Influence of Buckling on the Endurance of Thin-walled Fast Reactor Pipe Having a Circumferential Defect

This paper studies the necessity of taking the effect of buckling on pipe endurance into account in the JSME leak-before-break (LBB) assessment guidelines for Fast Reactors. For the thin-walled large-diameter fast reactor pipe having a circumferential defect, the ultimate fracture strength is given in the JSME LBB assessment guideline for fast reactor. However, the effect of buckling which occurs prior to plasic collapse on has not been investigated. This paper performed a series of large deformation finite element analyses and clarified the effect of a circumferential defect on the buckling strength based on the analysis results. Finally, it is clalified that it is not required to take the limitation of buckling into account in the fracture assessment in the JSME LBB assessment guidelines.