Overview of the HIDA Project

Abstract

HIDA is a recently completed four-year-duration large research, development and validation project aimed at harmonising and expanding current high temperature crack assessment procedures and practices with a view to developing a unified European/International procedure. The project was started in 1996 and completed in early 2000. The work involved analysis of currently available published and unpublished data and generation of data from various standard fracture mechanics and validation type feature specimen tests on a range of steels used in high temperature plants. The project covered creep, high temperature fatigue and creep-fatigue interaction. This paper outlines the background issues and methodology applied to achieve the project objectives. Details are covered in other HIDA papers presented at the first HIDA Conference (held at CEA Saclay, France, in April 1998), 1 1 Various HIDA papers published in the Proceedings of the International HIDA Conference, held at CEA, Saclay, France, in April 1998, and entitled ‘Creep and fatigue crack growth in high temperature plant’. Proceedings published by Science & Technology Letters, London. and also in the HIDA papers being presented at this Conference. The project Consortium now intends to expand this work through a new European Commission funded project ‘HIDA Applicability’ to incorporate sensitivity and probabilistic assessment.