be achieved compared to that obtained under normal combustion conditions.

Quarter elliptical crack growth using three dimensional finite element method and crack closure technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gozin, Mohammad-Hosein; Aghaie-Khafri, Mehrdad [K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran (Korea, Republic of)

2014-06-15

Shape evolution of a quarter-elliptical crack emanating from a hole is studied. Three dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analysis of the fatigue crack closure was considered and the stress intensity factor was calculated based on the duplicated elastic model at each crack tip node. The crack front node was advanced proportional to the imposed effective stress intensity factor. Remeshing was applied at each step of the crack growth and solution mapping algorithm was considered. Crack growth retardation at free surfaces was successfully observed. A MATLAB-ABAQUS interference code was developed for the first time to perform crack growth on the basis of crack closure. Simulation results indicated that crack shape is sensitive to the remeshing strategy. Predictions based on the proposed models were in good agreement with Carlson's experiments results.

Mechanical behaviour of cracked welded structures including mismatch effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hornet, P.

2002-01-01

The most important parameters for predicting more precisely the fracture behaviour of welded structures have been identified. In particular, the plasticity development at the crack tip in the ligament appeared as a major parameter to evaluate the yield load of such a complex structure. In this way defect assessments procedures have been developed or modified to take into account the mismatch effect that is to say the mechanical properties of the different material constituting the weld joint. This paper is a synthesis of the work done in the past at Electricite de France on this topic in regards with other work done in France or around the World. The most important parameters which control the plasticity development at the crack tip and so mainly influence the fracture behaviour of welded structures are underlined: the mismatch ratio (weld to base metal yield strength ratio), the mismatch ratio (weld to base metal yield strength ratio), the ligament size and the weld width. Moreover, commonly used fracture toughness testing procedures developed in case of homogeneous specimens cannot be used in a straight forward manner and so has to be modified to take into account the mismatch effect. Number or defect assessment procedures taking into account the mismatch effect by considering the yield load of the welded structure are shortly described. Then, the 'Equivalent Material Method' developed at EDF which allows a good prediction of the applied J-Integral at the crack tip is more detailed. This procedure includes not only both weld and base metal yield strength, the structure geometry, the crack size and the weld dimension using the yield load of the real structures but also includes the effect of both weld and base metal strain hardening exponents. Some validations of this method are proposed. Finally, the ability of finite element modelling to predict the behaviour of such welded structures is demonstrated by modelling real experiments: crack located in the middle of

Modeling and monitoring of tooth fillet crack growth in dynamic simulation of spur gear set

Science.gov (United States)

Guilbault, Raynald; Lalonde, Sébastien; Thomas, Marc

2015-05-01

This study integrates a linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis of the tooth fillet crack propagation into a nonlinear dynamic model of spur gear sets. An original formulation establishes the rigidity of sound and damaged teeth. The formula incorporates the contribution of the flexible gear body and real crack trajectories in the fillet zone. The work also develops a KI prediction formula. A validation of the equation estimates shows that the predicted KI are in close agreement with published numerical and experimental values. The representation also relies on the Paris-Erdogan equation completed with crack closure effects. The analysis considers that during dN fatigue cycles, a harmonic mean of ΔK assures optimal evaluations. The paper evaluates the influence of the mesh frequency distance from the resonances of the system. The obtained results indicate that while the dependence may demonstrate obvious nonlinearities, the crack progression rate increases with a mesh frequency augmentation. The study develops a tooth fillet crack propagation detection procedure based on residual signals (RS) prepared in the frequency domain. The proposed approach accepts any gear conditions as reference signature. The standard deviation and mean values of the RS are evaluated as gear condition descriptors. A trend tracking of their responses obtained from a moving linear regression completes the analysis. Globally, the results show that, regardless of the reference signal, both descriptors are sensitive to the tooth fillet crack and sharply react to tooth breakage. On average, the mean value detected the crack propagation after a size increase of 3.69 percent as compared to the reference condition, whereas the standard deviation required crack progressions of 12.24 percent. Moreover, the mean descriptor shows evolutions closer to the crack size progression.

Fracture toughness of WWER Uranium dioxide fuel pellets with various grain size

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivov, R.; Novikov, V.; Mikheev, E.; Fedotov, A.

