Elastic-plastic analysis of local and integral straining behaviour in a cracked plate

For components of the primary coolant system of the German LMFBR prototype reactor SNR-300, integrity against anticipated accidents (Bethe-Tait) has to be shown for a cracked structure. Within this programme a number of tests with cracked wide plate specimens yielding overall limit strains of approximately 15% have been run; finite element calculations have been infinated for the wide plate geometry. The paper discusses the straining behaviour of a cracked plate by considering the numerical simulation of structures strained up to such high levels. The stress-strain diagram of the weldment of the austenitic stainless steel X6 CrNi 18 at 4500C has been used. Plane strain and stress conditions have been prescribed. The original plate dimensions (t = thickness = 40 mm; h = height = 400 mm) have been used as well as a similar, but smaller plate of t = 8.8 mm width. The crack length is defined as 0.1 t. The results show that for a cracked plate under high plastic strain the near-crack-tip-field values still govern the structural mechanical behaviour. Concerning the absolute dimensions the effects known for elasticity retain their influence in the plastic regime; however, the crack location becomes more unimportant with increasing strain, i.e. the appropriate pure geometry factor tends to unity in the plastic regime. The center-crack, defined as 2a = 0.1 t, corresponds to an equivalent edge crack of depth a = 0.05 t in the elastic case. It can be shown that for high plastic strains this correspondence remains fully valid. (orig.)