7

Structural Integrity
assessment: Evaluation of
Crack growth due to Fatigue /
SCC
Cédric GOURDIN
Overview
1. Introduction 4. An example of fatigue

propagation under complex
loadings
2. Fatigue 5. An example to explain crack

The areas concerned propagation due to thermal
Initiation at a geometrical singularity fatigue
Rate of crack propagation
6. Conclusions
3. A few words on creep-fatigue

The fileds concerned
Crack initiation
Crack propagation
INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 2

Introduction
The criteria used for increasing loads have been presented:
■ Criteria based on the parameters KI and J (fracture mechanics)
■ Criteria applicable to structures and used to estimate the risk of crack initiation
or instability
■ Criteria and procedures not always perfect, sometimes pessimistic, but
allowing rapid applications
The objective of this course is cyclic loading

■ Moderate temperature range (fatigue) or high temperature range (creep-
fatigue)
■ Presence of singularities (presentation focused on fracture mechanics)
■ Increased complexity due to the duration of the loadings and/or the
dependence of the material's behaviour on time

Introduction
Les domaines concernés par le chargement de fatigue
Cyclic loading at low or high temperatures
Structures concerned:
 Any structure subjected to variable loading (automotive, rail industry, etc.)
 Constant or random amplitude loading, for large or small numbers of cycles
 Phenomena involving the time dimension:
 Environmental effect Chargement
 Effect of load speed
 Different fields: oligo - poly - giga cyclic

 Different problems
Amplitude
Temps

Introduction
L’analyse du chargement de fatigue
The cyclic nature of the loading increases the complexity:
 Complex material behaviour
 Cyclic behaviour (strain hardening, softening, ratchet)
 Evolution over time (ageing, strain hardening)
 Coupling with other physical phenomena (creep-plasticity coupling, ageing, metallurgical
transformations, chemistry, corrosion, etc.)
 Wide dispersion of experimental results
In fracture mechanics, the presence of the singularity amplifies the complexity

 High stress levels (outside the characterization domains)
 Couplings amplified (by high deformation)
 Closure effects (whether or not the lips of the crack are in contact)

Introduction
However, we need to be able to estimate lifetimes
 Number of cycles or time before a crack appears
 Rate of crack propagation
 Definition of criteria based on the global approach
Obviously, these criteria cannot take account of all phenomena.

 The criteria are therefore based on simplifications, approximations and envelopes to simplify the
problem.
 The solutions proposed can become very pessimistic
Although simplifying, methods based on the global approach

are often the only solution for estimating initiation times or
propagation rates.

Crack Propagation under Fatigue
For fatigue and within the framework of the RCC-MRx - A16 analytical methods, three main parameters
are used to characterise the material
■ The cyclic behaviour law (De - Ds)
■ Fatigue curve (De - Nr)
■ Paris law for materials (da/dN - DK)

L’amorçage d’une fissure en fatigue
The basic principle for simplifying the problem is to use the fatigue analysis without defects :
 It is assumed that at a given distance from the singularity, the behaviour is the same as that
observed on a uniaxial specimen.
 This distance (d) is assumed to be intrinsic to the material.
 The analysis consists of determining the loading applied at this distance in order to estimate the
initiation time: sd approach.
y
d=50µm
x

L’amorçage d’une fissure en fatigue
To estimate the load applied at distance d, we use the stress intensity factor :
Ds Tensile
Courbe Stress-
cyclique du
Calculation of crack tip loading (DKI) strain
matériaucurve
Dsde
K1   
s de  1 
2r  2r 
D sd
Evaluation of the effect of plasticity at Ds de2

Hyperbole :  Cste
the crack tip (Neuber), of the effect of E
triaxiality (Kn) E De
Dei
Use of the fatigue curve (De,NR),

 The proposed simplification has several advantages:

 It only uses material curves determined on smooth specimens.
 Curves already available
 The only additional data is the distance d (assumed to be intrinsic to the
material).
 The method is based on an analytical calculation at distance d
 Given the proximity of the crack and the complex behaviour of the material in
this zone, this distance is of course approximate.
 The distance d is obtained by optimisation on laboratory specimens, and is
closely linked to the stress calculation method.
Despite its approximations and the severe criticism it has

received, the method has almost become a 'benchmark'.

 The rate of propagation of a fatigue crack is commonly determined using the

material's Paris law:
 C  DK eff n
da
dN
 DKeff is a parameter based on KI and representing the load
 C and n are constants, characteristic of the material

 This formulation is extended to unconfined plasticity

 Introduction of a DJ to take account of cyclic plasticity:
DK ²I E.Deref
DJ  .
E *
Dsref
 DK and Dsref are the variations in KI and sref associated with the loading
variation during the cycle
 Deref is the strain variation associated with Dsref on the cyclic curve of the
material
Use of the same analytical tools and formulas as

for monotonic loadings

 This formulation also takes into account the effect of crack closure on
propagation rate
 Slowing down if the crack closes during the cycle (the two lips come into
contact)
 Acceleration if the crack is always open (progressive deformation at the
crack tip).
2.5
1.5 Slowing
Ralentissement
q(R)
 Finally we have :
1
DK eff  qR . E * .DJ 0.5 Acc.

