Determination of J-Resistance Curves of Nuclear Structural Materials by Iteration Method

An iteration method has been developed for determining crack growth and fracture resistance cure (J-R curve) from the load versus load-line displacement record only. In this method, the hardening curve, the load versus displacement curve at a given crack length, is assumed to be a power-law function, where the exponent varies with the crack length. The exponent is determined by an iterative calculation method with the assumption that the exponent varies linearly with the load-line displacement. The proposed method was applied to the static J-R tests using compact tension(CT) specimens, a three-point bend (TPB) specimen, and a cracked round bar (CRB) specimen as well as it was applied to the quasi-dynamic J-R tests using CT specimens. The J-R curves determined by the proposed method were compared with those obtained by the conventional testing methodologies. The results showed that the J-R curves could be determined directly by the proposed iteration method with sufficient accuracy in the specimens from SA508, SA533, and SA516 pressure vessel steels and SA312 Type 347 stainless steel.