Fatigue crack initiation in carbon and low-alloy steels in light water reactor environments : mechanism and prediction.
Section 111 of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code specifies fatigue design curves for structural materials. The effects of reactor coolant environments are not explicitly addressed by the Code design curves. Recent test data illustrate potentially significant effects of light water reactor (LWR) coolant environments on the fatigue resistance of carbon and low-alloy steels. Under certain loading and environmental conditions, fatigue lives of test specimens may be shorter than those in air by a factor of {approx}70. The crack initiation and crack growth characteristics of carbon and low-alloy steels in LWR environments are presented. Decreases in fatigue life of these steels in high-dissolved-oxygen water are caused primarily by the effect of environment on growth of short cracks < 100 {micro}m in depth. The material and loading parameters that influence fatigue life in LWR environments are defined. Fatigue life is decreased significantly when five conditions are satisfied simultaneously, viz., applied strain range, service temperature, dissolved oxygen in water, and S content in steel are above a threshold level, and loading strain rate is below a threshold value. Statistical models have been developed for estimating the fatigue life of these steels in LWR environments. The significance of the effect of environment on the current Code design curve is evaluated.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 8874
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/ET/CP-94713
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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