Computational Fracture Mechanics: Evaluation of The Structural Integrity in a Penstock Applying the BS7910 Standard and Finite Element Analysis

The present work aims to determine the structural integrity of penstocks, applying the BS7910 standard and finite element analysis (FEA). For the study of fracture mechanics in thin-walled cylinders that have defects inside, the structural integrity of the element is determined through a failure ass...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inIOP conference series. Materials Science and Engineering Vol. 925; no. 1; pp. 12023 - 12036
Main Authors Barrionuevo, G O, Guerrero, B A, Walczak, M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bristol IOP Publishing 01.09.2020
Subjects
CAD
Computer aided design
Crack propagation
Crack tips
Critical point
Failure assessment diagrams
Finite element analysis
Finite element method
Fracture mechanics
Mathematical analysis
Meshing
Penstocks
Plastic collapse
Safety factors
Stress intensity factors
Structural integrity
Tool life
Useful life
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Summary:The present work aims to determine the structural integrity of penstocks, applying the BS7910 standard and finite element analysis (FEA). For the study of fracture mechanics in thin-walled cylinders that have defects inside, the structural integrity of the element is determined through a failure assessment diagram (FAD) where the fracture failure index (Kr) is graphed versus plastic collapse index (Lr). Based on the locus of the initial point of failure, the safety factor is calculated, and it is defined if the element is fit for service or if corrective action must be taken to continue operating; later, crack growth is analyzed, where the critical point of rupture of the penstock and therefore its useful life is determined. To contrast results, a simulation of fracture mechanics is performed in ANSYS, where the stress intensity factor (KI) is determined using the fracture tool, and the useful life of the element is also calculated through a fatigue analysis. The use of tetrahedral elements is recommended for the overall meshing and a cobweb configuration for meshing at crack-tip. Finally, the results obtained are compared, where the mean average percentage error of 3.24% was obtained, denoting the usefulness of the two methods as well as the simplicity of the Paris' law.
ISSN:1757-8981
1757-899X
1757-899X
DOI:10.1088/1757-899X/925/1/012023