• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.791-798
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• 2012

Since standardized fracture test specimens cannot be easily extracted from in-service components, several alternative fracture toughness test methods have been proposed to characterize the deformation and fracture resistance of materials. One of the more promising alternatives is the local approach employing the SP(Small Punch) testing technique. However, this process has several limitations such as a lack of anisotropic yield potential and tediousness in the damage parameter calibration process. The present paper investigates estimation of ductile fracture resistance(J-R) curve by FE(Finite Element) analyses using an anisotropic damage model and enhanced calibration procedure. In this context, specific tensile tests to quantify plastic strain ratios were carried out and SP test data were obtained from the previous research. Also, damage parameters constituting the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman model in conjunction with Hill's 48 yield criterion were calibrated for a typical nuclear reactor material through a genetic algorithm. Finally, the J-R curve of a standard compact tension specimen was predicted by further detailed FE analyses employing the calibrated damage parameters. It showed a lower fracture resistance of the specimen material than that based on the isotropic yield criterion. Therefore, a more realistic J-R curve of a reactor material can be obtained effectively from the proposed methodology by taking into account a reduced load-carrying capacity due to anisotropy.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.69-73
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• 2009

The objective of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the delayed hydride cracking (DHC) of Zr-2.5Nb alloy. The DHC model has some defects: first, it cannot explain why the DHC velocity (DHCV) becomes constant regardless of an applied stress intensity factor, even though the stress gradient is affected by the applied stress intensity factor at the notch tip. Second, it cannot explain why the DHCV has a strong dependence on the method of approaching the test temperature by a cool-down or a heating-up, even under the same stress gradient, and third, it cannot predict any hydride size effect on the DHC velocity. The DHC tests were conducted on Zr-2.5Nb compact tension specimens with the test temperatures reached by a heating-up method and a cool-down method. Crack velocities were measured in hydrided specimens, which were cooled from solution-treatment temperatures at different rates by being furnace-cooled, water-quenched, and liquid nitrogen-quenched. The resulting hydride size, morphology, and distributions were examined by optical metallography. It was found that fast cooling rates, which produce very finely dispersed hydrides, result in higher crack growth rates. This different DHC behavior of the Zr-2.5Nb tube with the cooling rate after a homogenization treatment is due to the precipitation of the $\gamma$-hydrides only in the water-quenched Zr-2.5Nb tube. This experiment will provide supporting evidence that the terminal solid solubility of a dissolution (TSSD) of $\gamma$-hydrides is higher than that of $\delta$-hydrides.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.1 s.27
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• pp.139-152
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• 2006

Many experimental and numerical approaches have been developed to evaluate paving materials and to predict pavement response and distress. Micromechanical simulation modeling is a technology that can reduce the number of physical tests required in material formulation and design and that can provide more details, e.g., the internal stress and strain state, and energy evolution and dissipation in simulated specimens with realistic microstructural features. A clustered distinct element modeling (DEM) approach was implemented In the two-dimensional particle flow software package (PFC-2D) to study the complex behavior observed in asphalt mixture fracturing. The relationship between continuous and discontinuous material properties was defined based on the potential energy approach. The theoretical relationship was validated with the uniform axial compression and cantilever beam model using two-dimensional plane strain and plane stress models. A bilinear cohesive displacement-softening model was implemented as an intrinsic interface and applied for both homogeneous and heterogeneous fracture modeling in order to simulate behavior in the fracture process zone and to simulate crack propagation. A disk-shaped compact tension test (DC(T)) with heterogeneous microstructure was simulated and compared with the experimental fracture test results to study Mode I fracture. The realistic arbitrary crack propagation including crack deflection, microcracking, crack face sliding, crack branching, and crack tip blunting could be represented in the fracture models. This micromechanical modeling approach represents the early developmental stages towards a 'virtual asphalt laboratory,' where simulations of laboratory tests and eventually field response and distress predictions can be made to enhance our understanding of pavement distress mechanisms, such its thermal fracture, reflective cracking, and fatigue crack growth.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.19-30
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• 2019

In this study, to evaluate conservatism of various fatigue life evaluation procedures, fatigue tests were conducted using compact tension (CT) specimens with a round notch, made of A516 Gr.70 carbon steel and A240 TP304 stainless steel, under load-controlled cyclic condition. Experimental fatigue failure cycles were measured and compared with predicted fatigue lives using two different life evaluation methods; (1) Design-By-Analysis (DBA) procedure given in ASME B&PV Code, Sec. III, Div. 1, Subsec. NB-3200 and (2) structural stress-based approach provided in ASME B&PV Code, Sec. VIII, Div. 2, Part 5. To predict fatigue failure cycles, three-dimensional elastic finite element analysis was conducted. Fatigue lives were predicted by both design fatigue curve given in ASME B&PV Code, Sec. III, Div. 1, Appendices and best-fit fatigue curve suggested in NUREG/CR-6815 for the DBA procedure. Finally, fatigue lives evaluated by various methods were compared with test results, and then conservatism between each evaluation procedure was discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.369-375
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• 2012

