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Swiss nuclear power and the case for long-term operation
Designed for 40 years but built to last far longer, Switzerland’s nuclear power plants have all entered long-term operation. Yet age alone says little about safety or performance. Through continuous upgrades, strict regulatory oversight, and extensive aging management, the country’s reactors are being prepared for decades of continued operation, in line with international practice.
Robert L. Fish
Nuclear Technology | Volume 31 | Number 1 | October 1976 | Pages 85-95
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31701
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The effects of two notch geometries on the tensile properties of fast-neutron-irradiated, annealed Type 304 stainless steel were investigated. Notch strengthening was observed under test conditions that promote transgranular failure accompanied by significant ductility (>5% total elongation) as measured using an unnotched specimen. These conditions existed at room temperature and moderate fluence levels (∼3 to 6 x 1022 n/cm2, E >0.1 MeV, ∼3 to 6 x 1026 n/m2, E >16 fJ). No notch effect was observed at 450 and 700°F (505 and 644 K) at any fluence level investigated. A notch weakening may exist under test conditions promoting low ductility (<1.5% total elongation) intergranular failure. At a nominal tensile strain rate (2.67 x 10-3/min, 4.45 x 10 -5/s), notch weakening was exhibited near 1100°F (866 K) and neutron fluences above 3 x 1022 n/cm2 (3 x 1026 n/m2). At a nominal strain rate, the notch sensitivity is independent of notch geometry between radii of 0.003 and 0.030 in. (0.076 and 0.76 mm). The notch sensitivity becomes notch geometry dependent at higher strain rates due to higher ductilities associated with a transition in the deformation and failure mode.