2015-01-01

Uranium dioxide fuel pellets with grain sizes 13, 26, and 33 μm for WWER were investigated in the present work in order to determine crack formation and the fracture toughness.The investigation of crack formation in uranium oxide fuel pellets of the WWER-types showed that Young’s modulus and the microhardness of polycrystalline samples increase with increasing grain size, while the fracture toughness decreases. Characteristically, radial Palmqvist cracks form on the surface of uranium dioxide pellets for loads up to 1 kg. Transgranular propagation of cracks over distances several-fold larger than the length of the imprint diagonal is observed in pellets with large grains and small intragrain pores. Intergranular propagation of cracks along grain boundaries with branching occurs in pellets with small grains and low pore concentration on the grain boundaries. Blunting on large pores and at breaks in direction does not permit the cracks to reach a significant length

Role of plasticity-induced crack closure in fatigue crack growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús Toribio

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The premature contact of crack surfaces attributable to the near-tip plastic deformations under cyclic loading, which is commonly referred to as plasticity induced crack closure (PICC, has long been focused as supposedly controlling factor of fatigue crack growth (FCG. Nevertheless, when the plane-strain near-tip constraint is approached, PICC lacks of straightforward evidence, so that its significance in FCG, and even the very existence, remain debatable. To add insights into this matter, large-deformation elastoplastic simulations of plane-strain crack under constant amplitude load cycling at different load ranges and ratios, as well as with an overload, have been performed. Modeling visualizes the Laird-Smith conceptual mechanism of FCG by plastic blunting and re-sharpening. Simulation reproduces the experimental trends of FCG concerning the roles of stress intensity factor range and overload, but PICC has never been detected. Near-tip deformation patterns discard the filling-in a crack with material stretched out of the crack plane in the wake behind the tip as supposed PICC origin. Despite the absence of closure, load-deformation curves appear bent, which raises doubts about the trustworthiness of closure assessment from the compliance variation. This demonstrates ambiguities of PICC as a supposedly intrinsic factor of FCG and, by implication, favors the stresses and strains in front of the crack tip as genuine fatigue drivers.

Analytical modeling of the effect of crack depth, specimen size, and biaxial stress on the fracture toughness of reactor vessel steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao, Yuh-Jin

1995-01-01

Fracture, toughness values for A533-B reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel obtained from test programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and University of Kansas (KU) are interpreted using the J-A 2 analytical model. The analytical model is based on the critical stress concept and takes into consideration the constraint effect using the second parameter A 2 in addition to the generally accepted first parameter J which represents the loading level. It is demonstrated that with the constraint level included in the model effects of crack depth (shallow vs deep), specimen size (small vs. large), and loading type (uniaxial vs biaxial) on the fracture toughness from the test programs can be interpreted and predicted

Cracking of a layered medium on an elastic foundation under thermal shock

Science.gov (United States)

Rizk, Abd El-Fattah A.; Erdogan, Fazil

1988-01-01

The cladded pressure vessel under thermal shock conditions which is simulated by using two simpler models was studied. The first model (Model 1) assumes that, if the crack size is very small compared to the vessel thickness, the problem can be treated as a semi-infinite elastic medium bonded to a very thin layer of different material. However, if the crack size is of the same order as the vessel thickness, the curvature effects may not be negligible. In this case it is assumed that the relatively thin walled hollow cylinder with cladding can be treated as a composite beam on an elastic foundation (Model 2). In both models, the effect of surface cooling rate is studied by assuming the temperature boundary condition to be a ramp function. The calculated results include the transient temperature, thermal stresses in the uncracked medium and stress intensity factors which are presented as a function of time, and the duration of cooling ramp. The stress intensity factors are also presented as a function of the size and the location of the crack. The problem is solved for two bonded materials of different thermal and mechanical properties. The mathematical formulation results in two singular integral equations which are solved numerically. The results are given for two material pairs, namely an austenitic steel layer welded on a ferritic steel substrate, and a ceramic coating on ferritic steel. In the case of the yielded clad, the stress intensity factors for a crack under the clad are determined by using a plastic strip model and are compared with elastic clad results.

Statistical analysis of fatigue crack growth behavior for grade B cast steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, W.; Sakai, T.; Li, Q.; Wang, P.

2011-01-01

Tests for fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) and crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD) were performed to clarify the fatigue crack growth behavior of a railway grade B cast steel. The threshold values of this steel with specific survival probabilities are evaluated, in which the mean value is 8.3516 MPa m 1/2 , very similar to the experimental value, about 8.7279 MPa m 1/2 . Under the conditions of plane strain and small-scale yielding, the values of fracture toughness for this steel with specific survival probabilities are converted from the corresponding critical CTOD values, in which the mean value is about 138.4256 MPa m 1/2 . In consideration of the inherent variability of crack growth rates, six statistical models are proposed to represent the probabilistic FCGR curves of this steel in entire crack propagation region from the viewpoints of statistical evaluation on the number of cycles at a given crack size and the crack growth rate at a given stress intensity factor range, stochastic characteristic of crack growth as well as statistical analysis of coefficient and exponent in FCGR power law equation. Based on the model adequacy checking, result shows that all models are basically in good agreement with test data. Although the probabilistic damage-tolerant design based on some models may involve a certain amount of risk in stable crack propagation region, they just accord with the fact that the dispersion degree of test data in this region is relatively smaller.

