Abstract In this paper, the effects of thermal stress on AP1000 reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is analyzed, and the elliptical corner crack propagation at the nozzle-cylinder intersection is investigated. The corner crack stress intensity factor (SIF) is computed under static pressure and combination (static pressure plus thermal stress) loadings and crack propagation. The analysis reveals that with an increase degree of the surface corner crack in the longitudinal section of in-let nozzle, SIF will decrease gradually; Due to the influence of thermal stress, the crack growth length is shorter, the growth rate is slower and the SIF is smaller. The numerical results of SIF for a wide range of crack propagation are provided as a reference for the fracture mechanics design of the RPV.

中文翻译：

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热应力对AP1000反应堆压力容器裂纹扩展的影响

摘要 本文分析了热应力对AP1000反应堆压力容器（RPV）的影响，研究了喷嘴-气缸相交处椭圆角裂纹扩展。角裂纹应力强度因子 (SIF) 是在静压和组合（静压加热应力）载荷和裂纹扩展下计算的。分析表明，随着进水口纵截面表面角裂纹程度的增加，SIF将逐渐减小；由于热应力的影响，裂纹扩展长度较短，扩展速度较慢，SIF较小。大范围裂纹扩展的 SIF 数值结果可为 RPV 的断裂力学设计提供参考。