• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2019

Structural integrity assessment of piping components is of paramount important for remaining life prediction, residual strength evaluation and for in-service inspection planning. For accurate prediction of these, a reliable fracture parameter is essential. One of the fracture parameters is stress intensity factor (SIF), which is generally preferred for high strength materials, can be evaluated by using linear elastic fracture mechanics principles. To employ available analytical and numerical procedures for fracture analysis of piping components, it takes considerable amount of time and effort. In view of this, an alternative approach to analytical and finite element analysis, a model based on relevance vector machine (RVM) is developed to predict SIF of part through crack of a piping component under fatigue loading. RVM is based on probabilistic approach and regression and it is established based on Bayesian formulation of a linear model with an appropriate prior that results in a sparse representation. Model for SIF prediction is developed by using MATLAB software wherein 70% of the data has been used for the development of RVM model and rest of the data is used for validation. The predicted SIF is found to be in good agreement with the corresponding analytical solution, and can be used for damage tolerant analysis of structural components.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.3928-3942
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• 2022

Thermal striping is a complex thermal-hydraulic phenomenon caused by fluid temperature fluctuations that can also cause high-cycle thermal fatigue to the structural wall of sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). Numerical simulations using large-eddy simulation (LES) were performed to predict and evaluate the characteristics of the temperature fluctuations related to thermal striping in the upper internal structure (UIS) of the prototype generation-IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR). Specific monitoring points were established for the fluid region near the control rod driving mechanism (CRDM) guide tubes, CRDM guide tube walls, and UIS support plates, and the normalized mean and fluctuating temperatures were investigated at these points. It was found that the location of the maximum amplitude of the temperature fluctuations in the UIS was the lowest end of the inner wall of the CRDM guide tube, and the maximum value of the normalized fluctuating temperatures was 17.2%. The frequency of the maximum temperature fluctuation on the CRDM guide tube walls, which is an important factor in thermal striping, was also analyzed using the fast Fourier transform analysis. These results can be used for the structural integrity evaluation of the UIS in SFR.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.638-644
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• 2020

This study examines cracks that occur under the load of an aircraft. The life of aircraft vulnerability structures was analyzed and structural fitting improvements were made. Structural integrity and safety have been achieved through preemptive life expectancy and life management of aircraft structures. The crack size inspection capability of the aircraft under analysis is 0.03inch, compared with 0.032inch, which is the lowest of the three vulnerable parts. In addition, the fatigue life analysis results in approximately 1450 operating hours, the lowest of the three vulnerable parts relative to the aircraft's required life of more than 15000 operating hours, which increased the repeat count of the aircraft's initial and re-inspection times, and hence raised the resulting costs and manpower consumption. Finally, the features were improved through structural fitting of the identified three weak parts. The lowest critical crack size was secured at 0.13 through increased structural resistance to generated cracks and increased aircraft safety. The lowest structural fatigue life for cracks occurring during aircraft operation is 25000 operating hours, which are analyzed above the required structural life, resulting in more optimized improvements than the repair costs and excessive fitting range caused by cracks and fractures.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.662-669
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• 2010

To develop the manufacturing methods for the blanket first wall (FW) of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and to verify the integrity of the joint, Be/Cu mockups were fabricated and tested at the KoHLT-1 (Korea Heat Load Test facility), a graphite heater facility located at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). Since Be and Cu joining is the focus of the present study, the fabricated mockups had a CuCrZr heat sink joined with three Be tiles as an armor material, unlike the original ITER blanket FW, which has a stainless steel structure and coolant tubes. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) was carried out at $580^{\circ}C$ and 100 MPa for 2 hours as the method for Be/Cu joining. Three interlayers, namely, $1{\mu}mCr/10{\mu}mCu$, $1{\mu}mTi/0.5{\mu}mCr/10{\mu}mCu$, and $5{\mu}mTi/10{\mu}mCu$ were applied as a coating to the Be tiles by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method. A shear test was performed with the specimens, which were fabricated by the same methods as those used to fabricate the mockups. The average values were 125 MPa to 180 MPa, and the samples with the $1{\mu}mCr/10{\mu}mCu$ interlayer showed the lowest value. No defect or delamination was found in the joints of the mockups by the developed ultrasonic test using a flat-type probe with a 10 MHz frequency and a 0.25 inch diameter. High heat flux (HHF) tests were performed at $1.0\;MW/m^2$ heat flux for each mockup using the given conditions, and the results were analyzed by ANSYS-CFX code. For the test criteria, an expected fatigue lifetime about 1,000 cycles was obtained by analysis with ANSYS-mechanical code. Mockups using the interlayers of $1{\mu}mTi/0.5{\mu}mCr/10{\mu}mCu$ and $5{\mu}mTi/10{\mu}mCu$ survived up to 1,100 cycles over the required number of cycles. However, one of the Be tiles in the other two mockups using the $1{\mu}mCr/10{\mu}mCu$ interlayer was detached during the screening test, and others were detached by discharge after 862 cycles. The integrity of the joints using the proposed interlayers was proven by the HHF test, but the other interlayer requires more study before it can be used for the joining of Be to Cu. Moreover, it was confirmed that the measured temperatures agreed well with the analysis temperatures, which were used to estimate the lifetime and that the developed facility showed its capability of the long time operation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.448-454
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• 2020

