Performance of low upper-shelf material under pressurized-thermal-shock loading (PTSE-2)

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6047471

Bryan, R H; Bass, B R; Bolt, S E; Bryson, J W; Corwin, W R; Nanstad, R K; Merkle, J G; Robinson, G C

The second pressurized-thermal-shock experiment (PTSE-2) of the Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program was conceived to investigate fracture behavior of steel with low ductile-tearing resistance. PTSE-2 was designed primarily to reveal the interaction of ductile and brittle modes of fracture and secondarily to investigate the effects of warm prestressing. A test vessel was prepared by inserting a crack-like flaw of well-defined geometry on the outside surface of the vessel. The flaw was 1 m long by approx.15 mm deep. The instrumented vessel was placed in a test facility in which it was initially heated to a uniform temperature and was then concurrently cooled on the outside and pressurized on the inside. These actions produced an evolution of temperature, toughness, and stress gradients relative to the prepared flaw that was appropriate to the planned objectives. The experiment was conducted in two separate transients, each one starting with the vessel nearly isothermal. The first transient induced a warm prestressed state, during which K/sub I/ first exceeded K/sub Ic/. This was followed by repressurization until a cleavage fracture propagated and arrested. The final transient was designed to produce and investigate a cleavage crack propagation followed by unstable tearing. During this transient the fracture events occurred as had been planned. 7 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6047471
• Report Number(s): CONF-8710111-4; ON: DE88002297
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
ALLOYS
CONTAINERS
CRACK PROPAGATION
FRACTURE MECHANICS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MECHANICS
PRESSURE EFFECTS
PRESSURE VESSELS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTORS
STEEL-ASTM-A387
STEEL-ASTM-A508
STEELS
THERMAL SHOCK
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS