The fatigue and fracture analysis of steam turbine rotor shafts containing defects

In this study, the assessment and calculation methods for the crack propagation life of steam turbine rotor shafts containing defects are presented. The analytic methods for estimating the average stress and the alternating stress amplitude of the steam turbine rotor shafts are introduced. The defects on/in the rotor shafts were regularized by the method of fracture mechanics, and the high cycle fatigue crack propagation life and low cycle fatigue crack propagation life of the rotor shafts are estimated from Paris formula. Taking the 60MW turbine rotor shafts containing an initial surface defect and an initial internal defect as the examples respectively, the crack propagation life of them were calculated. The results indicated that the assessment method for the crack propagation life can preliminarily be both used to estimate the safety-operating life and to analyze the fracture reason of a steam turbine rotor shaft containing defects. This paper can provide reference for periodic maintenance and safety evaluation of turbine rotor shafts. © 2019 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland.