• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.902-910
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• 2002

Cast stainless steel may experience embrittlement when it is exposed approximately to 300$\^{C}$ for a long period. In the present investigation, the three classes of the thermally-aged CF8M specimen were prepared using an artificially-accelerated aging method. After the specimens were held for 300, 1800 and 3600hrs. at 430$\^{C}$, respectively, the specimens were quenched in water which is at room temperature. Load versus load line displacement curves and J-R curves were obtained using the unloading compliance method. talc values were obtained using the ASTM E813-87 and ASTM E 813-81 methods. In addition to these methods, talc values were obtained using the SZW (stretch zone width) method described in JSME S 001-1981. The results of the unloading compliance method are J$\_$Q/=543.9kJ/㎡ for virgin materials. The values of J$\_$IC/ for the degraded materials at 300, 1800 and 3600hrs. are obtained 369.25kJ/㎡, 311.02kJ/㎡, 276.7kJ/㎡, respectively. The results obtained by the SZW method are compared with those obtained by the unloading compliance method. Both results are quite similar. Through the elastic-plastic fracture toughness test, it is found that the value of loc is decreased with an increase of the aging time.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.284-292
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• 2020

In this study, hydrogen charging was conducted for API X70 steel by the electro-chemical hydrogen charging method. Right after hydrogen was diffused from the specimen surface to the inside of the X70, the small punch tests and hydrogen concentration analysis was conducted within 5 minutes. Hydrogen was analyzed by melting the whole specimen and detect the gas after melting. Mechanical properties were measured by the small punch (SP) testing. Fracture surface and specimen surface were observed using scanning electron microscope. Three tests were repeated for study sensitivity of the SP test results under a same charging condition. It was observed that the variation of the maximum load, SP displacement at failure, hydrogen concentration as the charging period was not much in the case of X70 as the other steel such as Inconel. It can be argued that X70 base metal may have high hydrogen damage resistance and hydrogen diffusion in the base metal would not cause much embrittlement. Limitations of the SP test with 0.5 mm thickness for hydrogen damage test for X70 were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2001

The main objective of this study is to determine if the sources of AE in corroded specimens of aluminum could be identified iron the characteristics of the waveform signals recorded during fatigue loading. Coupons of notched 2024-T3 aluminum with or without corrosion (at the notch) were subjected to fatigue loading and the AE signals were recorded using non-resonant, flat, wide-band transducers. The time history and power spectrum of each individual wave signal recorded during fatigue crack growth were examined and classified according to their special characteristics. Five distinct types of signals were observed regardless of specimen condition. The waveform and power spectra were shown to be dependent on specimen condition. During the initial phase of crack growth, the signals obtained in the as-received specimens are most probably due to transgranular cleavage caused by extrusion and intrusion under fatigue loading. In the corroded specimen the signal are probably generated by intergranular cleavage due to embrittlement of grain boundary neat the pitting tip. The need for additional research to further validate these findings is indicated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.24 no.6 s.177
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• pp.1398-1407
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• 2000

The structural steels of power plant show the decrease of mechanical properties due to degradation such as temper embrittlement, creep damage and softening during long-term operation at high temper ature. The typical causes of material degradation damage are the creation and coarsening of carbides(M23C6, M6C) and the segregation of impurities(P, Sb and Sn) to grain boundary. It is also well known that material degradation induces the cleavage fracture and increases the ductile-brittle transition temperature of steels. So, it is very important to evaluate degradation damage to secure the reliable and efficient service condition and to prevent brittle failure in service. However, it would not be appropriate to sample a large test piece from in-service components. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a couple of new approaches to the non-destructive estimation technique which may be applicable to assessing the material degradation of the components with not to influence their essential strength. The purpose of this study is to propose and establish a new electrochemical technique for non-destructive evaluation of material degradation damage for Cr-Mo steels which is widely used in the high temperature structural components. And the electrochemical anodic polarization test results are compared with those of semi-nondestructive SP test.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.742-754
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• 2020

Zircaloy cladding oxidation is an important phenomenon for both design basis accident and severe accidents, because it results in cladding embrittlement and rapid fuel temperature escalation. For this reason during the last decade, many experts have been conducting experiments to identify the oxidation phenomena that occur under design basis accidents and to develop mathematical analysis models. However, since the study of design extension conditions (DEC) is relatively insufficient, it is essential to develop and validate a physical and mathematical model simulating the oxidation of the cladding material at high temperatures. In this study, the QUENCH-05 and -06 experiments were utilized to develop the best-fitted oxidation model and to validate the SPACE code modified with it under the design extension condition. It is found out that the cladding temperature and oxidation thickness predicted by the Cathcart-Pawel oxidation model at low temperature (T < 1853 K) and Urbanic-Heidrick at high temperature (T > 1853 K) were in excellent agreement with the data of the QUENCH experiments. For 'LOCA without SI' (Safety Injection) accidents, which should be considered in design extension conditions, it has been performed the evaluation of the operator action time to prevent core melting for the APR1400 plant using the modified SPACE. For the 'LBLOCA without SI' and 'SBLOCA without SI' accidents, it has been performed that sensitivity analysis for the operator action time in terms of the number of SIT (Safety Injection Tank), the recovery number of the SIP (Safety Injection Pump), and the break sizes for the SBLOCA. Also, with the extended acceptance criteria, it has been evaluated the available operator action time margin and the power margin. It is confirmed that the power can be enabled to uprate about 12% through best-estimate calculations.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.24 no.10 s.181
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• pp.2405-2412
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• 2000