Acc.
0
-6 -4 -2 0 2
R = Kmin / Kmax
Crack Propagation Under Fatigue
 In its simple form, the above relationship requires a considerable effort of

specific characterization:
 The constants C and n
 The effect of closure and mean stress q
 For low loads, the threshold DKth da/dN
 All these phenomena must be quantified
in order to estimate propagation.
 They depend on the material, the
loading level and the environment.
DK
DKth

La propagation d’une fissure en fatigue
 Under variable amplitude loading, pre-processing is necessary to refer to the

previous case:
 Decomposition of the loading into sequences of cycles (most often using
the Rain-Flow procedure)
 For each cycle, calculate Kmin, Kmax and then the propagation rate (using
Paris's law).
 The total propagation rate is determined by simply summing the rates for
each cycle

La propagation d’une fissure en fatigue
 Fatigue propagation has long been analysed and is relatively well controlled for CT
specimens, but questions remain for structures:
 What is the effect of closure and average stress for a surface defect?
 Can the q function determined on CT specimens be transposed to structures?
 Can Paris's law be applied locally (application to the edge and depth of a
surface defect)?
 How can we quantify the effect of a singularity (fillets, welds, etc.)?
 Effect of cyclic plasticity?
 What calculation can be made for variable amplitude loading (accumulation of

damage between each cycle)?

First example of application
 Interpretation of a tube test: crack propagation phase 6E+4
4E+4
 Tube with an axisymmetric defect 2E+4
M (N.m)
0E+0
 Imposed cyclic loading is significant
-2E+4
 Cyclic plasticity must be taken into account -4E+4
-6E+4
-1.0 -0.5 0.0 0.5 1.0
Rotation (degrés)
 To simulate propagation, an assumption must be
6E+4
made about the shape of the defect 5E+4

2.
4E+4
Mmax (N.m)
3E+4
 Definition of an angular 2E+4

sector of propagation from 1E+4
the threshold DKth
0E+0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Rotation_max (degrés)

Premier exemple d’application
 Once the shape of the defect has been defined, the forms must be
2.6
created (this defect is not in the available forms).
2.4 Défaut TUBFIS
 Construction of a KI form by finite element calculation 2.2

Défaut axi.
Fonction de forme
2.0
 Definition of a reference stress
1.8
 Formula for surface defects 1.6

1.4
corrected to take account of 1.2
the initial axisymmetric notch 1.0
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00
a/ t
DM
Dsref 
   da     
.R m - a 0 2 .h - a 0 .cos .
da
.  - . sin  . 
  2 h - a 0 4  2.h - a 0   4 

Premier exemple d’application
 The rate of propagation is then determined
 q(R) is the closure effect determined on the CT specimen (R = -1)
 The Paris law is the one determined on the CT specimen

DK I E.De ref
da
DJ  . DK eff  qR . E .DJ
*
E *
Ds ref dN
5.5
5.0 Essai
Maximum crack depth (mm)

4.5 Estimation
The semi-analytical method 4.0
3.5
gives a very accurate estimate of
3.0
the propagation rate 2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Number of cycles

Second example of application
 Pre-dimensioning of a thermal fatigue test
 Configuration of a tube subjected to

localised cyclic thermal shock
 316L tube
 fint = 152.6mm, h = 6.7mm

 Length of thermal cycle: 190 seconds
 Local cooling by injection of water on

an internal face of the tube: 15 s
 Constant heating in an oven: 650°C
The aim is to determine the number of cycles required to initiate a crack,

and then the number of cycles required to propagate a crack through its
entire thickness.
 First stage of design: temperature evolution

 Thermal modelling enables us to determine the evolution of temperatures
throughout the tube
 Significant cooling is observed during water injection: up to 350°C at
certain points
450
Série4
400
température en °C
Série7
350 Série10
300 Série13
250 Série16
200
150
100
50
0
107
119
131
143
155
167
179
191
-1
11
23
35
47
59
71
83
95.1
temps en seconde

 Second dimensioning stage: stress evolution
 Based on the temperature evolution, the calculation allows us to determine

the stress evolution throughout the tube.
 The calculation is linear elastic (complex elasto-plastic modelling)
 We observe stress variations Stress des

évolution evolution
variationsas
de a functionenof
contraintes z
fonction de z
1.00E+09
of up to 900MPa 9.00E+08 szz
8.00E+08 s
7.00E+08 s équivalent
Ds en Pa
6.00E+08
5.00E+08
4.00E+08
3.00E+08
2.00E+08
1.00E+08
0.00E+00
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Z en mm

