20世纪90年代末，断裂力学和其他用于评估运行设备的安全性和可靠性的先进概念的进步开始被广泛认为是工艺和电力行业实施的有用和实用工具。重要但当时缺失的是规范和标准，详细说明了实施评估程序的必要步骤和方法，以评估运行设备。这些文件及时编写出来，供API和ASME等组织采用。材料性能委员会（MPC）现在是焊接研究委员会（WRC）的一部分，由各大石油公司的专家选定为制定综合草案的协调中心- 美国石油学会（API）最终将采用API 579标准。后来，它也被美国机械工程师协会（ASME）采纳为ASME FFS-1。该文件的编制一直在这些协会的一个联合委员会下进行，直到今天，这是英国石油公司在美国开展业务时戴维·奥萨奇领导的结果，当时是德克萨斯农工大学教授的泰德·安德森博士提供了大量投入。原MPC委员会的活动在API和ASME联合协议下持续至今。安德森和奥萨奇都积极参与健身行业的发展和标准化- 服务技术。MPC行业健康服务委员会（FFS）的首要步骤之一是收集与工艺设备制造和操作相关的应用程序和数据以及材料。以下WRC公告最初仅作为FFS-II-9分发给MPC工作委员会，由MPC FFS委员会顾问Paul Wirsching和Alaa Mansour编制。在向MPC行业工程师委员会分发文件时，它捕获了FFS评估的许多方面的早期但仍然有价值的要点。由于信息的持续相关性以及所提供的程序和数据的有用性，WRC现在发布了这些信息。 任何想要了解FFS标准和最新技术的人都可以从学习本出版物的内容开始。在本WRC公告中，威尔辛和曼苏尔提供了与断裂韧性值测量和裂纹长度估计分布相关的细节和数据。详细介绍了在交互图上应用信息的各种概念。阐述了当时所理解的弹塑性断裂力学的概念，以及部分安全系数和可靠性的概念。简言之，本WRC公告为解决与FFS评估相关的许多问题提供了一个极好且实用的起点，并了解当前程序与当前标准发布前的行业相比已经取得了多大进展。

The late 1990's were the period when advances in fracture mechanics and other advanced concepts for assessment of the safety and reliability of operating equipment were beginning to be widely recognized as useful and practical tools for implementation by, among others, the process and power industries. Important, but missing at the time, were codes and standards detailing the necessary steps and methods for implementation of assessment procedures for evaluation of operating equipment. Such documents were in time to be written for adoption by organizations such as API and ASME.The Materials Properties Council (MPC), now part of the Welding Research Council (WRC), was selected by specialists at major petroleum companies to be the focal point for the development of a comprehensive draft fitness-for-standard which, in time, would be adopted by the American Petroleum Institute (API) as API 579. Later, it would also be adopted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as ASME FFS-1. Development of the document, which continues under a joint committee of those societies to this date, was the result of the leadership of David Osage, at the time of British Petroleum's U.S.A. operation with considerable input from Dr. Ted Anderson, at the time a professor at Texas A&M University. The activities of the original MPC committee continues to this date under a Joint API and ASME. Both Anderson and Osage remain active in the development and standardization of the industry's fitness-for-service technology.Among the essential first steps by the MPC industry committee on fitness-for-service (FFS) was gathering procedures and data relevant to applications and material pertinent to fabrication and operation of process equipment. The following WRC Bulletin, originally distributed only to the MPC working committee as FFS-II-9, was prepared by Paul Wirsching and Alaa Mansour, consultants to MPC's FFS Committee. It captures the early, but still valuable essentials of many aspects of FFS assessment at the time of the documents distribution to the MPC committee of industry engineers. The information is now published by WRC because of its ongoing relevance and the usefulness of the procedures and data presented. Anyone seeking an introduction to FFS standards and state-of -the art can profitably begin by studying the content of this publication.In this WRC Bulletin Wirsching and Mansour provide details and data relevant to measurement of fracture toughness values and estimating distributions of crack lengths. Various concepts concerning applying the information on an interaction diagram are treated in detail. Concepts of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics as understood at the time are elaborated on as are the concepts of partial safety factors and reliability. In short, this WRC Bulletin provides an excellent and practical starting point for addressing many issues associated with FFS assessments and understanding how far current procedures have come as compared to where industry was before the current standards were published.