High temperature crack initiation in an austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laiarinandrasana, Lucien

1994-01-01

The study deals with crack initiation at 600 deg. C and 650 deg. C, on an austenitic stainless steel referenced by Z2 CND 17 12. The behaviour laws of the studied plate were updated in comparison with existing data. Forty tests were carried out on CT specimens, with continuous fatigue with load or displacement controlled, pure creep, pure relaxation, creep-fatigue and creep-relaxation loadings. The practical initiation definition corresponds to a small crack growth of about the grain size, monitored by electrical potential drop technique. The time necessary for the crack to initiate is predicted with fracture mechanics global and local approaches, with the help of microstructural observations and finite element results. An identification of a 'Paris' law' for continuous cyclic loading and of a unique correlation between the initiation time and C h * for creep tests was established. For the local approach, crack initiation by creep can be interpreted as the reaching of a critical damage level, by using a damage incremental rule. For creep-fatigue tests, crack growth rates at initiation are greater than those of Paris' law for continuous fatigue. A calculation of a transition time between elastic-plastic and creep domains shows that crack initiation can be interpreted whether by providing Paris' law with an acceleration term when the dwell period is less than the transition time, or by calculating a creep contribution which relies on C h * parameter when the dwell period and/or the initiation times are greater than the transition time. Creep relaxation tests present crack growth rates at initiation which are less than those for 'equivalent' creep-fatigue tests. These crack growth rates decrease when increasing hold time, but also when temperature decreases. Though, for hold times which are important enough and at lower temperature, there is no effect of the dwell period insofar as crack growth rate is equal to continuous fatigue

Development of crack shape: LBB methodology for cracked pipes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moulin, D.; Chapuliot, S.; Drubay, B. [Commissariat a l Energie Atomique, Gif sur Yvette (France)

1997-04-01

For structures like vessels or pipes containing a fluid, the Leak-Before-Break (LBB) assessment requires to demonstrate that it is possible, during the lifetime of the component, to detect a rate of leakage due to a possible defect, the growth of which would result in a leak before-break of the component. This LBB assessment could be an important contribution to the overall structural integrity argument for many components. The aim of this paper is to review some practices used for LBB assessment and to describe how some new R & D results have been used to provide a simplified approach of fracture mechanics analysis and especially the evaluation of crack shape and size during the lifetime of the component.

The fatigue life and fatigue-crack-through-thickness behavior of a surface-cracked plate, 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Ki-Woo; Matsui, Kentaro; Ando, Kotoji; Ogura, Nobukazu

1989-01-01

The LBB (leak-before-break) design is one of the most important subjects for the evaluation and the assurance of safety in pressure vessels, piping systems, LNG carriers and various other structures. In the LBB design, it is necessary to evaluate precisely the lifetime of steel plate. Furthermore, the change in crack shape that occurs during the propagation after through thickness is of paramount importance. For this reason, in a previous report, the authors proposed a simplified evaluation model for the stress intensity factor after cracking through thickness. Using this model, the crack propagation behavior, crack-opening displacement and crack shape change of surface-cracked smooth specimens and surface-cracked specimens with a stress concentration were evaluated quantitatively. The present study was also done to investigate the fatigue crack propagation behavior of surface cracks subjected to combined tensile and bending stress. Estimation of fatigue crack growth was done using the Newman-Raju formula before through thickness, and using formula (7) and (8) after through thickness. Crack length a r at just through thickness increases with increasing a bending stress. Calculated fatigue crack shape showed very good agreement with experimental one. It was also found that particular crack growth behavior and change in crack shape after cracking through thickness can be explained quantitatively using the K value based on Eqs. (7) and (8). (author)

Cohesive zone model for intergranular slow crack growth in ceramics: influence of the process and the microstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero de la Osa, M; Olagnon, C; Chevalier, J; Estevez, R; Tallaron, C

2011-01-01

Ceramic polycrystals are prone to slow crack growth (SCG) which is stress and environmentally assisted, similarly to observations reported for silica glasses. The kinetics of fracture are known to be dependent on the load level, the temperature and the relative humidity. In addition, evidence is available on the influence of the microstructure on the SCG rate with an increase in the crack velocity with decreasing the grain size. Crack propagation takes place beyond a load threshold, which is grain size dependent. We present a cohesive zone model for the intergranular failure process. The methodology accounts for an intrinsic opening that governs the length of the cohesive zone and allows the investigation of grain size effects. A rate and temperature-dependent cohesive model is proposed (Romero de la Osa M, Estevez R et al 2009 J. Mech. Adv. Mater. Struct. 16 623–31) to mimic the reaction–rupture mechanism. The formulation is inspired by Michalske and Freiman's picture (Michalske and Freiman 1983 J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 66 284–8) together with a recent study by Zhu et al (2005 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 53 1597–623) of the reaction–rupture mechanism. The present investigation extends a previous work (Romero de la Osa et al 2009 Int. J. Fracture 158 157–67) in which the problem is formulated. Here, we explore the influence of the microstructure in terms of grain size, their elastic properties and residual thermal stresses originating from the cooling from the sintering temperature down to ambient conditions. Their influence on SCG for static loadings is reported and the predictions compared with experimental trends. We show that the initial stress state is responsible for the grain size dependence reported experimentally for SCG. Furthermore, the account for the initial stresses enables the prediction of a load threshold below which no crack growth is observed: a crack arrest takes place when the crack path meets a region in compression

