Abstract
The information of the creep behavior of the thick welded joint is very important to secure the safety of the elevated temperature vessels like the nuclear reactors. The creep behavior is very complex, thence it is difficult to practice the experiment and the theoretical analysis.
A simple accurate model for theoretical analysis was developed in this study. The simple model is constructed of several one-dimensional finite elements which can analyze three-dimensional creep behavior. The model is easy to treat, and needs only a little labor and computation time to predict the creep curve and local strain of the thick welded joint. It was verified by comparing them with experimental results that the model can accurately simulate the creep behavior of the thick welded joint.
By using this model, the various important creep behaviors of the thick welded joint will be cleared to improve the creep characteristics of the joint.
