• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2011

The objective of this study is to classify the geometry of wall-thinning defect that causes a circumferential crack in the pipe elbows subjected to internal pressure. For this objective, first of all a criterion to determine the occurrence of circumferential cracking at wall-thinned area was developed based on finite element simulation for burst tests of pipe elbow specimens that showed axial and circumferential cracking at wall-thinned area. In addition, parametric finite element analysis including various wall-thinning geometries, locations, and pipe geometries was conducted and the wall-thinning geometries that initiate circumferential crack were determined by applying the criterion to the results of parametric analysis. It showed that the circumferential crack occurs at wall-thinning defect, which has a deep, wide, and short geometry. Also, it is indicated that the pipe elbows with larger radius to thickness ratio are more susceptible to circumferential cracking at wall-thinned area.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.13-22
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• 2012

According to recent research on leak-rate estimates to assess rupture probabilities of nuclear piping which contains a circumferential surface/through-wall cracks due to PWSCC, i.e., xLPR (Extremely Low Probability of Rupture) program, it has been revealed that the use of crack shape with an idealized circumferential through-wall crack during actual crack growth can lead to overestimate of the leak-rate. Thus, for accurate estimation of the leak-rate during crack growth, the more realistic crack shape that can simulate the crack shape transition from surface crack to through-wall crack should be used. In this context, in the present study, the elastic crack opening displacement of slanted circumferential through-wall crack in thick-walled cylinder was proposed based on 3-dimensional elastic finite element fracture mechanics analyses. To propose the elastic crack opening displacement of slanted circumferential through-wall crack in thick-walled cylinder, the geometric variables affecting crack opening displacement, i.e., thickness of cylinder, reference inner crack length and slant crack ratio were systematically varied. In terms of loading conditions, axial tension, global bending moment and internal pressure were considered. The present results can be applied to calculate the leak-rate considering more realistic crack shape transition from surface crack to idealized through-wall crack, and can be expected to enhance current leak-rate estimation scheme, for instance, in xLPR program etc.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.2 s.70
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• pp.38-43
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• 2005

Several nuclear power plants reported that they often found the combination cracks, which consist of longitudinal and circumferential cracks in the tubes. For the burst pressure of a tube with a single longitudinal or circumferential crack several experimental equations have been proposed in published literatures. But for the combination crack appropriate fracture criterion has not been proposed yet. In this study the burst pressures of a tube with a longitudinal crack or a T-type combination crack consisting of longitudinal and circumferential cracks were obtained experimentally and analytically. Fracture parameters such as crack opening angle (COA) were investigated by using elastic plastic analysis. Also the burst pressure far a T-type combination crack located near a tubesheet was considered to develop a length-based criterion. Because most of the axial, circumferential or combination cracks initiate in roll transition zone near the tubesheet.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.1778-1782
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• 2007

Based on three-dimensional (3-D) FE limit analyses, this paper estimates effect of internal pressure on plastic limit loads for elbows with circumferential through-wall crack under in-plane bending incorporating large geometry change effects. Circumferential through-wall crack in extrados is considered. The FE limit analyses using the large geometry change option provide plastic collapse loads (using the twice-elastic-slope method). For the bending mode, closing bending is considered. Other relevant variables affecting plastic limit loads are systematically varied, related to pipe bend geometry (the mean radius, thickness and bend curvature) and defect geometry (the length of circumferential through-wall crack).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2007

This paper presents a closed-form model for evaluating the restraint effect of pressure induced bending on the opening of a circumferential through-wall crack, which is considered plastic deformation behavior. Three-dimensional finite element analyses with different crack lengths, restraint conditions, pipe geometries, magnitudes of internal pressure, and tensile properties were used to investigate the influence of each parameter on the pressure-induced bending restraint on the crack opening displacement. From these investigations, an analytical model based on elastic-perfectly plastic material was developed in terms of the crack length, symmetric restraint length, mean radius to thickness ratio, axial stress corresponding to the internal pressure, and normalized crack opening displacement evaluated from a linear-elastic crack opening condition. Finite element analyses results demonstrate that the proposed analytical model reliably estimated the restraint effect of pressure-induced bending on the plastic crack opening of a circumferential through-wall crack and properly reflected the dependence on each parameter within the range over which the analytical expression was derived.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.138-146
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• 2013

