A holistic approach to structural integrity of high temperature welds in power plants

Assessment of the structural integrity of welded components in power plant steels, operating at elevated temperature, requires a multi-disciplinary approach, involving materials science, experimental techniques, computational modelling and engineering design. This paper briefly introduces some aspects concerning the development of a holistic process for high temperature performance assessment of power plant welds. This covers a range of subjects including microstructure characterization, welding process modelling, experimental testing, formulation of constitutive material behaviour models and life assessment methods for welds. Requirements for future improvement and development are outlined.