• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.8 s.239
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• pp.1070-1077
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• 2005

The $40\%$ of wall thickness criterion which has been used as a plugging rule is applicable only to a single cracked steam generator tubes. In the previous studies performed by authors, several failure prediction models were introduced to estimate the plastic collapse pressures of steam generator tubes containing collinear or parallel two adjacent axial through-wall cracks. The objective of this study is to examine the failure prediction models and propose optimum ones for non-aligned two axial through-wall cracks in steam generator tubes. In order to determine the optimum ones, a series of plastic collapse tests and finite element analyses were carried out for steam generator tubes with two machined non-aligned axial through-wall cracks. Thereby, either the plastic zone contact model or COD based model was selected as the optimum one according to axial distance between two clacks. Finally, the optimum failure prediction model was used to demonstrate the conservatism of flaw characterization rules for various multiple flaws according to ASME code.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.1207-1214
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• 2014

Under excessive plasticity, the fracture toughness of a material depends on its size and geometry. Under fully yielded conditions, the stresses in a material near its crack tip are not unique but rather depend on the geometry. Therefore, the single-parameter J-approach is limited to a high-constraint crack geometry. The JQ theory has been proposed for establishing the crack geometry constraints. This approach assumes that the crack-tip fields have two degrees of freedom. In this study, the crack-tip stress field of a fully circumferential surface-cracked pipe under combined loads is investigated on the basis of the JQ theory by using finite element analysis. The combined loads are a tensile axial force and the thermal gradient in the radial direction. Q-stresses of the crack geometry and its loading state are used to determine the constraint effects. The constraint effects of secondary loading are found to be greater than those of primary loading. Therefore, thermal shock is believed to be the most severe loading condition of constraint effects.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.1186-1191
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• 2003

The 40% of wall criterion, which is generally used for the plugging of steam generator tubes, may be applied only to a single crack. In the previous study, a total of 9 failure models were introduced to estimate the local failure of the ligament between cracks and the optimum coalescence model of multiple collinear cracks was determined among these models. It is, however, known that parallel axial cracks are more frequently detected during an in-service inspection than collinear axial cracks. The objective of this study is to determine the plastic collapse model which can be applied to the steam generator tube containing two parallel axial through-wall cracks. Nine previously proposed local failure models were selected as the candidates. Subsequently interaction effects between two adjacent cracks were evaluated to screen them. Plastic collapse tests for the plate with two parallel through-wall cracks and finite element analyses were performed for the determination of the optimum plastic collapse model. By comparing the test results with the prediction results obtained from the candidate models, a plastic zone contact model was selected as an optimum model.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.22 no.10 s.175
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• pp.137-143
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• 2005

The integrity of steam generator tubes in nuclear power plant should be maintained sufficiently during operation. For sake of this, complicated assessment procedures are required such as fracture mechanics analysis, etc. The integrity assessment of tubes has been performed by using conventional deterministic approaches while there are many uncertainties to carry out a rational evaluation. In this respect, probabilistic integrity assessment is considered as an alternative method for integrity assessment. The objectives of this study are to develop an integrity assessment system based on probabilistic fracture mechanics and to predict the failure probability of steam generator tubes containing an axial through-wall crack. The developed integrity assessment system consists of three evaluation modules, which apply first order reliability method, second order reliability method and Monte Carlo simulation method, respectively. The system has been applied to predict failure probability of steam generator tubes and the estimation results showed a promising applicability of the probabilistic integrity assessment system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.22 no.3_1spc
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• pp.573-579
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• 2013