 Third dimensioning stage: number of initiation cycles
 Maximum variation in equivalent surface stresses: Dseq_max = 805 MPa
Ds équivalent
élastique
De élastique
équivalent   0.45%
E
 Elasto-plastic strain can be deduced from this elastic deformation using the
Kn coefficient (RCC-MRx-annex A3 3S):
1.4
Courbe deFatigue
316L fatiguecurve
du 316L
(RCC-MRx)
(RCC-MRx)
De équivalent  De équivalent .K  0.59 %
totale élastique 1.2
0.8
De t
 The number of cycles required to initiate 0.6 0.59%
an internal skin crack can be deduced 0.4
from this: 50,000 cycles 0.2

50.000 cycles
0
1.E+03 1.E+04 1.E+05 1.E+06
Number
nombre of cycles
de cycles à rupture

Deuxième exemple d’application
 Fourth dimensioning stage: stress analysis through the tube wall
 At each point in the cycle, the stress evolution through the thickness must
be determined
 Decomposition in polynomial form according to thickness (noted L)
Circonferential
contraintes stresses
circonférentielles
8.00E+08
contraintes en MPa
2 3
u  u u
s ; t   s0 t   s1t .  s 2 t .   s3 t . 
u 6.00E+08
L  L L L 4.00E+08
2.00E+08
0.00E+00
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
-2.00E+08
abscisse curviligne

 Fifth dimensioning step: determining the variation in KI over the cycle

 We use the tabulated influence coefficients i0, i1 , i2 , i3
 a
2
a 
3
K I t   s0 t .i 0  s1t .i1.  s 2 t .i 2 .   s3 t .i3.  . .a
a
 h h  h  
 To do this, an assumption must be made about the shape of the defect
For this test, we choose a surface defect

defined by c/a = 4 70 a/h=0.1
a/h=0.2
60
a/h=0.3
h 50 a/h=0.4
ri
40 a/h=0.5
KI en MPa.m 0.5
a/h=0.6
30
a/h=0.7
20 a/h=0.8
L
2.c 10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
-10
-20
a temps en seconde
 Sixth dimensioning stage: determination of the number of cycles required to pass through the tube:
 For each crack size, determination of DK(a) over the thermal cycle.
n
 da  a    a 
The propagation rate is estimated from the material's Paris law    C. D
 eff  h 
K
dN  h    
 The number of cycles for the propagation phase is determined by simple integration
 New assumptions are required

 The closure effect is assumed to apply for this thermal loading
 The analysis is started for a/h = 0.1 (i.e. a crack of 0.67mm)
 The crack is assumed to be unique: no network of cracks
 It retains its shape (c/a = 4) and is assumed to cross the tube for a/h = 0.8
Based on these data, we estimate the number of cycles at 1400.

Once the crack is initiated, propagation is very fast (compared to
the initiation phase).
Some « words » about creep-fatigue
High-temperature cyclic loading combined with load-holding operations
Structures concerned
 RNR structures in the nuclear industry, thermal engines in the Loads
Chargement Temps de
Hold time
maintien
automotive industry, turbo-reactors in the aerospace industry, etc.
 Loads often composed of temperature load-holding and transients
Transitoire
 Phenomena highly dependent on temperature: the higher the
temperature, the more important they become Time
Temps

Warning: when it comes to high temperatures :

 There is no universal criterion, accepted and used by everyone.
 At high temperatures, more than anywhere else, the appropriate criterion
may depend on the material, the temperature, the environment, etc.
 The threshold values or master curves proposed may be highly dependent
on parameters such as the environment, the load rate, etc.
 The presentation will focus on the RCC-MRx approaches, which are more
dedicated to stainless steels.

The principle for analysing fatigue creep is to decompose the fatigue damage and the
creep damage.
 Each type of damage is treated separately
 No interaction between fatigue and creep is taken into account
 The criteria used are those that apply to fatigue alone or to creep alone.
 All the developments put in place for fatigue are therefore used
 Accumulation is estimated either in an interaction diagram (for initiation) or by a
simple sum of the rates (for propagation).

