Evaluation of a valid crack tip loading parameter using standard ASTM practice may not be feasible in many situations, e.g. in thin tubular specimens with diametrically opposite axial through-wall cracks (loaded in opening mode) that are obtained from zircaloy fuel pins of nuclear reactors. Recently, a pin-loading-tension (PLT) experimental set-up has evolved for this purpose. However, the required geometry functions (which should be obtained from a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) analysis procedure) for evaluation of the stress intensity factor (SIF) for such a set-up is not available in the literature. In this work, a detailed 3D FE analysis of the PLT set-up has been carried out where both the pin and the mandrel have been modelled. Analysis has been carried out for the full loading path (i.e. for applied displacements beyond the limit load of the specimen) in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model and the results have been compared with those of the experiment. In addition, the SIFs (and geometry functions) of the PLT set-up (with different initial crack lengths) have been evaluated from the FE results using extrapolation techniques and were compared with the results from two different analytical techniques.
GangulyC., ‘Advances in zirconium technology for nuclear reactor application’. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Advances in Zirconium-2002, Mumbai, India, 11–13 September 2002, pp. 10–27.
2.
YagnikS. K.RamasubramanianN.GrigorievV.Sainte-CatherineC.BertschJ.AdamsonR.KuoR.-C.MahmoodS. T.FukudaT.EfsingP.OberländerB. C., ‘Round-Robin testing of fracture toughness characteristics of thin-walled tubing’J. ASTM Int.52 (2008): 1–216.
3.
HsuH. H.ChienK. F.ChuH. C.LiawP. K., ‘An X-specimen test for determination of thin walled tube fracture toughness’. In Proceedings of the Fatigue and Fracture mechanics, ASTM STP 406 (Ed. ChonaR.), American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA, 2001, vol. 32, pp. 214–226.
4.
ArseneS.BaiJ., ‘New approach to measuring transverse properties of structural tubing by a ring test’ASTM J. Test. Eval.246 (1996): 386–391.
5.
BertolinoG.MeyerG.PerezI. J., ‘In-situ crack growth observation and fracture toughness measurement of hydrogen charged zircaloy-4’J. Nucl. Mater.322 (2003): 57–65.
6.
EdsingerK.DaviesJ. H.AdamsonR. B.SabolG. P.MoanG. D., ‘Degraded fuel cladding fractography and fracture behaviour’. In Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Zirconium in nuclear industry, ASTM STP 1354 (Eds SabolG. P.MoanG. D.), American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA, 2000, pp. 316–339.
Sainte CatherineC.Le BoulchD.CarassouS.RamasubramanianN.LemaignanC., ‘An internal conical mandrel technique for fracture toughness measurements on nuclear fuel cladding’ASTM J. Test. Eval.345 (2006): 373–382.
9.
VidemK.LundeL.SchemelJ. H.PapazoglouT. P., ‘Stress corrosion cracking and growth formation of pellet-clad interaction defects’. In Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Zirconium in nuclear industry, ASTM STP 681 (Eds SchemelJ. H.PapazoglouT. P.), American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA, 1979, pp. 230–237.
10.
FukudaT.ItagakiN.KamimuraJ.MozumiY.FuruyaT., ‘Fracture toughness of hydrogen-absorbed zircaloy-2 cladding tube’. In Proceedings of the European Nuclear Society, Topfuel 2003, Wurzburg, Germany, 16–19 March 2003.
11.
RashidY. R.LemaignanC.StrasserA., Evaluation of fracture toughness and extension in fuel cladding (Park City, UT: American Nuclear Society2000).
12.
GrigorievV.JosefssonB.LindA.RosborgB., ‘A pin-loading tension test for evaluation of thin-walled tubular materials’Scr. Metall. Mater.331 (1995): 109–114.
13.
GrigorievV.JakobssonR., ‘Application of the pin loading tension test to measurements of delayed hydride cracking velocity in Zircaloy cladding’ (Nyköping, Sweden: 2000) SKI Rapport 00:57, Studsvik Nuclear AB, SE-611 82.
14.
GrigorievV.JakobssonR., ‘Delayed hydrogen cracking velocity and j-integral measurements on irradiated BWR cladding’J. ASTM Int.28 (2005): 1–16.
15.
