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FailureAssessmentDiagrams

Theory
Theuseoffracturemechanicsinassessing'fitnessforpurpose'ofengineeringstructuresisgenerallyconsiderablymoreinvolved
thanthethesimpleillustrationsgiveninthistutorial.IntheUK,EngineeringCriticalAssessment(ECA)ofpotentialoractual
defectsinengineeringstructuresiscodifiedintwoprimedocumentsPD6493:1991[1]andtheCEGBR6procedure[2],bothof
whichhavebeendevelopedoversome20years.PD6493hasnowbeenreplacedbythemoreextensiveproceduresinBS7910:
1997[3].
TheoriginalPD6493:1980documentpaidscantattentiontothepossibilityofplasticcollapse,asitwasprimarilyconcernedwith
assessmentofdefectsatwelds.TheapproachoftheCentralElectricityGeneratingBoard(CEGB)wasdifferent,asmuchoftheir
equipmentoperatedathightemperatureswhereplasticcollapsemightassumeequal,orgreater,importancewithfracture.They
thereforeproposedatwoparametertechniqueofassessingthepossibilityofplasticcollapseandfractureseparately,andthen
plottingthesepossibilitiesastheaxesonaFailureAssessmentDiagram(FAD).ThiswasthebasisoftheR6:1976document.
TherewereotherdifferencesbetweentheapproachestakenbyPD6493andR6,andmoredetailscanbefoundinreference4.
ThisgivespaperswhichtracethedevelopmentoftheR6document,providebackgroundonUSapproachestoFailureAssessment
Diagrams(basedontheJintegral)andoutlinethePD6493philosophy.
InrevisionstobothR6andPD6493,accountwastakenofusefuldevelopmentsintheothercodeand,currently,althoughBS7910
andR6Revision3stillareverydifferentinformat,theyperformmanyofthesametasks.BS7910isperhapsmoreaccessiblein
formulationtotheinformed'layperson',buteitherwillproducereliableresults.
TheconceptofFailureAssessmentDiagramsimmediatelyleadstoaneedforfractureparametersabletocopewithfairlyextensive
plasticity.R6essentiallyprovidesaspecialformofJintegralanalysiswithadditionalsafeguardsimposedattheplasticcollapse
limit,whilePD6493wasprimarilyintendedforusewithCTOD,althoughinmanycasesaKbasedanalysisisacceptable.BS7910
allowstheuseofCTOD,Kor'equivalentK'derivedfromtheJintegral.
AtypicalFADisshownbelow(Level2inBS7910):

Lrisaloadratiodefinedasareferencestressovertheloweryieldstrengthof0.2%proofstress.Thereferencestresscharacterises
thepossibilityofplasticcollapseandiscalculatedinspecificways.Kristhefractureratioandisdefinedastheappliedstress
intensityfactoroverthematerialtoughness.Essentially,aflawisstableiftheassessmentpointliesinsidetheFADcurve.
Thisisaverycursoryintroductiontoacomplextopicandmuchmoreinformationisavailableinthereferencesgiven.Itdoes,
however,servetoindicatethatfractureisonlyoneofanumberoffailuremechanismsandthat,generally,thepossibilityofplastic
collapsealsoneedsconsideration.
References
1.BritishStandardsInstitution,Guidanceonmethodsforassessingtheacceptabilityofflawsinfusionweldedstructures,PD6493
:1991,BSI,London.
2.NuclearElectric,Assessmentoftheintegrityofstructurescontainingdefects,R/H/R6Revision3,Barnwood,Gloucestershire.
3.BritishStandardsInstitution,Guideonmethodsforassessingtheacceptabilityofflawsinstructures,BS7910:1997,BSI,
London.
4.InstitutionofMechanicalEngineers,20yearsofR6,proceedingsofaseminarheldinNovember1996,IMechE,London.
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https://www.fose1.plymouth.ac.uk/fatiguefracture/tutorials/FractureMechanics/StressIntensity/KTheory6.htm

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