[en] Pressurized-thermal-shock loading in a reactor pressure vessel produces significant positive out-of-plane stresses along the crack front for both circumferential and axial cracks. Experimental evidence, while very limited, seems to indicate that a reduction in toughness is associated with out-of-plane biaxial loading when compared with toughness values obtained under uniaxial conditions. A testing program is described that seeks to determine the effects of out-of-plane biaxial tensile loading on fracture toughness of RPV steels. A cruciform bend specimen that meets specified criteria for the testing pregam is analyzed using three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite-element techniques. These analysis results provide the basis for proposed test conditions that are judged likely to produce a biaxial loading effect in the cruciform bend specimen