GrigorievV.JosefssonB.RosborgB., ‘Fracture toughness of zircaloy cladding tubes’. In Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Zirconium in nuclear industry, ASTM STP 1295 (Eds BradelyE. R.SabolG. P.), 1996, pp. 431–447.
16.
DhiaA. B.BaiJ. B.FrancoisD., ‘3D finite element analyses of a new fracture toughness testing method for tubular structures’Int. J. Press. Vessles Pip.71 (1997): 189–195.
17.
GrigorievV.JosefssonB.RosborgB.BaiJ., ‘A novel fracture toughness testing method for irradiated tubing-experimental results and 3D numerical evaluation’. In Proceedings of the Transactions of the 14th International Conference on Structural mechanics in reactor technology, Lyon, France, 1997, pp. 57–64.
18.
Standard test method for measurement of fracture toughness (Philadelphia: ASTM2002): 1–21.
19.
JosefssonB.GrigorievV., ‘Modified ring tensile testing and a new method for fracture toughness testing of irradiated cladding’. In Proceedings of the European Working Group Hot Laboratories and Remote Handling Meeting, Petten, Netherlands, 14–16 May 1996, pp. 1–14.
20.
NakatsukaM.KuboT.HayashiY.EuckenC. M.GardeA. M., ‘Fatigue behavior of neutron irradiated zircaloy-2 fuel cladding tubes’. In Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium on Zirconium in the nuclear industry, ASTM STP 1132 (Eds EuckenC. M.GardeA. M.), American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA, 1991, pp. 230–245.
21.
ParisP. C.SihG. C., ‘Stress analysis of cracks’. In Proceedings of the Fracture Toughness and Testing and its Applications, ASTM STP 381, ASTM Committee E24, American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA, 1965, pp. 30–65.
22.
IngraffeaA. R.ManuC., ‘Stress-intensity factor computation in three dimensions with quarter-point elements’Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng.15 (1980): 1427–1445.
23.
RajuI. S.NewmanJ. C., ‘Improved stress intensity factors for semi elliptic surface cracks in finite thickness plates’ (1977): NASA Report TM X.
24.
De LorenziH. G., ‘On the energy release rate and J-integral for 3-D crack configurations’Int. J. Fract.19 (1982): 183–193.
25.
ParksD. M., ‘A stiffness-derivative finite element technique for determination of elastic crack tip stress intensity factors’Int. J. Fract.10 (1974): 487–502.
26.
RyderJ. T.BrowieG. E.PettitD. E., ‘Recent considerations in experimental compliance calibration of the WOL specimen’Eng. Fract. Mech.9 (1977): 901–923.
27.
DugganT. V.ProctorM. W.SpenceL. J., ‘Stress intensity calibrations and compliance functions for fracture toughness and crack propagation test specimens’Int. J. Fatigue11 (1979): 37–47.
28.
ToblerR. L.CarpenterW. C., ‘A numerical and experimental verification of compliance functions for compact specimens’Eng. Fract. Mech.213 (1985): 547–556.
29.
O'BrienD. M.FergusonW. G., ‘Modified manjoine WOL specimen for JIC and δi tests’Eng. Fract. Mech.182 (1983): 453–465.
30.
LeeK. W.KimS. K.KimK. T.HongS. I., ‘Ductility and strain rate sensitivity of Zircaloy-4 nuclear fuel claddings’J. Nucl. Mater.295 (2001): 21–26.
31.
MurtyK. L., ‘Deformation, texture and microstructure- property correlation and in-reactor performance of Zircaloy cladding in LWRs’. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Advances in Zirconium-2002, Mumbai, India, 11–13 September 2002, pp. 28–45.
32.
MurtyK. L., ‘Texture based physical, mechanical and corrosion characteristics of zirconium alloys’In Textures in materials research (New Delhi: Oxford and IBH co. Ltd1999): 113–126.
33.
WangY.MurtyK. L., ‘Effect of temperature on mechanical anisotropy of recrystazied Zircaloy-4 sheet’. In Proceedings of the Fourth Asia-Pacific Symposium on Advances in engineering plasticity and its applications, AEPA 98, Seoul, South Korea, 21–25 June 1998.
34.
BatheK. J., Finite element procedures (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall1995).
