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The paper presents the results of the application of the refined calculation guidelines to the analysis of the stress-strain state and fracture resistance of the equipment elements of the NPP primary circuit system with WWER reactor, in particular, the cylindrical part and the zone of the reactor pressure vessel inlet nozzle, coolant collector welded joint in a steam generator, baffle, and reactor internals' shaft under the operating and emergency modes of thermomechanical loading. The calculation methodology is based on the use of the modern models and methods of solution to the nonlinear boundary tasks of non-isothermal thermal viscoplasticity and tasks of fracture mechanics using the refined mixed schemes of the finite element method with increased accuracy. They allow one to obtain reliable solutions to the tasks considering the deformation history of thermomechanical loading, modern concepts of fracture mechanics and approaches to the modeling of brittle-viscous fracture defects, irradiation swelling and creep of metal, as well as as the structural elements, under the conditions of elevated temperature, intensive neutron irradiation and nonstationary modes of thermomechanical loading. The authors obtained and analyzed the calculation results for the cylindrical part and zone of the inlet nozzle of the WWER-1000 reactor pressure vessel, coolant collector welded joint in a steam generator, baffle, and reactor internals' shaft using the proposed guidelines. The results imply the possibilities of the proposed recommendations and make it possible to analyze some general tendencies and features of the application of the refined calculation models to justify the strength and life extension of the NPP structural elements under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model to describe the kinetics of short fatigue crack growth from an obtuse stress raiser (notch) is proposed. The model makes it possible to calculate the kinetic diagram of short fatigue crack growth rate from a stress raiser and to estimate the number of loading cycles from the moment of crack initiation up to the moment when the crack reaches the specified size at a constant range of applied nominal stresses. Apart from the loading parameters and geometrical dimensions of the stress raiser, the input data for calculations are the static strength characteristics (elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and yield stress, which are determined from short-term tensile tests on standard specimens of the material) and microstructural characteristics (grain size, Taylor factor, and Buergers vector, which are determined from microstructural analysis of the initial material). Calculations according to the proposed model of kinetic curve of crack growth rate and number of loading cycles during its growth for tested 45 grade steel specimens exhibited a good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coaxing effect in fatigue refers to an increase in the fatigue strength of material imduced by prior cycling at a stress level below the fatigue limit. In this study, the coaxing effect of multi-level stresses in the fatigue process in the automotive drive shaft material 40Cr was investigated by applying three levels of stress amplitudes below the fatigue limit in different sequences prior to conducting the conventional constant amplitude fatigue test with standard round bar specimens. The existence of coaxing effect under multi-level stress with a load sequence effect was observed and confirmed by the results. The longest fatigue life is achieved through three levels of coaxing load with a step increase sequence, while a decrease sequence will result in the shortest fatigue life. The mechanisms of the coaxing effect which increased the fatigue life at the crack initiation and propagation stages were observed, through fracture morphology analysis, as the regulation of micropores, decreasing of pore density and the narrowed striation spacing. This finding is instrumental for extending the service life of mechanical components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fracture and stress-strain state (SSS) of significantly anisotropic composite cylinders have been analytically and numerically investigated under internal explosion. Four possible types of fracture have been determined, including spallation fracture. The features of wave the SSS and strength of thin- and thick-walled shells as well as the dependence of the maximum permissible critical mass of the charge on the cylinder thickness have been established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present research is twofold. Firstly, to provide a new set of experimental results regarding tensile brittle fracture in key-hole notches and secondly, to check the suitability of the local strain energy density (SED) criterion in predicting the test results. For this purpose, 21 fracture tests were conducted at room temperature on a new version of the well-known Brazilian disk specimen containing a central dumbbell-shaped slit with two key-ends (Key-BD specimen) made of PMMA. The experimentally obtained fracture loads were theoretically predicted for different notch radii by means of the local SED averaged over a specified control volume which embraces the notch edge. It was shown that the experimental results could be well predicted by means of the SED criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber-metal laminates (FMLs) composed of metal lamina and reinforcing fibers exhibit an improved crack growth resistance as compared to conventional aircraft materials. The crack resistance of a hybrid FML composite consisting of LY12M aluminum alloy lamina and prepreg layers of HS2 glass fibers and T700 carbon fibers has been experimentally investigated on tensile specimens at stress ratios R = - 1, 0.1, and 0.5. The crack growth rate data at positive stress ratios demonstrate a significant scatter and a large difference between specimen's back and front surfaces formed by 1-mm thick outer aluminum layers. This violation of the test standard requirements for metal materials in the performed FML tests presents a problem of determining a proper failure criterion for the engineering applications of FMLs. Based on the comparative analysis of FML crack resistance results obtained, some qualitative conclusions are drawn on solving this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]