Ratchetting Behavior of Primary Heat Transport (PHT) Piping Material SA-333 Carbon Steel Subjected to Cyclic Loads at Room Temperature

Ratchetting behavior of SA-333 Gr. 6 carbon steel used as primary heat transport (PHT) piping material has been investigated with three constitutive models proposed by Armstrong-Frederick, Chaboche and Ohno-Wang involving different hardening rules. Performance of the above mentioned models have been evaluated for a broad set of uniaxial and biaxial loading histories. The uniaxial ratchetting simulations have been performed for a range of stress ratios (R) by imposing different stress amplitudes and mean stress conditions. Numerical simulations indicated significant ratchetting and opening of hysteresis loop for negative stress ratio with constant mean stress. Application of cyclic stress without mean stress (R = −1.0) has been observed to produce negligible ratchet-strain accumulation in the material. Simulation under the biaxial stress condition was based on modeling of an internally pressurized thin walled pipe subjected to cyclic bending load. Numerical results have been validated with the experiments as per simulation conditions. All three models have been found to predict the observed accumulation of circumferential strain with increasing number of cycles. However, the Armstrong Frederick (A-F) model was found to be inadequate in simulating the ratchetting response for both uniaxial as well as biaxial loading cases. The A-F model actually overpredicted the ratchetting strain in comparison with the experimental strain values. On the other hand, results obtained with the Chaboche and the Ohno-Wang models for both the uniaxial as well as biaxial loading histories have been observed to closely simulate the experimental results. The Ohno-Wang model resulted in better simulation for the presents sets of experimental results in comparison with the Chaboche model. It can be concluded that the Ohno-Wang model suited well compared to the Chaboche model for above sets of uniaxial and biaxial loading histories.