• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.61-68
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• 2022

Accurate evaluation of residual stress is important for stress corrosion cracking assessment. In this paper, electron beam welding experiment is simulated via finite element analysis and the sensitivity of the parameters related to the combined heat source model is investigated. Predicted residual stresses arecompared with measured residual stresses. It is found that the welding efficiency affects the size of the tensile residual stress area and the magnitude of maximum longitudinal residual stress. It is also found that the parameter related to the ratio of energy distributed to the two-dimensional heat source has little effect on the size of tthe tensile residual stress area, but affects the size of the longitudinal residual stress in the center of the weld.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.48-56
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• 2006

The fatigue strength of the welds is affected by such factors as the weld geometry, microstructures, tensile properties and residual stresses caused by fabrication. It is very important to evaluate the structural integrity of the welds in nuclear power plant because the weldment undergoes the most of damage and failure mechanisms. In this study, the fatigue assessments for a reactor vessel outlet nozzle with the weldment to the piping system are performed considering the welding residual stresses as well as the effect of local brittle zone in the vicinity of the weld fusion line. The analytical approaches employed are the microstructure and mechanical properties prediction by semi-analytical method, the thermal and stress analysis including the welding residual stress analysis by finite element method, the fatigue life assessment by following the ASME Code rules. The calculated results of cumulative usage factors(CUF) are compared for cases of the elastic and elasto-plastic analysis, and with or without residual stress and local brittle zone effects, respectively. Finally, the fatigue life of reactor vessel outlet nozzle weld is slightly affected by the local brittle zone and welding residual stresses.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.8-18
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• 2012

In early constructed nuclear power plants, Ni-based Alloys 82/182 had been widely used for dissimilar metal welds (DMW) as a weld filler metal. However, Alloys 82/182 have been proven to be susceptible to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) in the nuclear primary water environment. The formation of crack due to PWSCC is also influenced by weld residual stresses. Thus, the accurate estimation of weld residual stresses of DMW is crucial to investigate the possibility of PWSCC and instability behaviors of crack due to PWSCC. In this context, the present paper investigates weld residual stresses of nuclear reactor piping nozzles based on 2-D axi-symmetric finite element analyses based on layer-based approach using maximum molten bead temperature. In particular, the effect of analysis parameters, i.e., a thickness of weld layer, an initial molten bead temperature, convection heat transfer coefficient, and geometric constraints on predicted weld residual stresses was investigated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.37 no.9
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• pp.1159-1168
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• 2013

In pressurized water nuclear reactors (PWRs), the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) upper head contains penetration nozzles that use a control rod drive mechanism (CRDM). The penetration nozzle uses J-groove weld geometry. Recently, the occurrence of cracking in alloy 600 CRDM penetration nozzle has increased. This is attributable to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC). PWSCC is known to be susceptible to the welding residual stress and operational stress. Generally, the tensile residual stress is the main factor contributing to crack growth. Therefore, this study investigates the effect on weld residual stress through different analysis methods for normal operating conditions using finite element analysis. In addition, this study also considers the effect of repeated normal operating condition cycles on the weld residual stress. Based on the analysis result, this paper presents a normal operating condition analysis method.

• Laser Solutions
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2002

Finite element analysis and experiment were peformed to estimate the fatigue strength for the lap joint of laser weld. To consider quantitatively residual stress which effects on the fatigue strength of the lap joint of laser weld, after three dimensional modeling for the longitudinal and transverse direction, residual stress fields in the weldment were calculated using thermo-elastic-plastic finite element analysis, then the equivalent fatigue stress considering the residual stress was obtained. To ensure reliability of calculated fatigue strength, fatigue tests were performed. The calculated and experimental results showed a good agreement. The fatigue strength considering a residual stress was lower than that of without considering a residual stress in the lap joint of laser welding. The fatigue strength in the transverse direction was higher than that of longitudinal direction.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 2015

The study investigated effects of residual stresses and Charpy impact energy on brittle fractures of the butt weld between the valve and the piping, and of the valve body in nuclear power plants via a linear elastic fracture mechanics approach in the ASME B&PV Code, Sec.XI and finite element analysis. Weld residual stress in a butt weld between close check valve and piping, and residual stress in the valve due to casting process were assumed to be proportional to yield strength of base metal. Operating stresses in the butt weld and the valve body were calculated using approximate engineering formulae and finite element analysis, respectively. Applied stress intensity factors were calculated by assuming postulated cracks with specific sizes and then by substituting the residual stresses and the operating stresses into engineering formulae presented in the ASME B&PV Code, Sec.III. Plane strain fracture toughness was derived by using a correlation between Charpy V-notch impact energy and fracture toughness. Structural integrity of the weld and the body against brittle fracture was assessed by using the applied stress intensity factors, plane strain fracture toughness and the linear elastic fracture mechanics approach. As a result, it was identified that the structural integrity was maintained with decreasing the residual stress levels and increasing the Charpy V-notch impact energy.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2004

This paper consists of two parts. One is finite element analysis of the redistribution of residual stresses of weld specimen by cutting. This work is necessary to predict the actual residual stress distribution of weld specimens used in fatigue test. The other subject is to calculate the relaxation of residual stress and the strain field induced by cyclic loading. To obtain fatigue life of weldment, the value of strain amplitude at each position is necessary, for example in the strain-life approach, and the numerical results can be used to verify experimental strain measurements. Thermo mechanical finite element analyses were conducted on the commercial package ABAQUS.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2014

Although the fatigue design curve of ASME Code has enough margin with respect to alternating stress and cycles, the welding residual stress(WRS) should be included in fatigue analysis. In this paper, WRS distribution in a nozzle with dissimilar metal weldment was obtained by finite element analysis and was added in fatigue analysis. The fatigue analysis was performed by following the ASME Code including thermal and stress analysis applying with postulated 30 transient conditions. The calculated results of a cumulative fatigue usage factors(CUF) were compared for the case of the models with or without WRS effects. The results showed that the CUF at weldment and heat affected zone was affected by the WRS.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2009

The objective of this study is to design a laboratory specimen for simulating residual stress of circumferential butt welding between pipes. Specimen type and method to generate residual stress were proposed based on the review of prior studies and parametric finite element analysis. To prove the proposed specimen type and loading method, the residual stress was generated using the designed specimen by applying proposed method and was measured. The measured residual stress using X-ray diffraction reasonably agreed with the results of finite element analysis considered in the specimen design. Comparison of residual strains measured at several locations on the specimen and given by finite element simulation also showed good agreement. Therefore, it is indicated that the designed specimen in this study can reasonably simulate the axial residual stress of a circumferential butt welding of pipe.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.74-79
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• 2012

It depends on the joint configuration, dimensions and constraints of the joint whether the residual stress at the root of single-sided butt weld is tensile or not. Therefore, recommendation is generally made that high R ratio should be used in the fatigue test of welded joint in order to prevent excessively long life caused by compressive residual stress. In this research, the residual stress profile in butt weld joint was obtained through compliance method, using successive extension of a slot and measurement of the variation of strain during the slot extension. The residual stress profile was firstly assumed to be the linear summation of Legendre polynomials up to 9th order excluding 0th and 1st order. Strain variation on the surface was measured while the slot was being extended by cutting to find out the 8 unknown coefficients of each polynomial term. The cut was made by the electric discharge machine. It was concluded that the residual stress near the surface is positive valued, however, it turned into the negative value as soon as it passed through 2 or 3 mm of the depth.