Mon, 17 March, 2025
National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) student, Funke Dacosta-Salu has had a paper published in the Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Design.
Funke is a PhD student who has been studying with Coventry University at TWI since 2021, working under the supervision of Finite Element Analyst, Michael Roy at TWI. Her research topic is, ‘Characterising Thermal Fatigue at Mixing Points in Industrial Pipework,’ with a focus on numerically understanding failure at mixing points in order to improve inspection and eliminating thermal fatigue at mixing points.
Funke Dacosta-Salu
The published paper, ‘Numerical Modelling of Thermal Fatigue at Pipe Mixing Points in Nuclear Power Plants,’ was co-authored by Funke alongside Michael E Fitzpatrick and Xiang Zhang of the Centre for Manufacturing and Materials at Coventry University, James Jewkes from the School of Engineering at University of Leicester, and TWI’s Michael Roy.
The paper investigates failure at critical locations where hot and cold water mixes in pipes at nuclear power plants.
The study uses a numerical approach to investigate the effect of temperature fluctuations on fatigue failure at critical locations and welded joints. This was followed with finite element structural analysis and fatigue assessments to predict failure locations and estimate component lifespans.
This subject had only received limited attention in previous research and is an example of how TWI is not only supporting new research for industry but also helping to develop the next generation of industry experts.
You can read the paper, here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0029549325001554