Fatigue damage Creep damage
Stress intensity factor transient (DKI)

Stress during the holding time(KI)
DK I   
Ds de  1  KI   
2..r  2.r  s de  1 
2..r  2.r 
Evaluation of the variation in strain Assessment of the stress at the start of the
during the transient(Ded) maintenance period, then its evolution :
sd(t)
Fatigue curve (Ded,NR)

Creep stress curve (sd, TR)

Damage calculated separately is included in the interaction diagram
Fatigue damage
Usage rate V for a W
number of cycles N
Ded
V = N / NR 1 Initiation
NR Bilinear Interaction
Linear Interaction
Creep damage
Usage rate W for
sd cumulative creep time
T No Initiation
0 V
0 1
TR
W = T / TR

For propagation, we again use a decomposition of the propagation rate
 For each transient, calculation of dafatigue
 For each holding time, calculation of dacreep Loads

Chargement Temps de
Hold time
maintien
 For the whole cycle i :
Transitoire
Time
Temps
𝛿𝑎𝑖 = 𝛿𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑒 ,𝑖 + 𝛿𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑝 ,𝑖
No interaction between fatigue and creep is considered

The fatigue crack propagation rate is determined using the Paris law.
da
dN
The creep crack propagation rate is determined from a master curve based on the
parameter C* :
da
dt
 
 A  C*
q
 A and q are constants (assumed to be intrinsic to the material)

 C* represents the stress at the crack tip: it is constant or decreases over time,
depending on the type of behaviour of the material (primary creep or secondary
creep) and the stress.

The creep crack propagation law is dependent on external parameters:

 Temperature: the curve is likely to evolve with temperature.
 Environment: significant effect on creep crack propagation rate.
 A major characterisation effort is required
There are also other fundamental questions:

 Can it be applied locally (for a surface defect)?
 Is the curve really intrinsic to the material (can it be transposed from specimens to
structures)?
 Is it not affected by the transient (interaction between work hardening and creep)?

For the application of the method under creep-fatigue loading, questions relating to the
sequence of loads recur:
 What effect does the transient have on the load imposed during the hold time?
 What is the stress at the crack tip at the start of the hold time (effect of the transient
or not)?
 What is the impact on the time used for creep behaviour (time reset or not)?
 The propagation increment is calculated simply by integration:
𝑡𝑖+1
𝛿𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑝 ,𝑖 = න 𝐴. 𝐶𝑖∗ (𝑡) 𝑑 𝑑𝑡
𝑡𝑖
 If the time is reset at each cycle, ti is taken to be zero, otherwise ti corresponds to

the end of the previous cycle.

Methods and criteria are proposed for estimating fatigue damage

 The sd approach for crack initiation at a geometric singularity
 This approach is based on a distance d, assumed to be characteristic of the
material.
 The other material data are conventional (fatigue or cyclic behaviour curves).
 Paris da/dN(DK) law for fatigue crack propagation

 This law is specific to fracture mechanics
 Significant experimental effort may be required to fully characterise the material:
closure effect, environmental effect, threshold, etc.

Additional methods and criteria are proposed for estimating creep-fatigue damage
 The sd approach is retained for crack initiation at a geometric singularity

 The distance d is assumed to be a material characteristic
 The other material data is conventional (creep resistance curves outside the
singularity)
 A law of the type da/dt (C*) is used for the creep contribution
 This law is specific to fracture mechanics
 Significant experimental effort may be required to fully characterise the material
 No interaction between fatigue and creep is taken into account (linear
summation of rates)

Some Conclusions
Of course, not everything has been resolved.
For fatigue :
 The distance d for different materials
 Damage accumulation for random loading
 Average stress and closure effects
 The transition from the initiation phase to the propagation phase
 Fatigue-tear interaction, etc.
For creep, further validation is still required (mainly for the fatigue-creep interaction).
 Knowledge of the effect of the transient on crack tip stress at the start of the holding time
 Knowledge of the evolution of the stress at the crack tip during the holding time (relaxation, redistribution, etc.)
 Transferability of the da/dt - C* law
 Local application of the criterion (for a surface defect)
 Interaction between strain hardening and creep
 Consideration of complex loads and transients (imposed displacements or thermal transients)

Some Conclusions
Conclusions
Despite the difficulty of the problem, these criteria allow a rapid estimation of the
risks of initiation and propagation
 Fully analytical calculations (when KI and sref forms are available)
 Almost immediate estimate, allowing a "reasonable" quantification of the risk of
cracking
 This type of estimate still seems difficult to obtain using E.F. calculations.
 Models with little validation and difficult to use for structures
 Highly non-linear "all or nothing" behavior

An example of fatigue crack propagation under
thermo-mechanical loads
Crack propagation under thermo-mechanical loading in PWR components, mainly in piping

 Combined thermal + mechanical loading: hot or cold shocks, stratification, mixing zones...
Crack propagation under thermal shock ≠ Crack propagation under mechanical loading
 Loading related to crack size: decreases with Da
 Plasticity leads to reduced loading: driven by thermal expansion
Appendix 5.3 of the RSE-M Code requires to apply a plastic correction a to the stress intensity factor range (DK),
2
a  ry 1  DK 
Like that: DK CP  aDK Sy is the yield stress at 0,2 % and, ry   
6  2S y   K MAX 
2
a   W-a 
4  
■ The correction a depends on the size of the plastic zone ry compared to the ligament of the crack W – a   Sy



