Life prediction of welded joint in core shroud of BWR due to SCC failure

The life of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in the welded joint of core shroud in nuclear reactor was predicted.By combining the finite element method (FEM) and experimental results,the residual stress field and subsequent SCC propagation in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) was simulated.The stress intensity factor at the cracking tip was calculated with SCC model, and the relationship between the stress intensity factor and cracking rate from the SCC propagation experiments was used to obtain the propagating rate of the crack.Consequently,the life of core shroud was predicted.This study solved the life prediction of important structures in nuclear reactor due to SCC failure, and also provided an useful method for life prediction of other important engineering structures.