• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.908-913
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• 2000

In the process of integrity evaluation for nuclear power plant components, a series of fracture mechanics evaluation on surface cracks in reactor pressure vessel(RPV) must be conducted. These fracture mechanics evaluations are based on stress intensity factor, K. However, under pressurized thermal shock(PTS) conditions, the combination of thermal and mechanical stress by steep temperature gradient and internal pressure causes considerably high tensile stress at the inside of RPV wall. Besides, the internal pressure during the normal operation produces high tensile stress at the RPV wall. As a result cracks on inner surface of RPVs may experience elastic-plastic behavior which can be explained with J-integral. In such a case, however, J-integral may possibly lose its validity due to constraint effect. In this paper, in order to verify the suitability of J-integral, two dimensional finite element analyses were applied for various surface crack. Total of 18 crack geometries were analyzed, and Q stresses were obtained by comparing resulting HRR stress distribution with corresponding actual stress distributions. In conclusion, HRR stress fields were found to overestimate the actual crack-tin stress field due to constraint effect.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 1992

In this study, the stress concentration phenomenon for the dissimilar joints(ceramic-metal) bonded by thermal treating using a soft-insert metal(copper) was investigated with the aid of FEM(finite element method) under the load condition of uniform tension. The analysis was carried out by the supposing that stress states are plane stress or plane strain and elastic or elastic-plastic. And the Von Mises yield criterion and the incremental theory as plastic flow were adopted in this analysis. As the summarized results obtained, the stress concentration phenomenon was severer as the soft insert metal was thicker, in plane strain than in plane stress and in elastic-plastic state than in elastic state. Furthermore, the inducing mechanism of stress concentration was well expressed by the constraint forces(Fc) generated between the soft and the hard material.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.179-181
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• 2003

The present study focuses on the effect of geometrical discontinuity, strength mismatch, which can elevate plastic constraint due to heterogeneous plastic straining, and loading rate on the ductile crack initiation using two-parameter criterion. Fracture initiation testing has been conducted under static and dynamic loading using circumferentially notched round-bar specimens. In order to evaluate the stress/strain state in the specimens, especially under dynamic loading, a thermal elastic-plastic dynamic finite element (FE) analysis considering the temperature rise due to plastic deformation has been carried out.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Marine Engineers Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.91-92
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• 2006

For the CT specimen of 25.4mm thickness SS400 steel, the fracture toughness and the magnitude of constraint effect, $A_2$ on the non-linear elastoplastic fracture behaviors were experimentally estimated by crack tip opening displacement. In order to estimate constraint effect, displacement measurement position near crack front should be the existed within plastic region. But it is found that the displacement measurement positions by the ${\delta}_5$ method are in elastic region at crack growth initiation. Hence the estimate of constraint effect, $A_2$ by the ${\delta}_5$ method was not reliable.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.198-198
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• 1991

Not only difference of fatigue crack growth and propagation behavior resulted from the grain size, the hardness ratio and volume fraction in M.E.F. dual phase steel composed of martensite in hard phase and ferrite in soft phase, but also the effects of the plastic constraint were investigated by fracture mechanics and microstructural method. The main results obtained are as follows: 1) The fatigue endurance of M.E.F. steel increases with decreasing the grain size, increasing the ratio of hardness and volume fraction. 2) The initiation of slip and crack occures faster as the stress level goes higher. These phenomena result from the plastic constraint effect of the second phase. 3) The crack propagation rate in the constant stress level is faster as the grain size gets larger, the ratio of hardness lower and volume fraction smaller.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1726-1746
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• 2022

This paper presents fracture mechanics analysis results for various cracks located at pressurized water reactor pressure vessel nozzle crotch corners taking into consideration constraint effect. Technical documents such as the ASME B&PV Code, Sec.XI were reviewed and then a fracture mechanics analysis procedure was proposed for structural integrity assessment of various nozzle crotch corner cracks under normal operation conditions considering the constraint effect. Linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis was performed by conducting finite element analysis with the proposed analysis procedure. Based on the evaluation results, elastic-plastic fracture mechanics analysis taking into account the constraint effect was performed only for the axial surface crack of the reactor pressure vessel outlet nozzle with cladding. The fracture mechanics analysis result shows that only the axial surface crack in the reactor pressure vessel outlet nozzle has the stress intensity factor exceeding the low bound of upper-shelf fracture toughness irrespectively of considering the constraint effect. It is confirmed that the J-integral for the axial crack of the outlet nozzle does not exceed the ductile crack initiation toughness. Hence, it can be ensured that the structural integrity of all the cracks is maintained during the normal operation.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.537-553
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• 2019

