• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.189-195
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• 2021

A technology for designing and licensing a dedicated radiation shielding facility needs to be developed for safe and efficient operation an R&D center. Technology development is important for smooth operation of such facilities. Causes of damage to internal structures (such as baffle former bolt (BFB) of pressurized water reactor) of a nuclear power reactor should be analyzed along with prevention and countermeasures for similar cases of other plants. It is important to develop technologies that can comprehensively analyze various characteristics of internal structures of long term operated reactors. In high-temperature, high-pressure operating environment of nuclear power plants, cases of BFB cracks caused by irradiated assisted stress corrosion cracks (IASCC) have been reported overseas. The integrity of a reactor's internal structure has emerged as an important issue. Identifying the cause of the defect is requested by the Korean regulatory agency. It is also important to secure a foundation for testing technology to demonstrate the operating environment for medium-level irradiated testing materials. The demonstration testing facility can be used for research on material utilization of the plant, which might have highest fluence on the internal structure of a reactor globally.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.455-460
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• 2018

Chromium plating is a common surface treatment technique extensively applied in industry due its excellent properties which include substantial hardness, abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, surface color, and luster. In this study, the effect of PTFE on corrosion behavior of Cr-P plating, low carbon steel substrates are electroplated in Cr(III) baths without and with PTFE. Trivalent chromium carbon plating was electroplated from trivalent chromium sulfate-based baths with different PTFE dispersion contents. The study focused on the microstructure, PTFE content, roughness, and corrosion resistance of the Cr-P-PTFE composite plating. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images showed a smoother plating and a decrease in the surface roughness of the electrodeposited. The results demonstrate that PTFE eliminates the cracks within plating by reducing internal stress. Therefore, the corrosion resistance of Cr-P-PTFE composite platings were better than that of Cr-P alloy platings.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.168-173
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• 2015

A steam generator tubing is one of the main pressure boundary of the reactor coolant system in the nuclear power plants. Structural integrity refers to maintaining adequate margins against failure of the tubing. Burst pressure of a tube at tube support plate can be higher than that for a free-span tube because failure behaviors could be interfered from the tube support plate. Alternative repair criteria for out-diameter stress corrosion cracking indications in tubes to the drilled type tube support plate were developed, however, there are very limited information to the eggcrate type tube support plate. This paper discussed reinforcement effect of steam generator tube burst pressure with axial out-diameter stress corrosion cracking within an eggcrate type tube support plate. A series of tube burst tests were performed under the room temperature and it was found out that there is no significant but marginal effects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05c
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• pp.145-150
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• 1996

Acoustic Emission (AE) technique was applied to stress corrosion cracking of Inconel 600 to investigate the AE capability of detecting crack growth and to obtain the relation between AE characteristics and crack mechanism. The specimens were heat-treated in two conditions (600$^{\circ}C$ for 30 hrs or 700 $^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr) and undergone CERT at two extension rates ( 2.5${\times}$10$^{-5}$ or 1.25${\times}$10$^{－4}$(mm/s)). It was found that the AE peak amplitude from plastic deformation was generally smaller than about 48dB (0.25mV), while Intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and ductile fracture produced higher values of 49 to 70dB (0.3mV to 3mV). The slopes of cumulative amplitude distribution (b-values) were linearly dependent on IGSCC susceptibility and the higher the susceptibility, the smaller the b-value. The monitoring of combined AE parameters such as event rate, amplitude, count and energy can provide effective means to clearly identify the transition from crack initiation and small crack growth to rapid growth of dominant cracks.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.141-150
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• 2012

Stress corrosion cracks in Alloy 600 compact tension specimens tested at $325^{\circ}C$ in a simulated primary water environment of pressurized water reactor were analyzed by analytical transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). From a fine-probe chemical analysis, oxygen was found on the grain boundary just ahead of the crack tip, and chromium oxides were precipitated on the crack tip and the grain boundary attacked by the oxygen diffusion, leaving a Cr/Fe depletion (or Ni enrichment) zone. The oxide layer inside the crack was revealed to consist of a double (inner and outer) layer. Chromium oxides existed in the inner layer, with NiO and (Ni,Cr) spinels in the outer layer. From the nano-SIMS analysis, oxygen was detected at the locations of intergranular chromium carbides ahead of the crack tip, which means that oxygen diffused into the grain boundary and oxidized the surfaces of the chromium carbides. The intergranular chromium carbide blunted the crack tip, thereby suppressing the crack propagation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1006-1013
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• 2004

Operating experience of steam generators shows that the tubes are degraded by stress corrosion cracking, fretting wear and so on. These defected tubes could stay in service if it is proved that the tubes have sufficient structural margin to preclude the risk of tube bursting. This paper provides detailed plastic limit pressure solutions for through-wall cracks in the steam generator tubes. These are developed based on three dimensional(3D) finite element analyses assuming elastic-perfectly plastic material behavior. Both axial and circumferential through-wall cracks in free span and in u-bend regions are considered. The resulting limit pressure solutions are given in a polynomial form, and thus can be simply used in practical integrity assessment of the steam generator tubes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.56-61
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• 2013

This paper presents the results of integrity assessment for the cracks happened in reactor vessel upper head penetration nozzles. The crack morphology for a boat sample from crack area was analyzed through microscope. The stress condition including weld residual stress around crack was analyzed using finite element analysis. From the results of crack morphology and stress condition, the crack was concluded as primary water stress corrosion cracking. The integrity of the cracked nozzle was assessed by the methodology provided in ASME Section XI. According to the assessment results, the remaining life of the cracked nozzle was 1.43 yrs. and the plant decided to repair it.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.11-14
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• 2009

The osmotic blistering behavior of polymeric coating film which is in contact with an aqueous environment has been investigated. In this study, the coating film has been assumed to be linearly viscoelastic. Interfacial stresses induced in a laminate model consisting of the viscoelastic film and the elastic substrate as the film absorbs moisture from the ambient environment have been investigated using the time-domain boundary element method. The overall stress intensity factor for interfacial cracks subjected to a uniform osmotic pressure has been computed using the tractions at the crack tip node. The magnitude of stress intensity factors decreases with time due to viscoelastic relaxation, but remains constant at large times.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.83-88
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• 2010

Domestic nuclear steam generators with Alloy 600 HTMA tubes have experienced axial cracking at eggcrate tube support plates(TSPs). The axial stress corrosion cracks were observed at the crevice between outside of tubes and eggcrate TSPs. The root cause of axial cracking was investigated by thermal hydraulic analysis and sludge distribution diagnosis. It is suggested that deposition of sludge at eggcrate TSPs could increase the outside surface temperature of tube and promote the enrichment of impurities at crevice, and thus accelerate cracking. Additionally strategy for reducing the sludge ingress to steam generators is discussed.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.243-249
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• 2022

The objective of the present study was to perform failure analysis of double-layered bellow (expansion joint), a core part of stress reliever, used to relieve axial stresses induced by thermal expansion of heat-transport pipes in a district heating system. The bellow underwent tensile or compressive stresses due to its structure in terms of position. A leaked position sufferred a fatigue with a tensile component for decades. A cracked bellow contained a higher fraction of martensitic phase because of manufacturing and usage histories, which induced more brittleness on the component. Inclusions in the inner layer of the bellow acted as a site of stress concentration, from which cracks initiated and then propagated along the hoop direction from the inner surface of the inner layer under fatigue loading conditions. As the crack reached critical thickness, the crack propagated to the outer surface at a higher rate, resulting in leakage of the stress reliever.