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Sample records for irradiated ferritic steels

  1. Irradiation creep in ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vandermeulen, W.; Bremaecker, A. de; Burbure, S. de; Huet, J.J.; Asbroeck, P. van

    Pressurized and non-pressurized capsules of several ferritic steels have been irradiated in Rapsodie between 400 and 500 0 C up to 3.7 x 10 22 n/cm 2 (E>0.1 MeV). Results of the diameter measurements are presented and show that the total in-pile deformation is lower than for austenitic steels

  2. Behavior of ferritic steels irradiated by fast neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erler, Jean; Maillard, Arlette; Brun, Gilbert; Lehmann, Jeanne; Dupouy, J.-M.

    1979-01-01

    Ferritic steels were irradiated in Rapsodie and Phenix at varying doses. The swelling and irradiation creep characteristics are reported below as are the mechanical characteristics of these materials [fr

  3. The behaviour of ferritic steels under fast neutron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erler, J.; Maillard, A.; Brun, G.; Lehmann, J.; Dupouy, J.M.

    1979-07-01

    Ferritic steels have been irradiated in Rapsodie and Phenix to doses up to 150 dpa F. The swelling and irradiation creep characteristics and the mechanical properties of these materials are reported. (author)

  4. Effect of heat treatment and irradiation temperature on impact behavior of irradiated reduced-activation ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Alexander, D.J.

    1998-01-01

    Charpy tests were conducted on eight normalized-and-tempered reduced-activation ferritic steels irradiated in two different normalized conditions. Irradiation was conducted in the Fast Flux Test Facility at 393 C to ∼14 dpa on steels with 2.25, 5, 9, and 12% Cr (0.1% C) with varying amounts of W, V, and Ta. The different normalization treatments involved changing the cooling rate after austenitization. The faster cooling rate produced 100% bainite in the 2.25 Cr steels, compared to duplex structures of bainite and polygonal ferrite for the slower cooling rate. For both cooling rates, martensite formed in the 5 and 9% Cr steels, and martensite with ∼25% δ-ferrite formed in the 12% Cr steel. Irradiation caused an increase in the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) and a decrease in the upper-shelf energy. The difference in microstructure in the low-chromium steels due to the different heat treatments had little effect on properties. For the high-chromium martensitic steels, only the 5 Cr steel was affected by heat treatment. When the results at 393 C were compared with previous results at 365 C, all but a 5 Cr and a 9 Cr steel showed the expected decrease in the shift in DBTT with increasing temperature

  5. Formation of austenite in high Cr ferritic/martensitic steels by high fluence neutron irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Z.; Faulkner, R. G.; Morgan, T. S.

    2008-12-01

    High Cr ferritic/martensitic steels are leading candidates for structural components of future fusion reactors and new generation fission reactors due to their excellent swelling resistance and thermal properties. A commercial grade 12%CrMoVNb ferritic/martensitic stainless steel in the form of parent plate and off-normal weld materials was fast neutron irradiated up to 33 dpa (1.1 × 10 -6 dpa/s) at 400 °C and 28 dpa (1.7 × 10 -6 dpa/s) at 465 °C, respectively. TEM investigation shows that the fully martensitic weld metal transformed to a duplex austenite/ferrite structure due to high fluence neutron irradiation, the austenite was heavily voided (˜15 vol.%) and the ferrite was relatively void-free; whilst no austenite phases were detected in plate steel. Thermodynamic and phase equilibria software MTDATA has been employed for the first time to investigate neutron irradiation-induced phase transformations. The neutron irradiation effect is introduced by adding additional Gibbs free energy into the system. This additional energy is produced by high energy neutron irradiation and can be estimated from the increased dislocation loop density caused by irradiation. Modelling results show that neutron irradiation reduces the ferrite/austenite transformation temperature, especially for high Ni weld metal. The calculated results exhibit good agreement with experimental observation.

  6. Analysis of Low Dose Irradiation Damages in Structural Ferritic/Martensitic Steels by Proton Irradiation and Nanoindentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waseem, Owais A.; Ryu, Ho Jin; Park, Byong Guk; Jeong, Jong Ryul; Maeng, Cheol Soo; Lee, Myoung Goo

    2016-01-01

    As a result, ferritic-martensitic steels find applications in the in-core and out-of-core components which include ducts, piping, pressure vessel and cladding, etc. Due to ferromagnetism of F/M steel, it has been successfully employed in solenoid type fuel injector. Although the irradiation induced degradation in ferritic martensitic steels is lower as compare to (i) reduced activation steels, (ii) austenitic steels and (iii) martensitic steels, F/M steels are still prone to irradiation induced hardening and void swelling. The irradiation behavior may become more sophisticated due to transmutation and production of helium and hydrogen. The ductile to brittle transition temperature of F/M steels is also expected to increase due to irradiation. These irradiation induced degradations may deteriorate the integrity of F/M components. As a result of these investigations, it has found that the F/M steels experience no irradiation hardening above 400 .deg. C, but below this temperature, up to 350 .deg. C, weak hardening is observed. The irradiation hardening becomes more pronounced below 300 .deg. C. Moreover, the irradiation hardening has also found dependent upon radiation damage. The hardening was found increasing with increasing dose. Due to pronounced irradiation hardening below 300 .deg. C and increasing radiation damage with increasing dose (even at low dpa), it is required to investigate the post irradiation mechanical properties of F/M steel, in order to confirm its usefulness in structural and magnetic components which experience lifetime doses as low as 1x10"-"5 dpa.

  7. Analysis of Low Dose Irradiation Damages in Structural Ferritic/Martensitic Steels by Proton Irradiation and Nanoindentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Waseem, Owais A.; Ryu, Ho Jin; Park, Byong Guk [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Jong Ryul [Chungnam University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Maeng, Cheol Soo; Lee, Myoung Goo [KEPCO, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    As a result, ferritic-martensitic steels find applications in the in-core and out-of-core components which include ducts, piping, pressure vessel and cladding, etc. Due to ferromagnetism of F/M steel, it has been successfully employed in solenoid type fuel injector. Although the irradiation induced degradation in ferritic martensitic steels is lower as compare to (i) reduced activation steels, (ii) austenitic steels and (iii) martensitic steels, F/M steels are still prone to irradiation induced hardening and void swelling. The irradiation behavior may become more sophisticated due to transmutation and production of helium and hydrogen. The ductile to brittle transition temperature of F/M steels is also expected to increase due to irradiation. These irradiation induced degradations may deteriorate the integrity of F/M components. As a result of these investigations, it has found that the F/M steels experience no irradiation hardening above 400 .deg. C, but below this temperature, up to 350 .deg. C, weak hardening is observed. The irradiation hardening becomes more pronounced below 300 .deg. C. Moreover, the irradiation hardening has also found dependent upon radiation damage. The hardening was found increasing with increasing dose. Due to pronounced irradiation hardening below 300 .deg. C and increasing radiation damage with increasing dose (even at low dpa), it is required to investigate the post irradiation mechanical properties of F/M steel, in order to confirm its usefulness in structural and magnetic components which experience lifetime doses as low as 1x10{sup -5} dpa.

  8. Irradiation proposition of ferritic steels in a russian reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seran, J.L.; Decours, J.; Levy, L.

    1987-04-01

    Using the low temperatures of russian reactors, a sample irradiation is proposed to study mechanical properties and swelling of martensitic steels (EM10, T91, 1.4914, HT9), ferrito-martensitic (EM12) and ferritic (F17), at temperatures lower than 400 0 C [fr

  9. Ferritic/martensitic steels: Promises and problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Ehrlich, K.; Abe, F.

    1992-01-01

    Ferritic/martensitic steels are candidate structural materials for fusion reactors because of their higher swelling resistance, higher thermal conductivity, lower thermal expansion, and better liquid-metal compatibility than austenitic steels. Irradiation effects will ultimately determine the applicability of these steels, and the effects of irradiation on microstructure and swelling, and on the tensile, fatigue, and impact properties of the ferritic/martensitic steels are discussed. Most irradiation studies have been carried out in fast reactors, where little transmutation helium forms. Helium has been shown to enhance swelling and affect tensile and fracture behavior, making helium a critical issue, since high helium concentrations will be generated in conjunction with displacement damage in a fusion reactor. These issues are reviewed to evaluate the status of ferritic/martensitic steels and to assess the research required to insure that such steels are viable candidates for fusion applications

  10. Irradiation effects of 11 MeV protons on ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamaguchi, Yoshikazu; Kuwano, Hisashi; Misawa, Toshihei

    1985-01-01

    It is considered that ferritic/martensitic steels are the candidate of the first wall materials for future fusion reactors. The most serious problem in the candidate materials is the loss of ductility due to the elevation of ductile-brittle transition temperature by the high dpa irradiation of neutrons. 14 MeV neutrons produced by D-T reaction cause high dpa damage and also produce large quantity of helium and hydrogen atoms in first wall materials. Those gas atoms also play an important role in the embrittlement of steels. The main purpose of this work was to simulate the behavior of hydrogen produced by the transmutation in the mechanical properties of ferritic steels when they were irradiated with 11 MeV protons. The experimental procedure and the results of hardness, the broadening of x-ray diffraction lines, Moessbauer spectroscopy and small punch test are reported. High energy protons of 10 - 20 MeV are suitable to the simulation experiment of 14 MeV neutron radiation damage. But the production of the active nuclei emitting high energy gamma ray and having long life, Co-56, is the most serious problem. Another difficulty is the control of irradiation temperature. A small irradiation chamber must be developed. (Kako, I.)

