Fracture mechanics parameters benchmark analysis for elastic KI evaluation of nuclear pipes under mechanical loading

Fracture mechanics parameters, such as K(stress intensity factor) and J-integral, are commonly used to evaluate integrity of cracked components in the nuclear industry. For the safety assessment and maintenance of these components, the various codes (ASME B and PV Section XI, R6 Rev.4, RSE M, RCC MRx Appendix 16, API and etc.) propose compendia of stress intensity factors in terms of component geometry, type of defect and loading conditions. In order to compare and analyze these different estimation schemes on the fracture mechanics parameter evaluation, a benchmark program on the analytical evaluation of the fracture mechanics parameters K and J for different components and loads is organized by OECD NEA IAGE group. As a part of this benchmark, elastic K evaluation in cracked cylinders under mechanical loads and cracked plates under thermal loads is investigated using different code such as ASME B and PV Code Section XI, RCC MRx Appendix A16. Furthermore, the analysis results from these different estimation schemes are compared with a reference analysis results done by finite element method for representative cases