The mechanical characteristic at the crack tip is one of the main factors affecting the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in dissimilar metal welded joints (DMWJs). In this research, to evaluate the effect of heterogeneous material properties on the mechanical characteristic at the crack tip of DMWJs accurately, a heterogeneous material model of the SA508 Cl.3-Alloy 52M DMWJ was established based on USDFLD subroutine in ABAQUS. The comparison of the traditional “Sandwich” material model with the heterogeneous material properties, stress-strain conditions, and the plastic zone around the crack tip at the interference zone has been analyzed by the finite element method (FEM). The results indicated that the heterogeneous material model could characterize the mechanical properties of the SA508 Cl.3-Alloy 52M DMWJs accurately. In addition, the crack at the interface zone between materials will deflect along with the weld metal in two material models.

The micro-mechanical state at the crack front is one of the key factors affecting the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) growth behavior. The mechanical heterogeneity and residual stress in the dissimilar metal welded joint (DMWJ) induce the micro-mechanical state at the crack front to become more complex. The sandwich model and dual-field model of the DMWJ with inner surface axial crack were established in this study. The stress and strain states at the crack front with different crack locations and lengths under the interaction of the mechanical property and the residual stress were investigated. The results show that a more accurate evaluation of stress and strain states can be obtained when using the dual-field model to describe the material mechanical property and residual stress of the DMWJ. The sandwich model overestimates the crack driving force including the stress and strain at the crack front. The tensile stress in the middle of shallow cracks is smaller than that at both ends, while the tensile stress in the middle of deep crack is larger than that at both ends. The variation trend of the tensile stress and normal strain at the crack apex is basically the same as that of the residual stress with the crack depth. However, there is almost no normal plastic strain in the initial stage of crack propagation due to the small residual stress in the initial stage.

A spherical indentation strain method was proposed to determine surface residual stress in this study. Through numerical simulation, the effect of the material properties and residual stress on the plastic zone around the indentation was investigated, and the ideal strain measurement region appropriate for diverse materials was identified. Meanwhile, the presence of residual stress in material will cause the strain increment in the strain measurement area near the indentation to change. Based on the relationship among strain increment, residual stress and material mechanical properties, the calibration equation of residual stress for different materials were established. A portable residual stress loading device was developed and combined with the indentation test to calibrate the 316 L and 304 stainless steel of nuclear welding joint material. The reliability of this method was verified, and it provides convenience for the calibration of the residual stress of stainless steel materials.