  11. Hardening of ODS ferritic steels under irradiation with high-energy heavy ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Z. N.; Zhang, C. H.; Yang, Y. T.; Song, Y.; Kimura, A.; Jang, J.

    2017-09-01

    Influence of the nanoscale oxide particles on mechanical properties and irradiation resistance of oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels is of critical importance for the use of the material in fuel cladding or blanket components in advanced nuclear reactors. In the present work, impact of structures of oxide dispersoids on the irradiation hardening of ODS ferritic steels was studied. Specimens of three high-Cr ODS ferritic steels containing oxide dispersoids with different number density and average size were irradiated with high-energy Ni ions at about -50 °C. The energy of the incident Ni ions was varied from 12.73 MeV to 357.86 MeV by using an energy degrader at the terminal so that a plateau of atomic displacement damage (∼0.8 dpa) was produced from the near surface to a depth of 24 μm in the specimens. A nanoindentor (in constant stiffness mode with a diamond Berkovich indenter) and a Vickers micro-hardness tester were used to measure the hardeness of the specimens. The Nix-Gao model taking account of the indentation size effect (ISE) was used to fit the hardness data. It is observed that the soft substrate effect (SSE) can be diminished substantially in the irradiated specimens due to the thick damaged regions produced by the Ni ions. A linear correlation between the nano-hardeness and the micro-hardness was found. It is observed that a higher number density of oxide dispersoids with a smaller average diameter corresponds to an increased resistance to irradiation hardening, which can be ascribed to the increased sink strength of oxides/matrix interfaces to point defects. The rate equation approach and the conventional hardening model were used to analyze the influence of defect clusters on irradiation hardening in ODS ferritic steels. The numerical estimates show that the hardening caused by the interstitial type dislocation loops follows a similar trend with the experiment data.

  12. Microstructural stability of fast reactor irradiated 10 to 12% Cr ferritic-martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Little, E.A.; Stoter, L.P.

    1982-01-01

    The strength and microstructural stability of three 10 to 12% Cr ferritic-martensitic stainless steels have been characterized following fast reactor irradiation to damage levels of 30 displacements per atom (dpa) at temperatures in the range 380 to 615 0 C. Irradiation results in either increases or decreases in room temperature hardness depending on the irradiation temperature. These strength changes can be qualitatively rationalized in terms of the combined effects of irradiation-induced interstitial dislocation loop formation and recovery of the dislocation networks comprising the initial tempered martensite structures. Precipitate evolution in the irradiated steels is associated with the nonequilibrium segregation of the elements nickel, silicon, molybdenum, chromium and phosphorus, brought about by solute-point defect interactions. The principal irradiation-induced precipitates identified are M 6 X, intermetallic chi and sigma phases and also α' (Cr-rich ferrite). The implications of the observed microstructural changes on the selection of martensitic stainless steels for fast reactor wrapper applications are briefly considered

  13. Contributions from research on irradiated ferritic/martensitic steels to materials science and engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelles, D. S.

    1990-05-01

    Ferritic and martensitic steels are finding increased application for structural components in several reactor systems. Low-alloy steels have long been used for pressure vessels in light water fission reactors. Martensitic stainless steels are finding increasing usage in liquid metal fast breeder reactors and are being considered for fusion reactor applications when such systems become commercially viable. Recent efforts have evaluated the applicability of oxide dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels. Experiments on the effect of irradiation on these steels provide several examples where contributions are being made to materials science and engineering. Examples are given demonstrating improvements in basic understanding, small specimen test procedure development, and alloy development.

  14. Embrittlement of a 17Cr ferritic steel irradiated in Phenix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allegraud, G.; Boutard, J.L.; Boyer, J.M.

    1987-01-01

    Charpy V and tensile tests have been performed with samples made of 17Cr ferritic steel irradiated in Phenix at temperatures between 390 and 540C up to a maximum dose of 83.3 dpaF. All over the temperature and dose ranges, irradiation leads to an increase of the ductile brittle transition temperature (DBTT). The DBTT and hardening are decreasing functions of the irradiation temperature. Fast neutron flux at 390C hardens the material more than a sole thermal ageing does

  15. Irradiation response of delta ferrite in as-cast and thermally aged cast stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Zhangbo; Lo, Wei-Yang [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Chen, Yiren [Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439 (United States); Pakarinen, Janne [Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK-CEN), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium); Wu, Yaqiao [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83715 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Allen, Todd [Engineering Physics Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Yang, Yong, E-mail: yongyang@ufl.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)

    2015-11-15

    To enable the life extension of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) beyond 60 years, it is critical to gain adequate knowledge for making conclusive predictions to assure the integrity of duplex stainless steel reactor components, e.g. primary pressure boundary and reactor vessel internal. Microstructural changes in the ferrite of thermally aged, neutron irradiated only, and neutron irradiated after being thermally aged cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS) were investigated using atom probe tomography. The thermal aging was performed at 400 °C for 10,000 h and the irradiation was conducted in the Halden reactor at ∼315 °C to 0.08 dpa (5.6 × 10{sup 19} n/cm{sup 2}, E > 1 MeV). Low dose neutron irradiation at a dose rate of 5 × 10{sup −9} dpa/s was found to induce spinodal decomposition in the ferrite of as-cast microstructure, and further to enhance the spinodal decomposition in the thermally aged cast alloys. Regarding the G-phase precipitates, the neutron irradiation dramatically increases the precipitate size, and alters the composition of the precipitates with increased, Mn, Ni, Si and Mo and reduced Fe and Cr contents. The results have shown that low dose neutron irradiation can further accelerate the degradation of ferrite in a duplex stainless steel at the LWR relevant condition.

  16. Irradiation response of delta ferrite in as-cast and thermally aged cast stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Zhangbo; Lo, Wei-Yang; Chen, Yiren; Pakarinen, Janne; Wu, Yaqiao; Allen, Todd; Yang, Yong

    2015-01-01

    To enable the life extension of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) beyond 60 years, it is critical to gain adequate knowledge for making conclusive predictions to assure the integrity of duplex stainless steel reactor components, e.g. primary pressure boundary and reactor vessel internal. Microstructural changes in the ferrite of thermally aged, neutron irradiated only, and neutron irradiated after being thermally aged cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS) were investigated using atom probe tomography. The thermal aging was performed at 400 °C for 10,000 h and the irradiation was conducted in the Halden reactor at ∼315 °C to 0.08 dpa (5.6 × 10"1"9 n/cm"2, E > 1 MeV). Low dose neutron irradiation at a dose rate of 5 × 10"−"9 dpa/s was found to induce spinodal decomposition in the ferrite of as-cast microstructure, and further to enhance the spinodal decomposition in the thermally aged cast alloys. Regarding the G-phase precipitates, the neutron irradiation dramatically increases the precipitate size, and alters the composition of the precipitates with increased, Mn, Ni, Si and Mo and reduced Fe and Cr contents. The results have shown that low dose neutron irradiation can further accelerate the degradation of ferrite in a duplex stainless steel at the LWR relevant condition.

  17. Radiation induced microstructural evolution in ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kohno, Y.; Kohyama, A.; Asakura, K.; Gelles, D.S.

