Structural Integrity Assessment and Practical Application of BS 7910 Procedures for the Assessment of Flaws in Metallic Structures

Suitable for:

Structural, civil, maintenance, pipeline, materials, welding, inspection and plant engineers including those responsible for maintaining welded equipment and structures, managing the integrity of ageing structures and optimising asset performance.

Key features of the course:

• introduces the concepts of fitness-for-purpose and engineering critical assessment (ECA)
• covers the fundamental principles and practical applications of fracture mechanics
• covers brittle and ductile fracture, plastic collapse, fatigue crack growth and stress corrosion cracking
• focuses on fracture and fatigue procedures in BS 7910
• focuses on assessing flaws in welded structures
• covers other relevant subjects e.g. failure case studies, non-destructive testing (inspection), materials issues and fracture toughness testing
• provides practical training using realistic fracture and fatigue examples and CRACKWISE software

Course Content:

The course is provided over three consecutive days according to the following schedule. The actual scheduling of lectures and practical sessions over the three days may vary from that described below but all subjects will be covered.
Day 1
Failure case studies:

• actual failures (including a bridge, storage tank, ship, offshore platform, boiler drum and pressure vessels); contributing factors and lessons learnt

Fitness-for-purpose methods:

• concept of fitness-for-purpose methods and engineering critical assessment (ECA)
• historical background
• key parameters influencing structural integrity
• examples of practical applications and benefits

Fracture mechanics theory:

• key parameters (for driving force and fracture toughness): K, CTOD, J and their role in linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM)

Materials issue:

• awareness of flaw types (mainly in welds) including fabrication and service flaws
• materials/service issues and their effects on fracture toughness (e.g. time-dependent effects)

Fracture mechanics testing:

• guidance on testing (especially welds) including preparation of specimens and post-test analysis

Non-destructive testing (inspection):

• role of NDT in ECA
• inspection qualification
• capabilities of major NDT methods

Introduction to BS 7910:

• background and definitions (flaw types and stress categorisation)

Failure assessment diagram (FAD) approach:

• definitions, examples, main parameters, primary and secondary stresses, local and global collapse

Day 2
Fracture assessment procedures in BS 7910 (key features and calculation steps):

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3

Fatigue of welded structures:

• background to fatigue design of welded joints
• factors which affect the fatigue of welded joints

Fatigue assessment procedures in BS 7910:

• fracture mechanics based calculations of fatigue crack growth
• quality category approach

Extending the ECA approach:

• BS 7910 annexes
• non-planar flaws
• other flaw assessment procedures (including FITNETand API 579-1/ASME FFS-1)

Implications of sour service:

• determination of materials properties
• relevant published data
• assessment of flaw tolerance

Day 3
Software for structural integrity assessment:

• introduction to CRACKWISE

Workshop:

• fracture and fatigue quiz
• practical fracture and fatigue exercises

Objectives:

• to provide practising engineers with a firm foundation for the application of BS 7910 to the assessment of flaws using fitness-for-purpose methods

Additional Information:

• This course is given by specialists with unrivalled experience in the practical application of fitness-for-purpose methods in a wide range of applications including pressure vessels, pipelines, offshore structures, vehicles, bridges and buildings
• Training time is typically 6 hours per day (9.00 - 17.00 hrs including coffee/tea and lunch breaks)
• Participants receive a copy of BS 7910:2005, a full set of course notes and a bound document containing relevant background reference papers
• Participants receive a Certificate of Attendance
• Early enrolment is advised. The practical emphasis strictly limits the number of course members to 20 to facilitate interaction, especially during the workshop sessions
• The course can also be held at your premises - please contact bs7910training@twi.co.uk for a quotation