In order to overcome the detection limit by the current nondestructive evaluation technology, a nonlinear resonant ultrasound spectroscopy(NRUS) technique was applied for detection of micro-scale cracks in a material. A down-shift of the resonance frequency and a variation of normalized amplitude of the resonance pattern were suggested as the nonlinear parameter for detection of micro-scale cracks in a materials. A natural-like crack were produced in a standard compact tension(CT) specimen by a low cycle fatigue test and the resonance patterns were acquired in each fatigue step. As the exciting voltage increases, a down-shift of resonance frequency were increases as well as the normalized amplitude decrease. This nonlinear effects were significant and even greater in the cracked specimen, but not observed in a intact specimen.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.7-13
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• 1993

Fracture behavior of pre-cracked compact tension specimens made of AISI 4130 steel was investigated using acoustic emission (AE) and ultrasonic C-scan measurements. While each specimen was loaded up to a certain level, various acoustic emission parameters were recorded together with the crack opening displacement (COD). An elastic-plastic finite element analysis was performed to calculate COD and the damage (plastic) zone size ahead of crack tip. Ultrasonic C-scans, in a pulse-echo, immersion mode, were done for mapping the damage zone size. The agreement between the finite element results and the measured COD was satisfactory. Based on AE results, the test specimens were found to show ductile behavior. The slope of the total ringdown counts vs. COD curve was useful to determine the crack initiation. The preliminary C-scan images showed evidence of changes in the amplitude of ultrasonic signal in the damaged region, and the shape and size of the damage zone matched qualitatively with the finite element results. A further work on the damage zone sizing was also pointed out.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.4A
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• pp.529-536
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• 2008

The failure behavior of structures is changed under different loading rates, which might arise from the rate dependency of materials. This phenomenon has been focused in the engineering fields. However, the failure mechanism is not fully understood yet, so that it is hard to be implemented in numerical simulations. In this study, the numerical experiments to a brittle material are simulated by the Molecular Dynamics (MD) for understanding the rate dependent failure behavior. The material specimen with a notch is modeled for the compact tension test simulation. Lennard-Jones potential is used to describe the properties of a brittle material. Several dynamic failure features under 6 different loading rates are achieved from the numerical experiments, where remarkable characteristics such as crack roughness, crack recession/arrest, and crack branching are observed during the crack propagation. These observations are interpreted by the energy inflow-consumption rates. This study will provides insight about the dynamic failure mechanism under different loading rates. In addition, the applicability of the MD to the macroscopic mechanics is estimated by simulating the previous experimental research.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.729-736
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• 2015

In this study, the effects of specimen size and side-groove on the results of the J-R test for leak-before-break (LBB) evaluation were investigated. A series of J-R tests were conducted at both RT and $316^{\circ}C$, using three different sizes of compact tension (CT) specimens machined from SA508 Gr.1a piping material: 12.7 mm-thick 1T-CT, 25.4 mm-thick 1T-CT, and 25.4 mm-thick 2T-CT with and without side-groove. The results showed that side-grooving reduced the J-R curve for all specimens and the effect of side-grooving was more significant at $316^{\circ}C$ than at RT. As the thickness of the specimens decreased and the width of the specimens increased, the J-R curve slightly decreased at RT but it increased at $316^{\circ}C$. However, the variation in the J-R curve of SA508 Gr.1a with the thickness and width of CT specimen was insignificant.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.155-169
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• 2002

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of crack opening and closure in the AE activities during fatigue test. Laboratory experiment using various materials and test conditions were carried out to identify AE characteristics of fatigue crack propagation. Compact tension specimens of 2024-T4 and 6061-T6 aluminum alloy were prepared for fatigue test. AE activities were analyzed based on the phase of the loading cycle. Generally, most of AE were generated when the crack begins' opening and the crack closes fully, whereas a few in the pull opening of the crack. Also AE activity in the peak loading of cycle was different with each specimen. However, in the same material, AE activity was not affected by the change of cyclic frequency (0.1, 0.2, 1.0Hz). It was found that AE activities during crack opening and closure depend on material properties such as micro-structure, tensile strength and yield strength.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 1984

With the weld-joined compact tension specimens compared with each other, that is, transverse and lengthwise about the crack propagation direction, high and low in the input heat level, same as and lower than the base metal in the strength of weld material, the fatigue test were performed. With these data, the log-log curves between the fatigue crack propagation rate ${\frac{da}{dN}}$ and the transition range of the stress intensity factor ${\Delta}K$ ahead the crack tip were drawed. These curves were compared and estimated among each compared specimens, among each zones, that is, the base metal, the heat-affected metal and the weld-mixed metal, and between this study and the past studies. Basically, Little difference in the slope of the $da/dN-{\Delta}K$ relation was showed in all the welded directions, all the input heat levels and all the zones. But, First, to comparison with in the past studies about the base metals, it was showed that da/dN started in the much later rate, increased faster and stoped in the little faster rate. Second, it was showed that, near the time the crack's going from the heat-affected zone to the weld-mixed metal da/dN decreased a little for a while. Third, in the lengthwise weld compared with the transverse weld, in the high input heat weld compared with the low input heat weld in the case used the weld material of the same strength as the base metal, in the opposite case in the case used the one of the lower strength than the base metal, in the case used the weld material of the same strength as compared with the lower strength than the base metal beside the high input heat and the lengthwise weld, it was showed that the crack occured earlier in lower ${\Delta}K$ and later da/dN, the curves went with the same slope. Forth, in the lengthwise weld compared with the transverse weld in the low input heat weld, in the low input heat weld compared with the high input heat weld, it was showed that da/dN went with the lower level.