The present paper provides the elastic stress intensity factors(SIFs) of thick-walled cylinder with non-idealized circumferential through-wall cracks. For estimating these elastic SIFs, the systematic three-dimensional(3D) elastic finite element(FE) analyses were performed. In order to consider practical shape of thick-walled cylinder and non-idealized circumferential through-wall crack, the values of thickness of cylinder, reference crack length and crack length ratio were systematically varied. As for loading conditions, axial tension, global bending and internal pressure were considered. In particular, in order to calculate the SIFs of thick-walled cylinder with non-idealized circumferential through-wall crack from those of thick-walled cylinder with idealized circumferential through-wall crack, the correction factor representing the effect of non-idealized crack on the SIFs were proposed in this paper. The present results can be applied to accurately evaluate the rupture probabilities of nuclear piping considering actual crack growth behaviors.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.30 no.9 s.252
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• pp.1134-1141
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• 2006

This paper presents the model for evaluating restraint effect of pressure induced bending (PIB) on the circumferential through-wall crack opening displacement (COD), which considers plastic behavior of crack. This study performed three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element (FE) analyses for different crack angle, restraint length, pipe geometry, stress level, and material conditions, and evaluated the influence of each parameter on the PIB restraint effect on COD. Based on these evaluations and additional perfectly-plastic FE analyses, a closed-form model to evaluate the restraint effect of PIB on the plastic crack opening of circumferential through-wall crack, was proposed as functions of crack angle, restraint length, radius to thickness ratio, axial stress corresponding to an internal pressure, and normalized COD evaluated from linear-elastic crack opening condition.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.160-166
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• 2001

The theoretical analyses for stresses induced in axial direction in the buried pipelines are reviewed. The influences of the axially directed stresses on the surface elliptical crack are studied in detail and thus some engineering technical informations are provided to use reliability assessment of buried pipelines. The change in temperature, the effect of inner pressure and soil friction in the buried pipeline constrained in axial direction are included to determine the axial stresses in the buried pipeline. Furthermore, the stress induced by the pipeline bending are also considered. The stress intensity factors calculated by two models such as a simple plane crack and an elliptical surface crack for a circumferential surface elliptical crack are compared.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.417-420
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• 2000

The theoretical analyses for stresses induced in axial direction in the buried pipelines are reviewed. The influences of the axially directed stresses on the surface elliptical crack are studied in detail and thus some engineering technical informations are provided to use reliability assessment of buried pipelines. The change in temperature, the effect of inner pressure and soil friction in the buried pipeline constrained in axial direction are included to determine the axial stresses in the buried pipeline. Furthermore, the stress induced by the pipeline bending are also considered. The stress intensity factors calculated by two models such as a simple plane crack and an elliptical surface crack for a circumferential surface elliptical crack are compared.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1798-1809
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• 1996

The purpose of this paper is to develop new Z-Factors to evaluate the behavior of circumferential surface crack in ferritic steel piping including base metal and Submerged Arc Weld(SAW) metal in nuclear power plant. The Z-factor is a load multiplier to convert plastic load to elasto-plastic load. However the current Z-Factor is a load multiplier to convert plastic load to elasto-plastic load. However the current Z-Factor gives too conservative results. In this study, a J-estimation method, SC.TNP method, which is based on GE/EPRI expression, is used to develop new Z-Factors. The desirabilities of both the SC.TNP mehtod and the new Z-Factors are examined using the previous experimental results for the circumferential surface crack in ferritic steel pippings. The results are as follows ; (1) The SC.TNP mehtod is good for describing the circumferential surface crack behavior in farritic steel pipings, while the well-known R6 mehtod and DPFAD method give too conservative results. (2) The ASME-Z-Factor method using nwe Z-Factors well predicts the behavior of circumferential surface crack in ferritic steel pipings including base emtal and SAW metal.