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Wallace B. WRIGlIT
Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Nuclur Energy Systems, PWR System« Division,
Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania l 5230, USA
and
Everett C. RODABAUGH
Battelle Memorial Institute. Applied MecharUc~Secrion. Columbus, Ohio 43201, USA
The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III (l9il) employs stress range and fatigue evaluation as
part of the total stress evaluation of piping systems. One method of computing this stress range and the resultant
fatigue damage using the basic equations of the Code is presented here. This method is then illustrated by examples
and discussed in detail
•
Fig. 1. Plant hypothetical operating history.
caused by the plant operational cycles it is instructive
to examine three possible types of plant stress history,
sents plant startup and the leveling off at number 3 each resulting from a separate type of operational
indicates steady state operation. There are 60 of these cycle.
startups which are one-half of the total operational First, examining fig. 2 note that it illustrates an
start up-shutdown cycle. The surge up and down and appropriate sine wave response of one cycle duration.
back to normal operation at number 4 represents a Superimposed on the plant transient is the stress time
turbine trip that occurs 38 times. The sharp slope to history at a point in the piping system that is shown
number 5 and return to normal operation represents in fig. 3.
an overpressure of the system from which the plant Alternately, looking at an operational plant tran-
returns to normal operation and there are 13 such sient cycle (that includes both temperature and pres-
operational cycles in the plant's history. The slope sure} with the superimposed stress transient as shown
from number 6 to plant shutdown occurs sixty times in fig, 4, note that the plant operational cycle has the
and is the other half of the start up-shut down cycle. characteristic sine wave response arid consequently,
These operational cycles are assumed to represent the there is a stress response that takes the approximate
total plant hypothetical operating history. Associated form of the transient as before but now the stress
with this operating history will be a stress history of transient contains several stress cycles.
the plant. For illustrative purposes we will examine It is impractical to compute the total stress time
the stress history at one point in one of the plant's history of each instant in time, therefore, a judgment
e. main piping systems. is made as to maximum and minimum loads within the
z 300
g 100 r ".
•...
9
Lt
e
ii
4:
>
•...
'";:)
V> NORMAL
'"•...
IX
OPERATION
<1.
~ ·300
-
TIME
NORMAL
OPERATION
PRESSUREJ
~J
I~MAtP
, OPERATION
~
/
L PLANT iRlI,lo,ISIENT
-TIME
•
cycle.
Hg. 4. Stress transient superimposed on plant's multiple
operational cycle. In the first instance shown by fig. cycle. operating transient,
3 there is one maximum and one minimum value. In
the second instance shown by fig. 4 there are several terms will be used shortly in table 4 to identify stress
significant stress cycles, two maximum and two mini- values and the number of occurrences of various
mum. stress cycles as range-transient combinations are for-
A third possibility is that only one maximum and med.
one minimum value may exist, but Liley are embedded To best operate with these stress ranges they are
in the transient and are not readily discernable. This reordered in descending value and are presented by
third type of transient will be included and illustrated table 3.
by the detailed example on fatigue evaluation. A new table, table 4, is now constructed that as-
sociates the sequence number with its related number
of cycles by use of the letters i and [, The number of
3. Example of transient stresses converted to stress occurrences of each stress range is computed by de-
range termining the maximum number of times each set i,
j can occur in combination. From each of these max-
3.1 . Combining cyclic stress imum numbers of combinations, progressing from top
To illustrate the basic concept of combining stres- to bottom, one number (i or j) is eliminated and the
ses to establish the range of stresses and determining other is adjusted downward to represent the number
1
Stress
(psi)
15000
Number of
cycles of
occurrence
1000
dividual i and j values permit a record to be kept dur-
2 60000
ing computation as the values of stress are formed in 2 3 3S 000 10000
all possible combinations. Additionany. the i andj 4 10000
w,e. Wright and E.C. Rodabaugh, Stress !'ange and fatigue damt1gt in nuclear pipe works 3:21
Table 2
Stress ranges. Stress ranges !~~magnitude.
i j i i
1-2 4S 000 2-4 50000
1-3 20000 1-2 45000
1 ~4 S 000 2-3 2S 000
2-3 25000 3-4 25000
2-4 50000 1-3 20000
3-4 25000 1-4 SOOO
+ C3EablQ:aTa
- Q:bTbl (10)
S v C PoDo K C Do MIl' t: . T
4. Detailed computation of loads to give stress range
. p ::::Al 1-.,-+
_t
2 2--::;-/'
•..
