The Master Curve (MC) approach and the associated reference temperature, T_0, as defined in the test standard ASTM E1921, is rapidly moving from the research laboratory to application in integrity assessment of components and structures. T_0 is the index temperature for the universal MC, which considers the toughness behaviour of a specific material. "The Structural Integrity Assessment Procedures for European Industry" (SINTAP) contain a MC extension for analysing the fracture behaviour of inhomogeneous ferritic steels. This paper presents the application of the MC approach to the T_0 determination of different types of Russian WWER-type reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. In addition the SINTAP-MC approach was applied to determine an alternative reference temperature, T_R. The influence of different microstructures and compositions within one type of RPV steel and the effect of irradiation with fast neutrons on T_0 are experimentally evaluated. In general the MC based T_0 is about 72 K below the Charpy V-notch transition temperature related to an impact energy of 48 J. The paper demonstrates the application of MC based T_0 and T_R as an alternative reference temperature for neutron embrittled RPV steels used in the RPV integrity assessment.
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