Recommendations for joint fatigue coefficients for welded P91 junctions at 550 °C

Modified 9Cr1Mo steels are potential candidates as structural materials of GEN-IV nuclear reactors. Since the design of structural components is influenced by the presence of the welds, their mechanical properties are also included in the design codes. In the European code RCC-MRx, a weld is considered as a homogeneous (base metal) component with a margin coefficient, called weld coefficient. Currently no values of joint fatigue coefficients for P91 junctions are given in RCC-MRx. After a recall of the weld design rules contained in the code, this work presents the experimental activities carried out to characterize the fatigue behaviour of TIG welded P91 junctions at high temperatures. Finite elements calculations were performed on the basis of the characterization of the base and weld metal. The results of the tests validate the numerical results. Values of the weld joint fatigue coefficients for P91 are proposed for possible inclusion in RCC-MRx.