Assessment of potential service-life performance for MarBN steel power plant header under flexible thermomechanical operations

This paper is concerned with the service-life assessment of 9Cr steels superheater outlet steam header subjected to realistic subcritical and future ultra-super critical flexible operating conditions. The proposed methodology is achieved via a combined program of high temperature strain-controlled fatigue tests, temperature- and time-dependent unified viscoplastic model for thermomechanical fatigue analysis, and Smith-Watson-Topper critical plane criterion for multi-axial life prediction. Samples of idealised operational transients with particular attention on the starting-up cycle is fully coupled with the computational modelling of header component for the high temperature performance assessment. The predicted results indicate that: (i) the header shell inner-bore saddles at weld regions are the critical locations that lead to earlier potential fatigue crack initiation, and (ii) the predicted lifetime under subcritical conditions correlates reasonably with the industrial experience. A steam header manufactured from MarBN operating under ultra-super critical condition is shown to have comparable life performance with the P91 header operating under subcritical condition

Experimental characterisation and computational modelling of cyclic viscoplastic behaviour of turbine steel

Fully reversed strain controlled low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue interaction tests have been performed at ±0.7% strain amplitude and at three different temperatures (400°C, 500°C and 600°C) to investigate the cyclic behaviour of a FV566 martensitic turbine steel. From a material point of view, the hysteresis mechanical responses have demonstrated cyclic hardening at the running-in stage and subsequent, hysteresis cyclic softening during the rest of the material life. The relaxation and energy behaviours have shown a rapid decrease at the very beginning of loading followed by quasi-stabilisation throughout the test. A unified, temperature- and rate-dependent visco-plastic model was then developed and implemented into the Abaqus finite element (FE) code through a user defined subroutine (UMAT). The material parameters in the model were determined via an optimisation procedure based on a genetic solver. The multi-axial form of the constitutive model developed was demonstrated by analysing the thermomechanical responses of an industrial gas turbine rotor subjected to in-service conditions. A sub-modelling technique was used to optimise the FEA. A 2D global model of the rotor with a 3D sub-model of the second stage of the low pressure turbine were then analysed in turn. The complex transient stress and accumulated plastic strain fields were investigated under realistic thermo-mechanical fatigue loading (start-up and shut-down power plant loads). The sub-model was then used for local analysis leading to identification of potential crack initiation sites for the presented types of blade roots

Optimisation and thermo-mechanical analysis of a coated steam dual pipe system for use in advanced ultra-supercritical power plant

Improving the energy efficiency of power plants by increasing steam operating temperature up to 700 °C can be achieved using novel engineering design concepts such as coated steam pipe systems. This paper presents an optimised design for a novel coated dual pipe system to be used in advanced ultra-supercritical power plant. The approach developed in this study uses a combination of an optimisation algorithm and FE simulation, based on the reduction of the hoop stress at top coat/bond coat interface generated by the thermal and mechanical stresses. This allows determination of the optimum dimensions and material properties of the system. A unified viscoplastic model which combines a power flow rule with non-linear anisothermal evolution of isotropic and kinematic hardening has been used for the thermo-mechanical analysis of the coated dual pipe system under the cyclic loading. The results of the optimisation show that the value of the hoop stress at the top coat/bond coat interface is reduced significantly, compared with that in the baseline model. Finally, the potential technical challenges and future works for the proposed steam dual pipe system are discussed

Mechanical and thermomechanical characterization of different leathers

International audienceLeather materials are able to undergo various strain and stress states during their elaboration process and their use in numerous applications. Although the experimental mechanical response in tension of leathers has been studied in the literature for decades, scarce information is available on the nature of their elasticity and more generally on their thermomechanical behaviors. In the present study, two leathers were tested under uniaxial cyclic loading while temperature changes were measured at the specimens’ surface by infrared thermography. The heat power at the origin of the temperature changes was then determined by using an adequate version of heat diffusion equation which is applicable to homogeneous tests. Results enabled us to discuss on the physical nature of the thermoelastic coupling in leathers. Intrinsic dissipation caused by the mechanical irreversibility was also detected. Distinct behaviors are evidenced as a function of the type of leathers

Mechanical response and energy stored during deformation of crystallizing TPU

International audienceThe present study investigates the thermomechanical behavior of closed-cell TPU foams. The effects of the density and the loading conditions on the softening, the residual strain and the hysteresis have first been characterized. The thermal responses exhibit numerous particularities. First, a threshold effect in terms of the density on the self-heating has been highlighted. Second, entropic effects are strongly weighted by energetic effects (internal energy variations) during the deformation. Typical changes in the thermal response highlight that SIC and crystallite melting occur during the deformation. The characteristic stretches of this phenomenon evolve with the maximum stretch applied. The lower the density, the lower the crystallinity. In the second part of this study, a complete energy balance is carried out during cyclic deformation of compact and foamed crystallizing TPUs. Results show that viscosity is not the only phenomenon involved in the hysteresis loop formation: a significant part of the mechanical energy brought is not dissipated into heat and is stored by the material when the material changes its microstructure, typically when it is crystallizing. Some of this energy is released during unloading, when melting occurs, but with a different rate, which contributes to the hysteresis loop. The part of the mechanical energy stored by the material has been quantified to investigate the effects of the loading rate and the void volume fraction on the energetic response of TPU. These effects cannot be predicted from the mechanical responses and the present study provides therefore information of importance to better understand and model the effects of the density and the loading conditions on the thermomechanical behavior of closed-cell TPU foams

Design and Optimization of the Thermo-Mechanical Behavior in Glass Reinforced Polyamide 6 For Automotive Application

In this work a rational approach, such as Design of Experiments, has been used to design E-glass and S2-glass reinforced polyamide 6 composites. The models, derived by the multivariate analysis of the experimental tests, allowed deriving response surfaces in which the effect of reinforce’s composi- tion, content and shape on the thermo-mechanical have been related to com- posite’s behavior during cycling loads and high temperatures. These composites find application in the developing of a sensor used in the automotive engine compartment where thermal and vibration effects must be taken in account to avoid premature failure. Thirty experiments were planned by Design of Exper- iments and analyzed through Analysis Of Variance to correlate reinforce’s properties to coefficient of thermal expansion, Young Modulus and damping over temperature/frequency variation. Statically reliable models were calculated to obtain a numerical estimation of the overall quadratic and cubic interactions among reinforce’s properties, explaining how matrix/reinforce interaction affects composite’s properties. Nevertheless, the employment of S2-glass led to restrained coefficient of thermal expansion of the composites, reinforce’s content of E-glass fibers over 30wt% is in a better agreement with the composite’s overall requirements for this tailored application, due to restrained mechanical damping