The 2011 Forum on Appropriate Criteria and Methods for Seismic Design of Nuclear Piping

A summary of The 2011 SEC Forum on Appropriate Criteria and Methods for Seismic Design of Nuclear Piping is provided. This forum session was the fifteenth in a series that was started in 1992. In the 2011 forum, the main topic of discussion was “Seismic Response Behavior of Piping”. The ASME Section III code for design of nuclear piping allows significant material plasticity at the Level D (SSE) limits. Test results from the EPRI/NRC Piping and Fitting Dynamic Reliability Program were reviewed including the failure modes of collapse versus fatigue. The Section III seismic stress limits were reviewed. The main discussion was on predicting fatigue life for an SSE including the effect of ratchet strains on fatigue life.