Mechanical testing of A285 carbon steel, a storage tank material, was performed to develop fracture properties based on the constraint theory of fracture mechanics. A series of single edge-notched bend (SENB) specimen designs with various levels of crack tip constraint were used. The variation of crack tip constraint was achieved by changing the ratio of the initial crack length to the specimen depth. The test data show that the curves are specimen-design-dependent, which is known as the constraint effect. A two-parameter fracture methodology is adopted to construct a constraint-modified curve, which is a function of the constraint parameter, while remains the loading parameter. This additional fracture parameter is derived from a closed form solution and can be extracted from the finite element analysis for a specific crack configuration. Using this set of SENB test data, a mathematical expression representing a family of the curves for A285 carbon steel can be developed. It is shown that the predicted curves match well with the SENB data over an extensive amount of crack growth. In addition, this expression is used to predict the curve of a compact tension specimen (CT), and reasonable agreement to the actual test data is achieved. To demonstrate its application in a flaw stability evaluation, the configuration of a generic A285 storage tank with a postulated axial flaw is used. For a flaw length of 10% of the tank height, the predicted curve is found to be similar to that for a SENB specimen with a short notch, which is in a state of low constraint. This implies that the use of a curve from the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard designs, which typically are high-constraint specimens, may be overly conservative for analysis of fracture resistance of large structures.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Technical Papers
Determination of Constraint-Modified Curves for Carbon Steel Storage Tanks
P.-S. Lam,
P.-S. Lam
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
Search for other works by this author on:
Y. J. Chao,
Y. J. Chao
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
Search for other works by this author on:
X.-K. Zhu,
X.-K. Zhu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
Search for other works by this author on:
Y. Kim,
Y. Kim
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
Search for other works by this author on:
R. L. Sindelar
R. L. Sindelar
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
Search for other works by this author on:
P.-S. Lam
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
Y. J. Chao
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
X.-K. Zhu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
Y. Kim
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
R. L. Sindelar
Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC 29808
Contributed by the Pressure Vessels and Piping Division and presented at the Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada, August 4–8, 2002, of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. Manuscript received by the PVP Division, February 2, 2002; revised manuscript received January 31, 2003. Associate Editor: J. Pan.
J. Pressure Vessel Technol. May 2003, 125(2): 136-143 (8 pages)
Published Online: May 5, 2003
Article history
Received:
February 2, 2002
Revised:
January 31, 2003
Online:
May 5, 2003
Citation
Lam, P., Chao , Y. J., Zhu , X., Kim, Y., and Sindelar, R. L. (May 5, 2003). "Determination of Constraint-Modified Curves for Carbon Steel Storage Tanks ." ASME. J. Pressure Vessel Technol. May 2003; 125(2): 136–143. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1564069
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
The Behavior of Elbow Elements at Pure Bending Applications Compared to Beam and Shell Element Models
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (February 2025)
Related Articles
Statistical and Constraint Loss Size Effects on Cleavage Fracture–Implications to Measuring Toughness in the Transition
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (August,2006)
C-Specimen Fracture Toughness Testing: Effect of Side Grooves and η Factor
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (August,2004)
Flaw Stability in Mild Steel Tanks in the Upper-Shelf Ductile Range—Part II: J -Integral-Based Fracture Analysis
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (May,2000)
Flaw Stability in Mild Steel Tanks in the Upper-Shelf Ductile Range—Part I: Mechanical Properties
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (May,2000)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Introduction and Definitions
Handbook on Stiffness & Damping in Mechanical Design
Materials
Power Boilers: A Guide to the Section I of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Second Edition
Part 2, Section II—Materials and Specifications
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Volume 1, Second Edition