A cast stainless steel may experience an embrittlement when it is exposed to approximately 30$0^{\circ}C$ for long period. In the present investigation, The three classes of the thermally aged CF8M specimie n are prepared using an artificially accelerated aging method. Namely, after the specimen are held for 300, 1800 and 3600hrs. at 43$0^{\circ}C$ respectively, the specimens are quenched in water to room temperature. Load versus load line displacement curves and J-R curves are obtained using the unloading compliance method. $J_{IC}$ values are obtained following ASTM E 813-87 and ASTM E 813-81 methods. In addition to these methods, JIC values are obtained using SZW(stretch zone width) method described in JSME S 001-1981. The results of the unloading compliance method are $J_Q$=485.7 kJ/m$^2$ for virgin material, $J_{IC}$ of the degraded materials associated with 300, 1800 and 3600hrs are obtained 369.25 kJ/m$^2$, 311.02 kJ/m$^2$, 276.7 kJ/m$^2$, respectively. The results of SZW method are similar to those of the unloading compliance method. Through the elastic-plastic fracture toughness test, it is found that the value of $J_{IC}$ is decreased with increasing of the aging time. The results obtained through the investigation can provide reference data for a leak before break(LBB) of reactor coolant system of nuclear power plants.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1139-1146
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• 2001

The reactor pressure vessel(RPV) is usually cladded with stainless steel to prevent corrosion and radiation embrittlement, and a number of subclad cracks have been found during an in-service-inspection. These subclad cracks should be assured for a safe operation under normal conditions and faulted conditions such as pressurized thermal shock(PTS). Currently available integrity assessment procedure for an RPV, ASME Code Sec. XI, are built on the basis of linear fracture mechanics (LEFM). In PTS condition, however, thermal stress and mechanical stress give rise to high tensile stress at the cladding and elastic-plastic behavior is expected in this area. Therfore, ASME Code Sec. XI is overly conservative in assessing the structural integrity under PTS condition. In this paper, the fracture parameter (stress intensity factor, K, and RT(sub)NDT) from elastic analysis using ASME Sec. XI and finite element method were validated against 3-D elastic-plastic finite element analyses. The difference between elastic and elastic-plastic analysis became significant with increasing crack depth. Therfore, it is recommended to perform elastic-plastic analysis for the accurate assessment of subclad cracks under TPS which causes plastic deformation at the cladding.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.49-54
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• 2000

Cr-Mo-V steel is widely used as a material for the turbine structural component in fossil power plants. It is well known that this material shows the various material degradation phenomenons such as temper embrittlement, carbide coarsening. and softening etc. or ins to the severe operation conditions as high temperature and high pressure. These deteriorative factors cause tile change of mechanical properties as reduction of fracture toughness. Therefor it is necessary to evaluate tile extent of degradation damage for Cr-Mo-V steel in life assessment of turbine structural components. In this paper. the electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation(EPR) test in $50wt%-Ca(NO_3)_2$ solution is performed to develop the newly technique for degradation damage evaluation of Cr-Mo-V steel. The results obtained from the EPR test are compared with those in small punch(SP) tests recommended by semi-nondestructive testing method using miniaturized specimen. The evaluation parameters used in EPR test are tile reactivation current density$(I_R)$ and charge$(Q_{RC})$ reactivation rate$(I_R/I_{Crit},\;Q_R/Q_{Crit})$. The results suggest that $I_R/I_{Crit}$ in these parameters shows a good correlation with SP test results.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.105-110
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• 2000

The Micromechanics test is new test method which uses comparatively smaller specimen than that required in conventional material tests. There are several methods, such as small-specimen creep test, the continuous indentation test, and small punch(SP) test. Among them, the small punch(SP) test method has been applied to many evaluation fields, such as a ductile-brittle transition temperature, stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen embrittlement, and fracture properties of advanced materials like FGM or MMC. In this study, the small punch(SP) test is performed to evaluate the mechanical properties at high/low temperature from $-196^{\circ}C$ to $650^{\circ}C$ and the material degradation for virgin and aged materials of 9Cr1MoVNb steel which has been recently developed. The ${\Delta}P/{\Delta}{\delta}$ parameter defined a slope in plastic membrane stretching region of SP load-displacement curve decreases according to the increase of specimen temperature, and that of aged materials is higher than the virgin material in all test temperatures. And the material degradation degrees of aged materials with $630^{\circ}C$ -500hrs and $630^{\circ}C$ -1000hrs are $36^{\circ}C$ and $38^{\circ}C$ respectively. These behaviors are good consistent with the results of hardness($H_v$) and maximum displacement(${\delta}_{max}$).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.637-646
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• 2016

This study is to investigate the influence of hydrogen attack and UNSM on fatigue behaviors of the Inconel 718 alloy. The decrease of the fatigue life between the untreated and the hydrogen attacked material is 10-20%. The fatigue lives of hydrogen attacked specimen decreased without a fatigue limit, similar to those of nonferrous materials. Due to hydrogen embrittlement, about 80% of the surface cracks were smaller than the average grain size of $13{\mu}m$. Many small surface cracks caused by the embrittling effect of hydrogen attack were initiated at the grain boundaries and surface scratches. Cracks were irregularly distributed, grew, and then coalesced through tearing, leading to a reduction of fatigue life. Results revealed that the fatigue lives of UNSM-treated specimens were longer than those of the untreated specimens.