NESC spinning cylinder experiment: pre-test structural analysis evaluation Original Research Article

This spinning cylinder experiment, organised under the auspices of the Network for the Evaluation of Steel Components (NESC), is designed to address the cleavage initiation behaviour of axial subclad and surface breaking flaws in end of life RPV material under pressurised thermal shock (PTS) transient conditions. Pre-test structural integrity assessments have been performed to assist in the detailed design of the experiment and in particular the specification of the initial defect sizes. The results presented offer an insight into the influences of experimental variables on the probability of realising a cleavage event during the transient.