PROGRESS OF ASSESSMENT MODEL DEVELOPMENT FOR DETERMINING REMAINING STRENGTH OF CORRODED PIPELINES
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Prognosis techniques for prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) are of crucial importance to the management of complex systems for they can lead to appropriate maintenance interventions and improvements in reliability. While various data-driven methods have been introduced to predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of machinery systems or batteries, no research has been reported on the remaining useful strength (RUS) prediction of silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiCf-SiCm) materials with pivotal role in its potential usage as a structural material in nuclear reactors and turbine engines. Knowledge of its degradation process is of the utmost importance to the manufacturers. For this purpose, two approaches based on the machine-learning techniques of random-forest (RF) and convolutional neural network (CNN) are proposed to predict the RUS of SiCf-SiCm using only acoustic emission (AE) signals generated during the material’s stress applying process. Experimental results show that the CNN models achieved better predictive performance than the RF models but the latter with expert-engineered features achieves better prediction for AE signals in the early stage of degradation. Additionally, our results demonstrate that both models can correctly predict the SiCf-SiCm RUS as evaluated by our robust testing method from which the best average root mean square error (RMSE) and Pearson correlation coefficient of 3.55 ksi units and 0.85 were obtained.
Corrosion is one major threat to pipeline integrity. Over the past decades, many corrosion models have been developed for determining the remaining strength of corroded pipelines, including ASME B31.G, Modified B31.G, LPC, PCORRC and their modified models. All these corrosion models are applicable only to large diameter, thin-walled pipelines with a diameter to wall thickness ratio D/t ≥ 20. In practice, many pipelines have a small diameter and thick wall with a D/t ratio < 20, and thus an adequate corrosion model is needed for assessing remaining strength for corroded thick-walled pipelines. This paper briefly reviews the theoretical burst pressure models for defect-free thin and thick-walled pipelines and four representative corrosion assessment models for thin-walled corroded pipelines. On this basis, two modified corrosion models are proposed to thick-walled pipelines in terms of the average shear stress yield theory. To verify the proposed corrosion models, comprehensive validations are performed. Numerical validations include the elastic-plastic finite element analysis to determine burst pressure for pipelines without and with corrosion defects and the model evaluation using a large dataset of available FEA results of burst pressure for machined defects. Experimental validations include a set of burst pressure tests for defect-free thick-walled pipes with different thicknesses and the model evaluation using one large burst dataset for machined defects with flat bottoms and another large dataset for real corrosion defects with curved river bottom profiles. Both numerical and experimental validations show that the proposed corrosion models can more accurately predict the remaining strength for corroded thin and thick-walled pipelines.
This is a brief commentary paper to highlight and discuss the determination of hydrogen concentration in pipeline steel, effect of hydrogen embrittlement (HE) on the mechanical properties of the material, burst strength of corroded pipelines using finite element analysis (FEA) simulations, and curve-fit models for assessing remaining strength of X80 corroded pipelines for transporting hydrogen blended natural gas. Recently, Xie et al. [1] proposed a methodology to quantify the impact of HE on material properties and numerically determined burst pressure of X80 corroded pipelines. However, their HE quantification overestimated the degradation of tensile strength for hydrogen blending ratios beyond the original data range, and their FEA results of burst pressure are nonconservative. This work thus recharacterized the hydrogen concentration in the steel pipeline and the effect of HE on tensile strength, and then redetermined burst pressures for a set of typical corrosion defect cases considered by Xie et al. [1] based on an experimentally validated FEA modelling method. With the new FEA results, two empirical corrosion models were proposed for X80 corroded pipelines for hydrogen service. At zero hydrogen blending ratio, the novel empirical models predict burst pressures to be consistent with the industry-accepted corrosion models. Furthermore, both the numerical simulation method and the novel corrosion models are significant contributions to the pipeline industry and the hydrogen community. Application of these results will enhance the safety, reliability, and integrity of natural gas pipelines when used to transport hydrogen.
