Welding residual stresses and effects on fracture in pressure vessel and piping components: A millennium review and beyond

In this paper the recent advances in weld residual stress modeling procedur es are first reviewed within the context of pressure vessel and piping appl ications. A typical pipe girth weld was then used as an example to highligh t some of the critical issues in weld residual stress prediction, measureme nt, and residual stress effects on various aspects of fracture behaviors fr om stress intensity factor solutions for a growing crack to crack-opening d isplacement calculations for leak-before-break assessment. Finally, the fut ure needs in improved fracture mechanics procedures by incorporating the ra pidly expanding knowledge on weld residual stresses are summarized with res pect to pressure vessel and piping applications. [S0094-9930(00)02103-X].