Stress Intensity Factor Distribution and Crack Growth in Pressure Vessel Problems by the Frozen Stress Method

This paper describes the application of a laboratory based experimental method [1] to three dimensional cracked body problems in pressure vessels in order to determine the crack shape and stress intensity factor (SIF) distribution along the crack front when the crack shape is not known a-priori. Results for specific problems are presented and conditions and limitation of the method are described.Copyright © 2004 by ASME