In this paper we present geometrically exact Kirchhoff's initially curved planar beam model. The theoretical formulation of the proposed model is based upon Reissner's geometrically exact beam formulation presented in classical works as a starting point, but with imposed Kirchhoff's constraint in the rotated strain measure. Such constraint imposes that shear deformation becomes negligible, and as a result, curvature depends on the second derivative of displacements. The constitutive law is plasticity with linear hardening, defined separately for axial and bending response. We construct discrete approximation by using Hermite's polynomials, for both position vector and displacements, and present the finite element arrays and details of numerical implementation. Several numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate an excellent performance of the proposed beam model.

• International Journal of Korean Welding Society
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2003

It is important to evaluate the fracture initiation behaviors of steel structure. It has been well known that the ductile cracking of steel would be accelerated by triaxial stress state. Recently, the characteristics of critical crack initiation of steels are quantitatively estimated using the two-parameters, that is, equivalent plastic strain and stress triaxiality, criterion. This study is paid to the fundamental clarification of the effect of notch radius, which can elevate plastic constraint due to heterogeneous plastic straining on critical condition to initiate ductile crack using two-parameters. Hense, the crack initiation testing were conducted under static loading using round bar specimens with circumferential notch. To evaluate the stress/strain state in the specimens was used thermal elastic-plastic FE-analysis. The result showed that equivalent plastic strain to initiate ductile crack expressed as a function of stress triaxiality obtained from the homogeneous specimens with circumferential notched under static loading. And it was evaluated that by using this two-parameters criterion, the critical crack initiation of homogeneous specimens under static loading.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2002

In recent years, the integrity of reactor Pressure Vessel(RPV) under pressurized thermal shock (PTS) accident has been treated as one of the most critical issues. Under PTS condition, the combination of thermal and mechanical stress by steep temperature gradient and internal pressure causes considerably high tensile stress at the inside of RPV wall. As a result, cracks on inner surface of RPV may experience elastic-plastic behavior which can be characterized by J-integral. In such a case, however, J-integral may possibly lose its vapidity due to the constraint effect. The degree of constraint effect is influenced by the loading mode, crack geometry and material properties. In this paper, in order to investigate the effect of clad thickness and crack geometry on constraint effect, three dimensional finite element analyses were performed for various surface cracks. Total of 27 crack geometries were analyzed and results were presented by a two-parameter characterization based on the J-integral and the f-stress.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.35-50
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• 2002

A series of tests on simple-welded plate specimens (SWPS) and T-stub tension specimens simulating some of the joint details in moment frame connections were conducted in this investigation. The effects of weld strength mismatch and weld metal toughness on structural behavior of these specimens were considered under both static and dynamic loading conditions. Finite element analyses were performed by taking into account typical weld residual stress distributions and weld metal strength mismatch conditions to facilitate the interpretation of the test results. The major findings are as follows: (a) Sufficient specimen size requirements are essential in simulating both load transfer and constraint conditions that are relevant to moment frame connections, (b) Weld residual stresses can significantly elevate stress triaxiality in addition to structural constraint effects, both of which can significantly reduce the plastic deformation capacity in moment frame connections, (c) Based on the test results, dynamic loading within a loading rate of 0.02 in/in/sec, as used in this study, premature brittle fractures were not seen, although a significant elevation of the yield strength can be clearly observed. However, brittle fracture features can be clearly identified in T-stub specimens in which severe constraint effects (stress triaxiality) are considered as the primary cause, (d) Based on both the test and FEA results, T-stub specimens provide a reasonable representation of the joint conditions in moment frame connections in simulating both complex load transfer mode and constraint conditions.