Assessment of Partial Penetration and Full Thickness

Welding in Francis runners by Fracture Mechanics Approach

Wilhelm Weber, Li Chen, Ulrich Seidel, Jiri Koutnik
Freiburg, 2012-12-05

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Outline

1. Overview, nomenclature and objective

2. Calculation and verification of stress intensity factors
3. Fatigue crack growth
4. Material resistance
5. Residual stresses
6. Assessment procedure
7. Summary

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Overview, nomenclature and objective

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Overview of hydro power plant

Intake, intake gate

Headrace tunnel
Penstock
Powerhouse with turbine and
generator
Draft tube
Tailrace tunnel

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Overview power unit

Generator
Bearing
Shaft
Head cover
Spiral case, stay vanes, wicket gates
Turbine runner
Discharge ring, draft tube

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Overview turbine runner

Crown
Turbine inlet
Blades
Band
Seal ring
Turbine outlet

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Partial penetration welding

Complete joint weld – Full thickness weld – Partial penetration weld

crown/band crown/band
crown/band

Distribution over blade

CJW
CJW FTW PPW

Undefined notch geometry inside Treatment as a crack

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Load scenario

• Simplified stress vs. time scenario • Various load cases

Static stress • High frequent loading due
Dynamic stress
to rotor-stator-interaction,
part load vortex, etc.
• Low frequent loading due
to change of load case
LC A LC B LC C
• Transient load cases, e.g.
start, stop, etc.

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 relative increase of gap
Objective

• Proof of
• Static strength for maximum occurring static loading:
, : fracture toughness
• Infinite fatigue life for high frequent cyclic loading (HFCL) (e.g. RSI):
, : threshold value
• Limited fatigue crack growth for low frequent cyclic loading (LFCL):
(e.g. Start/Stop, load change, etc.)
, : relative increase of gap
• Evaluation of cutting planes
welding
gap

b
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Calculation and verification of stress intensity
factors

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 Relevant crack model

• Center crack in a plate

+ Fits to orientation of blade + Geometric function for all three

- Ratio of crack length to plate width crack opening modes
depends on connection angle + Ratio of crack length to plate
- Geometric function only for tensile width constant
loading - Geometric situation only roughly
approximated
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Discussion of different crack models

• Comparison of crack models

Tabulated
data for
SIFs [FKM]

[FKM]

• 3 cases of transfer: - Aggressive:

- Moderate:
- Conservative:

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Comparison of crack models

• Normalized equivalent SIF:

Equivalent SIF according
reference
to FKM-guideline:
conservative
moderate
aggressive

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Consequences for application

• Conclusion:
• Good agreement for small cracks
• Moderate transfer model of crack length shows comparable results
• For turbine application aggressive model applicable
Reason: relevant plate width 2t* = 2t/cos(β)

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Verification with 2D
Distribution of v. Mises stress
• Without crack • With crack

LC A

LC B

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Behavior of stresses in 2D calculation

• Normal and shear stress along path • Definition of path

through non-welded cross section

Linearization through
non-welded area

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Calculation of stress intensity factors

• Definition of SIFs:
membrane bending

constant 1st order

term

• Geometric functions [FKM]:

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Comparison of analytical SIF with numerical
ones from 2D simulation
Left crack tip Right crack tip
Numerically obtained SIF
(reference)

LC A SIF based on stress

at crack tip
SIF based on
linearized stress

Remarks:
• Good quality of SIFs
based on linearized

reference
LC B stress
• Overestimation of SIF
by using maximum
stress of crack line
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Verification with 3D simulation

• Boundary element model • Distribution of v. Mises stress

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3D simulation for determination of SIFs

• Geometry of analyzed gap • Behavior of SIFs along gap

crack closure

PPW

crack closure

FTW

locations of cutting
planes under investigation
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Distribution of stresses

• Stress distributions along different paths

Normal stress

Planar shear
stress

Non-planar shear
stress

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Comparison of analytical with numerical SIFs
from 3D simulation
• Locations for SIF-calculation • Analysis of SIFs
Numerically obtained
SIF (reference)

reference
SIF based on stress
at crack tip
SIF based on
linearized stress

reference
Influence of locally
concave crack front

reference
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Fatigue crack growth

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Transition of load cases
Limited fatigue crack growth
• Crack propagation rate of transition i:
for
for
depending on stress ratio

• Crack growth:
; number of occurrence of transition i

• Implicit time integration scheme

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Material resistance

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Material resistance

• Fracture toughness for static assessment:

• VH material database
• Threshold value for crack growth [IIW-recommendations]:

• Crack growth rate [IIW-recommendations]:

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Residual stresses

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Residual stresses

• Based on residual stress measurements

• Hole Drilling Method
• Surface and subsurface values available
• Through thickness distribution acc. to FKM-
guideline approximated
• Consequences for assessment: Test specimen

• Stress intensity factor:

• Cyclic stress intensity factor:
• Stress ratio:

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Assessment procedure

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Assessment procedure I/II

• Static stress distribution

Speed no load Full load

• Determination of maximum equivalent SIF along relevant area:

welding gap plus safety length due to manufacturing tolerances
with

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Assessment procedure II/II

• Determination of cyclic equivalent SIF in the same way

• Estimation of residual stress and calculation of
• Definition:
• Calculation of maximum possible gap sizes
, : Safety factor on stress

• Check of fatigue crack growth: , relative increase of gap

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Summary

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Summary

• Turbine runners are typically designed as welded structure.

• PPW is used to reduce manufacturing time and cost.
• Through-thickness crack in plate is chosen as crack model.
• Crack model is verified by comparison with 2D and 3D numerical
simulation.
• Fatigue crack growth can be assessed for cyclic loading due to load
change.
• Residual stresses are approximated for assessment procedure.

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Contact:
Dr.-Ing. Wilhelm Weber
Corporate Technology – R&D, Basic Development
Tel. 07321 37-9576
wilhelm.weber@voith.com

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