Shallow-crack toughness results for reactor pressure vessel steel

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7177366

Theiss, T J; Shum, D K.M. ^[1]; Rolfe, S T ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
2. Kansas Univ., Lawrence, KS (United States)

The Heavy Section Steel Technology Program (HSST) is investigating the influence of flaw depth on the fracture toughness of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel. To complete this investigation, techniques were developed to determine the fracture toughness from shallow-crack specimens. A total of 38 deep and shallow-crack tests have been performed on beam specimens about 100 mm deep loaded in 3-point bending. Two crack depths (a {approx} 50 and 9 mm) and three beam thicknesses (B {approx} 50, 100, and 150 mm) have been tested. Techniques were developed to estimate the toughness in terms of both the J-integral and crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD). Analytical J-integral results were consistent with experimental J-integral results, confirming the validity of the J-estimation schemes used and the effect of flaw depth on fracture toughness. Test results indicate a significant increase in the fracture toughness associated with the shallow flaw specimens in the lower transition region compared to the deep-crack fracture toughness. There is, however, little or no difference in toughness on the lower shelf where linear-elastic conditions exist for specimens with either deep or shallow flaws. The increase in shallow-flaw toughness compared with deep-flaw results appears to be well characterized by a temperature shift of 35{degree}C.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USNRC; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 7177366
• Report Number(s): CONF-9209174-1; ON: DE92017813
• Resource Relation: Conference: International conference on shallow crack fracture mechanics tests and applications, Cambridge (United Kingdom), 26 Sep 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
STEEL-ASTM-A533-B
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
CRACKS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
PRESSURE VESSELS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
THICKNESS
ALLOYS
CARBON STEELS
CONTAINERS
DATA
DIMENSIONS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
INFORMATION
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
NUMERICAL DATA
POWER REACTORS
REACTORS
STEELS
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
360103* - Metals & Alloys- Mechanical Properties