Numerical Simulation of Load Deformation Behaviour of Cracked Piping Components Considering Crack Growth

Conventional elastic plastic fracture analysis does not consider the crack growth and thus it cannot give the complete load deformation behaviour of cracked components. In the present paper numerical methodology is proposed to simulated the load deformation behaviour of cracked components considering the crack growth. In the present analysis, the components under study are the 8” straight pipes/elbows and 12” straight pipes having circumferential through wall crack with different initial crack angles. The tests have been performed on these piping components and TPBB/CT fracture specimens under Component Integrity Test Program at Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), India. 3-D elastic-plastic finite element analyses have been carried out on the specimens and piping components to investigate the stress triaxiality ahead of crack tip. The reference JR curve has been selected based on similar triaxiality level as that of piping components, which are to be analysed. Present paper verifies the importance of stress triaxility while selecting the specimen J-R curve and discusses the extrapolation of specimen J-R curve. The applicability of the proposed numerical methodology is shown by comparing with the experimental results.