    1993-01-01

    R and D of ferritic/martensitic steels as structural materials for fusion reactor is one of the most important issues of fusion technology. The efforts to characterize microstructural evolution under irradiation in the conventional Fe-Cr-Mo steels as well as newly developed Fe-Cr-Mn or Fe-Cr-W low activation ferritic/ martensitic steels have been continued. This paper provides some of the recent results of heavy irradiation effects on the microstructural evolution of ferritic/martensitic steels neutron irradiated in the FFTF/MOTA (Fast Flux Test Facility/Materials Open Test Assembly). Materials examined are Fe-10Cr-2Mo dual phase steel (JFMS: Japanese Ferritic/Martensitic Steel), Fe-12Cr-XMn-1Mo manganese stabilized martensitic steels and Fe-8Cr-2W Tungsten stabilized low activation martensitic steel (F82H). JFMS showed excellent void swelling resistance similar to 12Cr martensitic steel such as HT-9, while the manganese stabilized steels and F82H showed less void swelling resistance with small amount of void swelling at 640-700 K (F82H: 0.14% at 678 K). As for irradiation response of precipitate behavior, significant formation of intermetallic χ phase was observed in the manganese stabilized steels along grain boundaries which is though to cause mechanical property degradation. On the other hand, precipitates identified were the same type as those in unirradiated condition in F82H with no recognition of irradiation induced precipitates, which suggested satisfactory mechanical properties of F82H after the irradiation. (author)

  18. Irradiation performance of 9--12 Cr ferritic/martensitic stainless steels and their potential for in-core application in LWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, R.H.; Gelles, D.S.

    1993-08-01

    Ferritic-martensitic stainless steels exhibit radiation stability and stress corrosion resistance that make them attractive replacement materials for austenitic stainless steels for in-core applications. Recent radiation studies have demonstrated that 9% Cr ferritic/martensitic stainless steel had less than a 30C shift in ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) following irradiation at 365C to a dose of 14 dpa. These steels also exhibit very low swelling rates, a result of the microstructural stability of these alloys during radiation. The 9 to 12% Cr alloys to also exhibit excellent corrosion and stress corrosion resistance in out-of-core applications. Demonstration of the applicability of ferritic/martensitic stainless steels for in-core LWR application will require verification of the irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking behavior, measurement of DBTT following irradiation at 288C, and corrosion rates measurements for in-core water chemistry

  19. Irradiation damage of ferritic/martensitic steels: Fusion program data applied to a spallation neutron source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.

    1997-01-01

    Ferritic/martensitic steels were chosen as candidates for future fusion power plants because of their superior swelling resistance and better thermal properties than austenitic stainless steels. For the same reasons, these steels are being considered for the target structure of a spallation neutron source, where the structural materials will experience even more extreme irradiation conditions than expected in a fusion power plant first wall (i.e., high-energy neutrons that produce large amounts of displacement damage and transmutation helium). Extensive studies on the effects of neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties of ferritic/martensitic steels indicate that the major problem involves the effect of irradiation on fracture, as determined by a Charpy impact test. There are indications that helium can affect the impact behavior. Even more helium will be produced in a spallation neutron target material than in the first wall of a fusion power plant, making helium effects a prime concern for both applications. 39 refs., 10 figs

  20. Behavior of ferritic/martensitic steels after n-irradiation at 200 and 300 deg. C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matijasevic, M.; Lucon, E.; Almazouzi, A.

    2008-01-01

    High chromium ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels are considered as the most promising structural materials for accelerator driven systems (ADS). One drawback that needs to be quantified is the significant hardening and embrittlement caused by neutron irradiation at low temperatures with production of spallation elements. In this paper irradiation effects on the mechanical properties of F/M steels have been studied and comparisons are provided between two ferritic/martensitic steels, namely T91 and EUROFER97. Both materials have been irradiated in the BR2 reactor of SCK-CEN/Mol at 300 deg. C up to doses ranging from 0.06 to 1.5 dpa. Tensile tests results obtained between -160 deg. C and 300 deg. C clearly show irradiation hardening (increase of yield and ultimate tensile strengths), as well as reduction of uniform and total elongation. Irradiation effects for EUROFER97 starting from 0.6 dpa are more pronounced compared to T91, showing a significant decrease in work hardening. The results are compared to our latest data that were obtained within a previous program (SPIRE), where T91 had also been irradiated in BR2 at 200 deg. C (up to 2.6 dpa), and tested between -170 deg. C and 300 deg. C. Irradiation effects at lower irradiation temperatures are more significant

  1. Behavior of ferritic/martensitic steels after n-irradiation at 200 and 300 °C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matijasevic, M.; Lucon, E.; Almazouzi, A.

    2008-06-01

    High chromium ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels are considered as the most promising structural materials for accelerator driven systems (ADS). One drawback that needs to be quantified is the significant hardening and embrittlement caused by neutron irradiation at low temperatures with production of spallation elements. In this paper irradiation effects on the mechanical properties of F/M steels have been studied and comparisons are provided between two ferritic/martensitic steels, namely T91 and EUROFER97. Both materials have been irradiated in the BR2 reactor of SCK-CEN/Mol at 300 °C up to doses ranging from 0.06 to 1.5 dpa. Tensile tests results obtained between -160 °C and 300 °C clearly show irradiation hardening (increase of yield and ultimate tensile strengths), as well as reduction of uniform and total elongation. Irradiation effects for EUROFER97 starting from 0.6 dpa are more pronounced compared to T91, showing a significant decrease in work hardening. The results are compared to our latest data that were obtained within a previous program (SPIRE), where T91 had also been irradiated in BR2 at 200 °C (up to 2.6 dpa), and tested between -170 °C and 300 °C. Irradiation effects at lower irradiation temperatures are more significant.

  2. Study of Irradiation Effects on the Fracture Properties of A533-Series Ferritic Steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yong Bok; Lee, Gyeong Geun; Kwon, Jun Hyun

    2011-01-01

    Since the Kori nuclear power plant unit 3 (Kori-3) was founded in 1986, the surveillance tests have been conducted five times. One of the primary objectives of the surveillance test is to determine the effects of irradiation on reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel embrittlement. The RPV is made out of ferritic steels such as SA533 type B class 1, which were used for early nuclear power plants industry including Kori-2, 3, 4 and Yonggwang-1, 2 units in Korea. The Westinghouse supplied Kori-3 with the RPV steels ASTM A533 grade B class 1, which is equivalent to SA533 type B class 1. The irradiation effects on tensile properties in ASTM A533 grade B class 1 steel had been studied by Steichen and Williams. They experimentally determined the effect of strain rate and temperature on the tensile properties of unirradiated and irradiated A533 grade B steel 1. The effects of neutron irradiation on ferritic steels could be determined from tensile properties, as well as the fracture strength and toughness measurements. Hunter and Williams have reported that the strength and ductility for unirradiated material at a low strain rate increase with decreasing test temperature. Also, neutron irradiation increases strength and decreases ductility. Crosley and Ripling revealed that the yield strength of unirradiated material rapidly increases with the strain rate. Therefore, yield strength for unirradiated and irradiated materials should be determined by test parameters along with strain rate and temperature. In this study we compare ASTM A533 grad B class 1 steel obtained from several papers with SA533 type B class 1 steel taken from the surveillance data of Kori-3 unit, whose mechanical property of unirradiated and irradiated materials was correlated with the rate-temperature parameter

  3. Behavior of implanted hydrogen in ferritic/martensitic steels under irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, F.; Takahashi, H.; Ohnuki, S.; Nagasaki, R.

    1988-07-01

    The aim of this study was to clarify the behavior of hydrogen under irradiation in ferritic/martensitic stainless steel Fe-10Cr-2Mo-1Ni. Hydrogen was implanted into the specimens by ion accelerator or chemical cathodic charging method, followed by electron irradiation in a HVEM at temperatures from room temperature to 773 K. Streaks in the electron diffraction patterns were observed only during electron irradiation at 623-723 K. From these results it is suggested that the occurrence of the streak pattern is due to the formation of radiation-induced complexes of Ni or Cr with hydrogen along directions.

  4. Neutron irradiation effects on the ductile-brittle transition of ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, R.L.; Alexander, D.J. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1997-08-01

    Ferritic/martensitic steels such as the conventional 9Cr-1MoVNb (Fe-9Cr-1Mo-0.25V-0.06Nb-0.1C) and 12Cr-1MoVW (Fe-12Cr-1Mo-0.25V-0.5W-0.5Ni-0.2C) steels have been considered potential structural materials for future fusion power plants. The major obstacle to their use is embrittlement caused by neutron irradiation. Observations on this irradiation embrittlement is reviewed. Below 425-450{degrees}C, neutron irradiation hardens the steels. Hardening reduces ductility, but the major effect is an increase in the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) and a decrease in the upper-shelf energy, as measured by a Charpy impact test. After irradiation, DBTT values can increase to well above room temperature, thus increasing the chances of brittle rather than ductile fracture.

  5. Positron annihilation lifetime measurements of austenitic stainless and ferritic/martensitic steels irradiated in the SINQ target irradiation program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, K.; Xu, Q.; Yoshiie, T.; Dai, Y.; Kikuchi, K.

