SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1983
STP36764S

Development of a Plastic Fracture Methodology for Nuclear Systems

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This paper describes research conducted to develop a fundamental basis for flaw tolerance assessment procedures suitable for components exhibiting ductile behavior. The research was composed of an integrated combination of stable crack growth experiments and elastic-plastic analyses. A number of candidate fracture criteria were assembled and investigated to determine the proper basis for plastic fracture mechanics assessments. The results demonstrate that many different fracture criteria can be used as the basis of a resistance curve approach to predicting stable crack growth and fracture instability. While all have some disadvantages, none is completely unacceptable. On balance, the best criteria were found to be the J-integral for initiation and limited amounts of stable crack growth and the local crack-tip opening angle for extended amounts of stable growth. A combination of the two, which may preserve the advantages of each while reducing their disadvantages, also was suggested by these results. The influence of biaxial and mixed flat/shear fracture behavior was investigated and found to not alter the basic results. Further work in the development of simplified ductile fracture analyses for routine engineering assessments of nuclear pressure vessels and piping evolving from this research is also described.

Author Information

Marston, TU
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.
Jones, RL
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.
Kanninen, MF
Battelle, Columbus, Ohio
Mowbray, DF
General Electric Co., Schenectady, N.Y.
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Details
Developed by Committee: E08
Pages: 115–132
DOI: 10.1520/STP36764S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-4870-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0726-7