FFSpro

FFSpro is subscription based software which provides the benefits of lower upfront costs, easy upgrade and scale.  You pay yearly subscription fee and enjoy the freedom to renew or terminate at the end of the term.  Full technical support and software updates are included in the subscription.

A crack-like flaw has been found on my equipment.

Should the equipment be repaired or replaced?

Can it remain in service?

How long can it remain in service?

FFSpro is a Fitness-For-Service (FFS) assessment software that utilizes Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) to demonstrate the structural integrity of in-service components that contain crack-like flaws, following API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Level 2 and Level 3 assessment procedures.

Crack-like flaws are planar flaws that are predominantly characterized by a length and depth, with a sharp root radius. Crack-like flaws may either be surface breaking, embedded, or through-wall. Examples of crack-like flaws include planar cracks, lack of fusion and lack of penetration in welds, sharp groove-like localized corrosion, and branch type cracks associated with environmental cracking. In some cases, it is conservative and advisable to treat volumetric flaws such as aligned porosity or inclusions, deep undercuts, root undercuts, and overlaps as planar flaws, particularly when such volumetric flaws may contain micro-cracks at the root. This is because an NDE examination may not be sensitive enough to determine whether micro-cracks have initiated from the flaw.

FFSpro evaluates the present integrity of the component by Fracture Mechanics for a given flaw, and also predicts the remaining life by analyzing fatigue crack growth or hydrogen assisted crack growth.  In addition, FFSpro evaluates the fracture tearing resistance by the amount of stable ductile tearing.

FFSpro provides Fracture Mechanics solutions for plate, plate with a hole, cylinder, sphere, elbow and pipe bend, nozzle or piping tee, ring-Stiffened cylinder, sleeve reinforced cylinder, round bar or bolt, cracks at fillet welds, cracks in clad or weld overlayed.

The user can select material properties from the database containing ASME Section II Part D, EN 10216 Seamless Tubes, EN 10217 Welded Tubes, EN 10028 Flat Products, EN10222 Forgings, EN 10213 Castings, EN 10269 Fasteners, and EN 10273 Weldable Bars.  FFSpro calculates the fracture toughness parameter KIC from fracture toughness correlations from the Master Curve based on CVN data, or from ASME Section VIII Exemption Curves, or from ASME Section XI fracture toughness for a given transition temperature. Or the user can directly enter tested data or other sources for KIC, J-integral, or CTOD.  The constants for crack growth equations can be either user defined or selected from a number of material types. The ductile tearing JR-curves can be user defined or derived from toughness data, or can be directly selected from API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Table 9F.3 – JR Tearing Resistance Curve Data.

FFSpro calculates stresses if the user chooses to enter cylinder or sphere pressure vessel internal pressure, axial force, bending moment etc.  In many cases, the user would choose to enter membrane and bending stresses, or fourth order polynomial stress distribution calculated by other programs, either closed form or FEA.  FFSpro can plot stress curves to help the user visualizing the stress distribution across the thickness of the component.

FFSpro provides extensive tools to calculate welding residual stresses, such as residual stress for uniform PWHT, residual stress for full penetration welds in piping, pressure vessels and storage tanks, full penetration welds at corner joints, nozzles and piping branch connections, full penetration and fillet welds at Tee joints, as well as residual stress for repair welds.  In some cases, heat input is either user defined or calculated by the program for different welding process and welding procedure parameters.