Leakage rate through cracks in thick wall piping

The 'leak-before-break' concept used in nuclear reactor safety analyses relies on the premise that a pipe crack will leak at a detectable rate long before the crack reaches its critical length. Of particular interest is the leakage through cracks in thick walled pipes. This paper describes the experimental and analytical work done at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories to support the 'leak-before-break' argument used in nuclear reactor safety