FATIGUE ASSESSMENT OF POWER-PLANT COMPONENTS AND MONITORING DURING OPERATION

Practical experience has proved that not all transient loadings have been taken into consideration during design of components against fatigue. Specific monitoring of all components susceptible to fatigue during operation guarantees recording of all transient loadings (including unspecified), realistic fatigue analyses, adjustment of the mode of operation and improved assessment of the remaining service life. The experience of in-service monitoring at nuclear power plant GKN over some years serves as a basis for the above.