    2012-12-01

    Titanium-doped austenitic stainless steel (JPCA) and reduced activated ferritic/martensitic steel (F82H) irradiated with high-energy protons and spallation neutrons were investigated by positron annihilation lifetime measurements. Subnanometer-sized (steel, the positron annihilation lifetime of the bubbles decreased with increasing irradiation dose and annealing temperature because the bubbles absorb additional He atoms. In the case of JPCA steel, the positron annihilation lifetime increased with increasing annealing temperature above 773 K, in which case the dissociation of complexes of vacancy clusters with He atoms and the growth of He bubbles was detected. He bubble size and density were also discussed.

  6. IRRADIATION CREEP AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF TWO FERRITIC-MARTENSITIC STEELS IRRADIATED IN THE BN-350 FAST REACTOR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porollo, S. I.; Konobeev, Yu V.; Dvoriashin, A. M.; Budylkin, N. I.; Mironova, E. G.; Leontyeva-Smirnova, M. V.; Loltukhovsky, A. G.; Bochvar, A. A.; Garner, Francis A.

    2002-01-01

    Russian ferritic/martensitic steels EP-450 and EP-823 were irradiated to 20-60 dpa in the BN-350 fast reactor in the form of pressurized creep tubes and small rings used for mechanical property tests. Data derived from these steels serves to enhance our understanding of the general behavior of this class of steels. It appears that these steels exhibit behavior that is very consistent with that of Western steels. Swelling is relatively low at high neutron exposure and confined to temperatures less then 420 degrees C, but may be camouflaged somewhat by precipitation-related densification. The irradiation creep studies confirm that the creep compliance of F/M steels is about one-half that of austenitic steels, and that the loss of strength at test temperatures above 500 degrees C is a problem generic to all F/M steels. This conclusion is supported by post-irradiation measurement of short-term mechanical properties. At temperatures below 500 degrees C both steels retain their high strength (yield stress 0.2=550-600 MPa), but at higher test temperatures a sharp decrease of strength properties occurs. However, the irradiated steels still retain high post-irradiation ductility at test temperatures in the range of 20-700 degrees C.

  7. Parametric study of irradiation effects on the ductile damage and flow stress behavior in ferritic-martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chakraborty, Pritam; Biner, S.Bulent

    2015-01-01

    Ferritic-martensitic steels are currently being considered as structural materials in fusion and Gen-IV nuclear reactors. These materials are expected to experience high dose radiation, which can increase their ductile to brittle transition temperature and susceptibility to failure during operation. Hence, to estimate the safe operational life of the reactors, precise evaluation of the ductile to brittle transition temperatures of ferritic-martensitic steels is necessary. Owing to the scarcity of irradiated samples, particularly at high dose levels, micro-mechanistic models are being employed to predict the shifts in the ductile to brittle transition temperatures. These models consider the ductile damage evolution, in the form of nucleation, growth and coalescence of voids; and the brittle fracture, in the form of probabilistic cleavage initiation, to estimate the influence of irradiation on the ductile to brittle transition temperature. However, the assessment of irradiation dependent material parameters is challenging and influences the accuracy of these models. In the present study, the effects of irradiation on the overall flow stress and ductile damage behavior of two ferritic-martensitic steels is parametrically investigated. The results indicate that the ductile damage model parameters are mostly insensitive to irradiation levels at higher dose levels though the resulting flow stress behavior varies significantly.

  8. Characterization and Modeling of Grain Boundary Chemistry Evolution in Ferritic Steels under Irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marquis, Emmanuelle [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Wirth, Brian [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Was, Gary [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

    2016-03-28

    Ferritic/martensitic (FM) steels such as HT-9, T-91 and NF12 with chromium concentrations in the range of 9-12 at.% Cr and high Cr ferritic steels (oxide dispersion strengthened steels with 12-18% Cr) are receiving increasing attention for advanced nuclear applications, e.g. cladding and duct materials for sodium fast reactors, pressure vessels in Generation IV reactors and first wall structures in fusion reactors, thanks to their advantages over austenitic alloys. Predicting the behavior of these alloys under radiation is an essential step towards the use of these alloys. Several radiation-induced phenomena need to be taken into account, including phase separation, solute clustering, and radiation-induced segregation or depletion (RIS) to point defect sinks. RIS at grain boundaries has raised significant interest because of its role in irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) and corrosion of structural materials. Numerous observations of RIS have been reported on austenitic stainless steels where it is generally found that Cr depletes at grain boundaries, consistently with Cr atoms being oversized in the fcc Fe matrix. While FM and ferritic steels are also subject to RIS at grain boundaries, unlike austenitic steels, the behavior of Cr is less clear with significant scatter and no clear dependency on irradiation condition or alloy type. In addition to the lack of conclusive experimental evidence regarding RIS in F-M alloys, there have been relatively few efforts at modeling RIS behavior in these alloys. The need for predictability of materials behavior and mitigation routes for IASCC requires elucidating the origin of the variable Cr behavior. A systematic detailed high-resolution structural and chemical characterization approach was applied to ion-implanted and neutron-irradiated model Fe-Cr alloys containing from 3 to 18 at.% Cr. Atom probe tomography analyses of the microstructures revealed slight Cr clustering and segregation to dislocations and

  9. Microstructural investigations of fast reactor irradiated austenitic and ferritic-martensitic stainless steel fuel cladding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agueev, V.S.; Medvedeva, E.A.; Mitrofanova, N.M.; Romanueev, V.V.; Tselishev, A.V.

    1992-01-01

    Electron microscopy has been used to characterize the microstructural changes induced in advanced fast reactor fuel claddings fabricated from Cr16Ni15Mo3NbB and Cr16Ni15Mo2Mn2TiVB austenitic stainless steels in the cold worked condition and Cr13Mo2NbVB ferritic -martensitic steel following irradiation in the BOR-60, BN-350 and BN-600 fast reactors. The data are compared with the results obtained from a typical austenitic commercial cladding material, Cr16Ni15Mo3Nb, in the cold worked condition. The results reveal a beneficial effect of boron and other alloying elements in reducing void swelling in 16Cr-15Ni type austenitic steels. The high resistance of ferritic-martensitic steels to void swelling has been confirmed in the Cr13Mo2NbVB steel. (author)

  10. Application of thermoelectricity to NDE of thermally aged cast duplex stainless steels and neutron irradiated ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coste, J.F.; Leborgne, J.M.; Massoud, J.P.; Grisot, O.; Miloudi, S.

    1997-10-01

    The thermoelectric power (TEP) of an alloy depends mainly on its temperature, its chemical composition and its atomic arrangement. The TEP measurement technique is used in order to study and follow two degradation phenomena affecting some components of the primary loop of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR). The first degradation phenomenon is the thermal aging of cast duplex stainless steel components. The de-mixing of the ferritic Fe-Cr-Ni slid solution is responsible for the decreasing of the mechanical characteristics. Laboratory studies have shown the sensitivity of TEP to the de-mixing phenomenon. TEP increases linearly with the ferrite content and with and Arrhenius-type aging parameter depending on time, temperature and activation energy. TEP is also correlated to mechanic characteristics. The second degradation phenomenon is the aging of ferritic steels due to neutron irradiation at about 290 deg C. In this case, the degradation mechanism is the formation of clusters of solute atoms and/or copper rich precipitates that causes the hardening of the material. As a first approach, a study of binary Fe-Cu alloys irradiated by electrons at 288 deg C has revealed the possibility of following the copper depletion of the ferritic matrix. Moreover, the recovery of the mechanical properties of the alloy by annealing can be monitored. Finally, a correlation between Vickers hardness and TEP has been established. (author)

  11. Radiation response of ODS ferritic steels with different oxide particles under ion-irradiation at 550 °C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Peng; Morrall, Daniel; Zhang, Zhexian; Yabuuchi, Kiyohiro; Kimura, Akihiko

    2018-04-01

    In order to investigate the effects of oxide particles on radiation response such as hardness change and microstructural evolution, three types of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels (named Y-Ti-ODS, Y-Al-ODS and Y-Al-Zr-ODS), mostly strengthened by Y-Ti-O, Y-Al-O and Y-Zr-O dispersoids, respectively, were simultaneously irradiated with iron and helium ions at 550 °C up to a damage of 30 dpa and a corresponding helium (He) concentration of ∼3500 appm to a depth of 1000-1300 nm. A single iron ion beam irradiation was also performed for reference. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that after the dual ion irradiation helium bubbles of 2.8, 6.6 and 4.5 nm in mean diameter with the corresponding number densities of 1.1 × 1023, 2.7 × 1022 and 3.6 × 1022 m-3 were observed in Y-Ti-ODS, Y-Al-ODS and Y-Al-Zr-ODS, respectively, while no such bubbles were observed after single ion irradiation. About 80% of intragranular He bubbles were adjacent to oxide particles in the ODS ferritic steels. Although the high number density He bubbles were observed in the ODS steels, the void swelling in Y-Ti-ODS, Y-Al-ODS and Y-Al-Zr-ODS was still small and estimated to be 0.13%, 0.53% and 0.20%, respectively. The excellent swelling resistance is dominantly attributed to the high sink strength of oxide particles that depends on the morphology of particle dispersion rather than the crystal structure of the particles. In contrast, no dislocation loops were produced in any of the irradiated steels. Nanoindentation measurements showed that no irradiation hardening but softening was found in the ODS ferritic steels, which was probably due to irradiation induced dislocation recovery. The helium bubbles in high number density never contributed to the irradiation hardening of the ODS steels at these irradiation conditions.