To increase nuclear fuel performance and reliability, their mechanical properties require an accurate and statistically relevant assessment. Biaxial flexural strength tests provide an alternative to bend bar techniques for assessing mechanical behavior; namely, the transverse rupture strength (TRS) of ceramic samples. Biaxial test samples require simple geometries and minimal surface preparation, reducing fabrication costs and handling hazards. This study investigated the TRS of polycrystalline UO 2 fuel forms at room temperature using a ball-on-ring test fixture. Here, pellets were fabricated from UO 2 powder using conventional powder processing and sintering techniques. The TRS and Weibull parameters were obtained through Weibull statistics on over 60 UO 2 samples tested under equibiaxial flexure. The larger sample size in this study enabled a more robust Weibull statistical analysis than alternative test methods, which may not capture the stochastic failure of typical ceramics. Furthermore, two different loading ball diameters were employed to assess the impact of contact damage on fracture strength. While Hertzian contact damage was observed with the smaller loading ball, the fracture strength remained unaffected. A fracture analysis of the tested UO 2 samples indicated a mixture of intergranular and transgranular fracture that transitions to transgranular fracture with increasing distance from the fracture origin. The characteristic strength of the combined data sets was determined to be 148 MPa, and the Weibull modulus was determined to be 9.1. The TRS values and Weibull parameters were close to values found in the literature for alternative testing techniques using samples with similar microstructure and density. The findings in this study validate the ball-on-ring method used to obtain the TRS of UO 2 with a sample geometry more representative of nuclear fuels. Additionally, experimental TRS results from this study can be implemented in modeling codes to predict fuel performance, which is critical to fuel burnup extension and advanced nuclear fuel technologies.
A novel phase-field model for ductile fracture is presented. The model is developed within a consistent variational framework in the context of finite-deformation kinematics. A novel coalescence dissipation introduces a new coupling mechanism between plasticity and fracture by degrading the fracture toughness as the equivalent plastic strain increases. The proposed model is compared with a recent alternative where plasticity and fracture are strongly coupled. Several representative numerical examples motivate specific modeling choices. In particular, a linear crack geometric function provides an “unperturbed” ductile response prior to crack initiation, and Lorentz-type degradation functions ensure that the critical fracture strength remains independent of the phase-field regularization length. In addition, the response of the model is demonstrated to converge with a vanishing phase-field regularization length. Additionally, the model is then applied to calibrate and simulate a three-point bending experiment of an aluminum alloy specimen with a complex geometry. The effect of the proposed coalescence dissipation coupling on simulations of the experiment is first investigated in a two-dimensional plane strain setting. The calibrated model is then applied to a three-dimensional calculation, where the calculated load-deflection curves and the crack trajectory show excellent agreement with experimental observations. Finally, the model is applied to simulate crack nucleation and growth in a specimen from a recent Sandia Fracture Challenge.
