Elastic-plastic dynamic behavior of guard pipes due to sudden opening of longitudinal cracks in the inner pipe and crash to the guard pipe wall

Integrity of guard pipes is an important parameter in the design of nuclear steam supply systems. A guard pipe shall withstand all kinds of postulated inner pipe breaks without failure. Sudden opening of a crack in the inner pipe and crash of crack borders to the guard pipe wall represent a shock problem where complex phenomena of dynamic plastification as well as dynamic behavior of the entire system have to be taken in consideration. The problem was analyzed by means of Finite Element computation using the general purpose program MARC. Equation of motion was resolved by direct integration using the Newmark β-operator. Analysis shows that after 1,2 m sec crack borders touch the guard pipe wall for the first time. At this moment a considerable amount of local plastification appears in the inner pipe wall, while the guard pipe is nearly unstressed. After initial touching, the crack borders begin to slip along the guard pipe wall. Subsequently, a short withdrawal of the crack borders and a new crash occur, while the inner pipe rolls along the guard pipe wall. The analysis procedure described is suitable for designing numerous guard pipe geometries as well as U-Bolt restraint systems which have to withstand high-energy pipe rupture impact. (orig.)