Elastic-Plastic Shakedown Evaluation Using ASME Code Section III and Section VIII Methods

Section III, Division 1 and Section VIII, Division 2 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code provide procedures for demonstrating shakedown using elastic-plastic analysis. While these procedures may be used in place of elastic analysis procedures, they are typically employed after the elastic analysis and simplified elastic-plastic analysis limits have been exceeded. In using the Section III, Division 1 and Section VIII, Division 2 procedures for elastic-plastic shakedown analyses, three concerns are raised. First, the Section III, Division 1 procedure is vague, which can result in inconsistent results between analysts. Second, the acceptance criteria contained in both procedures are vague, which can also result in inconsistent results between analysts. Lastly, differences in the procedures and acceptance criteria can result in demonstration of component elastic-plastic shakedown under Section III, Division 1 but not under Section VIII, Division 2. The authors presume that the ASME Code intends to provide similar design and analysis conclusions, which may not be a correct assumption. To demonstrate these concerns, a nozzle benchmark design subject to a representative thermal and pressure transient was evaluated using the two Code elastic-plastic shakedown procedures. Shakedown was successfully demonstrated using the Section III, Division 1 procedure. However, shakedown could not be demonstrated using the Section VIII, Division 2 procedure. The conflicting results seem to indicate that, for the nozzle design evaluated, the Section VIII, Division 2 procedure is considerably more conservative than the Section III, Division 1 procedure. To further assess the conservative nature of the Section VIII, Division 2 procedure, the nozzle benchmark design was evaluated using the same thermal transient, but without a pressure load. While shakedown was technically not observed using the Section VIII, Division 2 acceptance criteria, engineering judgment concluded that shakedown was demonstrated. Based on the results of all the evaluations, recommendations for modifications to both procedures were presented for consideration.