Practices used in different countries to inspect and assess the fitness for purpose of critical components such as pressure vessels and piping vary. It is the interaction between the disciplines in the technical decision-making process that is often crucial to the outcome of the assessment as a whole.

With these challenges in mind, the Network for Evaluating Structural Components (NESC) was created to improve international practice for integrated structural integrity assessment. The NESC I Project set out to validate NDE and structural mechanics assessment procedures for PWR reactor pressure vessels under pressurised thermal shock (PTS) conditions by means of a large scale spinning cylinder simulation test. While the cylinder with its implanted defects has formed the focal point of an international non-destructive inspection round robin, the test itself has created an important benchmark for the understanding and validation of fracture assessment methodologies. The paper presents key results, conclusions and recommendations gained from the project concerning the interaction of NDE and fracture mechanics procedures.