■ The correction is applied only if the mechanical load is significant compared to the thermal load
max  0.2K max
K meca
The objective of this study is to investigate the application range and accuracy of this correction
 With tests on standard specimens (CT) with mechanical loading
 With tests on tubular specimens and thermo-mechanical loading: PROFATH

Representative test tube
Thick tube in Austenitic Stainless Steel : Outside diameter: 60 mm - thickness 10 mm
Austenitic stainless steel 304L
External circumferential notch
Application of thermo-mechanical loading

Application of thermal loading
External wall heating by induction
Cooling by water injection inside
Static tensile loading up to 200 kN
Development of the PROFATH experiment

Localized heating (over 30mm) promotes structural effect due to thermal gradient
Optimisation of cooling (700 litre tank at 16°C, fixed nozzle)
Recalibration of the thermal model from thermocouple measurements
LISN's own monitoring and control software
Heating
time
Th
Tc
Time
Cooling
timer
Th
Tc
Time
41
Qualification of the thermal loading
Characterisation of the experimental temperature map
20 thermocouples ( = 0,5 mm) used on the thermal map specimen
- 3 differents axial positions
- 3 differents depth (9 mm, 5 mm et surface -0,5 mm-)
Thermal maps specimen E0150B
Axial position 1 Axial position 2 at 120° Axial position 3 at 240°

Section
position A Type B Type A Type B Type A Type B Type
Section C Type C Type C Type
between depth 9 depth 5 depth 9 depth 5 depth 9 depth 5
number surface surface surface
the crack mm mm mm mm mm mm
section
1 + 40 mm 1A1 1C1 2A1 2C1
2 + 18 mm 1A2 1B2 1C2 2A2 2B2 2C2
3 +9 mm 1A3 1B3 1C3 2A3 2B3 2C3 3A3
crack = 0
4 1A4 1B4 2A4 2B4 3A4 3B4
mm
5 -9 mm 1A5 1B5 1C5 2A5 2B5 2C5 3A5
6 -18 mm 1A6 1B6 1C6 2A6 2B6 2C6
7 -40 mm 1A7 1C7 2A7 27
Specimen used to determine

experimental thermal map

42
Quantification of crack propagation during PROFATH testing
Complacency method, Exploration of the Potential Difference Method
INSTRON extensometer 2620-603 base 10 mm course ±1 mm
 Compliance measurements with an extensometer (necessary precision 0,1 mm)
 Crack lenght deduced from compliance (FE calculations and recalibration via post mortem observations)
PDM measurment with particular device
Crack propagation, comparison between compliance Crack propagation, comparison between PDM measurements and
measurements and post-mortem observations post-mortem observations

43
Illustration with 2 PROFATH tests among the 7 tests performed
Mechanical and thermal

loading
& Post-mortem facies
Precrack Step 1 Step 2

+1 mm +1 mm +6 mm
Monitoring of crack
propagation with the
compliance method

44
Thermo-mechanical interpretation of PROFATH tests
 Finite Element Model Geometry model
Axisymmetric geometric model (assumption of perfectly axisymmetric loading)
50 mm quadratic elements at the crack tip
Cast3M code developed at CEA/SEMT
 Thermal model
Physical" representation of thermal loading
Local heating by Joule effect (skin thickness)
Thermal conduction
Cooling imposed by internal wall temperature
Reproduction of temperature changes and comparison with thermocouples
Temperatures measured at ±9mm from the plane of the crack (sections 3 and 4)
Temperature in the plane of the crack more important (+30°C)
Comparison of numerical and experimental temperatures
600
Infrared camera view of the skin thickness
1c3_Cast3m
at the start of heating 500 1c3_Exp
1 1b3_Cast3M
 Mechanical model 𝛿= 400 1b3_Exp
Temperature (°C)
𝜋. 𝑓. 𝜇. 𝜎 1a3_Cast3M
Estimation of crack length via compliance measurements 1a3_Exp
Skin thickness 300
Numerical interpretation based on elastic behaviour and geometry near
initial stress 200
Application of Paris law: sufficiently long crack and consistent FIC
SIF is deduced from the integral of J (Gtheta procedure) 𝜕𝑇 𝜆 𝑃 100
Estimation of the SIF via the KCP corrections of Appendix 5.3 of the RSE-M = ∆𝑇 +
𝜕𝑡 𝜌𝑐 𝜌𝑐
Thermal conduction 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity Time (s)
12/03/2024 45
45
Analysis of the severity of defects following annex 5.3 of the RSE-M code
Determination of KMECA et KTH via finite elements simulations
Determination of DKEFF as a function of the R ratio
Application of the correction from RSE-M 5.3
The correction a is dependaent on the value of ryA (RSE-M et extend-RSE-M)

