Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Elastic-plastic analyses of surface flaws in a reactor vessel

Conference · · Am. Soc. Mech. Eng., (Pap.); (United States)
OSTI ID:6693877

Elastic-plastic analyses have been performed for the ASME Maximum Postulated Flaw and for three other semielliptical surface flaws in the beltline region of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel, with internal radius to thickness ratio, R/t, equal to 10, using nonlinear 3-D finite element methods based upon the deformation theory of plasticity. Three of the flaws had a maximum depth, a, equal to t/4, with aspect ratios, 2c/a, equal to 6 (the ASME Maximum Postulated Flaw), 4 and 3, respectively, where 2c is the surface length of the flaw. These flaws were analyzed for internal pressure varying from one to three times the design pressure, which is well into the fully plastic regime for the uncracked vessel. The fourth flaw had an aspect ratio, 2c/a, equal to 6, and its maximum depth, a, was equal to 3t/4. This deep flaw was analyzed for internal pressure varying from 60% of design pressure to twice the design pressure. The crack driving force was calculated as the energy release rate, J, using the vira tual crack extension method.

Research Organization:
General Electric Company, Corporate Research and Development, Schenectady, New York
OSTI ID:
6693877
Report Number(s):
CONF-831111-
Journal Information:
Am. Soc. Mech. Eng., (Pap.); (United States), Journal Name: Am. Soc. Mech. Eng., (Pap.); (United States) Vol. 83-WA/PUP-2; ISSN ASMSA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English