Fatigue experiments have been performed upon hydrided condenser tubes that were removed from a coastal power plant. The experimental phase of the study developed S-N data for hydride penetration depths ranging from zero to fifty percent of the wall thickness. This revealed about a seventy five percent reduction in endurance limit with progressive hydriding over this penetration range. From the relationship between endurance limit and degree of hydriding it was projected that a fracture mechanics evaluation could be applied, where the hydride penetration depth was equivalent to a crack. Based upon this it was concluded that residual fatigue strength of tubes hydrided to fifty percent of the wall thickness was approximately five times greater than the cyclic service stress plus a factor of safety.

Subject
Hydriding, Tubes, Stress cracking, Stress, Condensers, Crack depth, Experimental data, Hydrides, Penetration, Mechanical failure, Wall thickness, Fatigue, Endurance limit
© 1991 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1991
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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