a1  1 ryA  0,05W - a
a2  1 ryA  0,05W - a
 ryA - 0,05  W - a  
2
a1  1  0,15  r - 0,05  W - a  
2
 0,05W - a  ryA  0,085W - a
 0,035  W - a   a 2  1  0,15 yA  0,05W - a  ryA  0,10W - a
 0,035  W - a  
a1  1,15 ryA  0,085W - a
ryA  0,10W - a
a 2  1,30
Estimation of the propagation rates with the Paris law
• From an elastic approach DKEFF (ELAS)
• With current elastoplastic correction DKCP1 (RSE-M)
• With proposed modification DKCP2 (RSE-M EX)
With C = 10-9 et m = 3.75 for the tests 2, 3 and 4 (Tc=400°C) and C = 2.5304 * 10-9 and m = 3.5165 for the tests1 (Tc= 450°C).
46
Determination of the Propagation Law
FATIGUE CRACKING TESTS
20, 400 and 475 °C and R = 0.1 on CT25/12.5 short notched specimens (EDF geometry), imposed load
Température (°C) 20 400 430 475

-9 -10 -9 -9
C 1,406*10 2,3486*10 10 2,5304*10
m 3,299 4,106 3,75 3,5165

47
Implementation of a PROFATH experiment, tube subjected to cyclic thermal and static mechanical loading
Crack propagation is measured several times during the tests (complacency and promising potential difference method)
6 propagation tests carried out and 1 interpretation test (evaluation of stricture)
The interpretation of the tests highlighted the importance of thermal loading on the mechanical part
Elastic estimation of the propagation crack rate The cracking rate estimate deduced from the elasto-plastic
severely underestimates the propagation and is non- approach of the RSE-M code (Appendix 5.3) is in good agreement,
conservative except for test 7 with a low Kmeca although it tends to overestimate the propagation; this makes it
conservative.
48
Essai 7 : decrease in thermal loading T: 320°C inside
Decrease in mechanical loading: 20% criterion limit
Outside
Outside Inside

49
Conclusions
■ The fatigue crack propagation tests on CT have shown that the limits of the experimental standards can
be exceeded and that a plastic correction is not necessary
■ The PROFATH device was developed and used to apply cyclic thermo-mechanical loads on a tubular
SS specimen
■ The crack growth rate was measured several times during the tests
■ The classical elastic estimation rule underestimates the crack propagation and is non-conservative
(except for the test 7 : important mechanical part)
■ The RSE-M Appendix 5.3 estimation rule provides an accurate crack propagation rate

Effect of the Mixing Flows on the propagation of
Thermal Fatigue Cracks
In Nuclear plants : the Civaux case in 1998 induced two major questions
Civaux case : appearance of a leak due to a through wall crack in 1500 hours
 Longitudinal crack at the extrados of the bend (crack length : 180mm)
 Damage in the mixing tee and the tee junction
 Damage in the straight sections of piping
 How a damage could appear so quickly ? (Initiation aspect)
 How, for several cracks, the propagation could be so deep, unitle

the entire thickness of the pipe ? (Crack growth aspect)
The develoment of a ‘simplified ‘ and fast analyse tools is needed to

accurately take into account the thermal fatigue
Rapid crack propagation under thermal fluctuations

Effect of the Mixing Flows on the propagation of
General objectives:
 Analysis of the thermal loading on piping caused by turbulent mixing
 Understanding of initiation and propagation mechanisms for this type of loading
 Explanation of the particularities of the Civaux case in which cracking appeared in a short time and no
crack in another configuration with higher thermal loading
Approach in 4 steps:
 Physical and mathematical analysis of the problem: potential origins of the thermal fluctuations,
thermal frequency response of the structure, crack propagation rate estimations…
 Hydro-Thermo-Mechanical model developments in Cast3M F.E. code
 Experimental developments for thermal loading effects on structure analysis
 Numerical Analysis of the two kinds of mixing zone (Civaux case and piping connexion on the main
coolant line case)

Analytical model for crack growth under thermal
loads Same thermal loads applied on different geometries induced different stress responses
T ( x, t ) T ( x, t )
t Thickness(m)
T (t )  DT .e i
T (t )  DT .e it
Thickness (m)
s ( x, t )
s ( x, t )
Plate Pipe
Thickness(m)
Thickness (m)
s(x,t) s(x,t)
Realistic geometry (tee and elbow)

loads Classical mechanical response due to thermal load (DT)
aE
s ( x, t )  - DT .e it A(, x )
1-n
The mechanical response is depend on two kind of constrain conditions
- Membrane, - Bending and the rest (Peak)
h
1
Tm   T ( x )dx
 2x  h0
T ( x )  Tm  Tb1 -   Tp( x ) with
 h 
-6
h
 h
Tb   T
h2 0 
 x - dx
2
Introducing the geometry and constrain conditions effects
aE  1
h
12 
h
h  h 
s ( x, t )  - T ( x )  (1 - Am )  T ( x )dx  (1 - Ab )  x -   T  x - dx 
1-n  h0 h 
3 2 0  2 

