Improvement in the reliability of shells for LWRs

Evaluation of component integrity is based on the conformity of variant properties to established values. Other properties, not always formally required, contribute to the component's reliability. Forging shells for light water reactors, for instance, demonstrates how the manufacturing process can be of importance in reducing the effects of segregation so detrimental to component integrity. This article looks at such problems and shows how they can be minimised by using hollow ingots for shell forging. (7 figures, 1 table, 15 references) (Author)