Creep-damage analysis: Comparison between coupled and uncoupled models

Numerical simulation of creep rupture of a reactor pressure vessel in a sev ere hypothetical accident needs to perfectly take account of interactions b etween creep phenomena and damage. The continuous damage theory enables to formulate models strongly coupling elasto-visco-plasticity and damage. Such models have been implemented in various computer codes and, in particular, in ASTER at Electricite de France, CASTEM 2000 at Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique and SYSTUS + (R) International. The objective of this paper is to present briefly a validation study of three different numerical implementa tions and to compare the coupled approach to an uncoupled one on an example of a cylinder of the program " RUPTHER," under internal pressure and heate d to a temperature of 700 degreesC. [S0094-9930(00)01004-0].