Layered halide perovskites have emerged as potential alternatives to three-dimensional (3D) halide perovskites due to their improved stability and larger material phase space, allowing fine tuning of structural, electronic, and optical properties. However, their charge carrier mobilities are significantly smaller than those of 3D halide perovskites, which has a considerable impact on their application in optoelectronic devices. Here, we employ state-of-the-art approaches to unveil the electron-phonon mechanisms responsible for the diminished transport properties of layered halide perovskites. Starting from a prototypical A M X 3 halide perovskite, we model the case of n = 1 and n = 2 layered structures and compare their electronic and transport properties to the 3D reference. The electronic and phononic properties are investigated within density functional theory (DFT) and density functional perturbation theory (DFPT), while transport properties are obtained via the Boltzmann transport equation. The vibrational modes contributing to charge carrier scattering are investigated and associated with polar-phonon scattering mechanisms arising from the long-range Fröhlich coupling and deformation-potential scattering processes. Our investigation reveals that the lower mobilities in layered systems primarily originate from the increased electronic density of states at the vicinity of the band edges, while the electron-phonon coupling strength remains similar. Such an increase is caused by the dimensionality reduction and the break in octahedra connectivity along the stacking direction. Our findings provide a fundamental understanding of the electron-phonon coupling mechanisms in layered perovskites and highlight the intrinsic limitations of the charge carrier transport in these materials. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
The reactivity and early strength of cement:slag binders is usefully enhanced by the addition of sodium sulfate though the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between the enhanced hydration reactions and the structural aspects of the strength behavior remain unclear. In this study, microstructural development in the presence of Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} was investigated utilizing mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), NMR relaxometry, and XRD. Increased rates of early strength development and decreased rates of late strength development due to the presence of added Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} were linked to effects on capillary porosity refinement. While degree of hydration at later age was shown to have been lower in the presence of Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4}, and may have been responsible for the higher capillary porosity, a clear alteration in the pathway of microstructural development had occurred with inhibition to hydration of the slag component due to earlier microstructural development proposed.
The poor machinability and extensive work hardening of Ni-based superalloys makes additive manufacturing an attractive option for producing geometrically complex components with distinct microstructures. Although previous studies show recovery of high strength at room temperature, very few studies demonstrate successful properties at elevated temperatures required for industrial applications. Here, the objectives of this study are to present a post-build heat treatment for high strength across a wide temperature range, determine the strength contribution of nanoscale precipitating phases to the overall mechanical properties of superalloy 718, and from these, provide a comprehensive microstructure-property relationship for wrought and AM 718 to guide efforts to simulate the properties of AM components. Laser powder bed fusion–produced superalloy 718 was characterized at multiple length scales using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy in the as-built condition and with multiple heat treatments designed to form combinations of γ', γ", and δ precipitates. Uniaxial tensile tests performed from room temperature to 600 °C on subsize specimens determined the yield strength, elastic modulus, ultimate tensile strength, fracture stress, and uniform elongation. Precipitates in this work proved to be weak barriers to dislocation motion through a dispersed barrier model, but they provided strength to the alloy through their consistent high density. The relative contribution to the yield strength from γ" remained consistent between 48% and 57% of the total strength up to 600 °C, the primary influence on the high temperature strength of superalloy 718. The strength factors for γ" and δ precipitates were found to trend inversely with tensile test temperature and may be attributable to the differences in precipitate coherency. A post-build heat treatment is recommended to maintain high strength at elevated temperatures. A quantitative microstructure-property relationship, dependent on precipitate size, density, and morphology, was derived and can estimate the yield strength across a wide temperature range applicable to the operational regimes for superalloy 718.
We performed a measurement of the 52 Cr(d,p) 53 Cr reaction at 16 MeV using the Florida State University Super-Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph (SE-SPS) and observed 26 states. While all of the states observed here had been seen in previous (d,p) experiments, we changed five L assignments from those reported previously and determined L values for nine states that had not had such assignments made previously. The g 9/2 neutron strength observed in 53 Cr in the present work and in the N = 29 isotones 49 Ca, 51 Ti, and 55 Fe via (d,p) reactions is much smaller than the sum rule for this strength. Most of the observed L = 4 strength in these nuclei is located in states near 4 MeV excitation energy. The remaining g 9/2 strength may be located in the continuum or may be fragmented among many bound states. A covariant density-functional theory calculation provides support for the hypothesis that the g 9/2 neutron orbit is unbound in 53 Cr. The (α, 3 He) reaction may provide a more sensitive probe for the missing g 9/2 neutron strength. Additionally, particle-γ coincidence experiments may help resolve some remaining questions in this nucleus.
