Future needs for inelastic analysis in design of high-temperature nuclear plant components

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe the role that inelastic analyses play in the design of high-temperature nuclear plant components and to identify the problem areas and needs. The design methodology, which explicitly accounts for nonlinear material deformation and time-dependent failure modes, requires a significant level of realism in the prediction of structural response. Thus, material deformation and failure modeling are, along with computational procedures, key parts of the methodology. Each of these is briefly discussed along with validation by comparisons with benchmark structural tests, and problem areas and needs are discussed for each.