Assessment of local approach methods for predicting end-of-life toughness of RPV steels

Andrey P. Jivkov, David P G Lidbury, Peter James

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    Abstract

    Local approach methods are becoming increasingly popular as practical tools for cleavage fracture toughness prediction. Their application involves two distinct elements: calculation of "individual" probabilities of failure, dictated by the local mechanical fields; and summation of these failure probabilities to predict the probability of component failure. In this work, we demonstrate that development of the local approach methods to date has been essentially focused on improving the criterion for predicting local failure as a function of the local mechanical fields. Yet, the existing methods fail to predict with sufficient accuracy the effects of irradiation and defect geometry on fracture toughness when the calculations are based on a common set of model parameters. A possible reason for this, common to all methods, is found in the calculation of the cumulative failure probability, which is based on the weakest-link argument. We discuss the implications of the weakest-link assumption, identify those situations where it needs to be reconsidered, and propose future work that will increase our understanding for improving the calculation of global failure probability. Copyright © 2011 by ASME.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers, Pressure Vessels and Piping Division (Publication) PVP|ASME Pressure Vessels Piping Div. Publ. PVP
    Place of PublicationUSA
    PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers
    Pages293-302
    Number of pages9
    Volume6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2011
    EventASME 2011 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, PVP 2011 - Baltimore, United States
    Duration: 17 Jul 201121 Jul 2011

    Conference

    ConferenceASME 2011 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, PVP 2011
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityBaltimore
    Period17/07/1121/07/11

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