Vol.12, No3, 2012, pp.175–179
UDC 539.42: 669.14; 621.791.05: 669.14

ASSESSMENT OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF FATIGUE LOADED HSLA STEEL WELDED JOINT BY APPLYING FRACTURE MECHANICS PARAMETERS

Ljubica Milović1, Srđan Bulatović2, Vujadin Aleksić3, Zoran Radaković4, Svetislav Marković5, Stojan Sedmak6

1)University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade, Serbia, acibulj@tmf.bg.ac.rs

2)Yugoslav River Shipping, Belgrade, Serbia

3)Institute for Testing of Materials – IMS, Belgrade, Serbia

4)University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia

5)Technical College, Čačak, Serbia

6)Society for Structural Integrity and Life (DIVK), Belgrade, Serbia

Abstract

From a fracture mechanics point of view on welded joints, it is assumed that the welded joint is pre-cracked such as that the fatigue life of the pre-cracked structure is then determined by the period of crack growth under variable load. Experimental data obtained by testing provide a substantial basis for a better understanding and an explanation of the phenomenon of material fatigue. Low cycle fatigue (LCF) occurs during the process of charging and discharging of reactors, pressure vessels and pipelines; the fatigue can be accelerated by an additional negative effect of temperature variation and the aggressive effect of the media contained inside the vessel, and during the exploitation of the equipment in the processing industry.

In the present paper the results are presented of J-integral measurements at LCF of a low-alloyed high strength steel (HSLA) weld metal used in the submerged arc welding process in the manufacture of pressure vessels.

Keywords: low-cycle-fatigue (LCF), J integral, HSLA steel, process equipment

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