Relevance of monitoring residual stresses and the need to reduce them

The objective of the study is to show the significant impact of taking into account the actual values of residual stresses on the strength and resource of safe operation of nuclear power facilities. Generally accepted approaches of strength physics and fracture mechanics were used to determine strength and service life. The degree of influence of residual stresses on the strength and service life of pipeline elements in the case of a cyclically acting load, under static load, when there is a danger of brittle fracture, and in the case of corrosion is investigated. The objects of the study were pipelines of nuclear power plants. It is noted that the current state of science and technology has made it possible to create a technique for non-destructive testing of mechanical stresses acting in metal structures based on the use of the acoustoelasticity method. Currently, on the basis of this method, a method for measuring residual welding and installation stresses in pipelines has been developed and certified for use in the field of atomic energy use. The measurement technique provides for the determination of membrane and bending stresses in annular sections located on rectilinear sections of pipelines. The values of stresses in the structural elements of pipelines and residual welding stresses in the deposited metal of welded joints are determined using ratios based on the use of the balancing principle. The relevance of introducing into the procedure for monitoring the technical condition of pipelines and equipment of nuclear power plants the procedure for determining the actual level of residual stresses, which significantly increases the reliability of the assessment of their strength and service life, is shown. It is proved that in order to implement the procedure for determining the actual level of residual stresses, it is necessary to use a non-destructive testing system for residual welding and installation stresses using the acoustoelasticity method based on a measurement technique that allows determining the actual values of residual stresses with established error characteristics.