Experimental study of raster angle effects on crack propagation in SENT specimens of PLA manufactured by FDM

Much of the established data from SENT tests has been generated on ductile materials in the form of tearing resistance curves (R-curves) in terms of J. The testing of SENT specimens is now standardised in BS 8571 [1] and there is potential to use SENTs for high and low temperature tests, but there is little recently published data showing SENT behaviour at low temperature. This paper presents a comparison of fracture toughness data for equivalent SENT and SENB specimens in three different steels as ductile-to-brittle transition curves over a range of temperatures. SENT specimens in comparison to SENBs show higher fracture toughness on the upper shelf, lower transition temperature, but also a much steeper transition from ductile to brittle behaviour. It is therefore important to characterise SENT behaviour at the lowest anticipated service temperatures to ensure that this sudden change in fracture behaviour will be avoided in service. This paper also describes methods for carrying out SENT tests at very low temperatures, including the use of threaded ends to allow testing inside a temperature controlled test chamber, while preventing the specimen from yielding at locations away from the intended notch tip.

The purpose of this work was to develop a three-dimensional finite element model to simulate ductile tearing in pipeline-steels. Two series of experiments and corresponding numerical predictions were conducted on single edge notch tension (SENT) specimens made of pipeline-steel plates, to represent the geometry and loading in a pipeline. In the numerical model, progressive damage was restricted to a predetermined ductile tearing zone. The material damage behavior in this tearing zone was described in terms of a Gurson-Tvergaard (G-T) isotropic constitutive model, which accounts for microvoid nucleation and growth. The criterion for the onset of void coalescence was determined via the Thomason criterion. As a result, the initial void volume-fraction parameter in the G-T model could be identified from experimental results in one SENT specimen. The proposed model was applied to predict the mechanical behavior of SENT experimental results with different plate width, thickness and crack size. The measured load-displacement histories for all SENT specimens were accurately reproduced by the proposed model. The numerical predictions were in good agreement with experimental test data in terms of both the maximum load and the corresponding displacement at maximum load. The proposed model also provides a detailed description of fracture initiation and propagation in ductile SENT specimens.

Single edge-notched tension (SENT) specimens in clamped end conditions are widely adopted in the oil/gas industry to measure fracture resistance curves in terms of the J-integral or crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD) for the strain-based design and crack assessment of onshore and offshore pipelines. Typical CTOD-R curve test methods developed for SENT specimens include CanMet, ExxonMobil, and BS 8571 methods. While CanMet determines CTOD using the J-integral conversion method via one clip gage measurement, the other two infer CTOD directly from double clip gage measurements. ExxonMobil simply uses the total measured displacements to calculate CTOD, but BS 8571 separates CTOD into elastic and plastic parts to be determined, respectively, from the elastic K factor and the plastic component of measured displacements. It is unknown if these CTOD test methods determine comparable R-curves for a same SENT test, and what are the differences between these CTOD test methods. To answer those questions, this paper performs an experimental evaluation of the SENT CTOD test methods. A set of clamped SENT specimens are tested for pipeline steel X80 and structural steel A36. For each SENT test, the unloading compliance method and the double clip gage arrangement are used, and then CTOD-R curves obtained by different methods are evaluated. Evaluation results and conclusions are given for those SENT CTOD test methods.

To assess the integrity of pipelines containing cracks, single edge-notched tension (SENT) specimens in the end-clamped conditions have been widely adopted in the oil and gas industry to measure fracture toughness or resistance curves in terms of the J-integral or crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD). The CTOD toughness is often utilized in the strain-based design, and thus its measurement is important to the pipeline industry. Two types of CTOD-R curve test methods are available for a single SENT specimen test: J-conversion method and double clip gage (DCG) measurement method. However, these two CTOD test methods often determine different R-curves, leading to a long-running dispute. To better understand the difference of the two CTOD test methods as well as the effect of material strain hardening rate on CTOD-R curves, a set of clamped SENT specimens are tested for two ductile steels with a high strain hardening rate (A36) and a low strain hardening rate (X80). Experimental R-curves are analyzed for the two steels, and results show that the CTOD-R curves determined using the J-conversion method and the DCG method are comparable for X80, but significantly different for A36. To study the root cause, elastic-plastic finite element analyses are performed for the SENT specimens of A36 and X80. With the numerical results of J-integral and CTOD, different CTOD estimation methods are evaluated, and the root causes of their differences are analyzed. On this basis, discussions are made on how to use the two types of CTOD-R curves in the pipeline design and integrity assessment.

The accurate prediction of ductile fracture behaviour plays an important role in structural integrity assessments of critical engineering structures under fully plastic regime, including nuclear reactors and piping systems. Many structural steels and aluminium alloys generally exhibit significant increases in fracture toughness, characterized by the J-integral, over the first few mm of stable crack extension (Δa), often accompanied by large increases in background plastic deformation. Conventional testing programs to measure crack growth resistance (J–Δa) curves employ three-point bend, SEN(B), or compact, CT. However, laboratory testing of fracture specimens to measure resistance curves (J–Δa) consistently reveals a marked effect of absolute specimen size, geometry, relative crack size (a/W ratio) and loading mode (tension vs. bending) on R-curves. These effects observed in R-curves have enormous practical implications in defect assessments and repair decisions of in-service structures under low constraint conditions. Structural components falling into this category include pressurized piping systems with surface flaws that form during fabrication or during in-service operation. A research program was launched by EDF R&D to study geometry effects (e.g. triaxiality effects) in the brittle to ductile transition of carbon-manganese steels using Single-edge notch tension (SENT) specimens, by comparing the results obtained on these specimens with the results obtained on CT specimens. This paper presents the results of the tests conducted between −40°C and −100°C on a large number of specimens of both types. The toughness values of the SENT specimens appear to be included in the scatter of the CT12.5 ones, so the geometry effect between CT and SENT specimens in the brittle to ductile region is not significant. Moreover, the results of the CT12.5 cut in the L-S direction are not very different of those of the specimens cut in the T-S direction. The Master Curve methodology fits rather well the CT12.5 results, whereas the SENT results are not well covered by this methodology. The energetic approach called GP has been applied to the analysis of some tests. This approach shows that the geometry effect between both types of specimens is limited, in agreement with the experimental observations.

Ductile crack growth plays an important role in the analysis of the fracture behavior of structures. Crack-like defects in pipe systems often develop during fabrication or in-service operation. The standard single edge notched bending (SENB) specimen with crack depth of a/W = 0.5 has a significantly higher geometry constraint than actual pipes with circumferential surface cracks, which therefore introduces a high degree of conservatism in engineering critical assessment (ECA) of pipes. Moreover, it is difficult to know how conservative the results are, because the geometry constraint is highly material-dependent. For circumferential surface flaws in pipes, the single edge notched tension (SENT) specimen has frequently been used because it has a geometry constraint in front of the crack tip that is similar to the cracks in pipes. Much work has been carried out on tensile testing for the SENT specimen as an alternative fracture mechanics specimen of pipes. In studying fully circumferential cracks in pipes, the crack geometry, applied load and boundary conditions are symmetrical about the axis of revolution. A typical radial plane containing the axis of rotational symmetry can represent these axisymmetric bodies; therefore the three-dimensional analysis can be reduced to a two-dimensional problem. This work systemically applies 2D axisymmetric models to study the ductile crack growth behavior of pipes with fully internal and external circumferential cracks under large scale yielding conditions. The complete Gurson model (CGM) developed and implemented by Zhang was utilized to predict the ductile crack growth resistance curves. Pipes with various internal pressure, diameter-to-thickness ratios, crack depths and material properties, as denoted by hardening and initial void volume fraction, have been analyzed. The results have been compared with those of corresponding clamped-loaded SENT (with same crack depth) and standard SENB specimens. It clearly indicates that the SENT specimen is a good representation of circumferentially flawed pipes and an alternative to the conventional standard SENB specimen for the fracture mechanics testing in ECA of pipes.

Crack path deviation in Single Edge Notch Tension (SENT) specimens, and its influence on the determination of J, has been investigated as part of the development of a new British Standard for SENT testing, BS 8571 [1]. Crack path deviation by angles up to 50° have been observed during stable tearing in parent material SENT specimens. This paper investigates the effect of crack path deviation on the measured fracture toughness, and offers a correction formula when crack path deviation invalidates the default standard J equations. Mixed mode effects in crack path deviation are also investigated. A parametric study using finite element analysis has been carried out to compare the value of J calculated using standard equations (which assume a straight crack propagation path) with the value of J calculated using the contour integral method for different levels of crack path deviation. Crack path deviation from the initial crack plane resulted in a non-conservative estimate of fracture toughness using the standard equations. This means that any SENT test exhibiting crack path deviation may need to be discarded, wasting valuable test specimens. Instead, a correction factor has been developed to adjust the calculated value of J if path deviation is observed.

Multi-physics FE-analysis and measurements for thermo-mechanical fatigue crack growth rate testing applications

A new approach for measuring crack length, which can be used for automization of fatigue test of rubber materials, is described. The crack length in the pure shear and SENT(Single Edge Notched Tension) specimens is evaluated from the variation of the peak loads under a constant cyclic displacement. For the pure shear specimen, a simple equation to give the crack length was derived from elementary consideration of the deformation pattern. The equation was applied to two constitutive models to simulate the hyperelastic behavior. It was experimentally proven that the crack length can be measured well. For the SENT specimen, an equation to give the crack length was derived from dimensional analysis. The function was assumed to be separated as the product of the deformation and geometry functions. Experiments were performed to prove the validity of the separation and to evaluate the details of the function.

Application of modified normalization method for J-R curve determination using clamped SENT specimens with varying in-plane and out-of-plane constraints

Comparison of J Equations for SENT Specimens

The low-constraint fracture toughness can be measured using a single edge-notched tension (SENT) specimen in the clamped-end conditions. The SENT specimen has been used in the oil and gas industry in the strain-based design and the crack assessment for transmission pipelines. Since 2006 when DNV published the first SENT test practice, many investigations have been done, and various SENT test methods were developed, including CANMET and ExxonMobil methods in terms of the J-integral and CTOD. The effort led to the first SENT test standard BS 8571 being published in 2014. However, the experimental evaluation methods remain in developing, and different methods may determine inconsistent results. For this reason, the present paper gives a brief review on SENT fracture testing and assesses the available test methods, including progresses on study of stress intensity factor, geometric eta factors, elastic compliance equation, and constraint m factor as well. The difference between J-converted CTOD and double clip gage measured CTOD is also discussed. On those bases, agreements and challenges in SENT testing are identified. The results provide a direction for further investigation to improve the current SENT test methods.

A modified normalization (NM) method to determine J-R curves using clamped single edge notched tension (SENT) specimens was proposed. To validate and quantify the modified NM method, the J-R curves of X80 pipeline steel obtained by NM method are compared with those determined by the unloading compliance (UC) method for SENT specimens. The comparison shows that modified NM method is obvious better than unmodified NM method for SENT specimens. The modified NM method has great agreements with UC method, and is a valid and cost-effective tool to be applied to obtain J-R curves of API X80 steel using SENT specimens with shallow cracked depth to deep cracked depth.

The effects of in-plane and out-of-plane constraints on J-R curves for X80 steel: A study using clamped SENT specimens

Strain capacity of the X80 line pipe with girth weld has been frequently evaluated from the SENT (Single Edge Notch Tension) test for the strain-based design (SBD). Also, it can be predicted from CWPT (Curved Wide Plate Test) and full scale test, which demand much larger scale test environment and higher costs in comparison to SENT test. On this scenario, well-developed numerical scheme can be a very useful tool for the strain capacity evaluation. The numerical scheme should be equipped with appropriate material models and inelastic analysis procedure to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the SENT specimen; in fact, the SENT specimen is expected to properly describe the defect in the girth weld part by using a notch. In this paper, for the validation of tensile strain capacity (TSC) of X80 line pipe, a phenomenological model, which is based on the GTN (Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman) model, is developed and verified through the comparison with experimental results. The material model is implemented in the commercial finite element program ABAQUS with the aid of the user-defined material module. Calibration of material parameters expressing elastic and plastic behaviors of base and weld metals are done on the basis of the round-bar and full thickness tensile test results, and then the finite element simulations for SENT tests are carried out to predict the TSC. To ensure the reliability of the nonlinear procedure, the predicted strain capacities are compared with the test results as well as those obtained by the conventional design formulae, which are established from statistical analysis of numerous line pipe test data; then application of the nonlinear procedure is extended to the CWPT simulation. In some cases, damping effect was introduced to improve the convergence of iterative nonlinear solution. As a result, the developed nonlinear procedure acquires reliability and accuracy enough to be applied to the strain-based design process. Thus, it is highly expected that the procedure can be used in various numerical evaluations of strain capacity of line pipes with girth welds.