i + ')t'l _. fi3(.;;Q:IA11
•• - •..)
and fatigue evaluations
+ 1~1I E~i~T21+ K3C3EablCXaTa - ClbThl, (J 1)
4.1. Computation of stress range using equations of
ASME Section III ( 1971) where:
Section NB 3650 of Section III (l971) presents C1• C2• C3 ::::secondary stress indices for the specific
the equations for computing secondary and peak component under investigation,
stresses. These equations are repeated here for com- K l' K 2, K 3 = peak stress indices for the specific com-
pleteness, Secondary stresses are computed by: ponent under investigation,
Table 4
Sequence and number of occurrences of stress ranges.
i j i j i j
2-4 50000 1000 10000 1000 2-none 4-9000 2 has formed in max-
imum number and is
eliminated
1·2 45000 1000 1000 0
2-3 25000 1000 10000 0
3-4 25000 10000 9000 9000 3-1000 4-none 4 has formed in max-
imum number and is
eliminated
1- 3 20000 1000 1000 1000 1-none 3~nQne 1 and 3 have formed
in maximum number
and are eliminated
322 W.B. Wright and £.C. Rodabaugh. Stress range and filtigue ikmllge in nu clear pipeworks
•
assuming moment-generating equivalent K2C2Do/(2I) = 3.071,
linear temperature distribution [OF}, K3Eo:/2(I-IJ) = 520.714,
aT 2 = range of absolute value (without regard Eaf(1-v) = 347.143.
to sign) for that portion of the nonlinear
thermal gradient through the wall thick- 4.2. Fatigue damage
ness rF], One method of evaluating fatigue damage in a struc-
Eab :::the average modulus of elasticity of the ture is by use of the theory of Linear Cumulative Dam-
two parts of the gross discontinuity [psi], age (LCD), the method adopted by Section III. This
(ka = mean coefficient of expansion of side a theory was first proposed by Palmgren [3] and
of a gross discontinuity [in/in "F] , Langer [4 J and subsequently adapted to structures by
Ta :: range of average temperature on side a Miner [5].
of a gross discontinuity [OF], In other words, this theory states that a random
~ :: mean coefficient of expansion on side b series of stress cycles of variable amplitude contributes
of a gross discontinuity [in/in "Fj, to the fatigue damage of a structure in a linear manner.
Sm :: allowable stress [psi], Therefore, if a stress range, S r- occurs 71} times but
Sn :: primary plus secondary stress range [psi], could occur Nl times, then the contribution of Sl to
Sp = peak stress range [psi]. the fatigue damage is computed by taking the ratio
Examination of these two equations, (J 0) and (11), nl/Nl . The value of Nl comes from the Code's SIN
show the variables Po, Mi, ~Tl' Ta and Tb are com- cyclic stress fatigue curve. Similar stress-fatigue-eval-
mon to both equations. Their stress values vary only uations may be made for each stress range (S) from 1
by a constant (K) value. Additionally, eq, (I 1) has a to k and the sum of the ratios of "j/Nj produces the
!)'T2 term which is similar to ~Tl for determining total LCD of the piping system at a point. This total
stress ranges. Therefore, we may discuss stress range summation is to be equal to or less than 1.0. Sym-
using eq. (11) and this discussion will be applicable bolically this may be written
to eq. (10). k
For the stress range computation eq. (H) is modi-
fied to read: LCD = E nlNt~ 1.0,
i= I -
Table 5
1 (1) 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 500 300 -400 2000 0 0 0
3 (2) so 1000 500 750 0 0 0 0
4 -1000 -SOO -750 0 0 0 0
5 (3) 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 8000 6000 -1700 1000 32 18 0
7 (4) 38 8500 6300 -1800 1900 60 38 0
8 8900 6400 -11!9O 2000 63 41 0
•
9 7500 6000 -1000 1700 -60 -38 0
10 500 6300 -1800 1900 25 14 0
11 (5) 13 10000 BOOO -2000 2300 90 120 0
12 8500 6300 -1800 1900 -90 -120 0
.
