Containment integrity program recent results and plans

During severe accidents, containment structures may be subjected to loading conditions well past those for which they were designed. Estimating the containment structural response for severe loadings often requires analytical methods that are considerably more complex than the linear-elastic methods generally used in the design process. In addition to the possibility of structural failure during severe accidents, containment structures may leak considerably before or instead of failing structurally. This paper reviews Sandia National Laboratory's experimental program for qualifying the structural-analytical methods and obtaining qualitative information on containment leakage