The toughness module of the PERFECT platform: A predictive tool for the fracture toughness of RPV steels

The PERFECT project of the 6th Framework Program aims at developing a predictive tool for irradiation effects on Reactor Pressure Vessel steels. In this work, we focuse on the mechanical part of the numerical platform, the Toughness Module. Its main objective is to predict the probability of failure of the considered RPV steel, using more or less complex approaches. Six submodules are integrated in the Toughness Module. Three of them allow to estimate the macroscopic stress–strain curve of the material and the three others allow to predict the toughness drop of the material due to irradiation.