Numerical study of the side-groove effect on creep crack growth behavior in P92 steel

In this paper, the constraint effect caused by a side-groove on creep crack growth behavior in P92 steel was studied using finite element analysis. Creep crack growth simulations were conducted on compact tension specimens for side-grooves with different depths and angles. The simulated outcome indicated that the creep crack growth rate increased as the depth and the angles of the side-grooves in the specimen increased. Next, the profile of the crack front for the different specimens was discussed. The distribution of the average stress triaxiality and the average equivalent stress on the crack front were studied to investigate the mechanical mechanism describing the constraint effect on creep crack growth behavior. Finally, the creep crack growth rate determined from numerical simulation results was determined to be consistent with existing experimental data.