Potential roles for the Master Curve in regulatory application

The Master Curve, as introduced by Wallin and co-workers in 1984, has evolv ed into a mature technology for characterizing the fracture toughness trans ition of ferritic steels. Considerable empirical evidence provides testamen t to the robustness of the Master Curve procedure. However, in 1997, the Nu clear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff detailed several technical issues r equiring resolution prior to staff acceptance of applications of Master Cur ve technology to the fracture integrity assessment of nuclear reactor press ure vessels (RPVs) [1]. Current and recently completed research programs sp onsored by both the NRC and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) focus on closure of these issues. This paper reviews the issues detailed in 1997, comments on their continued relevance in Light of recent research results, and details areas where either additional research or a change or research focus is warranted. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. AU rights reserved.