  12. Embrittlement of irradiated ferritic/martensitic steels in the absence of irradiation hardening

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, R.L. [Oak Ridge Noational Laboratory, TN (United States); Shiba, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Sokolov, M. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Div., TN (United States)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Neutron irradiation of 9-12% Cr ferritic/martensitic steels below 425-450 deg. C produces microstructural defects that cause an increase in yield stress and ultimate tensile strength. This irradiation hardening causes embrittlement, which is observed in Charpy impact and toughness tests as an increase in ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT). Based on observations that show little change in strength in these steels irradiated above 425-450 deg. C, the general conclusion has been that no embrittlement occurs above this irradiation-hardening temperature regime. In a recent study of F82H steel irradiated at 300, 380, and 500 deg. C, irradiation hardening-an increase in yield stress-was observed in tensile specimens irradiated at the two lower temperatures, but no change was observed for the specimens irradiated at 500 deg. C. As expected, an increase in DBTT occurred for the Charpy specimens irradiated at 300 and 380 deg. C. However, there was an unexpected increase in the DBTT of the specimens irradiated at 500 deg. C. The observed embrittlement was attributed to the irradiation-accelerated precipitation of Laves phase. This conclusion was based on results from a detailed thermal aging study of F82H, in which tensile and Charpy specimens were aged at 500, 550, 600, and 650 deg. C to 30,000 h. These studies indicated that there was a decrease in yield stress at the two highest temperatures and essentially no change at the two lowest temperatures. Despite the strength decrease or no change, the DBTT increased for Charpy specimens irradiated at all four temperatures. Precipitates were extracted from thermally aged specimens, and the amount of precipitate was correlated with the increase in transition temperature. Laves phase was identified in the extracted precipitates by X-ray diffraction. Earlier studies on conventional elevated-temperature steels also showed embrittlement effects above the irradiation-hardening temperature

  13. In-reactor precipitation and ferritic transformation in neutron--irradiated stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, D.L.; Wood, E.L.

    1978-01-01

    Ferritic transformation (γ → α) was observed in Type 304L, 20% cold-worked AISI 316, and solution-annealed AISI 316 stainless steels subjected to fast neutron irradiation. Each material demonstrated an increasing propensity for transformation with increasing irradiation temperature between 400 and 550 0 C. Irradiation-induced segregation of Ni solute to precipitates was found not to influence the transformation kinetics in 304L. Similar composition data from 316 materials demonstrates a much greater temperature dependence of precipitation reactions in the process of matrix Ni depletion during neutron irradiation. The 316 data establishes a strong link between such depletion and the observed γ → α transformation. Moreover, the lack of correlation between precipitate-related Ni depletion and the γ → α transformation in 304L can be related to the fact that irradiation-induced voids nucleate very quickly in 304L steel during irradiation. These voids present preferential sites for Ni segregation through a defect trapping mechanism, and hence Ni segregates to voids rather than to precipitates, as evidenced by observed stable γ shells around voids in areas of complete transformation

  14. Diffusion Couple Alloying of Refractory Metals in Austenitic and Ferritic/Martensitic Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-01

    stainless steel and ferritic/ martensitic steel can vary from structural and support components in the reactor core to reactor fuel...of ferritic/ martensitic steels compared to type 316 stainless steel after irradiation in Experimental Breeder Reactor-II at 420 ºC to ~80dpa (From...ferritic martensitic steel at Sandia National Laboratories. The 316 stainless steel had a certified composition of:

  15. Precipitation behavior in austenitic and ferritic steels during fast neutron irradiation and thermal aging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawanishi, H.; Hajima, R.; Sekimura, N.; Arai, Y.; Ishino, S.

    1988-01-01

    Precipitation behavior has been studied using a carbon extraction replica technique in Ti-modified Type 316 stainless steels (JPCA-2) and 9Cr-2Mo ferritic/martensitic steels (JFMS) irradiated to 8.1x10 24 n/m 2 at 873 and 673 K, respectively, in the experimental fast breeder reactor JOYO. Precipitate identification and compositional analysis were carried out on extracted replicas. The results were compared to those from the as-received steel and a control which had been given the same thermal as-treatment as the specimens received during irradiations. Carbides, Ti-sulphides and phosphides were precipitated in JPCA-2. Precipitate observed in JFMS included carbides, Laves-phases and phosphides. The precipitates in both steels were concluded to be stable under irradiation except for MC and M 6 C in JPCA-2. Small MC particles were found precipitated in JPCA-2 during both irradiation and aging. Irradiation proved to promote the precipitation of M 6 C in JPCA-2. (orig.)

  16. In-reactor precipitation and ferritic transformation in neutron-irradiated stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, D.L.; Wood, E.L.

    1979-01-01

    Ferritic transformation (γ→α) was observed in type 304L, 20% cold-worked AISI 316, and solution-annealed AISI 316 stainless steels when subjected to fast neutron irradiation. Each material demonstrated an increasing propensity for transformation with increasing irradiation temperature between 40 and 550 0 C. Irradiation-induced segregation of Ni solute to precipitates was found not to be a controlling factor in the transformation kinetics in 304L. Similar composition data from 316 materials demonstrates a much greater dependence of matrix Ni depletion by precipitation reactions during neutron irradiation. The 316 data establishes a strong link between such depletion and the observed γ→α transformation. Moreover, the lack of correlation between precipitate-related Ni depletion and the γ→α transformation in 304L can be related to the fact that irradiation-induced voids nucleate very quickly in 304L steel during irradiation. These voids present competing sites for Ni segregation through a defect drag mechanism, and hence Ni segregates to voids rather than to precipitates, as evidenced by observed stable γ shells around voids in areas of complete transformation. (Auth.)

  17. Precipitation behavior in austenitic and ferritic steels during fast neutron irradiation and thermal aging*1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawanishi, H.; Hajima, R.; Sekimura, N.; Arai, Y.; Ishino, S.

    1988-07-01

    Precipitation behavior has been studied using a carbon extraction replica technique in Ti-modified Type 316 stainless steels (JPCA-2) and 9Cr-2Mo ferritic/martensitic steels (JFMS) irradiated to 8.1 × 10 24 n/m 2 at 873 and 673 K, respectively, in the experimental fast breeder reactor JOYO. Precipitate identification and compositional analysis were carried out on extracted replicas. The results were compared to those from the as-received steel and a control which had been given the same thermal as-treatment as the specimens received during irradiations. Carbides, Ti-sulphides and phosphides were precipitated in JPCA-2. Precipitate observed in JFMS included carbides, Laves-phases and phosphides. The precipitates in both steels were concluded to be stable under irradiation except for MC and M 6C in JPCA-2. Small MC particles were found precipitated in JPCA-2 during both irradiation and aging. Irradiation proved to promote the precipitation of M 6C in JPCA-2.

  18. Positron annihilation lifetime measurements of austenitic stainless and ferritic/martensitic steels irradiated in the SINQ target irradiation program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, K., E-mail: ksato@rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494 (Japan); Xu, Q.; Yoshiie, T. [Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494 (Japan); Dai, Y. [Spallation Neutron Source Division, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Kikuchi, K. [Frontier Research Center for Applied Atomic Sciences, Ibaraki University, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan)

    2012-12-15

    Titanium-doped austenitic stainless steel (JPCA) and reduced activated ferritic/martensitic steel (F82H) irradiated with high-energy protons and spallation neutrons were investigated by positron annihilation lifetime measurements. Subnanometer-sized (<{approx}0.8 nm) helium bubbles, which cannot be observed by transmission electron microscopy, were detected by positron annihilation lifetime measurements for the first time. For the F82H steel, the positron annihilation lifetime of the bubbles decreased with increasing irradiation dose and annealing temperature because the bubbles absorb additional He atoms. In the case of JPCA steel, the positron annihilation lifetime increased with increasing annealing temperature above 773 K, in which case the dissociation of complexes of vacancy clusters with He atoms and the growth of He bubbles was detected. He bubble size and density were also discussed.

