Abstract
Procedures for structural integrity assessment normally contain criteria to predict the significance of the interaction between neighbouring defects in a structure. Here, the elastic interaction between coplanar semi-elliptical surface cracks is examined in detail by considering a large number of dissimilar crack pairs with different depths and aspect ratios. Surface defect interaction criteria from several assessment procedures are critically assessed and found to be satisfactory for cracks loaded in uniform tension. The criterion used in the R6 Rev. 4 and BS 7910:2013 procedures is the least inherently conservative of those considered here. However, the amount by which interaction exacerbates the most severe crack front loading state can depend strongly on the distribution of stress applied to the cracks. This means that the loading mode should be taken into consideration when judging whether the interaction between surface defects is significant.
Highlights
In structural integrity analysis it is often necessary to predict the combined effect of two or more flaws in a structure
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the criteria that are used within structural integrity assessment procedures to judge the significance of crack interaction effects
There is very little published data dealing with the interaction of dissimilar semi-elliptical cracks in finite-thickness plates, some data is available for pairs of identical cracks
Summary
In structural integrity analysis it is often necessary to predict the combined effect of two or more flaws in a structure. Integrity assessment procedures such as the British assessment standard BS 7910:2013 [1], the R6 Rev. 4 procedure maintained by EDF Energy and others [2], and the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section XI [3] contain rules for analysing adjacent defects, in addition to guidance on how to predict their combined effect on a structure. These procedures are designed to cover various failure mechanisms including brittle fracture, elastic-plastic fracture and plastic collapse. For co-planar surface defects, assessment codes typically provide rules for conservatively characterising the defects as semi-elliptical or rectangular cracks
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