Analysis and testing of rupture of steam generator tubing with flaws

A high-temperature (300 C), high-pressure (18 MPa), and high-leak rate (1500 L/min) facility, and a room temperature, high-pressure (52 MPa) test facility were used to test flawed steam generator tubes. Single and multiple rectangular flaws were fabricated by electro-discharge machining on the outside surface of the tubes. This paper briefly reviews analytical methods for predicting ligament rupture and unstable burst of tubes with single and multiple rectangular flaws. Test data are presented to validate the failure models. The ligament rupture pressure of specimens with multiple flaws predicted by an equivalent rectangular crack method agree fairly well with measured data.