  19. Positron annihilation lifetime measurements of austenitic stainless and ferritic/martensitic steels irradiated in the SINQ target irradiation program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, K.; Xu, Q.; Yoshiie, T.; Dai, Y.; Kikuchi, K.

    2012-01-01

    Titanium-doped austenitic stainless steel (JPCA) and reduced activated ferritic/martensitic steel (F82H) irradiated with high-energy protons and spallation neutrons were investigated by positron annihilation lifetime measurements. Subnanometer-sized (<∼0.8 nm) helium bubbles, which cannot be observed by transmission electron microscopy, were detected by positron annihilation lifetime measurements for the first time. For the F82H steel, the positron annihilation lifetime of the bubbles decreased with increasing irradiation dose and annealing temperature because the bubbles absorb additional He atoms. In the case of JPCA steel, the positron annihilation lifetime increased with increasing annealing temperature above 773 K, in which case the dissociation of complexes of vacancy clusters with He atoms and the growth of He bubbles was detected. He bubble size and density were also discussed.

  20. Phase stability of oxide dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels in neutron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamashita, S.; Oka, K.; Ohnuki, S.; Akasaka, N.; Ukai, S.

    2002-01-01

    Oxide dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels were irradiated by neutrons up to 21 dpa and studied by microstructural observation and microchemical analysis. The original high dislocation density did not change after neutron irradiation, indicating that the dispersed oxide particles have high stability under neutron irradiation. However, there is potential for recoil resolution of the oxide particles due to ballistic ejection at high dose. From the microchemical analysis, it was implied that some of the complex oxides have a double-layer structure, such that TiO 2 occupied the core region and Y 2 O 3 the outer layer. Such a structure may be more stable than the simple mono-oxides. Under high-temperature irradiation, Laves phase was the predominant precipitate occurring at grain boundaries α phase and χ phase were not observed in this study

  1. Technical Letter Report on the Cracking of Irradiated Cast Stainless Steels with Low Ferrite Content

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Y. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Alexandreanu, B. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Natesan, K. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2014-11-01

    Crack growth rate and fracture toughness J-R curve tests were performed on CF-3 and CF-8 cast austenite stainless steels (CASS) with 13-14% of ferrite. The tests were conducted at ~320°C in either high-purity water with low dissolved oxygen or in simulated PWR water. The cyclic crack growth rates of CF-8 were higher than that of CF-3, and the differences between the aged and unaged specimens were small. No elevated SCC susceptibility was observed among these samples, and the SCC CGRs of these materials were comparable to those of CASS alloys with >23% ferrite. The fracture toughness values of unirradiated CF-3 were similar between unaged and aged specimens, and neutron irradiation decreased the fracture toughness significantly. The fracture toughness of CF-8 was reduced after thermal aging, and declined further after irradiation. It appears that while lowering ferrite content may help reduce the tendency of thermal aging embrittlement, it is not very effective to mitigate irradiation-induced embrittlement. Under a combined condition of thermal aging and irradiation, neutron irradiation plays a dominant role in causing embrittlement in CASS alloys.

  2. Effect of neutron irradiation on mechanical properties of ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kass, S.B.; Murty, K.L.

    1995-01-01

    Effect of neutron radiation exposure was investigated in various ferritic steels with the main emphasis being the effects of thermal neutrons on radiation hardening. Pure iron of varied grain sizes was also used for characterizing the grain size effects on the source hardening before and after neutron irradiation. While many steels are considered in the overall study, the results on 1020, A516 and A588 steels are emphasized. Radiation hardening due to fast neutrons was seen to be sensitive to the composition of the steels with A354 being the least resistant and A490 the least sensitive. Majority of the radiation hardening stems from friction hardening, and source hardening term decreased with exposure to neutron radiation apparently due to the interaction of interstitial impurities with radiation produced defects. Inclusion of thermal neutrons along with fast resulted in further decrease in the source hardening with a slight increase in the friction hardening which revealed a critical grain size below which exposure to total (fast and thermal) neutron spectrum resulted in a slight reduction in the yield stress compared to the exposure to only fast neutrons. This is the first time such a grain size effect is reported and this is shown to be consistent with known radiation effects on friction and source hardening terms along with the observation that low energy neutrons have a nonnegligible effect on the mechanical properties of steels. In ferritic steels, however, despite their small grain size, exposure to total neutron spectrum yielded higher strengths than exposure to only fast neutrons. This behavior is consistent with the fact that the source hardening is small in these alloys and radiation effect is due only to friction stress

  3. Deformation twinning in irradiated ferritic/martensitic steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, K.; Dai, Y.; Spätig, P.

    2018-04-01

    Two different ferritic/martensitic steels were tensile tested to gain insight into the mechanisms of embrittlement induced by the combined effects of displacement damage and helium after proton/neutron irradiation in SINQ, the Swiss spallation neutron source. The irradiation conditions were in the range: 15.8-19.8 dpa (displacement per atom) with 1370-1750 appm He at 245-300 °C. All the samples fractured in brittle mode with intergranular or cleavage fracture surfaces when tested at room temperature (RT) or 300 °C. After tensile test, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed to investigate the deformation microstructures. TEM-lamella samples were extracted directly below the intergranular fracture surfaces or cleavage surfaces by using the focused ion beam technique. Deformation twinning was observed in irradiated specimens at high irradiation dose. Only twins with {112} plane were observed in all of the samples. The average thickness of twins is about 40 nm. Twins initiated at the fracture surface, became gradually thinner with distance away from the fracture surface and finally stopped in the matrix. Novel features such as twin-precipitate interactions, twin-grain boundary and/or twin-lath boundary interactions were observed. Twinning bands were seen to be arrested by grain boundaries or large precipitates, but could penetrate martensitic lath boundaries. Unlike the case of defect free channels, small defect-clusters, dislocation loops and dense small helium bubbles were observed inside twins.

  4. Bootstrap calculation of ultimate strength temperature maxima for neutron irradiated ferritic/martensitic steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obraztsov, S. M.; Konobeev, Yu. V.; Birzhevoy, G. A.; Rachkov, V. I.

    2006-12-01

    The dependence of mechanical properties of ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels on irradiation temperature is of interest because these steels are used as structural materials for fast, fusion reactors and accelerator driven systems. Experimental data demonstrating temperature peaks in physical and mechanical properties of neutron irradiated pure iron, nickel, vanadium, and austenitic stainless steels are available in the literature. A lack of such an information for F/M steels forces one to apply a computational mathematical-statistical modeling methods. The bootstrap procedure is one of such methods that allows us to obtain the necessary statistical characteristics using only a sample of limited size. In the present work this procedure is used for modeling the frequency distribution histograms of ultimate strength temperature peaks in pure iron and Russian F/M steels EP-450 and EP-823. Results of fitting the sums of Lorentz or Gauss functions to the calculated distributions are presented. It is concluded that there are two temperature (at 360 and 390 °C) peaks of the ultimate strength in EP-450 steel and single peak at 390 °C in EP-823.

  5. Microstructural stability of a self-ion irradiated lanthana-bearing nanostructured ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasebani, Somayeh; Charit, Indrajit; Burns, Jatuporn; Price, Lloyd M.; M Univ., College Station, TX; Shao, Lin; M Univ., College Station, TX

    2015-01-01

    Thermally stable nanofeatures with high number density are expected to impart excellent high temperature strength and irradiation stability in nanostructured ferritic steels (NFSs) which have potential applications in advanced nuclear reactors. A lanthana-bearing NFS (14LMT) developed via mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering was used in this study. The sintered samples were irradiated by Fe 2+ ions to 10, 50 and 100 dpa at 30 °C and 500 °C. Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of the irradiated samples were studied using different microscopy techniques and nanoindentation, respectively. Overall morphology and number density of the nanofeatures remained unchanged after irradiation. Average radius of nanofeatures in the irradiated sample (100 dpa at 500 °C) was slightly reduced. A notable level of irradiation hardening and enhanced dislocation activity occurred after ion irradiation except at 30 °C and ≥50 dpa. Other microstructural features like grain boundaries and high density of dislocations also provided defect sinks to assist in defect removal.

  6. Analysis of stress-induced Burgers vector anisotropy in pressurized tube specimens of irradiated ferritic-martensitic steel: JLF-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.; Shibayama, T.

    1998-01-01

    A procedure for determining the Burgers vector anisotropy in irradiated ferritic steels allowing identification of all a and all a/2 dislocations in a region of interest is applied to a pressurized tube specimen of JLF-1 irradiated at 430 C to 14.3 x 10 22 n/cm 2 (E > 0.1 MeV) or 61 dpa. Analysis of micrographs indicates large anisotropy in Burgers vector populations develop during irradiation creep

  7. Ion-irradiation-induced microstructural modifications in ferritic/martensitic steel T91

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Xiang; Miao, Yinbin; Li, Meimei; Kirk, Marquis A.; Maloy, Stuart A.; Stubbins, James F.

