Three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis of a Semi-Elliptical Circumferential Surface Crack in a Carbon Steel Pipe Subjected to a Bending Moment

The study of crack growth is important to evaluate the structural integrity of nuclear power plant piping from the viewpoint of the leak-before-break concept. A thick-walled pipe with a semi-elliptical circumferential surface crack of different initial crack sizes subjected to a bending load is considered for the analysis. A three-dimensional finite element code using ANSYS (Version 8) has been developed with the capability to handle singularity...