Objective
The concerted Action is aimed at interaction and integration of activities within BRITE/EURAM projects in the field of life assessment of industrial components and structures and focuses on the power, process and offshore industries.
Technical panels and a steering committee were set up and used to undertake the preparatory work for a successful European conference on 'Life Assessment of Industrial Components and Structures' with support from the CEU's VALUE programme.
Comprehensive information exchange was achieved in 2 main ways. First, through the exchange of reports and second, through presentation and discussion of project results at meetings. In terms of project interaction and integration to minimize overlap and improve competitiveness, a number of common themes were identified and recommendations were made for integration where appropriate. This included the areas of high temperature fatigue of IN7xx alloys and multiaxial stress state effects on creep.
Strategic issues and their implications for current and future projects were reviewed and priority areas for further study identified in terms of high temperature and low temperature applications generally, and instrumentation, residual stress measurement, measurement of strain at high temperature and data requirements specifically. As a result the work has spawned proposals for 3 projects as follows: one addressing the key aspect of high temperature weldments, another encompassing the results of the existing concerted action but addressing integrated life management technologies generally, and a third proposal aimed at standardization of residual stress measurement. Proposals for industry funded collaborative research and development in the areas of austenitic steel weldments and high temperature strain gauging are also being formulated.
Plant demonstrations were recommended for an advanced condition monitor and a residual stress sensor based on magnetic antisotrophy and permeability.
In terms of new standards/codes of practice specific requirements were identified for:
a Code of Practice (initially) and European Standard (eventually) for the installation of high temperature capacitive and resistive strain gauges;
a European Standard for residual stress measurement by hole drilling, with explicit reference to air abrasion drilling;
a European Standard for the calibration of X-ray diffractometers used for residual stress measurement.
Two newsletters have been produced and an electronic mail facility to transmit project and information has been made available.
These results are useful in several industrial sectors such as boilers and furnaces, nuclear fission, aerospace and off shore technology.
The project will embrace life-limiting/degradation phenomena and diagnostic/surveillance systems relevant to elevated temperature and low/ambient temperature applications. The specific objectives are :
-to enhance technical progress within individual projects through interproject exchange of information
-to ensure project developments are complementary by clear identification of project interaction areas and to signal multilateral project integration agreements
-to identify key areas and critical issues for future study and in particular to explore ideas for integrated projects spanning several different industrial sectors, types of organisation (e.g. manufactures, utilities) and types of plant/structures
-to review strategic issues and priorities in the life assessment field, and their implications for current and future projects
-to provide a basis for interaction and integration with other European Research Actions, and for promoting the diffusion and exploitation of the BRITE/EURAM projects at workshop and conferences
-to encourage the exploitation of R & D results by recommending host industry demonstrations
-to publish a newsletter to update on the progress of the Action and to disseminate the results arising therefrom
-to identify areas requiring the formulation of standards/codes of practice.
Coordinator
KT22 7SA Leatherhead
United Kingdom