Membrane Part Bending part

loads For different thermal loads : Stratification or hot/cold spot
Y
5°
P1
Longueur du spot :
application du
chargement thermique
sinusoïdal
application du
chargement thermique
P2 constant à 20°C
X
-15°
15°
P3
Am=0, Ab=0,2

loads Determination of the stress intensity factor with the influencing functions
Used of the appendix (A16) of the RCC-MR

Polynomial form
2 3 4
u  u  u  u  u 
s    s o  s1     s 2     s 3     s 4   
L L L L L
 a a
2
a
3
a 
4
KI  s 0 .i 0  s 1.i1.   s 2.i 2.   s 3 .i 3 .   s 4 .i 4 .  .  .a
 L L L  L  
Calculate the effective stress intensity factor range DKeff

accounting for plasticity and crack closure (q parameter)
DK eff  q  E * DJs
Determination of the crack growth with the Paris law
da
dN

loads Application example : Most ‘damageable’ thermal loads
Stress Intensity Factor vs Frequencies
35
30
25
Stress Intensity Factor

For each part: Membrane,
Bending, Peak
20
Stress Intensity Factor vs Frequencies
1.0
membrane
0.9 bending
peak
15
0.8
0.7
Stress Intensity Factor
0.6
10 F = 0,02Hz
0.5
FMax = 0,4Hz F = 8Hz

0.4
0.3 5
0.2
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2
10 10 10 10 10 10
0.1 Frequencies (Hz)
0.0
10
-3
10
-2
10
-1
10
Frequencies (Hz)
0
10
1
10
2
For a particular geometry (elbow of Civaux case)
Internal circumferential defect in a pipe with a ratio : A/h = 0,2

Effect of the Mixing Flows on the Propagation of
Crack initiation and thermal stripping (i.e. surface damage) is a well know phenomenon linked to the thermal
fluctuations
 The temperature difference between the cold and hot fluids in entry of the mixing tee junction is
significant (until 160°C)
 The mixture is turbulent and take a long time to establish
 Elephant skin type of damage is observed
- This damage is understood and explained by important temperature

difference between cold and hot water flow
Crack propagation :
Before the CIVAUX event, it was commonly admitted that the thermal stripping led to a
crack initiation, then an arrest of the crack propagation (1 or 2 mm)
- For us, a better knowledge of the CIVAUX thermal loading is the keystone of this
thermal fatigue crack propagation problem
- In particular, low frequency thermal loading are suspected to explain
the rapid through thickness crack propagation
- But what are the origins of these low frequency loadings ?

Numerical investigations for the CIVAUX case
Understanding of the rapid crack propagation

• Why cracking is observed in this area, particularly at the extrados of the elbow ?
• What kind of thermohydraulic loading is at the origin ?
Tentative to establishing natural mechanisms (turbulence, pulsing and instability) which might be the
cause of any substantial thermo-mechanical
loading at low frequency
Complete Hydro-Thermo-Mechanical analysis with the computer code Cast3M

• L.E.S. Approach in Thermo-Hydraulic
• Thermo-elastic calculation of stresses in Thermo-mechanic

Low frequency thermal loading is suspected to be induced
by global flow instability
Thermo-hydraulic calculation were made to evaluate the stability of the
flow :
• Analysis of boundary conditions excitation with white noise on flow
velocities (5% and 2.5%)
• Parametric study the effect of the geometry on the stability of the flow
RRA2C RRA4C
Calculating the maximum temperature variation :
Right-hand side (flow

instabilities)
Low surface area in

the tee (hot/cold
interface)
2 elbows analysis

Calculating the maximum temperature variation :
Extrados of the elbow (oscillation of a cold blade)
∆T
Large surface area in the
tee (hot/cold interface)
4 Elbows analysis

Thermal Fatigue Cracks Elbow (cold flow oscillation
Determination of maximum ∆T from one flank to the other) ∆T
temperature variations :
Straight pipe
(Flow instability)
Small area at the Tee exit Large area at the Tee exit
(cold/hot interface) (cold/hot interface)
Calculation with 2 bends Calculation with 4 bends

Main conclusions of the thermo-hydraulic calculations :
• Turbulence has been the cause of thermal stripping

• But alone it could not explain the crack propagation thought the
thickness because frequencies are too high and thus crack are
stopped after a short propagation
• However, turbulence associated with particular geometry of the flow
may be the natural origin of low-frequency instability : in this case,
cold flow is moving from one flank to the other, creating low
frequency thermal fluctuations
• In a general case, the low-frequency instability could be damped
(stable flow) or amplified within the flow geometry (linking of
different bends)

