Some Notes on the Strength of the Enrico Fermi Reactor Vessel Structure

The place and function of the reactor vessel in the Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant—the most complex nuclear structure built to date—is described. The design basis must lead to a conservative structure. Evaluation of the design of any new and radically different structure must be based upon tests. Strain gaging during hydrostatic testing gave limited results. High-temperature strain gages will be used during simulated-service tests prior to start-up. A successful high temperature strain-gaging technique for long-time static applications up to at least 900 F is developed and described.