• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.102-114
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• 2015

Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.112-119
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• 2014

In this work, it is aimed to develop the fabrication method of axial stress corrosion cracking (SCC) defects having various sizes, on the outer diameter surface of the steam generator (SG) tubings. To control the length of the artificial SCC defect, the specific area of the SG tubing samples was exposed to an acidic solution after a sensitization heat treatment. During the exposure to an acidic solution, a direct current potential drop (DCPD) method was adopted to monitor the crack depth. The size of the SCC defect was first evaluated by an eddy current test (ECT), and then confirmed by a destructive examination. From the comparison, it was found that the actual crack length was well controlled to be similar to the length of the surface exposed to an acidic solution (5, 10, 20 or 30 mm in this work) with small standard deviation. From in-situ monitoring of the crack depth using the DCPD method, it was possible to distinguish a non-through wall crack from a through wall crack, even though the depth of the non-through wall crack was not able to be precisely controlled. The fabrication method established in this work was useful to simulate the SCC defect having similar size and ECT signals as compared to the field cracks in the SG tubings of the operating Korean PWRs.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1147-1154
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• 2001

One of major problems in analyzing failure mechanism of real components is the accurate measurement of crack size and shape. The DCPD(Direct Current Potential Drop) method has been widely used for the crack measurement of a structure and finite element analysis has been used for the derivation of calibration equations, which relates the potential drop with the crack depth. In this paper, finite element analyses were performed for semi-elliptical surface cracks with various crack shapes(a/c) and crack depths(a/t). As a result, a calibration equation has been derived for the measurement of a semi-elliptical surface crack in wide plates. Analytical results are compared with experimental results to evaluate the validity and the applicability of the derived equation. The proposed method is expected to provide efficient and accurate measurement of a surface crack during crack growth.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.11-17
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• 2016

Powder metallurgy nickel based superalloy has been used in a high temperature part of turbine engine for airplane. The fatigue crack growth behavior was investigated using CT specimens for the materials at room temperature(R.T.), $600^{\circ}C$ and $700^{\circ}C$. The direct current potential drop(DCPD) method suggested by ASTM E647 was used to measure the crack length during fatigue crack growth at various stress ratios. The fatigue crack growth rate at R=0.5 was faster than that at R=0.1 for all temperature conditions and increased with the increase of stress ratio and temperature. Fractography was conducted for analysis of fracture mechanism.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.640-647
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• 2004

In order to perform elastic-plastic fracture mechanical analyses, fracture resistance curves for concerned materials are required. The unloading compliance method and the DCPD(Direct Current Potential Drop) method have been widely used for measuring the crack length and the extension for a standard specimen fracture resistance curve test. However it is difficult to apply the unloading compliance method to a real pipe fracture resistance curve test. The objective of this paper is to propose the calibration equation between the normalized crack length and the normalized electric potential, and to apply to pipe fracture experiments. For these, finite element analyses were performed with various current input locations and crack front configurations. Also the 4-point bending jig was manufactured for a pipe test and the DCPD method was used to measure crack extensions and crack lengths for a pipe test. The calculated crack length by the DCPD method agreed with the measured crack length within 5% error.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.96-101
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• 1998

J-R curve tests were performed on 1T compact specimens of SA516 Gr. 70 carbon steels under reverse cyclic loading. A Direct-Current Potential Drop (DCPD) method, one of the nondestructive techniques to detect flaw of structure, is being increasingly used for monitoring crack initiation and stable crack growth in typical fracture mechanics specimens for J-R testing. In many aspects this method is simpler than the unloading compliance method. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the J-R Curve according to the crack length measurement techniques under reverse cyclic loading. In order to prove the reliability and repeatability of the DCPD method, the crack length measured by using DCPD method was compared to one determined from unloading compliance. Consequently, this DCPD method correlated well with J-R curves and crack extension measurements determined from unloading compliance method.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.397-402
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• 2003

Fracture resistance curves for concerned materials are required in order to perform elastic-plastic fracture mechanical analyses. Fracture resistance curve is built with J-integral values and crack extension values. The objective of this paper is to apply the load ratio method to the measurement of the crack length for the real scale pipe specimen. For these, the fracture test using the real scale pipe specimen and finite element analyses were performed. A 4-point bending jig was manufactured for the pipe test and the direct current potential drop method and the load ratio method was used to measure the crack extension and the length for the real scale pipe test. Finite element analyses about the compliance of the pipe specimen were executed for applying the load ratio method according to the crack length.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.328-332
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• 2000

Following the method described in ASTM E1737, J resistance curves are measured for Cr-Mo steel SA387, and Cr steel A240 which are used as piping materials in nuclear industry. Crack driving force diagrams are generated in order to find out instability points in crack growth. The $J_{appl}$ curves, which are used in the crack driving force diagram, are obtained from EPRI J estimation method and the finite element analysis. Crack growth instability points are plotted in load-crack length plane and the results are discussed.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.192-197
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• 2001

To obtain $A_2$ experimentally in the $J-A_2$ theory, deformation field on the lateral surface of a CT specimen was to be determined using Laser speckle method. The crack growth was measured using direct current potential drop method and most procedure of experimental and data reduction was performed according to ASTM Standard E1737-96. Laser speckle images during crack propagation were monitored by two CCD cameras to cancel the effect of rotation and translation of the specimen. An algorithm to pursue displacement of a point from each image was developed and successfully used to measure $A_2$ continuously as the crack tip was propagated. The effects of specimen thickness on J-R curve and $A_2$ were explored.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.113-120
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• 1998

Fatigue crack growth rates(i.e. crack initiation and crack growth of short and long crack) are investigated using commercial plates of high strength Al alloy 7075-T651 for the transverse-longitudinal(T-L) direction in air, water and sea water. Also, the evaluation direct current potential drop(D.C.P.D) method and the fractographical analysis by SEM are carried out. Near threshold region, short crack growth rates were much faster than those of comparable long cracks, and these short crack growth rates actually decrease with increasing crack growth and eventually merge with long crack data. Fatigue crack propagation rates in aggressive media(i.e. sea water) increase noticeably over three times those in air. One of the most significant characters in this phenomenon as a corrosion-fatigue causes an acceleration in crack growth rates. Sea water environment, particularly Cl$^{[-10]}$ solution brings the most detrimental effects to aluminum alloy. The result of fractographical morphology in air, water and sea water by SEM shows obvious dimpled rupture and typical striation in air, but transgranular fracture surface in water and sea water.