Abstract
Low alloy steel SA508 autogenously welded with Type 309L/308L austenitic stainless steel cladding is one of the common forms of the dissimilar metal weld joint (DMWJ) in the primary water of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). Accurate evaluation of the inhomogeneous mechanical propriety and crack growth driving force at the corresponding place on the DMWJ is important for integrity analyses of a PWR. In this study, the mechanical propriety of the DMWJ was obtained using a combined Vickers hardness test and the stress-hardness relationship. And, a finite element (FE) model for the DMWJ in a PWR with continuous transition mechanical propriety was built using a predefined temperature field method. Based on consideration of the heterogeneity mechanical properties on the DMWJ with the continuous transition mechanical propriety, the Mises stress distribution and J integral on the crack tip with different crack lengths was analyzed using elastoplastic FE analysis. As shown by the distribution profile of the Mises stress distribution and J integral on the crack tip, the inhomogeneous mechanical propriety distribution is found to significantly affect the crack driving force when the crack tip is close to the fusion boundary.
Acronyms
BM: | = | base metal |
DMWJ: | = | dissimilar metal weld joint |
EBSD: | = | electron backscattered diffraction |
FB: | = | fusion boundary |
HAZ: | = | heat affected zone |
NPP: | = | nuclear power plant |
PWHT: | = | post weld heat treatment |
PWR: | = | pressurized water reactor |
SCC: | = | stress corrosion cracking |
SS: | = | stainless steel |
WM: | = | weld metal |
Nomenclature
a | = | = crack length |
d | = | = distance from the welded interface |
E | = | = Young’s modulus |
HV | = | = Vickers hardness |
J | = | = J integral |
n | = | = strain hardening exponent |
Greek
β | = | = length of the plastic plateau |
ε | = | = strain |
ɛst | = | = strain at the starting point of the strain hardening stage |
θ | = | = angle with crack propagation direction |
ν | = | = Poisson’s ratio |
σ | = | = stress |
σm | = | = Mises stress |
σm max | = | = maximum Mises stress |
σu | = | = tensile strength |
σy | = | = yield strength |
Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (52075434), Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research (2019B030302011), Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (2021JM-389), Guangdong Introducing Innovative and Enterpreneurial Teams (2016ZT06G025), and China Scholarship Council (201808610225).
Disclosure Statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript. We confirm that the mentioned funding in the “Acknowledgment” section did not lead to any conflict of interests regarding the publication of this manuscript, and there is no other possible conflict of interests in the manuscript.