secondary and peak loads, the resulting stress ranges . .. ,2-12 are formed in combination, then 3-4, ... ,
and the fatigue damage in a manner compatible with 3-12, etc. until the total of 11+10+9+ ... +1=66 stress
Section III (1971) definitions. The series of loads reo combinations has been formed.
sulting from the various operational cycles are corn- Due to the large amount of computation required,
puted and put in tabular form (see table 5) for a se- the calculations of stress combinations were made by
lected point in the piping system. The selected point computer with the results noted in table 6. The full
for this set of computed loads is not at a gross discon- set of information is presented in table 6 to establish
tinuity, therefore, the value in the right-hand column a maximum stress range for a transient and each range
of table 5 is zero. is the maximum value denoted in a particular compu-
The first column in table 5 is numbered from I to ter pass.
12 for convenience in identifying the loads during se- In this example, 11 and 12 happen to be the maxi-
lected times in the various operational cycles. The op- mum and minimum of the stress range of all com-
erational cycles (1), (2), (3), and (5) in table 5 each binations and they are both generated in the same
have a maximum and minimum value listed that re- transient. The next maxima and minima occur in com-
presents the extremum loadings of each operational bination of the second and the fourth transient, se·
cycle. The operational cycle (4) is a notable exception quence numbers 4 and 8. This operation then contin-
to the above. This operational cycle is complex enough ues through a total of eight computer passes, as noted
in loading that it is not possible to pick a clear cut set in table 6.
of extreme loading values, hence this complex opera- An interesting consequence of making the judgment
tional cycle is judged to require four separate loads in that more than two (actually an infinite number of
time to be representative of the operating cycle. These loading occurs) significant points of loading occur
win be formed in combinations with other loads des- during a plant operational cycle is.that intermediate
cribed by the sequence number. Their sequential com- load points may contribute to cyclic fatigue.
bination is arbitrary, but they are limited in number For example, we have four load sets that have been
to 38 cycles for any sequence number (7) through (to) calculated for transient number 4. However, this tran-
and a total of 76 cycles of stress for any combination. sient will occur 38 times. Therefore, in this transient
The loads associated with the sequence numbers are we can have 38 minimum ami 38 maximum stress
formed in combination 1-2, 1-3,1-4, ... ,1-12 values. Which 76 of the 152 (4 X 38) cycles that we
using eq. (II·) to give stress values for each combina- have listed in this transient do we use? The answer to
tion.ln turn the sequence numbers 2-3,2-4,2-5, this question must come from the detailed analysis by
324 w'B. Ji.'right and E. C Rodllbaugh. Sire$!! rtlftgt and fatigue dDmage in nuclear pipeWOl'k$
•
8-12 138900 pass to the next to reflect updating means no correspondence
9-11 155700 exists in the numbering between computer passes.
10-12 131000
11-12 192300 < < < 13"-
forming all possible combinations of loads. At this
Computer pass No.2 point it suffices to say that, of the four conditions, we
1- 8 122100 must exercise care not to use anyone value of stress
2- ,8 79250 over 38 times and no combination of stresses from the
3- 8 119900 total loads of this transient over 76 times.
4- 8 125 SOO << < 38"- ~
S- 8 122700
6- 9 72 060
4.4. Fatigue evaluation
7- 9 97060 Table 7 presents the final results of maximum stress
8- 9 102900, ranges shown in table 6 plus the individual usage fac-
9-10 88120 tors. These usage factors were computed assuming
stainless steel material and the fatigue curve for this
Computer pass No.3
metal from ASME Section III (I 971) was applied.
1-7 116900
As an interesting sidelight note that a summation
2-8 78450
3-7 114100 of the number of cycles in table 5 is 26]. When ranges
4-7 119900 <<< 12"- are formed in table 7 and the number of cycles sum-
5-7 116900 med the value is 249. This clearly indicates the vari-
6-8 72060 anee that may exist between operational cycles and
7-8 97060
stress cycles.
8-9 88120
t Acknowledgement
[4] B.F. Langer, Fatigue Failure from Stress Cycles of Varying
Amplitude, Trans. ASME S9 (1937) AlSO.
(5) M.A. Miner. Cumulative Damage in Fatigue, J.A.M. 12
(September, 1945) A159.