An evaluation of the fracture toughness of a thin-walled pressure vessel with account for the structural and mechanical inhomogeneity of the welded joint

Abstract

A finite-element model has been developed for calculating the fracture toughness of welded joints with account for the random distribution of the structural and mechanical properties of the metal within a weld area. The influence of the coefficient of variation of the yield strength upon the value of the J-integral for a weld crack has been shown using the proposed model. The fracture toughness calculations of a welded thin-walled pressure vessel have been carried out and correction functions for the J-integral have been determined based on the experimental data on the random distribution of the yield strength in the weld area.