Effect of cladding on the initiation behaviour of finite length cracks in an RPV under thermal shock Original Research Article

An analytical method has been developed and verified by three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analyses to evaluate stress intensity factors for finite length through clad and subclad cracks in reactor pressure vessels (RPV) under loss of coolant accident conditions. The method is applied to thermohydraulic transients of the RPV of KKS. The results demonstrate the margin of safety for the RPV for end of life material conditions.