Abstract
A simple theoretical model is used to examine the effect of the gradient of the crack tip stress intensity K on crack arrest in a nuclear reactor pressure vessel which is subject to a hypothetical thermal transient. Attention is focussed on the case where arrest occurs at the lower end of the transition temperature regime, when crack propagation and arrest are not accompanied by the formation of ductile ligaments. The analysis shows that the arrest K values depend on the gradient of K , and this leads to variability in the arrest values. In particular the arrest K value should be lower when the K gradient is positive than when it is negative; this prediction is reconciled with recent experimental results on crack arrest in model vessel tests.
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