This paper summarizes the design calculations performed by Framatome, EDF, KIWA INSPECTA and VTT for three large scale tests on ferritic pipes made of material WB 36 (15 NiCuMoNb 5).
The large scale tests will be performed on a 4-point bending test facility provided by EDF under displacement control at room temperature.
The overall goal of the planned large scale tests is to demonstrate the effect of the crack tip constraint on the fracture toughness at the component level. Results of those tests will be utilized to develop and validate advanced tools for structural integrity assessment within WP 3 particularly with respect to the transferability of material properties from small scale specimens to large scale components as well as for the development and validation of a procedure for the determination of component fracture resistance curves.
Three configurations of the initial defect with different constraint conditions (one through-wall and two surface cracks) are considered.
The design calculations are divided into two parts. In the first part an optimization of three different crack shapes is performed on basis of the standard fracture mechanics approach (based on J-Integral) without consideration of the constraint effect.
In the second part a quantification of the crack tip constraint for the selected crack configurations from part I is performed. The effect of the constraint on the crack initiation and propagation for the selected crack configurations shall be assessed and compared between each other.
Based on these calculations the final flaw configuration for each large scale experiment is selected.
