Comparison Between Crack Growth in Fracture Mechanics Specimens and Feature Component Tests Carried Out in a Low-Alloy Steel

Abstract

In both power generation plants and the chemical industries, there is a need to assess the significance of defects which may exist in high-temperature equipment operating in the creep range. This paper examines the methods of analysis used in laboratory creep crack growth data and their relevance to crack growth data derived from feature component tests which best simulate actual components under controlled testing condition. The material examined was a 214 Cr 1 Mo steel in the new condition at 550 and 600°C. The creep crack growth properties were determined on compact tension specimens. The data were compared with representative crack growth data from feature test components. These consisted of cracked rings, thick-walled cylinders, and thin-walled tubes containing axial or circumferential defects under combinations of axial and internal pressure loading. Little influence of size or temperature on the measured crack propagation rates was observed when the results were plotted against the creep fracture mechanics parameter C*. This is shown to be because the relevant condition had little effect on the appropriate crack tip creep ductilities of the material. Good correspondence was observed between the compact tension and the feature component tests, suggesting the feasibility of the C* method for predicting short-term laboratory tests using different geometries. [S0094-9930(00)01001-5]