Numerical Investigation of Creep–Fatigue Behavior in a Steam Turbine Inlet Valve Under Cyclic Thermomechanical Loading

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the cyclic creep–fatigue interaction behavior in a steam turbine inlet valve under cyclic thermomechanical loading conditions. Three years and nine iterations of idealized startup–steady-state operation–shutdown process were chosen. The Ramberg–Osgood model, the Norton–Bailey law, and continuum damage mechanics were applied to describe the stress–strain behavior and calculate the damage. The strength of the steam valve revealed that significant stress variation mainly occurred at the joint parts between the valve diffuser and the adjust valve body, due to the combination of the enhanced turbulent flow and assembly force at these areas. The contact stress at the region of component assembly was sensitive to the cyclic loading at the initial iterations. The maximum decrease amplitude in the normalized contact stress between the second and the fourth iterations reached 0.12. The damage analysis disclosed that the notch of the deflector in the adjust valve had the maximum damage due to the stress concentration.