Containment integrity: principles relating to and demonstration of the rupturing resistance of reactor pressure vessels for LWR nuclear stations

In all safety studies for light water reactors, the rupturing resistance of the reactor pressure vessel plays the dominant part. Selection of materials, design and manufacturing tests have been directed from the very outset at ensuring the integrity of the containment, even under incident conditions. Research and development programmes on behalf of Federal Ministries that have assumed responsibility which have been commenced since 1971 have been concerned above all with the problem of quality-impairing influences associated with manufacture and long-term operation, and have served to achieve further improvements in quality control. They have also provided the basis for comprehensive and effective in-service inspections. Through optimisation of the material, it is possible for the current reactor pressure vessel generation to demonstrate deterministically and in terms of redundancy that in all probability unqualified safety has been achieved with regard to catastrophic failure. (author)