The application of fracture mechanics in thermally stressed structures

There is considerable interest in calculating stress intensity factors at crack tips in thermally stressed structures, particularly in the power generation industry where the safe operation of both conventional and nuclear plant is founded on rigorous safety cases. Analytical methods to study such problems are of limited scope, although they can be extended by introducing numerical techniques. Purpose built numerical methods, however, offer a much greater and more accurate solution capability and in particular the finite element method is well advanced. Such methods are described, including how stress intensity factors can be obtained from the finite element results. They are then applied to a range of thermally stressed problems including plates with central cracks and cylinders with axial and circumferential cracks. Both steady state and transient temperature distributions arising from typical thermal shocks are considered.