Properties of heavy section steel plates and forgings for nuclear vessels produced in Japan—Part 1. General properties

Abstract

Commercial ferritic steels (ASTM A533B class 1 and A508 class 3) are the predominant materials used in nuclear pressure vessels. Strict requirements are imposed on such steels to provide adequate safety margins against the possibility of failure. This paper reports results from a cooperative programme organized by the Japan Welding Research Institute and involving 15 laboratories in which the properties of the steels were clarified. The data obtained showed the markedly superior properties of the steels now produced, when compared with the requirements and standards demanded for such steels.