Application of Fracture Mechanics in Maintenance of High Temperature Equipment -- An Assessment of Critical Needs

Extending the operating life of power-plant, chemical reactor and land, sea and air based gas turbine components beyond their original design life has considerable economic advantages. Fracture mechanics is used extensively to predict the remaining life and safe inspection intervals as part of maintenance programs for these systems. The presence of creep deformation and time-dependent damage accumulation in these components present very significant challenges. Therefore, the emphasis of this paper is on the time-dependent fracture mechanics concepts.