A new lease of life for turbine rotors subject to low-cycle fatigue at elevated temperature

The purpose of the study was to determine the depth of the zone damaged during fatigue crack initiation at the notch root in a Cr Mo V ferritic steel used for the manufacture of steam turbine rotors. Low cycle fatigue tests were conducted at 500 and 5500C (9320F and 10220F) and the Manson - Coffin curves have been plotted. The results showed firstly that for Na* = 10,000 cycles (Number of cycles for crack initiation Na = 12,500 cycles) the damaged zone in the test-pieces the authors used corresponded to h ≅0.4 mm, and secondly that this zone had the same order of magnitude as the cyclic plastic zone determined according to the mechanical properties of the material studied. Conclusion is clear: if the turbine rotors are remachined over a depth h greater than ≅0.4 mm, their initial low cycle fatigue properties are considered as largely restored