FLAWS: Fatigue Life Analysis of Welded Structures

CG-Crack Growth based on fracture mechanics

Version 2 06. June 2006 Tom Lassen
General information
The background for this spreadsheet is found in chapter 6 in the textbook
The aim of this spreadsheet is to provide the reader with a tool for fatigue crack growth prediction
The user can play with the input parameters to reveal their influence on the fatigue crack growth and final life
A quasi stochastic analysis is added for a damage tolerance analysis
Some calculations are carried out in Macros that must be activated by buttons
The macros are written in Visual Basic
Guidance for the user:
The colors are indicating the content of the cells:
Blue indicates the issue the user is dealing with (Heading)
Green indicates where the user are to enter input data
Read indicates values not to be changed but chosen by use of the menus
Yellow indicates values that are used by the macros when these are activated by the macro buttons
Units
Units are Mpa for stresses and meters for dimensions
The only exception is the POD curve for which the crack depth is given in millimeter
1 Identification of structure: Name: Industrial case chapter 6.11
Loading mode: Riser loads
2 Definition of the the welded joint or component geometry
You will find some standard geometries in the drawings to the left numbered from 1 to 6
You can choose between them by the meny in table 1
In addition you must give some spesific dimensions
Standard geometries Table 1
Figure 1 Possible geometries
1,2 1 Wide plate Central trough crack
2 Wide plate Edge crack
3 Butt joint Surface crack at toe
4 Fillet joint Surface crack at toe
2 5 Round bar Surface crack
6 Tubular joint Surface crack at weld toe
1
1
w
2a
a
Choose geometry
4
3
Give dimensions [m] Comments
a Thickness T= 1.60E-02 The thickness is replaced by the diameter for a round bar
T Width, w= 1.00E-01 Only to be given for geometry 1 and 2
a initial= 5.00E-04 Initial crack size
a final= 8.00E-03 Final crack size. Must not exceed the plate thickness
For a round bar the final crack size must be less than
4 Section 6.7 in the book half the diameter
a
5
a
T=D
For a tubular joint you
6 must also give: Guide
SCF= 3 These parameteres are defined in section 6.8
BET= 1
Section 6.8 in the book SAV= 1.5
The chosen geometry of the joint Geomtrifunksjon
has a geometry function as shown in a a/T
Figure 2 1.00E-04 6.25E-03
5.00E-04 3.13E-02
1.00E-03 6.25E-02
1.50E-03 9.38E-02
2.00E-03 1.25E-01
3.00E-03 1.88E-01
5.00E-03 3.13E-01
8.00E-03 5.00E-01
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
0.0 0.2
F
(
a
/
T
)

Geometryfunction
1 2a
3 Material data
Tabell 2
The main parameters are C and m in the Material parameters m
Paris law. The menu values 1 and 2 in table 2 1 BSI-Steel 3
are the mean and mean plus two standard 2 IIW-AA 3
deviations for C given in BS7910 for steel 3 USER 3
The units are Mpa and m
To the right these are converted to Mpa and Choose Material
millimeter 1
m=
If you have more exact values you can C=
give them in the green cells
The parameters you have chosen DelK
gives a growth curve as shown in Figure 3 5
15
30
50
4 Load spectrum
The load spectrum may either be given as the equivalent stress range (Equivalent stress range=TRUE) or as a histogram of stress ranges
Hence, you may either give one single value in column G or several lines (maximum 10 ) in column B and C
TRUE
ID DELSIG n n*DELSIG^m Equivalent stress range: 21
1 20 100 800000
2 50 200 25000000
3 60 300 64800000 Equivalent stress range: 105.390288
4 70 400 137200000
5 80 500 256000000
6 90 600 437400000
7 100 700 700000000
8 110 800 1064800000
9 120 900 1555200000
10 130 1000 2197000000 The following stress range is used in the calculation
5500 6438200000 DELSIG= 21
5 Calculation of crack growth
A: Simplified estimate based on constant F function
F= 1.41125 (Constant at a/T=0,001)
1-m/2 -0.50
nominator -33.5410197
denominator -8.69E-07
Life 3.86E+07
Equivalent stress?
1.00E-09
1.00E-08
1.00E-07
1.00E-06
1.00E-05
1
d
a
/
d
N

