Analytical evaluation procedures for determining the acceptability of flaws detected during in-service inspection of nuclear power plant components are provided in Section XI of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Linear elastic fracture mechanics based evaluation procedures in ASME Section XI require calculation of the stress intensity factor. Article A-3000 of Appendix A in ASME Section XI prescribes a method to calculate the stress intensity factor for a surface or subsurface flaw by making use of the flaw location stress distribution obtained in the absence of the flaw. The 2015 Edition of ASME Section XI implements a number of significant improvements in Article A-3000. Major improvements include the implementation of an alternate method for calculation of the stress intensity factor for a surface flaw that makes explicit use of the Universal Weight Function Method and does not require a polynomial fit to the actual stress distribution and the inclusion of closed-form equations for stress intensity factor influence coefficients for cylinder geometries. With the inclusion of the explicit weight function approach and the closed-form relations for influence coefficients, the procedures of Appendix A for the calculation of stress intensity factors can be used more efficiently. A review of improvements that have been implemented in Article A-3000 of Appendix A in the 2015 Edition of ASME Section XI is provided in this paper. Example calculations are provided for illustration purpose.
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February 2017
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Improvements in Article A-3000 of Appendix A for Calculation of Stress Intensity Factor in Section XI of the 2015 Edition of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
Douglas A. Scarth
Douglas A. Scarth
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Steven X. Xu
Russell C. Cipolla
Darrell R. Lee
Douglas A. Scarth
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Pressure Vessel and Piping Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF PRESSURE VESSEL TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received December 20, 2015; final manuscript received March 24, 2016; published online August 5, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Kunio Hasegawa.
J. Pressure Vessel Technol. Feb 2017, 139(1): 010801 (9 pages)
Published Online: August 5, 2016
Article history
Received:
December 20, 2015
Revised:
March 24, 2016
Citation
Xu, S. X., Cipolla, R. C., Lee, D. R., and Scarth, D. A. (August 5, 2016). "Improvements in Article A-3000 of Appendix A for Calculation of Stress Intensity Factor in Section XI of the 2015 Edition of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code." ASME. J. Pressure Vessel Technol. February 2017; 139(1): 010801. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4033450
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