Parametric design of scaled-down pressurised thermal shock test specimens using inelastic analysis

Pressurised thermal shock tests that simulate fracture conditions relevant to nuclear reactor pressure vessels are difficult to perform and require very large specimens. This study examines the feasibility of scaled-down specimens to allow easier testing. A series of finite element models was used to design scaled-down specimens that produce a crack-driving force, crack tip temperature trajectory and constraint conditions very similar to those which occurred in a previous large-scale spinning cylinder experiment known as NESC-1. It is shown that equivalent conditions can be achieved in much smaller specimens than NESC-1 using a practical set of testing parameters.