A crack arrest test using a toughness gradient steel plate
- Univ. of Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering
- Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corp., Tokyo (Japan)
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Takasago, Hyogo (Japan). Takasago R and D Center
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Kobe (Japan). Kobe Shipyard and Engine Works
Pressurized thermal shock (PTS) is a phenomenon that can occur in the reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) with internal pressure and is one of the most severe stress conditions that can be applied to the vessel. Preliminary research has shown that no PTS concern is likely to exist on Japanese RPVs during their design service lives. However, public acceptance of vessel integrity requires analyses and experiment in order to establish an analytical method and a database for life extension of Japanese RPVs. The Japanese PTS integrity study was carried out from FY 1983 to FY 1991 as a national project by Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation (JAPEIC) under contract with Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in cooperation with LWR utilities and vendors. Here, a crack arrest test was carried out using a toughness gradient steel plate with three layers to study the concept of crack arrest toughness. Four-point bending load with thermal shock was applied to the large flat plate specimen with a surface crack. Five crack initiations and arrests were observed during the test and the propagated crack bifurcated. Finally, cracks were arrested at the boundary of the first and the second layer, except for a small segment of the crack. The first crack initiation took place slightly higher than the lower bound of K{sub Ic} data obtained by ITCT specimens. That is, the K{sub IC} concept for brittle crack initiation was verified for heavy section steel plates. The first crack arrest took place within the scatter band of K{sub Ia} and K{sub Id} data for the first layer. That is, the K{sub Ia} concept appears applicable for crack arrest of a short crack jump.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 131623
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, Journal Name: Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 117; ISSN 0094-9930; ISSN JPVTAS
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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