A Systematic concept of assuring structural integrity of components and parts for applying to highly ductile materials through brittle materials

Suzuki, Kazuhiko

Concepts of assuring structural integrity of plant components have been developed under limited conditions of either highly ductile or brittle materials. There are some cases where operation in severe conditions causes a significant reduction in ductility for materials with a high ductility before service. Current concepts of structural integrity assurance under the limited conditions of material properties or on the requirement of no significant changes in material properties even after long service will fail to incorporate expected technological innovations. A systematic concept of assuring the structural integrity should be developed for applying to ductile materials through brittle materials. In this report, first, background of concepts of existing structural codes are discussed. Next, issues of existing codes for brittle material parts are identified and then resolutions to the issues are proposed. Based on these discussions and proposals, a systematic concept is proposed.