Experiments on containment performance under severe accident loadings

The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a status report on two ongoing research programs to examine the behavior of components of the containment pressure boundary under severe accident conditions. The first program to be presented is a series of 'separate effects' tests to investigate possible tearing of the steel liner in concrete (reinforced and prestressed) containments due to overpressurization of the containment building. An experimental study to determine the conditions that would cause leakage past penetration bellows is also described. The research work described herein is a part of the Containment Integrity Programs. These Programs are being conducted at Sandia National Laboratories under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)