Once-through helically coiled steam generator tubes subjected to external pressure are of interest because of their application to advanced small- and medium-sized integral reactors, in which a primary coolant with a relatively higher pressure flows outside the tubes, while secondary water with a relatively lower pressure flows inside the tubes. Another notable point is that the values of the mean radius to thickness ratio of these steam generator tubes are very small, which means that a thick-walled cylinder is employed for these steam generator tubes. In the present paper, the maximum allowable pressure of helically coiled and thick-walled steam generator tubes with through-wall cracks under external pressure is investigated based on a detailed nonlinear three-dimensional finite element analysis. In terms of the crack orientation, either circumferential or axial through-wall cracks are considered. In particular, in order to quantify the effect of the crack location on the maximum external pressure, these cracks are assumed to be located in the intrados, extrados, and flank of helically coiled cylinders. Moreover, an evaluation is also made of how the maximum external pressure is affected by the ovality, which might be inherently induced during the tube coiling process used to fabricate the helically coiled steam generator tubes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1337-1345
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• 2011

In pressurized water reactors (PWRs), the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) upper head contains numerous control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) nozzles. In the last 10 years, the incidences of cracking in alloy 600 CRDM nozzles and their associated welds has increased significantly. Several axial and circumferential cracks have been found in CRDM nozzles in European PWRs and U.S. nuclear power plants. These cracks are caused by primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) and have been shown to be driven by welding residual stresses and operational stresses in the weld region. Therefore, detailed finite-element (FE) simulations for the Korea Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel have been conducted in order to predict the magnitudes of the weld residual stresses in the tube materials. In particular, the weld residual stress results are compared in terms for nozzle location, geometry factor$r_o$/t, geometry of fillet, and adjacent nozzle.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.2894-2900
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• 1996

The stream generator tubes represent an integral part of a major barrier against the fission product release to the environment. So, the rupture of these tubes could permit flow of reactor coolant into the secondary system and injure the safety of reactor coolant system. Therefore, if the crack was detected during In-Service Inspection of tubes the cracked tube should be evaluated by the pulgging criteria and plugged or not. In this study, the fracture mechanics evaluation is carried out on the thru-wall axial crack due to Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking in the roll transition aone of steam generator tube to help the assurence the integrity of tubes and estabilish the plugging criteria. Due to the Inconel which is used as tube material is more ductile than others, the plastic instability repture theory was used to calculate the critical and allowable crack length. Based on Leak Before Break concept the leak rate for the critical crack length and the allowable leak rate are compared and the safety of tubes was given.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.81-88
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• 1999

In order to properly evaluate the shear strength of reinforced concrete circular columns due to the transverse shear reinforcement, the average of fractions of forces generated along the circular transverse hoops across the shear failure plane in the loading direction is calculated. For this, the center-to-center diameter of circular transverse hoops. spacing and the crack angle measured to the column longitudinal axis are considered. Using these variables, an equation representing the effective section area of circular transverse shear steel is proposed. The study result shows that the constant parameter. used for the calculation of the effective section area of circular hoops over the last 10 years, should not universally be applied any more. The use of the constant parameter may not seriously do harm to the evaluation of shear strength for circular columns with non-seismically designed transverse hoop reinforcement, since it gives slightly conservative results. However. for well-confined circular columns with close spacing or circular steel jacketing. it gives about 20% overestimation of the shear capacity contributed by the transverse hoop steel.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1741-1751
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• 2004

It is commonly requested that the steam generator tubes wall-thinned in excess of 40% should be plugged. However, the plugging criterion is known to be too conservative for some locations and types of defects and its application is limited to a single crack in spite of the fact that the occurrence of multiple through-wall cracks is more common in general. The objective of this research is to propose the optimum failure prediction models for two adjacent through-wall cracks in steam generator tubes. The conservatism of the present plugging criteria was reviewed using the existing failure prediction models for a single crack, and six new failure prediction models for multiple through-wall cracks have been introduced. Then, in order to determine the optimum ones among these new local or global failure prediction models, a series of plastic collapse tests and corresponding finite element analyses for two adjacent through-wall cracks in thin plate were carried out. Thereby, the reaction force model, plastic zone contact model and COD (Crack-Opening Displacement) base model were selected as the optimum ones for assessment of steam generator tubes with multiple through-wall cracks. The selected optimum failure prediction models, finally, were used to estimate the coalescence pressure of two adjacent through-wall cracks in steam generator tubes.