Mechanical properties of 1950’s vintage, A285 Grade B carbon steels have been compiled for elastic-plastic fracture mechanics analysis of storage tanks (Lam and Sindelar, 2000). The properties are from standard Charpy V-notch (CVN), 0.4T planform compact tension (C(T)), and tensile (T) specimens machined from archival steel from large water piping. The piping and storage tanks were constructed in the 1950s from semi-killed, hot-rolled carbon steel plate specified as A285 Grade B. Evaluation of potential aging mechanisms at both service conditions shows no loss in fracture resistance of the steel in either case. Site and literature data show that the A285, Grade B steel, at and above approximately 70°F (21°C), is in the upper transition to upper shelf region for absorbed energy and is not subject to cleavage cracking or a brittle fracture mode. Furthermore, the tank sidewalls are 1/2 or (12.7 or 15.875 mm) thick, and therefore, the J-resistance curve that characterizes material resistance to stable crack extension under elastic-plastic deformation best defines the material fracture toughness. The curves for several heats of A285, Grade B steel tested at 40°F (4.4°C), a temperature near the average ductile-to-brittle (DBTT) transition temperature (CVN at 15 ft-lb or 20.3 J), are presented. This data is applicable to evaluate flaw stability of the storage tanks that are operated above 70°F (21°C) since, even at 40°F (4.4°C), crack advance is observed to proceed by ductile tearing. [S0094-9930(00)00402-9]
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Flaw Stability in Mild Steel Tanks in the Upper-Shelf Ductile Range—Part I: Mechanical Properties
Robert L. Sindelar,
Robert L. Sindelar
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
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Poh-Sang Lam,
Poh-Sang Lam
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
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George R. Caskey,, Jr.,
George R. Caskey,, Jr.
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
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Leta Y. Woo
Leta Y. Woo
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
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Robert L. Sindelar
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
Poh-Sang Lam
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
George R. Caskey,, Jr.
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
Leta Y. Woo
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Contributed by the Pressure Vessels and Piping Division and presented at the Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1–5, 1999, of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. Manuscript received by the PVP Division, October 12, 1999; revised manuscript received November 2, 1999. Technical Editor: S. Y. Zamrik.
J. Pressure Vessel Technol. May 2000, 122(2): 162-168 (7 pages)
Published Online: November 2, 1999
Article history
Received:
October 12, 1999
Revised:
November 2, 1999
Citation
Sindelar , R. L., Lam , P., Caskey, , G. R., Jr., and Woo, L. Y. (November 2, 1999). "Flaw Stability in Mild Steel Tanks in the Upper-Shelf Ductile Range—Part I: Mechanical Properties ." ASME. J. Pressure Vessel Technol. May 2000; 122(2): 162–168. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.556173
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