The Accumulation of Damage in Plates Subjected to Steady Mechanical Load and Cyclic Thermal Downshocks on One Surface

Abstract

Computer calculations, incorporating analysis of elastic, plastic and creep effects, are performed on a Bree plate subjected to steady mechanical load and cyclic thermal downshocks on one surface. Particular attention is given to the accumulation of creep and fatigue damage which is calculated from the stress-strain distributions using linear damage summation rules. The computations examine the dependence of the damage accumulation on such factors as the applied loads, the degree of hardening in the material, the length of the creep dwell period and the severity of the transient thermal loadings as measured by the Fourier and Biot numbers. This indicates which considerations are likely to be important in the design of fast reactor components which experience loadings of this type.