• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.680-689
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• 2010

The crack-tip stress fields and fracture mechanics assessment parameters for a surface crack, such as the elastic stress intensity factor or the elastic-plastic J-integral, can be affected significantly by the adjacent cracks. Such a crack interaction effect due to multiple cracks can alter the fracture mechanics assessment parameters significantly. There are many factors to be considered, for instance the relative distance between adjacent cracks, the crack shape, and the loading condition, to quantify the crack interaction effect on the fracture mechanics assessment parameters. Thus, the current assessment codes on crack interaction effects (crack combination rules), including ASME Sec. XI, BS7910, British Energy R6 and API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, provide different rules for combining multiple surface cracks into a single surface crack. The present paper investigates crack interaction effects by evaluating the elastic stress intensity factor and the elastic-plastic J-integral of adjacent in-plane surface cracks in a plate through detailed 3-dimensional elastic and elastic-plastic finite element analyses. The effects on the fracture mechanics assessment parameters of the geometric parameters, the relative distance between two cracks, and the crack shape are investigated systematically. As for the loading condition, an axial tension is considered. Based on the 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 are discussed. The present results can be used to develop more concrete guidance on crack interaction effects for crack shape characterization to evaluate the integrity of defective components.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.2638-2651
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• 2020

Nozzle corner cracks present at the intersection of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) and inlet or outlet nozzles have been a persistent problem for a number of years. The fracture analysis of such nozzle corner cracks is very important and critical for the efficient design and assessment of the structural integrity of RPVs. This paper aims to perform an engineering critical assessment of RPVs with nozzle corner cracks subjected to several transients accompanied by pressurized thermal shocks. The critical crack size of the RPV model with nozzle corner cracks under transient loading is evaluated on failure assessment curve. In particular, the influence of cladding on the crack initiation of nozzle corner crack under thermal transients is studied. The influence of primary internal pressure and secondary thermal stress on the stress field at nozzle corner and SIF at crack front is analyzed. Finally, the influence of different crack size and crack shape on the final critical crack size is analyzed.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.264-268
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• 2008

An assessment of creep-fatigue crack behavior is required to ensure the structural integrity for high temperature components such as fast breeder reactor structures or thermal power plant components operating at an elevated temperature. In this study, an evaluation of creep-fatigue crack growth has been carried out according to the French assessment guide of the RCC-MR A16 for austenitic stainless steel structures. The assessment procedures for creep-fatigue crack growth in the recent version of the A16 (2007 edition) have been changed considerably from the previous version (2002 edition) and the material properties (RCC-MR Appendix A3) have been changed as well. The impacts of those changes on creep-fatigue crack growth behavior are quantified from the assessments with a structural model. Finally the assessment results were compared with the observed images obtained from the structural tests of the same structural specimen.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.100-107
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• 1999

This paper describes a probabilistic remaining life assessment program for the creep crack growth. The probabilistic life assessment program is developed to increase the reliability of life assessment. The probabilistic life assessment involves some uncertainties, such as, initial crack size, material properties, and loading condition, and a triangle distribution function is used for random variable generation. The resulting information provides the engineer with an assessment of the probability of structural failure as a function of operating time given the uncertainties in the input data. This study forms basis of the probabilistic life assessment technique and will be extended to other damage mechanisms.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.103-110
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• 2010

In this study, an assessment method on creep-fatigue crack initiation and crack growth for a Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel (ASME Grade 91) structure has been developed with an extension of the French RCC-MR A16 procedure. The current A16 guide provides defect assessment procedure for a creep-fatigue crack initiation and crack growth for an austenitic stainless steel, but no guideline is available yet for a Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel which is now widely being adopted for structural materials of future nuclear reactor system as well as ultra super critical (USC) thermal plant. In the present study an assessment method on creep-fatigue crack initiation and crack growth is provided for the FMS (Ferritic-Martensitic Steel) and assessment on the creep-fatigue crack behavior for a structure has been carried out. The assessment results were compared with the observed images from a structural test.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.274-279
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• 2001