We show how vortices that support Majorana fermions when placed on a periodic pinning array can be used for vortex exchange and independent braiding by performing a series of specific moves with a probe tip. Using these braiding operations, we demonstrate realizations of a Hadamard and a CNOT gate. We specifically consider the first matching field at which there is one vortex per pinning site, and we show that there are two basic dynamic operations, move and exchange, from which basic braiding operations can be constructed in order to create specific logic gates. The periodic pinning array permits both control of the world lines of the vortices and freedom for vortex manipulation using a set of specific moves of the probe during which the probe tip strength and height remain unchanged. We measure the robustness of the different moves against thermal effects and show that the three different operations produce distinct force signatures on the moving tip.
Highlights: • A simulation procedure to study the effect of porosity on the compressive strength of a quasi-brittle material is introduced • Based on the simulated results, the relationship between compressive strength and air void fraction (porosity) is presented. • A linear relationship was achieved between the cubic root of porosity and the simulated compressive strength. The effect of porosity comprised of spherical air voids on the compressive strength of quasi-brittle material was studied via simulations. The simulated porous structures were based on pore size distributions of two mortar samples measured by X-ray microtomography. While the simulation method set practical limits on the size of sample, the base of the statistics was established by simulating 128 small structures generated by sampling from pore structures of two mortars. By studying the application of the classical strength-porosity formulas to the simulated data, a new simple model was formed. A linear relationship was achieved between the cubic root of air void fraction (porosity) and the simulated compressive strength. The reasons for scattering of simulated strength around fitted trend remained unresolved in this study; no clear dependence on pore number or other distribution properties was observed. With the presented simulation approach, the dependence of compressive strength on porosity is achieved independently of disturbances that occur in experimental studies creating understanding of compressional behavior of low porosity materials.
This study investigates the influence of an applied magnetic field on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of hypoeutectoid steels subjected to heat treatment. Tensile tests and microstructural analysis were performed on samples processed under varying magnetic field strengths (0 T, 5 T, and 9 T) and different austenitization incubation times. The results indicate that the application of a magnetic field alters the fraction of proeutectoid ferrite phase without changing the cooling rates and heat treatment process. Additionally, pearlite microstructural features such as lamellar spacing and misorientation angles exhibit variations under different field strengths. While the pearlite nodule diameter remains largely unaffected, an increase in percentage elongation and strength is observed in the 5 T treated sample, attributed to changes in microstructural features with the magnetic field. Additionally, the percentage elongation is reduced in the samples heat treated with reduced austenitization incubation times. The study further demonstrates that low-angle misorientations increased in the samples taken parallel to the magnetic field direction, influencing the mechanical response. These findings suggest that applying a magnetic field during heat treatment provides an additional driving force for phase transformations, offering a manufacturing process for tailoring microstructures and optimizing mechanical properties. Moreover, integrating magnetic fields in heat treatment processes has potential benefits in energy efficiency.
Abstract Beetles typically use their protective wing coverings or elytra to shield their membranous hindwings from the environment. Elytra in some terrestrial species have evolved a greater protective role capable of shielding the organism from powerful antagonistic predators. The structure–function relationships of these biological composites identify how architectural and chemical variations of the cuticle are tuned to create light‐weight, impact resistant composites. Specifically, the elytral structures of a tree dwelling beetle capable of flight, Trypoxylus dichotomus , and a terrestrial beetle incapable of flight, Phloeodes diabolicus , are compared to understand how their varied environmental needs forged the elytra to facilitate fight or resist fatal predator strikes. Mechanical and microstructural analysis reveals P . diabolicus has a harder, stiffer elytra that incorporate through‐thickness fibers to resist greater mechanical stresses imposed by bending and puncture. Conversely, the elytra of T . dichotomus have a compliant structure with large voids that facilitates localized deformation. Variations in flexural strength and puncture resistance remain attributed to P . diabolicus possessing a thicker cuticle with a greater degree of cross‐linking and an increased amount of endocuticular layers. These findings may provide useful insight into the design and manufacturing of composite materials for use in light‐weight or energy‐absorbing applications.
