A two-dimensional analysis of the Charpy V-notch specimen subjected to impact loading, according to the standard DIN EN 10045-1, is carried out, using a transient explicit dynamic finite element program. An elastic-viscoplastic, temperature dependent, constitutive relation for a porous plastic solid based on the Gurson damage model is developed. Ductile fracture of the matrix material will be described by the nucleation and subsequent growth of voids to coalescence. An updated Lagrange–Jaumann formulation is employed accounting for large strain and rotation. The discretization is based on four-node plane strain solid elements with one Gauss point. The equations of motion are integrated numerically by an explicit integration algorithm utilising a lumped mass matrix. The predictions of the numerical analysis in terms of force deflection response, crack resistance behaviour and deformation energy absorbtion are compared with results from Charpy tests which were carried out according to the low-blow technique.
Investigations on the breakdown of a heat recovery steam generator during the initial operation run
(2014)
Several years ago, in 2003, an industrial heat recovery steam generator in charge of generating process steam in a petrochemical refinery was installed and prepared for initial operation. The steam generator enclosed an evaporator section and a superheater section consisting mainly of bundles of tubes with the longest up to several metres in length. During initial operation test runs severe leakages in the evaporator and superheater modules became noticeable. The test runs were stopped and after disassembly, through-wall cracks in several tube bends were found. BAM was commissioned to carry out the investigations in order to find out the reasons for the failure of the tubes. During on-site inspection a number of relevant damaged components and parts were selected and taken away to the laboratories for detailed inspection. Planned analyses were to comprise metallographic as well as fractographic investigations, mechanical fatigue testing and experimental as well as finite element vibration analyses on specimens and components. Soon, the fracture mechanism was found to be mechanical fatigue due to the fact that the examined fracture surfaces showed the very characteristic beachmarks and colouring patterns. To identify the particular loading and time at which crack initiation and crack propagation took place, experimental and numerical vibration analyses of specific tubes as well as mechanical fatigue tests on tube bends were carried out. Thus it was possible to identify the eigenfrequencies of individual tubes, to estimate the dynamic response as well as the nominal stresses and, hence, experimentally characterise the in-service fatigue strength of the components. Mechanical and thermal comparative tests on tube bends were performed simulating the conditions during the initial test run in order to get crack surfaces comparable to that of the originally damaged components. Thereby it became obvious that the fatigue cracks were initiated by vibrations the tube bundles were exposed to during rail transport from the manufacturers site to the place of installation. Based on these results, the damaged components could be repaired or exchanged without modification of the construction, but the rules relating packaging and securing for shipping had to be revised.
This paper summarizes the investigation of a serious explosion, which shattered the chemical facility of a chlorine/alkaline plant in Northern Germany in 1981. A pressure tank made from HSB 50 S steel and used as storage of liquid residues from a chlorine liquefaction process violently ruptured and the explosion threw parts of the tank approximately 100 m through the air. The local county government ordered an investigation to determine the root cause of this incident.
The main objective of the investigation was to determine whether a nitrogen overpressure or a chemical reaction of residuals inside the so-called 'Taffy' receiver caused the explosion. A fracture mechanics based analyses evaluated the conditions the material was exposed to during the damage. Metallographic and mechanical tests confirmed that the material specifications were within the values specified by the guidelines but corrosion had reduced the wall thickness considerably.
Analytical calculations to determine the minimum required pressure for the rupture and to cause plastic deformation to the tank confirmed that the failure did not occur due to nitrogen overpressure and therefore, a chemical reaction must have occurred. A detailed chemical analysis confirmed that the explosive disintegration of methylnitrate, which is highly sensitive to heat and impact, and its halogenated derivatives likely caused the incident. Due to the design and operational mode of the plant, impurities could accumulate and form explosive compounds in the Taffy receivers without control.
Damage analyses on two heat exchanger units showed that in both cases inappropriate flow conditions of media caused very different failure mechanisms that resulted in irreparable damage. The first incident was the breakdown of an unalloyed steel condenser, which operated in a coal-fired power plant. A considerably high number of tubes successively leaked. Metallography identified lines of segregation in the microstructure of the tube walls, thus, giving evidence that both uniform corrosion and erosion corrosion caused by low-pressure wet steam were the root cause. The second incident was the breakdown of a recuperator made from chromium–nickel steel due to mechanical damage to tubes and baffle. This unit operated as part of a pilot plant to regain heat from the drying process of sewage sludge. It turned out that soiled vapour caused clogging of the cross-sectional area and therefore accelerating the flow velocity of the vapour. This inappropriate operating condition caused the tubes to oscillate so severely that they even banged together. Abrasive wear especially at the intersection through the holes of the baffle damaged the tubes and the whole unit irreparably.
Experimentelle und numerische ERmittlung dynamischer Risswiderstandskurven im Kerbschlagbiegeversuch
(2001)
Die bruchmechanische Beurteilung von Komponenten erfordert die Kenntnis von Risswiderstandskurven, die jedoch häufig aufgrund fehlenden Probenmaterials nicht zur Verfügung stehen. Vielmehr sind typische werkstofftechnische Kennwerte verfügbar, wie Streckgrenze, Zugfestig, Gleichmaßdehnung, Bruchdehnung sowie die Kerbschlagarbeit in der Hochlage und die laterale Breitung von Kerbschlagbiegeproben.
Das Materialmodell von Gurson beschreibt duktiles Risswachstum mit den Stadien Hohlraumentstehung, Hohlraumwachstum und Koaleszenz benachbarter Hohlräume bis zum makroskopischen Riss. Die Materialparameter des Gurson-Modells sind abhängig vom Werkstoff und der Temperatur, jedoch nicht von der Probengeometrie und Belastungsgeschwindigkeit, was eine Übertragung zwischen quasistatisch belasteten Bruchmechanikproben unterschiedlicher Geometrie und schlagartig belasteten Kerbschlagbiegeproben erlaubt.
Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird eine Methode zur Konstruktion von Risswiderstandskurven vorgestellt, die auf den grundlegenden Daten des Zugversuchs und der Kenntnis der Fließkurve basiert. Die Fließkurve bei dynamischer Belastung wird durch erprobte Vorgehensweisen ermittelt, die auf der Analyse der dann erhöhten Aktivierungsenergie von Versetzungen basieren. Die Parameter der duktilen Schädigung werden im wesentlichen durch die Simulation von Versuchen an gekerbten Rundzugproben und des Kerbschlagbiegeversuchs bzw. der Anpassung an die Kerbschlagarbeit in der Hochlage bestimmt.
Damit sind die Parameter der duktilen Schädigung bekannt, so dass durch die Simulation duktilen Rissfortschritts in Bruchmechanikproben die erforderlichen J-Risswiderstandskurven zur Verfügung gestellt werden können, was die Anwendung des klassischen J-Konzepts erlaubt. Wegen der Geometrieunabhängigkeit der ermittelten Materialparameter ist auch die direkte Anwendung des Gurson-Modells zur Sicherheitsanalyse angerissener Bauteile durchführbar.