    2017-07-01

    In this paper, in situ transmission electron microscopy investigations were carried out to study the microstructural evolution of ferritic/martensitic steel T91 under 1 MeV Krypton ion irradiation up to 4.2 x 10(15) ions/cm(2) at 573 K, 673 K, and 773 K. At 573 K, grown-in defects are strongly modified by black dot loops, and dislocation networks together with black-dot loops were observed after irradiation. At 673 K and 773 K, grown-in defects are only partially modified by dislocation loops; isolated loops and dislocation segments were commonly found after irradiation. Post irradiation examination indicates that at 4.2 x 1015 ions/cm(2), about 51% of the loops were a(0)/2 < 111 > type for the 673 K irradiation, and the dominant loop type was a(0)< 100 > for the 773 K irradiation. Finally, a dispersed barrier hardening model was employed to estimate the change in yield strength, and the calculated ion data were found to follow the similar trend as the existing neutron data with an offset of 100-150 MPa. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Microstructure of HFIR-irradiated 12-Cr 1 MoVW ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitek, J.M.; Klueh, R.L.

    1983-01-01

    As part of the fusion materials development program in the United States, a 12 Cr-1 MoVW ferritic steel was irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to a damage level of 36 dpa at 300, 400, 500, and 600 0 C. During irradiation in HFIR, a transmutation reaction of nickel results in the production of helium, to a level of 99 at. ppM in the present experiment. The microstructures were evaluated after irradiation and the results are presented. Cavities were found at all temperatures. Small cavities (3 to 9 nm) were observed after irradiation at 300, 500 and 600 0 C. At 500 and 600 0 C, the cavities were found preferentially at dislocations, lath boundaries, and prior austenite grain boundaries. After irradiation at 400 0 C, larger cavities (4 to 30 nm) were observed homogeneously distributed throughout the tempered martensite structure. The maximum swelling was 0.07% after irradiation at 400 0 C. Comparision of the results with other studies in which helium was not present at such high levels indicated helium enhances the swelling of 12 Cr-1 MoVW

  9. Martensitic/ferritic steels as container materials for liquid mercury target of ESS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, Y.

    1996-01-01

    In the previous report, the suitability of steels as the ESS liquid mercury target container material was discussed on the basis of the existing database on conventional austenitic and martensitic/ferritic steels, especially on their representatives, solution annealed 316 stainless steel (SA 316) and Sandvik HT-9 martensitic steel (HT-9). Compared to solution annealed austenitic stainless steels, martensitic/ferritic steels have superior properties in terms of strength, thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, mercury corrosion resistance, void swelling and irradiation creep resistance. The main limitation for conventional martensitic/ferritic steels (CMFS) is embrittlement after low temperature (≤380 degrees C) irradiation. The ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) can increase as much as 250 to 300 degrees C and the upper-shelf energy (USE), at the same time, reduce more than 50%. This makes the application temperature range of CMFS is likely between 300 degrees C to 500 degrees C. For the present target design concept, the temperature at the container will be likely controlled in a temperature range between 180 degrees C to 330 degrees C. Hence, CMFS seem to be difficult to apply. However, solution annealed austenitic stainless steels are also difficult to apply as the maximum stress level at the container will be higher than the design stress. The solution to the problem is very likely to use advanced low-activation martensitic/ferritic steels (LAMS) developed by the fusion materials community though the present database on the materials is still very limited

  10. Development of ferritic steels for reduced activation: the US program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Gelles, D.S.; Lechtenberg, T.A.

    1986-01-01

    The Cr-Mo ferritic (martensitic) steels are candidates for the structural components of fusion reactors. Irradiation of such steels in a fusion environment produces long-lived radioactive isotopes, which lead to difficult radioactive waste disposal problems once the structure is removed from service. Such problems could be reduced by using steels that contain only elements that produce radioactive isotopes that decay to low levels in a reasonable time (tens of years instead of hundreds or thousands of years). The US Department of Energy has a program to develop steels to meet the criteria for shallow land burial as opposed to deep geologic storage. A review of the alloy development programs indicates that ferritic steels that meet these criteria can be developed

  11. Irradiation Creep and Swelling of Russian Ferritic-Martensitic Steels Irradiated to Very High Exposures in the BN-350 Fast Reactor at 305-335 degrees C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konobeev, Yury V.; Dvoriashin, Alexander M.; Porollo, S.I.; Shulepin, S.V.; Budylkin, N.I.; Mironova, Elena G.; Garner, Francis A.

    2003-01-01

    Russian ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels EP-450, EP-852 and EP-823 were irradiated in the BN-350 fast reactor in the form of gas-pressurized creep tubes. The first steel is used in Russia for hexagonal wrappers in fast reactors. The other steels were developed for compatibility with Pb-Bi coolants and serve to enhance our understanding of the general behavior of this class of steels. In an earlier paper we published data on irradiation creep of EP-450 and EP-823 at temperatures between 390 and 520C, with dpa levels ranging from 20 to 60 dpa. In the current paper new data on the irradiation creep and swelling of EP-450 and EP-852 at temperatures between 305 and 335C and doses ranging from 61 to 89 dpa are presented. Where comparisons are possible, it appears that these steels exhibit behavior that is very consistent with that of Western steels. Swelling is relatively low at high neutron exposure and confined to temperatures <420C, but may be camouflaged somewhat by precipitation-related densification. These irradiation creep studies confirm that the creep compliance of F/M steels is about one-half that of austenitic steels.

  12. Irradiation Creep of Ferritic-Martensitic Steels EP-450, EP-823 and EI-852 Irradiated in the BN-350 Reactor over Wide Ranges of Irradiation Temperature and Dose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porollo, S.I.; Konobeev, Y.V.; Ivanov, A.A.; Shulepin, S.V.; Garner, F.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels appear to be the most promising materials for advanced nuclear systems, especially for fusion reactors. Their main advantages are higher resistance to swelling and lower irradiation creep rate as has been repeatedly demonstrated in examinations of these materials after irradiation. Nevertheless, available experimental data on irradiation resistance of F/M steels are insufficient, with the greatest deficiency of data for high doses and for both low and high irradiation temperatures. From the very beginning of operation the BN-350 fast reactor has been used for irradiation of specimens of structural materials, including F/M steels. The most unique feature of BN-350 was its low inlet sodium temperature, allowing irradiation at temperatures over a very wide range of temperatures compared with the range in other fast reactors. In this paper data are presented on swelling and irradiation creep of three Russian F/M steels EP-450, EP-823 and EI-852, irradiated in experimental assemblies of the BN-350 reactor at temperatures in the range of 305-700 deg. C to doses ranging from 20 to 89 dpa. The investigation was performed using gas-pressurized creep tubes with hoop stresses in the range of 0 - 294 MPa. (authors)

  13. Hardness distribution and effect of irradiation in FSW-ODS ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noh, Sanghoon; Kasada, Ryuta; Kimura, Akihiko; Nagasaka, Takuya; Sokolov, M.A.; Yamamoto, T.

    2014-01-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels (ODS-FS) have been considered as one of the most promising structural materials for advanced nuclear systems such as fusion reactors and next generation fission reactors, because of its excellent elevated temperature strength, corrosion and radiation resistance. Especially, irradiation resistance is a critical issue for the high performance of ODS-FS. In this study, effects of the irradiation on hardness properties of friction stri processed (FSP) ODS-FS were investigated. FSP technique was employed on ODS-FS. A plate specimen was cut out from the cross section and irradiated to 1.2 dpa at 573K in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). To investigate the effect of neutron irradiation on processed area, the hardness distributions were evaluated on the cross section. Hardness of FSP ODS-FS was various with each microstructure after irradiation to 1.2 dpa at 573K. The increase of Vickers hardness was significant in the stirred zone and heat affected zone. Base material exhibited the lowest hardening about 38HV. Since nano-oxide particles in stirred zone showed identical mean diameter and number density, it is considered that hardening differences between stirred zone and base material is due to differences in initial dislocation density. (author)

  14. Development of ferritic steels for fusion reactor applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, R.L.; Maziasz, P.J.; Corwin, W.R.

