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Evaluate stresses from Ansys®, CAESAR II® or any other program for fatigue, high temperature or fitness-for-service.

This article discusses how to convert CAESAR II® or general purpose FEA results into values that can be used in MatPRO to perform fatigue, high temperature or fitness for service (FFS) calculations. Use MatPRO effectively in pressure vessel and piping analysis.

Using CAESAR Results
Item Load Case Conversion Result Summary
SL Sustained stress SL PL PL = SL
S Operating stress (2/1.35)(S) PL+PB+Q PL+PB+Q = (2/1.35)(S)

Using Ansys (or other FEA Program Results)
Load Case Operation Result
Primary Loads - Typically Weight + Presure Integrate stresses through thickness at critical section PL
Operating Loads - Including Weights and Pressure Linearize Sx, Sy, Sz, Txy, Tyz, Tzx through thickness at critical section and compute stress intensity from result PL+Pb+Q

The above values for PL and PL+PB+Q can be used in MatPRO to evaluate any given stress state.

The MatPRO PL and PL+PB+Q text cells are shown below.

MatPRO Stresses

MatPRO supports a B31.3 and ASME Section II Part D data base along with “condition calculators” that evaluate calculated stress states in welds, base metal, or flawed pipes and vessels.

The MatPRO “condition calculator” determines:

  • How close you are to failure,
  • If creep-fatigue interaction is a concern, and
  • Whether a crack, corroded, or eroded area satisfies API 579 Fitness for Service Rules.

MatPRO is a program no pressure vessel or piping engineer should be without!

The more you know about MatPRO – the more you learn.

The “condition calculator” is invoked by specifying the material, e.g. SA 106 Grade B, the temperature, and the stress state. The stress state is retrieved automatically from NozzlePRO or FE/Pipe, and can be easily entered with results from Ansys or CAESAR II.

The major “condition” buttons are shown below.

Major Conditions Buttons in MatPRO

To perform a fatigue analysis using a computed stress from FE/Pipe, NozzlePRO, CAESAR or Ansys, the MatPRO you would click on the “Fatigue Calculations” button shown in the figure below.

The Fatigue input screen is shown below.

Click for larger image

Fatigue Evaluation MatPRO Input Screen

Note that time, temperature and thickness may all influence creep life.

Output includes detailed text reports and plots of fatigue curves using allowable limits prescribed by Markl, API579, BS 5500, the MasterCurve, ASME and EN13445.

Click for larger image

MatPRO Fatigue Curve Comparisons

Generate Properties Button

MatPRO also produces material property plots for all combinations of yield, tensile, allowable stress, creep rupture properties, etc.

The plot below shows the allowable stress, tensile strength and yield stress for an SB-409 plate material at 300,000 hours. Note how the drop in tensile strength at about 1100F affects the allowable stress, while the yield strength remains high!

Click for larger image

MatPRO – The more you use it – the more you learn. No engineering desktop should be without it.