Creep-fatigue crack growth behavior was experimentally measured particularly when a crack was located in the heat affected region of 1Cr-0.5Mo steel. Load hold times of the tests for trapezoidal fatigue waveshapes were varied among 0, 30, 300 and 3,600 seconds. Time-dependent crack growth rates were characterized by the $C_t$-parameter. It was found that the crack growth rates were the highest when the crack path was located along the fine-grained heat affected zone(FGHAZ). Cracks located in other heat affected regions had a tendency to change the crack path eventually to FGHAZ. Creep-fatigue crack growth law of the studied case is suggested in terms of $(da/dt)_{avg}$ vs. $(C_t)_{avg}$ for residual life assessment.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2020

In general, an inspection schedule is established based on the long-term fatigue life during the design stage. However, in the design stage, it is difficult to clearly identify the uncertainty factors affecting long-term fatigue life. In this study, the probabilistic fatigue life assessment was conducted in accordance with the methodology of DNV-GL. Firstly, The initial crack distribution estimated through the initial crack propagation analysis was updated by reflecting the results of crack inspection. Secondly, the updated crack distribution was compared with the initial crack distribution, and the probability of failure was updated with the effect of crack inspection.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.1887-1894
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• 2024

Fatigue strength of the structural materials of lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs) and accelerator-driven systems (ADS) may be degraded in liquid metal (Lead or lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE)) environments. The fatigue crack growth (FCG) data of structural materials in liquid LBE are necessary for damage tolerance design, safety assessment and life management of key equipment. A novel monitoring system for fatigue crack length was designed on the compliance method and the monitor technology of crack opening displacement (COD) of CT specimens by the linear variable differential transformers (LVDT) system. It can be used to predict the crack length by monitoring the COD of CT specimens in harsh high-temperature liquid LBE using a LVDT system. The prediction accuracy of this system was verified by FCG experiments in room temperature air and liquid LBE at 150, 250 and 350 ℃. The first results obtained in the FCG test for T91 steel in liquid LBE at 350 ℃ are presented.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.6
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• pp.665-675
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• 2022

The safety problems of giant hydraulic structures such as dams caused by terrorist attacks, earthquakes, and wars often have an important impact on a country's economy and people's livelihood. For the national defense department, timely and effective assessment of damage to or impending damage to dams and other structures is an important issue related to the safety of people's lives and property. In the field of damage assessment and vulnerability analysis, it is usually necessary to give the damage assessment results within a few minutes to determine the physical damage (crack length, crater size, etc.) and functional damage (decreased power generation capacity, dam stability descent, etc.), so that other defense and security departments can take corresponding measures to control potential other hazards. Although traditional numerical calculation methods can accurately calculate the crack length and crater size under certain combat conditions, it usually takes a long time and is not suitable for rapid damage assessment. In order to solve similar problems, this article combines simulation calculation methods with machine learning technology interdisciplinary. First, the common concrete gravity dam shape was selected as the simulation calculation object, and XFEM (Extended Finite Element Method) was used to simulate and calculate 19 cracks with different initial positions. Then, an LSTM (Long-Short Term Memory) machine learning model was established. 15 crack paths were selected as the training set and others were set for test. At last, the LSTM model was trained by the training set, and the prediction results on the crack path were compared with the test set. The results show that this method can be used to predict the crack propagation path rapidly and accurately. In general, this article explores the application of machine learning related technologies in the field of mechanics. It has broad application prospects in the fields of damage assessment and vulnerability analysis.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.823-833
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• 2001

In recent years, the subject of remaining life assessment has drawn considerable attention in chemical plants, where various structural components typically operate at high temperature an pressure. Thus a life prediction methodology accounting for high temperature creep fracture is increasingly needed for the components. Critical defects in such structures are generally found in the form of semi-elliptical surface crack, and the analysis of which is consequently an important problem in engineering fracture mechanics. On this background, we first develop an auto mesh generation program for detailed 3-D finite element analyses of axial and circumferential semi-elliptical surface cracks in a piping system. A high temperature creep fracture parameter C-integral is obtained from the finite element analyses of generated 3-D models. Post crack growth module is further appended here to calculate the amount of crack growth. Finally the remaining lives of surface cracked pipes for various analytical parameters are assessed using the developed life assessment program.