This study aims to determine the cause of structural defects occurring during aircraft operations and to verify the structural integrity of the improved features. The fracture plane was analyzed to verify the characteristics of the cracks and the fatigue failure leading to the final fracture was determined by the progress of the cracks by the repeated load. During aircraft operations, the comparative analysis of the load measurement data at the cracks with the aircraft design load determined that the measured load was not at the level of 30% of the design to be capable of being damaged. A gap analysis resulted in a significant stress of approximately 32 ksi at the crack site. Pre-Load testing also confirmed that the M.S. was reduced by more than 50% from +0.71 to +0.43, resulting in a sharp increase in aircraft load and the possibility of cracking when combined. Thus, structural reinforcement and the removal of the gap for aircraft cracking sites improved the defect. Based on the structural strength analysis of the improvement features, the bulkhead has a margin of about +0.88 and the fitting feature is about +0.48 versus allowable stress. In addition, the life analysis results revealed an improvement of approximately 84000 hours.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.6C
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• pp.251-258
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• 2011

Steel pipe piles have been used as various deep foundation materials for a long time. Recent increase in steel material cost has made engineers reluctant in using it even with its good quality and ease of construction. Therefore when constructing with steel pipe pile, the decision to reuse the excessive pile length that is cut off from the designed pile head elevation after pile driving can be cost saving. This has caused many constructors to reuse the pile leftovers with new piles, but the absence of quantitative structural capacity behaviors of steel pipe pile after pile driving or appropriate countermeasures and standards in reusing steel pipe pile has resulted in wrong applications, pile structural integrity problems, inappropriate limitation of reusable pile length, etc. The structural performance analysis between a new pile and a pile that has undergone working state and ultimate state stress level during pile driving was performed in this research by means of comparing the results between the dynamic pile load test, tensile load test, charpy energy test and fatigue test for high strength steel of $440N/mm^2$ yield strength. Test results show that under working load conditions the yield strength variation is less than 2% and for ultimate load conditions the variation is less than 5% for maximum total blow count of 3000. The results have been statistically analyzed to check the sensitivity of each factors involved. From the test results, reusability of steel pipe pile lies not in the main pipe yield strength deviation but in the reduction of absorb energy, strength changes and quality control at the welded section, shape deformation and local buckling during pile driving.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.447-451
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• 2015

The objective of this study is to predict the structural characteristics of a heat exchanger mounted on an aircraft engine using finite element analysis. The plastic fracture and life of the heat exchanger were estimated by a thermo-mechanical analysis. Tensile tests were conducted under high temperature conditions (700, 800, 900, 1000 K) using five specimens to obtain the mechanical properties of the Inconel 625 tubes. To assess the structural characteristics of the heat exchanger, the full and partial models were applied under the operating conditions given by the thermo-mechanical and inertial load. As a result, the case, tubesheet, flange, and mounting components have a reasonable safety margin to the allowable stress assuming a fatigue strength of Inconel 625 of 10000 cycles under 1000 K.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.366-372
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• 2015

Ocean energy is one of the most promising renewable energy resources. In particular, South Korea is one of the countries where it is economically and technically feasible to develop tidal current power plants to use tidal current energy. In this study, based on the design code for HARP_Opt (Horizontal axis rotor performance optimizer) developed by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) in the United States, and applying the BEMT (Blade element momentum theory) and GA (Genetic algorithm), the optimal shape design and performance evaluation of the horizontal axis rotor for a 200-kW-class tidal current turbine were performed using different numbers of blades (two or three) and a pitch control method (variable pitch or fixed pitch). As a result, the VSFP (Variable Speed Fixed Pitch) turbine with three blades showed the best performance. However, the performances of four different cases did not show significant differences. Hence, it is necessary when selecting the final design to consider the structural integrity related to the fatigue, along with the economic feasibility of manufacturing the blades.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.20-24
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• 2015

Steam generator(S/G) tubes in pressurized water reactor (PWR's) are subject to several types of degradation. This degradation includes denting, pitting, intergranular attack(IGA), intergranular stress corrosion cracking(IGSCC), fatigue, fretting and wear. Degradation can be derived from either the primary side(inside) or the secondary side(outside) of the tube. Recent issue for tube degradation in domestic steam generator is the tube end cracking on seal weld region. The seal weld region at the tube end and tube itself is regarded as a pressure boundary between the primary side and the secondary side. One of the Westinghouse Model-F S/G has experienced tube end cracking and its number of plugging approximately becomes to the operating limit up to 5% due to tube end cracking which was reported as SAI/MAI(single/multiple axial indication) or SCI/MCI(Single/multiple circumferential indication) from the results of eddy current testing. Eddy current mock-up test was carried out to determine the origin of cracking whether it is from weld zone area or parent tube. This result was helpful to analyze crack location on ECT data. Correct action on this problem was the installation of tube-end sleeve. Last year, after removing 340 installed plugs from tubes, selected 269 tubes took tube-end sleeve installation. Tube-end sleeve brought pressure boundary from parent tube to installed sleeve tube. Tube-end sleeve has the benefit of reducing outage period and increasing more revenue than replacing S/G. This paper is provided to assist interest parties in effectively understanding this issue.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.127-133
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• 2002

The general requirements to achieve the structural integrity of the airframe are described in the military specification, MIL-STD-1530A. One of these requirements is the durability and damage tolerance of the airframe, which should be shown through the analysis and test based on the related specifications. This paper introduces the full scale durability test to evaluate the structural safety and durability of the basic trainer, KT-1. The test was performed according to the procedure in the military specification. The flight by flight load spectrum was developed by KT-1 fatigue load criteria and used for the durability test. The durability test had been performed for 4 service lives and was completed successfully. Therefore, it was shown that KT-1 airframe satisfied the durability requirements.