LWR containment loading, performance, and failure modes: status versus uncertainties

Insights regarding containment loads and containment performance have emerged from recent severe accident research. These insights permit the identification of risk-significant threats to containments for a variety of containment designs. Uncertainties in these relative likelihoods exist because of incomplete knowledge regarding physical processes which affect containment loading and containment performance. This paper attempts to reflect the current state of knowledge regarding containment loading, performance and failure modes by focusing on uncertainties which remain. Key uncertainties are discussed and qualitative perspective regarding their relative importance is provided. 44 refs.