Simplified method to evaluate upper limit stress intensity factor range of an inner-surface circumferential crack under steady state thermal striping

Simplified method to evaluate the upper limit stress intensity factor (SIF) range of an inner-surface circumferential crack in a thin- to thick-walled cylinder under steady state thermal striping was considered in this paper. The edges of the cylinder were rotation-restrained and the outer surface was adiabatically insulated. The inner surface of the cylinder was heated by a fluid with constant heat transfer coefficient whose temperature fluctuated sinusoidally at constant amplitude ΔT. By combining our analytical temperature solution for the problem and our semi-analytical-numerical SIF evaluation method for the crack, we showed that the desired maximum steady state SIF range can be evaluated with an engineering accuracy after ΔT, the mean radius to wall thickness ratio rm/W of the cylinder, the thermal expansion coefficient and Poisson's ratio are specified. By applying our method, no transient SIF analysis nor sensitivity analysis of the striping frequency on the SIF range is necessary. Numerical results showed that our method is valid for cylinders in a range of rm/W = 10–1.