Abstract
Under specific conditions prestress can result in an apparent improvement in the subsequent low temperature toughness of a cracked specimen or structure. The phenomenon is known as the warm prestress effect. The available experimental evidence for the effect, together with recent theories intended to explain the phenomenon, are presented and discussed. The two principal factors which may cause the phenomenon are the increase of yield strength as temperature decreases and the creation of compressive plastic zones at a crack tip during unloading events. Warm prestressing is also discussed in relation to PWR pressure vessels subject to a LOCA type of fault condition and it is concluded that the effect could prevent crack propagation in a vessel during any part of a transient for which either the stress intensity factor or the temperature associated with the crack tip, remain constant or decrease.
Published Version
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