Stress corrosion cracking analysis under thermal residual stress field using S-FEM

Fracture in heat affected zone (HAZ) in welding has been a serious problem for the integrity of machines. Prediction of fracture behavior due to the residual stress field in HAZ is important. In this paper, S-Version FEM(S-FEM) is applied to simulate the crack growth under thermal and residual stress fields. For evaluation of stress intensity factor, virtual crack closure integral method (VCCM) is employed. In order to confirm the validity of this analysis, numerical results are compared with previously-reported analytical and experimental results. Then, crack growth analysis in piping structure with welding joint was conducted. The residual stress data was provided by JAEA, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, based on their numerical simulation. Using S-FEM, two- and three-dimensional analyses are conducted, and crack growth behavior under thermal stress field is studied and discussed.