Fatigue Crack Growth of Stainless Steel Piping in a Pressurized Water Reactor Environment

Fatigue crack-growth behavior was investigated for types 304 and 316 stainless steel exposed to a pressurized water reactor environment. The effects of test frequency, stress ratio, specimen orientation, heat to heat variables and weld versus base metal performance were evaluated. Crack-growth rates were correlated with the range of crack-tip stress intensity factor, as well as the “effective stress intensity factor” proposed by Walker to account for R ratio effects. Results of the study showed that fatigue crack-growth rates in the water environment were not significantly different from results at the same stress ratio in an air environment at the same temperature. The most important parameter found to affect the crack-growth rate was the stress ratio R, and increasing values of R produced increased crack-growth rates at any given value of stress intensity factor range ΔK. The stress ratio effects were successfully accounted for by employment of the Walker model.