Abstract
The reactor vessel of the Army Portable Medium Power Plant, PM-2A, embrittled by in-service irradiation, was tested to destruction under a set of defined conditions including an intentionally installed material defect. A brittle fracture was achieved which initiated at the defect. The post-test examination of the fracture surface, including the artificial defect, characterized the fracture as essentially brittle with an estimate of at least 90% cleavage in the region of rapid running fracture. Four distinct regions were observed: 1) a shear lip in the A350-LF3 steel on the outside edge of the vessel, more pronounced in lower fluence regions, but with a minimum height and width of 0.1 in. in the high fluence region ( 4 × 10 18 nvt); 2) the stainless weld deposit; 3) the stress corrosion region which started at the artificial defect and extended 0.2 in. into the steel; and 4) the region of flat running crack which extended from the crack origin to the top and bottom closure flange and exhibited principally quasi-cleavage.
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