Common German/Russian Irradiation Experiment at Rheinsberg NPP - Results of the Mechanical Testing

A joint German/Russian irradiation programme was performed at the prototype pressurized water reactor VVER-2 of the Rheinsberg nuclear power plant (Germany). The experiment comprises about 800 Charpy V-notch, SENB and CT specimens made of 24 different heats of Russian VVER type reactor pressure vessel base and weld metals. The testing of these specimens was performed at Forschungszentrum Rossendorf e.V. (FZR), MPA Stuttgart and the KFA Jülich. This paper presents the results of Charpy V and fracture toughness tests performed by FZR. On the base of these results the neutron embrittlement sensitivity and the annealing behaviour are evaluated.