Review of the Current Conservatisms in the Assessment of Thin-Walled Structures

Current methods for performing fracture mechanics assessments of thin-walled structures possess significant levels of conservatism, since they are often for general use with both thin-walled and thick-walled structures. In many industries, there are significant commercial drivers for reducing the amount of conservatism in these assessments. An enhanced understanding of the fracture behaviour of thin-walled structures in different situations may lead to the development of more appropriate structural integrity assessments. A review of the information pertaining to fracture mechanics analysis of thin-walled structures has been conducted. There are indications that improvements to the best practice methodology may be made, through improved tensile and toughness properties, consideration of limit loads, and the effect of residual stress distributions.