Thermal Ratcheting and Creep Damage

摘要

Creep is a cause of deformation; it may also result in rupture in time. Although LMFBR structures are not heavily loaded, they are subjected to large thermal transients. Can structure lifetime be shortened by such transients. Several proposals have been made to assist adesigners with thermal ratcheting in the creep range. Unfortunately these methods are not validated by experiments, and they take only inelastic distorsion into consideration as creep effects. The aim of the work presented here is to correct these deficiencies in providing an experimental basis to ratcheting analysis rules in the creep range, and in considering the effect of cyclic straining (like cyclic thermal stresses) on the time to rupture by creep. Experimental tests have been performed on austenitic stainless steel at 650 exp 0 C for the first item. Results of these tests and results available in the open literature have been used to built a practical rule of ratcheting analysis. This rule giving a conservative value of the creep distortion, is based on the concept of effective primary stress which is an amplification of the primary stress really applied. Concerning the second point (time to rupture), it was necessary to obtain real creep rupture and not instability. According to the proposal of Pr LECKIE, tests were performed on specimen made out of copper, and of aluminium alloys at temperatures between 150 exp 0 C and 300 exp 0 C. With such materials creep rupture is obtained without necking. Experimental tests show that cyclic straining reduces the time to creep rupture under load controlled stress. Caution must be given to the designer: cyclic thermal stress can lead to premature creep rupture. (ERA citation 09:022856)