Bacterial contamination of an exposed implantable medical device by the atmosphere of an operating room (OR) is increasingly implicated as a cause of device-associated infection. Here, OR contamination is modeled in vitro using an aerosolizing system to spray small quantities of staphylococci onto titanium rods. Contaminated rods always manifest culturable bacteria. Self-assembly is used to create a self-defensive Ti surface that substantially enhances the rod's resistance to such contamination. Poly(acrylic acid) microgels are electrostatically deposited onto small Ti rods and subsequently loaded by complexation with a cationic antimicrobial peptoid (TM1). The microgels are visualized in situ by optical microscopy, and changes in microgel diameter indicate the loading state. Further, these measurements show that TM1 can be quickly loaded from low-ionic-strength buffer and subsequently remained sequestered within the microgels for up to 4 weeks when soaked in phosphate buffered saline. TM1-loaded microgel-modified Ti surfaces are contaminated with aerosolized staphylococci, and subsequent assays indicate few or no culturable bacteria. In the absence of nutrients to enable metabolism, this finding suggests that bacteria trigger local TM1 release by contact transfer. The modified surfaces exhibit good in vitro cytocompatibility as manifested by the adhesion, spreading, and metabolic activity of human fetal osteoblasts.
Materials capable of oxidizing in a protective manner at ultrahigh (>1700 °C) temperatures are needed to push beyond this barrier defined by SiC. Although possessing attractive mechanical properties and oxidation resistance, SiC-based materials are ultimately temperature limited by the melting point of SiO 2 . The vast array of ultra-high and high temperature ceramic literature indicates the majority of these materials, like borides, carbides, MAX-phases, and high-entropy ceramics, fall woefully short regarding oxidation resistance. However, for specific applications, like low-orbit aeropropulsion, high ballistics coefficient atmospheric re-entry, and hypersonic cruise, there are a few promising materials. Here, oxidation criteria are gathered to build application specific heuristics and are then applied to a multitude of ultra-high temperature ceramics to gauge material efficacy. Discussion of oxidation kinetics, mechanisms and reaction products is offered for each material, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and the remaining gaps in our knowledge.
This article describes the analysis of distortion of a silicon carbide fiber-reinforced, silicon carbide matrix (SiC-SiC) composite channel box under in-reactor conditions of a boiling water reactor (BWR). The BWR core has significant gradients in the fast neutron flux across the channel box due to the presence of water rods within the fuel assemblies, and these gradients increase further with the insertion of control blades. As a result of the temperature and neutron flux dependent irradiation-induced swelling of SiC, the SiC-SiC composite channel box can undergo distortion. In this work, we evaluate the SiC-SiC channel box distortion for three different control blade positions. This analysis is based on the neutron flux and temperature distributions in the BWR core calculated using the neutronics code MPACT and thermal-hydraulics code CTF. This calculation is coupled through temperature feedback. Subsequently, we have performed structural analysis based on the calculated neutron flux and temperature distributions to determine the deformation and stress development in the channel box. The structural analysis was performed using the fuel performance modeling code BISON and the commercial finite element analysis software Abaqus. The results indicate that large gradients in fast neutron flux (up to 35–40% across a single axial level) will develop across the channel box. Due to these gradients, the channel box will undergo time-dependent bending for all the control blade positions in the assembly. The time-dependent bowing behavior is dominated by the transient swelling of SiC-SiC material under non-uniform neutron flux, and changes with variation in the control blade position. The bending will cause temporary interference between the channel box and control blade, and the interference is expected to be most severe for the fully inserted control blade position. The developed stresses due to differential swelling in the channel box exceed the proportional limit stress of the material, which may cause matrix microcracking in the channel box. However, the stresses remain below the tensile strength of the material, and therefore, development of a full, through-thickness crack in the channel box is not expected. Finally, further work is recommended to explore and evaluate the mitigation strategies.