A Criterion for Combination Rule in Flaw Assessment of Parallel Surface Cracks

When multiple cracks approach one another, the stress intensity factor and J-integral value change due to the interaction of the stress field. Since the changes in these parameters are not always conservative in structural reliability evaluations, the interaction between multiple cracks should be taken into account. Section XI of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code provides a flaw characterization rule for interacting multiple cracks. In Section XI, adjacent cracks are replaced with a coalesced single crack when the distance between the cracks is less than half of the crack depth. However, the criterion for the offset distance is given as an absolute value, although the magnitude of the interaction depends on the crack size. In the current study, an alternative criterion for the offset distance was examined. Linear-elastic and elastic–plastic analyses were performed for interacting semicircular and semi-elliptical surface cracks by the finite element method under a tensile or bending load. The change in the stress intensity factors and J-integral values due to the relative spacing of cracks was investigated. Based on the relationship between the magnitude of the interaction and the relative position of the cracks, the allowable ctriterion for the offset distance was discussed.