Stress intensity factors and crack opening displacements for slanted axial through-wall cracks in pressurized pipes

• Published in: Fatigue & fracture of engineering materials & structures Vol. 31; no. 6; pp. 428 - 440
• Main Authors: HUH, N.-S., SHIM, D.-J., CHOI, S., PARK, K.-B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2008; Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Axial stress; axial through-wall crack; Crack opening displacement; Crack propagation; Cracks; Cylinders; Exact sciences and technology; finite element; Finite element method; Fracture mechanics; Mechanical engineering; Mechanical properties and methods of testing. Rheology. Fracture mechanics. Tribology; Metals. Metallurgy; Pipes; Pressure; slanted crack; Stress intensity factor; Stress intensity factors; Three dimensional; Mechanical properties; Crack opening displacement; Stress intensity factor; Tube
• ISSN: 8756-758X; 1460-2695
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-2695.2008.01235.x

ABSTRACT This paper proposes elastic stress intensity factors and crack opening displacements (CODs) for a slanted axial through‐wall cracked cylinder under an internal pressure based on detailed three‐dimensional (3D) elastic finite element (FE) analyses. The FE model and analysis procedure were validated against existing solutions for both elastic stress intensity factor and COD of an idealized axial through‐wall cracked cylinder. To cover a practical range, four different values of the ratio of the mean radius of cylinder to the thickness (Rm/t) were selected. Furthermore, four different values of the normalized crack length and five different values of the ratio of the crack length at the inner surface to the crack length at the outer surface representing the slant angle were selected. Based on the elastic FE results, the stress intensity factors along the crack front and CODs through the thickness at the centre of the crack were provided. These values were also tabulated for three selected points, that is, the inner and outer surfaces and at the mid‐thickness. The present results can be used to evaluate the crack growth rate and leak rate of a slanted axial through‐wall crack due to stress corrosion cracking and fatigue. Moreover, the present results can be used to perform a detailed leak‐before‐break analysis considering more realistic crack shape development.