Comparison of finite element and influence function methods for three-dimensional elastic analysis of boiling water reactor feedwater nozzle cracks. Phase report

Technical Report · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7308815

Besuner, P M; Caughey, W R

The finite element (FE) and influence function (IF) methods are compared for a three-dimensional elastic analysis of postulated circular-shaped surface cracks in the feedwater nozzle of a typical boiling water reactor (BWR). These are two of the possible methods for determining stress intensity factors for nozzle corner cracks. The FE method is incorporated in a direct manner. The IF method is used to compute stress intensity factors only when the uncracked stress field (i.e., the stress in the uncracked solid at the locus of the crack to be eventually considered) has been computed previously. Both the IF and FE methods are described in detail and are applied to several test cases chosen for their similarity to the nozzle crack problem and for the availablility of an accurate published result obtained from some recognized third method of solution.

• Research Organization: Teledyne Materials Research Co., Waltham, MA (USA); Teledyne Materials Research Co., Waltham, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7308815
• Report Number(s): PB-260553
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
BWR TYPE REACTORS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CRACKS
FEEDWATER
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NOZZLES
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTORS
STRESS ANALYSIS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WATER
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS