Growth and stability of stress corrosion cracks in large-diameter BWR piping. Volume 1: summary. Final report

Abstract

This report presents the results of a research program conducted to evaluate the behavior of hypothetical stress corrosion cracks in large diameter austenitic piping. The program included major tasks, a design margin assessment, an evaluation of crack growth and crack arrest, and development of a predictive model. As part of the margin assessment, the program developed diagrams which predicted net section collapse as a function of crack size. In addition, plasticity and dynamic load effects were also considered in evaluating collapse. Analytical methods for evaluating these effects were developed and were benchmarked by dynamic tests of 4-in.-diameter piping. The task of evaluating the growth behavior of stress corrosion cracks focused on developing constant load and cyclic growth rate data that could be used with the predictive model. Secondly, laboratory tests were performed to evaluate the conditions under which growing stress corrosion cracks would arrest when they intersected stress corrosion resistant weld metal. The third task successfully developed a model to predict the behavior of cracks in austenitic piping. This model relies on crack growth data and the critical crack size predicted by the net section collapse approach.