Abstract
Fracture mechanics provides a methodology which can be used in the evaluation of the integrity and safety of structural components used in nuclear power plants. In return, the nuclear industry has provided a major driving force for the development of the technology. This includes defining the direction for new developments in fracture mechanics and identifying the important problems for implementing these new developments, as well as supplying much of the financial support for research efforts. Many of the new developments in fracture mechanics throughout the past three decades were generated in response to specific needs of the nuclear industry. This paper takes a historical perspective in looking at the relationship between fracture mechanics and the nuclear industry. Individual subject areas include basic development of linear elastic fracture mechanics, developments in elastic-plastic fracture and ductile instability, testing and standards, and some of the newest problem areas.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A.A. Griffith:Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, 1921, vol. A221, pp. 163–97.
G.R. Irwin:Trans. J. Appl. Mech. ASME, 1957, vol. 24, p. 361.
P.C. Paris and G.C. Sih:Fracture Toughness Testing and Its Applications, ASTM STP 381, ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1965, pp. 30–81.
D. Broek:Elementary Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 4th revised ed., Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1986.
J.M. Barsom and S.T. Rolfe:Fracture and Fatigue Control in Structures, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1987.
“Standard Method of Test for Plane-Strain Fracture Toughness of Metallic Materials,”Annual Book of ASTM Standards, 1972, Part 31, E 399–72.
E.T. Wessel: inPractical Fracture Mechanics for Structural Steel, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and Chapman and Hall, London, 1967.
A.A. Wells:Cranfield Crack Propagation Symp. I, Sept. 1961, p. 210.
J.R. Rice:J. Appl. Mech., Trans. ASME, 1968, vol. 35 (6), pp. 379–86.
J.R. Rice and G.F. Rosengren:J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 1968, vol. 16, pp. 1–12.
J.W. Hutchinson:J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 1968, vol. 16, pp. 13–31.
J.A. Begley and J.D. Landes:Fracture Toughness, Proc. 1971 Natl. Symp. on Fracture Mechanics, part II, ASTM STP 514, ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1972, pp. 1–20.
J.D. Landes and J.A. Begley:Developments in Fracture Mechanics Test Method Standardization, ASTM STP 632, W.F. Brown and J.G. Kaufman, eds., ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1977, pp. 57–81.
“Standard Test Method for JIC, A Measure of Fracture Toughness,”Annual Book of ASTM Standards, 1987, vol. 03.01, E 813–87.
J.W. Hutchinson and P.C. Paris: inElastic-Plastic Fracture, ASTM STP 668, J.D. Landes, J.A. Begley, and G.A. Clarke, eds., ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1979, pp. 37–64.
P.C. Paris, H. Tada, A. Zahoor, and H.A. Ernst: inElastic-Plastic Fracture, ASTM STP 668, J.D. Landes, J.A. Begley, and G.A. Clarke, eds., ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1979, pp. 5–36.
D.E. McCabe, J.D. Landes, and H.A. Ernst: Electric Power Research Institute Contract RP 1238-2, Final Report, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA, Mar. 1983.
“Rules for Construction of Nuclear Power Plant Components,” ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Division I.
“Rules for In-Service Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components,” ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section XI.
C.E. Pugh, D.J. Naus, B.R. Bass, R.K. Nanstad, R. deWit, R.J. Fields, and S.R. Low III:Int. J. Pressure Vessels Piping, 1988, vol. 31, pp. 165–85.
V. Kumar, M.D. German, and C.F. Shih: Electric Power Research Institute NP 1931, Topical Report, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA, July 1981.
J.D. Landes and J.A. Begley:Mechanics of Crack Growth, ASTM STP 590, ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1976, pp. 128–48.
R.D. Cheverton and D.G. Ball: inFracture Mechanics: 18th Symp., ASTM STP 945, D.T. Read and R.P. Reed, eds., ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1988, pp. 35–50.
R. Herrera and J.D. Landes: Paper presented at the 21st Natl. Symp. on Fracture Mechanics, ASTM, Annapolis, MD, June 1988.
Nonlinear Fracture Mechanics: Vol. II, Elastic-Plastic Fracture, ASTM STP 995, J.D. Landes, A. Saxena, and J.G. Merkle, eds., ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1989.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This paper is based on a presentation made in the symposium “Irradiation-Enhanced Materials Science and Engineering” presented as part of the ASM INTERNATIONAL 75th Anniversary celebration at the 1988 World Materials Congress in Chicago, IL, September 25–29, 1988, under the auspices of the Nuclear Materials Committee of TMS-AIME and ASM-MSD.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Landes, J.D. Fracture mechanics and the nuclear industry. Metall Trans A 21, 1097–1104 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02656530
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02656530