Thermo-mechanic computations :
Stress analysis at the bend outlet : location where through
wall crack propagation remains difficult to explain
Longitudinal crack at
the bend extrados
(through wall crack)
Circumferential crack at the

bend/Tee thickness transition
(80% of the thickness)
Maximum mean stress : seq_max = 658MPa

Maximum variation of stress : Dseq_max = 467MPa

Stress analysis at the outlet of the bend :
• Variation of stress up to 200 MPa with low frequency (important membrane stress)
• With the singularity geometry due to the unflushed weld in this area, this stress
variation is sufficient to initiate a crack
Cold flow movement
225.0 90°
Point à 67°
Point à 27°
stress (MPa)
175.0
125.0
Contrainte (MPa)
Circumferential
75.0
0°
25.0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-25.0
-75.0
Time
Temps (s)
(s)

Stress intensity factor variation is determined for the sequence
• Observation of KI Fluctuation at low-frequency
• For a small crack (a = 0.6 mm), DKI is sufficient to propagate the crack (DKI = 15 Mpa.m)
• Due to important membrane and bending stresses, DKI remains important for a deep cracks (until 30 MPa. m)
• For the calculated sequence, propagation time for crack at the outlet of the bend (a/h = 0.1 to 0.8) is estimated at 517 hours
Stress intensity factor evolution with time
Crack propagation
analysis for stress field
calculated at 27°

Numerical investigations for the piping connexion on the main coolant line
Understanding of no-crack propagation

• Why no-cracking is observed in this mixing zone, with a higher thermal loadings
• What kind of thermohydraulic loading is at the origin ?
Application of the same analysis which permit it bring element of understanding to the CIVAUX case
incident is undertaken in this case
Complete Hydro-Thermo-Mechanical analysis with the computer code Cast3M

• L.E.S. Approach in Thermo-Hydraulic
• Thermo-elastic calculation of stresses in Thermo-mechanic

Conclusions of Numerical studies of thermal mixing zone
• These study bring arguments of comprehension of the rapid crack propagation in the CIVAUX
event (specifically at the outlet of the bend)
• Turbulence was the probable natural origin of the low-frequency instability of the cold flow
• Thermo-hydraulic parametric study shows that low-frequency instability could be damped or
amplified within the particular flow geometry
- Civaux case : low-frequency instability with a DT = 160°C
Rapid crack initiation and propagation
- Piping connexion case : no instability even with a great DT = 300°C

Crack initiation but no crack propagation
• Low-frequency thermal loading induce significant membrane and bending stress variations,
and thus crack propagation

Thank You
Cédric Gourdin, CEA6SEMT-LISN
cedric.gourdin@cea.fr

7

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

7

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

7

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Structural Integrity

1. Introduction 4. An example of fatigue

2. Fatigue 5. An example to explain crack

3. A few words on creep-fatigue

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 2

The objective of this course is cyclic loading

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 3

 Different fields: oligo - poly - giga cyclic

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 4

In fracture mechanics, the presence of the singularity amplifies the complexity

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 5

Obviously, these criteria cannot take account of all phenomena.

Although simplifying, methods based on the global approach

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 6

■ Fatigue curve (De - Nr)

■ Paris law for materials (da/dN - DK)

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 7

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 8

Evaluation of the effect of plasticity at Ds de2

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 9

 The proposed simplification has several advantages:

Despite its approximations and the severe criticism it has

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 10

 The rate of propagation of a fatigue crack is commonly determined using the

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 11

 This formulation is extended to unconfined plasticity

Use of the same analytical tools and formulas as

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 12

DK eff  qR . E * .DJ 0.5 Acc.

 In its simple form, the above relationship requires a considerable effort of

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 14

 Under variable amplitude loading, pre-processing is necessary to refer to the

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 15

 Can the q function determined on CT specimens be transposed to structures?

 How can we quantify the effect of a singularity (fillets, welds, etc.)?

 Effect of cyclic plasticity?

 What calculation can be made for variable amplitude loading (accumulation of

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 16

 Tube with an axisymmetric defect 2E+4

 Cyclic plasticity must be taken into account -4E+4

made about the shape of the defect 5E+4

 Definition of an angular 2E+4

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 17

 Construction of a KI form by finite element calculation 2.2

 Formula for surface defects 1.6

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 18

 q(R) is the closure effect determined on the CT specimen (R = -1)

 The Paris law is the one determined on the CT specimen

Maximum crack depth (mm)

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 19

 Pre-dimensioning of a thermal fatigue test

 Configuration of a tube subjected to

 fint = 152.6mm, h = 6.7mm

 Local cooling by injection of water on

 Constant heating in an oven: 650°C

The aim is to determine the number of cycles required to initiate a crack,

 First stage of design: temperature evolution

INSTN - HBNI courses on Structural integrity 12/03/2024 21

 Based on the temperature evolution, the calculation allows us to determine