Creep-fatigue evaluation method for type 304 and 316FR SS

For long-term creep-fatigue of Type 304SS, intergranular failure is dominant in the case of significant life reduction. It is considered that this phenomenon has its origin in the grain boundary sliding as observed in cavity-type creep-rupture. Accordingly a simplified procedure to estimate intergranular damages caused by the grain boundary sliding is presented in connection with the secondary creep. In the conventional ductility exhaustion method, failure ductility includes plastic strain, and damage estimation is based on the primary creep strain, which is recoverable during strain cycling. Therefore the accumulated creep strain becomes a very large value, and quite different from grain boundary sliding strain. As a new concept on ductility exhaustion, the product of secondary creep rate and time to rupture (Monkman-Grant product) is applied to fracture ductility, and grain boundary sliding strain is approximately estimated using the accumulated secondary creep strain. From the new concept it was shown that the time fraction rule and the conventional ductility exhaustion method can be derived analytically. Furthermore an advanced method on cyclic stress relaxation was examined. If cyclic plastic strain hardening is softened thermally during strain hold, cyclic creep strain behaviour is also softened. An unrecoverable accumulated primary creep strain causes hardening of the primary creep, and the reduction of deformation resistance to the secondary creep caused by thermal softening accelerates grain boundary sliding rate. As the results creep damages depend not on applied stress but on effective stress. The new concept ductility exhaustion method based on the above consideration leads up to simplified time fraction estimation method only by continuous cycling fatigue and monotonic creep which was already developed in PNC for Monju design guide. This method gave good life prediction for the intergranular failure mode and is convenient for design use on the elastic analysis basis. 7 refs, 13 figs