Remnant Life Assessment based on the Small Punch Test and the Wilshire Equations

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The Wilshire equations have been widely applied to uniaxial creep test data on a wide range of steel alloys used in power generation and on some Titanium alloys used in aero engines. In all these studies, it has been possible to obtain accurate long-term life predictions from very short-term accelerated uniaxial tests. This suggests that these equations adequately capture the main creep deformation processes.However, such uniaxial testing cannot be done on components already in use without causing a deterioration in the structural integrity of that part. The small punch test, that uses thin slices of material cut from in use parts, has been put forward as a means of determining remanent life. Numerical models on 1/2Cr1/2Mo1/4V steel have also demonstrated that this test is sensitive to pre-existing damage and so offers the potential to accurately determine this remanent life. Such information is currently invaluable as many power plants within the UK are approaching their original design lives, and the growing potential energy gap within the UK is creating pressure to extend the use of these aging plants.***** The improved correlation between SP and conventional creep data is ESSENTIAL to underpin data previously generated under numerous Stratigic Partnership Core Research and post graduate projects. *****