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The damage induced pressurized thermal shock (PTS) may pose to a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is a critical safety requirement assessed as part of the ageing management programme of pressurized water reactors (PWRs). A number of researches have studied PTS initiated mainly by postulated accidents such as loss of coolant accidents (LOCAs). However, investigations on PTS-induced threat on RPV caused by inadvertent actuation of the safety injection, a frequent anticipated transient, have not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, a simplified multistep analysis method is applied to study the thermomechanical status of a two-loop PWR under PTS loads caused by inadvertent actuation of the safety injection system. A direct-coupling thermomechanical analysis is performed using a three-dimensional (3D) RPV finite element model. A 3D finite element submodel (consisting of the highiest stress concentration area in the RPV) and an assumed crack are then used to perform fracture mechanics analysis. Subsequently, the critical integrity parameter-stress intensity factor (SIF) is estimated based on FRANC3D-M-integral method coupled in the multistep simulation. The material fracture toughness of the vessel is computed based on the master curve method with experimental fracture toughness data. The results obtained from the direct coupling stress analysis in comparison with sequential coupling approach demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multistep method. Also, comparing SIF results obtained with that calculated based on the conventional virtual crack-closure technique (VCCT) and extended finite element method (XFEM) show good agreement. This study provides a useful basis for future studies on anticipated transient-induced crack propagation and remaining service life prediction of ageing reactor pressure vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fracture criterion is newly proposed to evaluate fracture behavior and predict fracture initiation of metal materials in different complicated stress states for four different fracture mechanisms including quasicleavage fracture, normal fracture with void, shear fracture with void, and shear fracture without void. The dominant factors of these four different mechanisms are distinct, so it is impossible to capture all features of fracture initiation under different stress states with a single criterion, and different functions are necessary to predict fracture initiation of different mechanisms. In the new fracture criterion, different branches of the fracture criterion have been proposed corresponding to different fracture mechanisms. Quasicleavage fracture and normal fracture with void are described as a function of the principal stress, shear fracture with void is a function of the stress triaxiality and maximal shear stress, and shear fracture without void is only controlled by the maximal shear stress. The new fracture criterion is applied to predict the fracture initiation site and the fracture direction of nodular cast iron QT400-15 in combined tension-torsion tests. Predicted results are compared with experimental results to validate the performance of the new criterion in the intermediate stress triaxiality between 0 and 1/3. The new criterion is also applied to predict the crack initiation site and the direction of crack initiation of LY12 aluminium alloy and HY130 mild steel in mixed mode fracture tests to validate the performance of the new criterion in the high stress triaxiality. The new fracture criterion gives consistent results for these materials in a wide stress triaxiality range. It is shown that the new fracture criterion is a better supplement to the deficiency of fracture mechanics and also a better amendment to traditional strength theory in complicated stress states. Therefore, the new fracture criterion is recommended to be utilized to evaluate the fracture initiation of metal structures in nuclear waste storage and other engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]