Figure 3
Growth curve for the chosen C and m
B: Calculation based on integration of the Paris law (Press Macro button)
Numerical results The results are shown graphically on Figure 4
a(mm) Cycles
0.50 0.00E+00
0.875 9.34E+06
1.25 1.58E+07
1.625 2.05E+07
2 2.39E+07
2.375 2.65E+07
2.75 2.85E+07
3.125 3.00E+07
3.5 3.12E+07
3.875 3.20E+07
4.25 3.27E+07
4.625 3.33E+07
5 3.37E+07
5.375 3.40E+07
5.75 3.43E+07
6.125 3.45E+07
6.5 3.46E+07
6.875 3.47E+07
7.25 3.48E+07
7.625 3.49E+07
8 3.49E+07
5 Reliability of an inspection program; Damage tolerance analysis
Estimate of the performance of a chosen inspection program
See section 7.6.4.1 in the text book
You must specify the POD curve for Give parameters for POD
the inspection technique by giving
P0, g and ab P0= 0.9
g= 1
ab 1
Your parameters give an
POD curve as shown
in Figure 5
Give inspection interval Give inspection interval
Have a look at Figures 4 and 5 Interval 5.00E+06
before choosing an interval
Based on the given values you can check the reliability
by pressing the Macro button
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
0.0E+00 1.0E+07 2.0E+07
C
r
a
c
k

d
e
p
t
h

a

[
m
m
]

Cycles
Figure 4
Crack evolution
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
0.00
P
O
D

Results:
The inspection program has 4 effective inspections
The first is scheduled at 1.50E+07 At an expected crack depth of
The last is carried out at 3.00E+07 At an expected crack depth of
Total reliability 0.960144

The first and last effective inspections are indicated in figure 6


0.00
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
0.0E+00 1.0E+07 2.0E+07 3.0E+07 4.0E+07
C
r
a
c
k

d
e
p
t
h

a

[
m
m
]

Cycles
Figure 6
Crack growth history with first and last inspection
The aim of this spreadsheet is to provide the reader with a tool for fatigue crack growth prediction
The user can play with the input parameters to reveal their influence on the fatigue crack growth and final life
Read indicates values not to be changed but chosen by use of the menus
Yellow indicates values that are used by the macros when these are activated by the macro buttons
The only exception is the POD curve for which the crack depth is given in millimeter
Industrial case chapter 6.11 Type: Steel pipe
Date: 6/6/2006
2 Definition of the the welded joint or component geometry
You will find some standard geometries in the drawings to the left numbered from 1 to 6
Central trough crack
Surface crack at toe
Surface crack at toe
Surface crack
Surface crack at weld toe
Fillet joint
The thickness is replaced by the diameter for a round bar
Only to be given for geometry 1 and 2
Initial crack size
Final crack size. Must not exceed the plate thickness
For a round bar the final crack size must be less than
half the diameter
These parameteres are defined in section 6.8
F
2.47537538
1.665
1.41125
1.33625
1.3125
1.37125
1.6725
2.65
0.2 0.4 0.6
a/T
Figure 2
Geometryfunction
C
1.20E-11
8.50E-11
4.80E-12
Converted values
3 mm/cycles
1.2E-11 C= 3.80E-13
da/dN
1.5E-09
4.05E-08
3.24E-07
0.0000015
The load spectrum may either be given as the equivalent stress range (Equivalent stress range=TRUE) or as a histogram of stress ranges
Hence, you may either give one single value in column G or several lines (maximum 10 ) in column B and C
given as one value
calculated from given histogram
The following stress range is used in the calculation
a/T
10 100
delK
Figure 3
Growth curve for the chosen C and m
The results are shown graphically on Figure 4
5 Reliability of an inspection program; Damage tolerance analysis
0.50 -0.58384914 0
0.88 -0.11983361 0
1.25 0.1990793 0.1990793
1.63 0.41826471 0.41826471
2.00 0.5689085 0.5689085
2.38 0.67244436 0.67244436
2.75 0.74360345 0.74360345
3.13 0.79251033 0.79251033
3.50 0.8261235 0.8261235
3.88 0.84922547 0.84922547
4.25 0.86510321 0.86510321
4.63 0.87601581 0.87601581
5.00 0.88351593 0.88351593
5.38 0.88867067 0.88867067
5.75 0.89221347 0.89221347
6.13 0.8946484 0.8946484
6.50 0.89632191 0.89632191
6.88 0.89747209 0.89747209
7.25 0.89826259 0.89826259
2.0E+07 3.0E+07 4.0E+07
Cycles
Figure 4
Crack evolution
0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00
a [mm]
Figure 5
POD curve
7.63 0.8988059 0.8988059
8.00 0.89917931 0.89917931
effective inspections
At an expected crack depth of 1.20 millimeter
At an expected crack depth of 3.12 millimeter

0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00
a [mm]
4.0E+07