Incorporating Plastic Collapse into the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics Methodology in Determining Crack Propagation Lifetimes
Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 10 / Number 3P2A / November 1986 / Pages 734-740
Fusion Materials—Radiation Effects and Activation / Proceedings of the Seveth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (Reno, Nevada, June 15–19, 1986) / dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24828
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Crack growth can result in a breech of a pressure boundary causing coolant loss or in total structural failure. This paper discusses brittle and plastic failure in terms of a unified structural model called the Two Criteria model. The model takes into account the flow stress of the material as well as the fracture toughness. Our results indicate that for fusion reactor first wall structures, ferritic steel is better able to resist crack propagation and subsequent structural failure than 316 stainless steel under the same wall loadings and geometry.
