Continuum damage mechanics

The aim of this study is to analyze the creep–fatigue interaction behavior of a steam turbine rotor under idealized cyclic thermomechanical loading conditions. A Chaboche model-based material constitutive model is applied to simulate the multiaxial stress–strain behavior in the rotor. Influence of accumulated damage during the whole iterations on the creep–fatigue interaction behavior is described by continuum damage mechanics. Analysis of the temperature and stress variations during the startup phase reveals that the startup phase can be divided into a condensation phase, a high steam flux phase, and an elevated temperature phase and that thermal stress reaches its maximum value in the condensation phase. In addition, creep–fatigue interaction in the rotor leads to a gradual decrease in the maximum stress; furthermore, comparison of the von Mises stress displays that the impact of damage accumulation results in the shift of the location with the maximum stress. Investigation of creep–fatigue damage discloses that the total damage is concentrated on the steam inlet notch zone and the blade groove of the first and third stages