The linear matching method applied to the high temperature life integrity of structures. Part 1. Assessments involving constant residual stress fields

Design and life assessment procedures for high temperatures are based on 'expert knowledge' in structural mechanics and materials science, combined with simplified methods of structural analysis. Of these R5 is one of the most widely used life assessment methods internationally with procedures based on reference stress techniques and shakedown calculations using linear elastic solutions. These have been augmented by full finite element analysis and, recently, the development of a new programming method, the Linear Matching Method (LMM), that allows a range of direct solutions that include shakedown methods and simplified analysis in excess of shakedown. In this paper LMM procedures are compared with calculations typical of those employed in R5 for cyclic loading problems when the assumption of a constant residual stress field is appropriate including shakedown and limit analyses, creep rupture analysis and the evaluation of accumulated creep deformation. A typical example of a 3D holed plate subjected to a cyclic thermal load and a constant mechanical load is assessed in detail. These comparisons demonstrate the significant advantages of linear matching methods for a typical case. For a range of cyclic problems when the residual stress field varies during the cycle, which include the evaluation of plastic strain amplitude, ratchet limit and accumulated creep strains during a high temperature dwell periods, the corresponding LMM and R5 procedures are discussed in an accompanying paper

4D Seismic History Matching Incorporating Unsupervised Learning

The work discussed and presented in this paper focuses on the history matching of reservoirs by integrating 4D seismic data into the inversion process using machine learning techniques. A new integrated scheme for the reconstruction of petrophysical properties with a modified Ensemble Smoother with Multiple Data Assimilation (ES-MDA) in a synthetic reservoir is proposed. The permeability field inside the reservoir is parametrised with an unsupervised learning approach, namely K-means with Singular Value Decomposition (K-SVD). This is combined with the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) technique which is very typical for sparsity promoting regularisation schemes. Moreover, seismic attributes, in particular, acoustic impedance, are parametrised with the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). This novel combination of techniques from machine learning, sparsity regularisation, seismic imaging and history matching aims to address the ill-posedness of the inversion of historical production data efficiently using ES-MDA. In the numerical experiments provided, I demonstrate that these sparse representations of the petrophysical properties and the seismic attributes enables to obtain better production data matches to the true production data and to quantify the propagating waterfront better compared to more traditional methods that do not use comparable parametrisation techniques

Shakedown behaviour of composite cylinders with cross holes

In this study, both the lower and upper bound shakedown limits of a closed-end composite cylinder with or without a cross hole subject to constant internal pressure and a cyclic thermal gradient are calculated by the Linear Matching Method (LMM). Convergence for upper and lower bound shakedown limit of the composite cylinders is sought and shakedown limit interaction diagrams of the numerical examples identifying the regions of reverse plastic limit and ratchet limit are presented. The effects of temperature-dependent yield stress, materials discontinuities, composite cylinder thickness and the existence of cross hole on the shakedown limits are discussed for different geometry parameters. Finally, a safety shakedown envelope is created by formulating the shakedown limit results of different composite material and cylinder thickness ratios with different cross hole sizes

A direct method for the evaluation of lower and upper bound ratchet limits

The calculation of the ratchet limit is often vital for the assessment of the design and integrity of components which are subject to cyclic loading. This work describes the addition of a lower bound calculation to the existing Linear Matching Method upper bound ratchet analysis method. This lower bound calculation is based on Melan's theorem, and makes use of the residual and elastic stress fields calculated by the upper bound technique to calculate the lower bound ratchet limit multiplier. By doing this, the method combines the stable convergence of the upper bound method but retains the conservatism offered by the lower bound. These advantages are complemented by the ability of the Linear Matching Method to consider real 3D geometries subject to complex load histories including the effect of temperature dependent yield stress. The convergence properties of this lower bound ratchet limit are investigated through a benchmark problem of a plate with a central hole subject to cyclic thermal and mechanical loads. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, the ratchet limit of a thick walled pipe intersection, also subject to cyclic thermal and mechanical loads, is considered. Validation of these results is provided by full elastic-plastic FEA in Abaqus

A simplified creep-reverse plasticity solution method for bodies subjected to cyclic loading

An extension of the upper bound shakedown theorem to load histories in excess of shakedown has been applied recently to the evaluation of a ratchet limit and the varying plastic strain magnitudes associated with a varying residual stress field. Solutions were obtained by the Linear Matching Method. In the present paper, this technique is extended to the evaluation of creep-reverse plasticity mechanism for bodies subjected to thermal cyclic loading including creep effects. The accumulated creep strain, the varying flow stress and the corresponding varying residual stress field during a creep dwell time are evaluated as well as the elastic follow-up factor. Three alternative computational strategies are discussed with differing but related assumptions. The problem of a plate with a central circular hole is discussed, subjected to cyclic thermal load. All three methods provide similar values for the elastic follow-up factor, indicating that the result is insensitive to the range of assumptions made. The simplest method, Method 1, is suggested as the basis of a general purpose method for use in life assessment

Shakedown analysis of a composite cylinder with a cross-hole

In this study, both the lower and upper bound shakedown limits of a closed-end composite cylinder with or without a cross-hole subject to constant internal pressure and a cyclic thermal gradient are calculated by the Linear Matching Method (LMM). Convergence for upper and lower bound shakedown limits of the composite cylinders is sought and shakedown limit interaction diagrams of the numerical applications identifying the regions of reverse plasticity limit and ratchet limit are presented. The effects of temperature-dependent yield stress, material discontinuities, composite cylinder thickness and the existence of the cross-hole on the shakedown limits are discussed for different geometry parameters. Finally, a safety shakedown envelope is created by formulating the shakedown limit results of different composite materials and cylinder thickness ratios with different cross-hole sizes

Calculation of a lower bound ratchet limit part 1 – Theory, numerical implementation and verification

It is important to be able to calculate the ratchet limit of a component when performing integrity assessments of plant components. This paper details the addition of a lower bound ratchet limit calculation to the Linear Matching Method. The extension of Melan's theorem into the alternating plasticity region is explained, followed by its implementation into the Linear Matching Method calculation procedure. Finally, the convergence properties of this method are analysed by the analysis of a plate with a central hole subject to cyclic thermal and mechanical loadin