THE ANALYSES OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRESS STRUCTURE NEAR THE CRACK TIP OF MODE I CT SPECIMENS IN ELASTICPLASTIC STATE(Ⅰ)—THE ANALYSES OF CONSTRAINT PARAMETERS AND FRACTURE PARAMETERS

In the present paper, three dimensional analyses of some general constraint parameters and fracture parameters near the crack tip of Mode I CT specimens in two different thicknesses are carried out by employing ADINA program. The results reveal that the constraints along the thickness direction are obviously separated into two parts: the keeping similar high constraint field (Z1) and rapid reducing constraints one(Z2). The two fields are experimentally confiremed to correspond to the smooth region and the shear lip on the fracture face respectively. So the three dimensional stress structure of Mode I specimens can be derived through discussing the two fields respectively. The distribution of the Crack Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) along the thickness direction and the three dimensional distribution of the void growth ratio (Vg) near the crack tip are also obtained. The two fracture parameters are in similar trends along the thickness direction, and both of them can reflect the effect of thickness and that of the loading level to a certain degree.

EFFECT OF GRAIN BOUNDARY ON FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF Al BICRYSTALS

The effect of grain boundaries on cyclic deformation and fatigue crack growth in aluminum bicrystals has been studied.The effect of a grain boundary is restricted in a narrow area, termed as grain boundary affecting zone(GBAZ),where the incompatible plastic strain treats internal stress which conversely promotes inhomogeneous slip in the area and grain boundary cracking.As an extended stage I crack initiated from a notch approaches the grain boundary under a constant cyclic stress,the crack front branches splits into several pieces, meanwhile,the growth rate of the crack reduces to a minimum value at the center of the GBAZ.Such microstructure-sensitive growth of extended stage I cracks is mainly attributed to the grain boundary-induced crack tip sheilding.

Anti-plane problem analysis for icosahedral quasicrystals under shear loadings

The present paper is concerned with the longitudinal shear elasticity of three-dimensional icosahedral quasicrystals. By virtue of the Dugdale hypothesis along with the method of complex potential theory, it involves two defect problems of the icosahedral quasicrystals. The first one is the calculation of stress intensity factors and the size of the cohesive force zone in a half-infinite crack. Meanwhile, the crack tip tearing displacements can be exactly derived. The other is the demonstration of the generalized stress intensity factors induced by a sharp V-notch as an extension of a crack. The generalized E-integral around the notch tip gives the energy release rate when the V-notch degenerates into a crack. Apart from their own usefulness in carrying out some simplified crack analyses, the results obtained in this work can particularly serve as a basis for fracture mechanics of anti-plane defect problems of icosahedral quasicrystals.

Engineering critical assessment on welding flaws of the X65 UOE girth weld based on CRACKWISE

Focused on the girth weld of a φ762 x 28.6 mm （X65） offshore UOE pipe, the fracture toughness properties at different weld joint positions were tested. Meanwhile,the largest size of different cracks under service condition was calculated by using CRACKWISE. The service life of the UOE pipe with postulated crack-like flaws was calculated by considering various fatigue factors, such as vibrations caused by ocean current and fluctuations of inner pressure. The assessment process and results can be used to direct the repair of weld flaws laid in pipes or to assess the reliability of in-serving pipes.

APPLICATION OF SINTAP TO THE SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF X65 PIPELINE STEEL

The recently developed European flaw assessment procedure, structural integrity assessment procedure（SiNTAP） is applied to assessment for welded joints of the API 5L X65 pipeline steel with an assumed embedded flaw and surface flaw at the weld toe. As one of the basic input data, fracture toughness crack tip opening displacement （CTOD） tests are conducted at 0℃ and performed according to the requirements of the standard of BS7448. For the heat affected zone （HAZ） specimens, the microstructure observation is performed to insure that the tip of the crack is located in the coarse grain zone. The result explains the dispersity of the test values. In structural integrity assessment procedure-fracture assessment diagram（SINTAP FAD） method, the failure curves of welded joints at level 1 and 3 are derived from the tensile test results. The results of the assessment show that all assessment points are located within the failure lines of analysis level 1 and 3. So the welded joint of the pipeline is safe. This study laid the foundation of application of SINTAP to pipeline structure assessment.