The INCEFA-SCALE Compendium: Advanced Research and Integrated Findings on Environmentally Assisted Fatigue

INCEFA-SCALE is a five-year project supported by the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme. A consortium of international organisations has combined forces to bridge the critical "knowledge gap" regarding the transferability of laboratory-scale data to real-world nuclear component applications. Within INCEFA-SCALE, the effects of variable amplitude loading, notched geometries, surface finish, and complex transients on the fatigue endurance of austenitic stainless steels in light water reactor environments have been studied through extensive experimental and analytical campaigns. This document constitutes the Reference Book (Compendium) compiling the research developed within the INCEFA-SCALE Project. It provides a comprehensive overview of the tasks performed across all work packages, presenting the background, mechanistic understanding, and assumptions taken to develop the experimental and analytical works. It synthesizes the key results and contributions from project partners to provide advanced guidance for Environmentally Assisted Fatigue (EAF) assessments, ensuring the safe long-term operation of nuclear power plants.