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U.S. Department of Energy
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Critical experiments, measurements, and analyses to establish a crack arrest methodology for nuclear pressure vessel steels

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6490424
Results of a program seeking (i) dynamic analyses of crack arrest in thermally stressed nuclear pressure vessels, (ii) standardization of a laboratory test method for measuring the crack arrest toughness, and (iii) a crack arrest toughness data base for unirradiated and irradiated nuclear steels and weldments are described. Dynamic finite difference analyses of fast fracture and arrest of an axial, part-through crack in a thick walled cylinder are refined and applied to the Oak Ridge National Laboratories Thermal Shock Experiment TSE-4. The influences of the mesh size and aspect ratio on the static stress intensity values are examined and the results compared with finite element calculations. A large body of crack arrest toughness (K/sub Im/) measurements on unirradiated A533B plate, A508 forging material and a submerged arc weldment are presented. The measurements were performed at temperatures in the range from the RT/sub NDT/ to RT/sub NDT + 100 C.
Research Organization:
Battelle Columbus Labs., OH (USA)
OSTI ID:
6490424
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CR-0518; BMI-2010
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English