• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.36-48
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• 2021

As the material aging of nuclear power plants has been progressing in domestic and overseas, crack growth becomes one of the most important issues. In this respect, the crack growth assessment has been considered an essential part of structural integrity. The crack growth assessment for nuclear power plants has been generally performed based on ASME B&PV Code, Sec. XI but the idealization of crack shape and the conservative solutions of stress intensity factor (SIF) are used. Although finite element analysis (FEA) based on iterative crack growth analysis is considered as an alternative method to simulate crack growth, there are yet no guidelines to model the crack-tip spider-web mesh for such analysis. In this study, effects of various meshing factors on FE SIF calculation are systematically examined. Based on FEA results, proper criteria for spider-web mesh in crack-tip are suggested. The validation of SIF calculation method through mapping initial stress field is investigated to consider initial residual stress on crack growth. The iterative crack-tip modeling program to simulate crack growth is developed using the proposed criteria for spider-web mesh design. The SIF results from the developed program are validated by comparing with those from technical reports of other institutes.