As part of the recent STYLE European project, three large scale mock-up experiments (Mock-up 1, Mock-up 2 and Mock-up 3) were performed. The Mock-ups were representative of nuclear power plant locations containing welds or cladding and contained an initial defect, either through-wall or surface breaking, and were loaded under four point bending conditions.
Benchmarks based on each of these experiments were launched to investigate current Engineering Assessment Methods (EAMs) and Leak-before-Break (LbB) procedures used throughout Europe and how the application of these methods compare to each other and to the experimental data. Parameters that were specified for the benchmark participants to evaluate included crack opening displacement (COD), critical crack size, limit load, and load vs various amounts of ductile tearing.
This paper presents and compares the results of the calculations performed by the participants in the benchmark. It focuses on the AMEC calculations using R6 and draws conclusions regarding its relative conservatism compared with each of the other methods and through comparison with the results of the Mock-up experiments.