On fatigue crack growth in ductile materials by crack-tip blunting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

2004-01-01

One of the basic mechanisms for fatigue crack growth in ductile metals is that depending on crack-tip blunting under tensile loads and re-sharpening of the crack-tip during unloading. In a standard numerical analysis accounting for finite strains it is not possible to follow this process during...

Sub-critical crack growth and clad integrity in a PWR reactor pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tice, D.R.; Foreman, A.J.E.; Sharples, J.K.

1987-10-01

The possibility of in-service growth of sub-critical defects in a PWR reactor pressure vessel to a critical size which could result in vessel failure was addressed in both the 1976 and 1982 reports of the Light Water Reactor Study Group (LWRSG), under the Chairmanship of Dr W Marshall (now Lord Marshall). An addendum to this report was published by UKAEA in April 1987. The section of the addendum dealing with subcritical crack growth and the related issue of integrity of the stainless steel cladding on the inner vessel surface is reproduced in this report. This section of the LWRSG addendum provides a review of the current status of fatigue crack growth and environmentally assisted cracking research for pressure vessel steels in light water reactor environments, as well as a review of developments in crack growth assessment methods. The review concludes that the alternative assessment procedures now being developed give a more realistic prediction of in service crack growth than the ASME Section XI Appendix A fatigue crack growth curves. (author)

Laser-induced cracks in ice due to temperature gradient and thermal stress

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Song; Yang, Ying-Ying; Zhang, Jing-Yuan; Zhang, Zhi-Yan; Zhang, Ling; Lin, Xue-Chun

2018-06-01

This work presents the experimental and theoretical investigations on the mechanism of laser-induce cracks in ice. The laser-induced thermal gradient would generate significant thermal stress and lead to the cracking without thermal melting in the ice. The crack density induced by a pulsed laser in the ice critically depends on the laser scanning speed and the size of the laser spot on the surface, which determines the laser power density on the surface. A maximum of 16 cracks within an area of 17 cm × 10 cm can be generated when the laser scanning speed is at 10 mm/s and the focal point of the laser is right on the surface of the ice with a laser intensity of ∼4.6 × 107 W/cm2. By comparing the infrared images of the ice generated at various experimental conditions, it was found that a larger temperature gradient would result in more laser-induced cracks, while there is no visible melting of the ice by the laser beam. The data confirm that the laser-induced thermal stress is the main cause of the cracks created in the ice.

Crack layer theory

Science.gov (United States)

Chudnovsky, A.

1987-01-01

A damage parameter is introduced in addition to conventional parameters of continuum mechanics and consider a crack surrounded by an array of microdefects within the continuum mechanics framework. A system consisting of the main crack and surrounding damage is called crack layer (CL). Crack layer propagation is an irreversible process. The general framework of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes are employed to identify the driving forces (causes) and to derive the constitutive equation of CL propagation, that is, the relationship between the rates of the crack growth and damage dissemination from one side and the conjugated thermodynamic forces from another. The proposed law of CL propagation is in good agreement with the experimental data on fatigue CL propagation in various materials. The theory also elaborates material toughness characterization.

Influence of strain-induced martensitic transformation on fatigue short crack behaviour in an austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baffie, N.; Stolarz, J.; Magnin, Th.

2000-01-01

The influence of martensitic transformation induced by cyclic straining on the mechanisms of low cycle fatigue damage in a metastable austenitic stainless steel with different grain sizes has been investigated using macroscopic measurements and microscopic observations of short crack evolutions. The amount of martensite formed during cyclic straining increases with increasing plastic strain amplitude and cumulative plastic strain but the dominant parameter is the grain size of austenite. The fine microstructure (D = 10 μm) with maximum martensite fraction of about 20% is characterised by a better fatigue resistance than the coarse one (D 40μm and only 2% of martensite) for the same plastic strain amplitude. Martensitic transformation is found to radically modify the cyclic response of the alloy and consequently the damage mechanisms. Indeed, both short crack nucleation and growth take place exclusively in the transformed regions. A mechanism of short crack propagation based on the γ→ α' transformation assisted by stress concentration at the crack tip is proposed. The indirect influence of grain boundaries in the austenite on crack propagation in the martensite is demonstrated. The better fatigue resistance of metastable alloys with fine granular structure can thus be understood. (authors)