    1988-08-01

    Chromium-molybdenum ferritic (martensitic) steels are leading candidates for the structural components for future fusion reactors. However, irradiation of such steels in a fusion environment will produce long-lived radioactive isotopes that will lead to difficult waste-disposal problems. Such problems could be reduced by replacing the elements in the steels (i.e., Mo, Nb, Ni, N, and Cu) that lead to long-lived radioactive isotopes. We have proposed the development of ferritic steels analogous to conventional Cr-Mo steels, which contain molybdenum and niobium. It is proposed that molybdenum be replaced by tungsten and niobium be replaced by tantalum. Eight experimental steels were produced. Chromium concentrations of 2.25, 5, 9, and 12% were used (all concentrations are in wt %). Steels with these chromium compositions, each containing 2% W and 0.25% V, were produced. To determine the effect of tungsten and vanadium, 2.25 Cr steels were produced with 2% W and no vanadium and with 0.25% V and O and 1% W. A 9Cr steel containing 2% W, 0.25 V, and 0.07% Ta was also studied. For all alloys, carbon was maintained at 0.1%. Tempering studies on the normalized steels indicated that the tempering behavior of the new Cr-W steels was similar to that of the analogous Cr-Mo steels. Microscopy studies indicated that 2% tungsten was required in the 2.25 Cr steels to produce 100% bainite in 15.9-mm-thick plate during normalization. The 5Cr and 9Cr steels were 100% martensite, but the 12 Cr steel contained about 75% martensite with the balance delta-ferrite. 33 refs., 35 figs., 5 tabs.

  15. Development of ferritic steels for fusion reactor applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Maziasz, P.J.; Corwin, W.R.

    1988-08-01

    Chromium-molybdenum ferritic (martensitic) steels are leading candidates for the structural components for future fusion reactors. However, irradiation of such steels in a fusion environment will produce long-lived radioactive isotopes that will lead to difficult waste-disposal problems. Such problems could be reduced by replacing the elements in the steels (i.e., Mo, Nb, Ni, N, and Cu) that lead to long-lived radioactive isotopes. We have proposed the development of ferritic steels analogous to conventional Cr-Mo steels, which contain molybdenum and niobium. It is proposed that molybdenum be replaced by tungsten and niobium be replaced by tantalum. Eight experimental steels were produced. Chromium concentrations of 2.25, 5, 9, and 12% were used (all concentrations are in wt %). Steels with these chromium compositions, each containing 2% W and 0.25% V, were produced. To determine the effect of tungsten and vanadium, 2.25 Cr steels were produced with 2% W and no vanadium and with 0.25% V and O and 1% W. A 9Cr steel containing 2% W, 0.25 V, and 0.07% Ta was also studied. For all alloys, carbon was maintained at 0.1%. Tempering studies on the normalized steels indicated that the tempering behavior of the new Cr-W steels was similar to that of the analogous Cr-Mo steels. Microscopy studies indicated that 2% tungsten was required in the 2.25 Cr steels to produce 100% bainite in 15.9-mm-thick plate during normalization. The 5Cr and 9Cr steels were 100% martensite, but the 12 Cr steel contained about 75% martensite with the balance delta-ferrite. 33 refs., 35 figs., 5 tabs

  16. Fractographic examination of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel charpy specimens irradiated to 30 dpa at 370{degrees}C

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gelles, D.S.; Hamilton, M.L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Schubert, L.E. [Univ. of Missouri, Rolla, MO (United States)

    1996-10-01

    Fractographic examinations are reported for a series of reduced activation ferritic/Martensitic steel Charpy impact specimens tested following irradiation to 30 dpa at 370{degrees}C in FFTF. One-third size specimens of six low activation steels developed for potential application as structural materials in fusion reactors were examined. A shift in brittle fracture appearance from cleavage to grain boundary failure was noted with increasing manganese content. The results are interpreted in light of transmutation induced composition changes in a fusion environment.

  17. Effect of heat treatment and irradiation temperature on mechanical properties and structure of reduced-activation Cr-W-V steels of bainitic, martensitic, and martensitic-ferritic classes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorynin, I.V.; Rybin, V.V.; Kursevich, I.P.; Lapin, A.N.; Nesterova, E.V.; Klepikov, E.Yu.

    2000-01-01

    Effects of molybdenum replacement by tungsten in steels of the bainitic, martensitic, and martensitic-ferritic classes containing 2.5%, 8% and 11% Cr, respectively, were investigated. The phase composition and structure of the bainitic steels were varied by changing the cooling rates from the austenitization temperature (from values typical for normalization up to V=3.3 x 10 -2 deg. C/s) and then tempering. The steels were irradiated to a fluence of 4x10 23 n/m 2 (≥0.5 MeV) at 270 deg. C and to fluences of 1.3x10 23 and 1.2x10 24 n/m 2 (≥0.5 MeV) at 70 deg. C. The 2.5Cr-1.4WV and 8Cr-1.5WV steels have shown lower values of the shifts in ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) under irradiation in comparison with corresponding Cr-Mo steels. Radiation embrittlement at elevated irradiation temperature was lowest in bainitic 2.5Cr-1.4WV steel and martensitic-ferritic 11Cr-1.5WV steel. The positive effect of molybdenum replacement by tungsten at irradiation temperature ∼300 deg. C is reversed at T irr =70 deg. C

  18. The effect of microstructural change on the Charpy impact properties of the high-strength ferritic/martensitic steel (PNC-FMS) irradiated in JOYO/MARICO-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yano, Yasuhide; Akasaka, Naoaki; Yoshitake, Tsunemitsu; Abe, Yasuhiro

    2004-03-01

    It is well known that the irradiation embrittlement is one of the most important issues to apply ferritic steels for FBR core materials, although ferritic steels have been considered to be candidate core materials of the commercialized FBR core material because of their superior swelling resistance. In order to evaluate the effects of microstructural changes during irradiation on the Charpy impact properties of the high-strength ferritic/martensitic steel (PNC-FMS), microstructural observations were performed with transmission electron microscopy on ruptured halves of the half-sized Charpy specimens of PNC-FMS irradiated in the JOYO/MARICO-1. The results obtained in this study are as follows: (1) There was remarkable disappearance of the lath of martensite in the samples irradiated at 650degC, although there was no significant change in microstructures, especially the lath of martensite between the samples irradiated at 500degC and unirradiated. The disappearance of martensitic lath in the samples irradiated at 650degC was larger than that of the samples thermally aged at 650degC. (2) The ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of irradiated PNC-FMS is judged to increase with the disappearance of martensitic lath and to decrease with the recovery in dislocations. (3) The decrease in the upper shelf energy (USE) of irradiated PNC-FMS is significantly accompanied by the change of precipitation behavior. (4) The Charpy impact properties and microstructures of PNC-FMS irradiated at 500degC were superior under these irradiation conditions. In future, it is necessary to establish how to evaluate Charpy impact properties in a high fluence region, based on theoretical methods introduced from the data gained in low fluence experiments, in addition to expanding the data area widely. (author)

  19. Creep behaviour and microstructure of the ferritic material No. 1-6770 under irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herschbach, K.; Ehrlich, K.; Materna, E.

    Creep behaviour under irradiation of the ferritic steel-DIN-1-6770 is quite different of austenitic steel behaviour, in particular temperature sensitivity is important and response to stress is non linear. The microstructure stays unchanged

  20. Atom probe study of the microstructural evolution induced by irradiation in Fe-Cu ferritic alloys and pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pareige, P.

    1996-04-01

    Pressure vessel steels used in pressurized water reactors are low alloyed ferritic steels. They may be prone to hardening and embrittlement under neutron irradiation. The changes in mechanical properties are generally supposed to result from the formation of point defects, dislocation loops, voids and/or copper rich clusters. However, the real nature of the irradiation induced-damage in these steels has not been clearly identified yet. In order to improve our vision of this damage, we have characterized the microstructure of several steels and model alloys irradiated with electrons and neutrons. The study was performed with conventional and tomographic atom probes. The well known importance of the effects of copper upon pressure vessel steel embrittlement has led us to study Fe-Cu binary alloys. We have considered chemical aging as well as aging under electron and neutron irradiations. The resulting effects depend on whether electron or neutron irradiations ar used for thus. We carried out both kinds of irradiation concurrently so as to compare their effects. We have more particularly considered alloys with a low copper supersaturation representative of that met with the French vessel alloys (0.1% Cu). Then, we have examined steels used on French nuclear reactor pressure vessels. To characterize the microstructure of CHOOZ A steel and its evolution when exposed to neutrons, we have studied samples from the reactor surveillance program. The results achieved, especially the characterization of neutron-induced defects have been compared with those for another steel from the surveillance program of Dampierre 2. All the experiment results obtained on model and industrial steels have allowed us to consider an explanation of the way how the defects appear and grow, and to propose reasons for their influence upon steel embrittlement. (author). 3 appends

  1. Effects of irradiation on low cycle fatigue properties for reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S.W.; Tanigawa, H.; Hirose, T.; Kohyama, A.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: In materials life decision for a commercial blanket, thermal fatigue property of materials is a particularly important. The loading of structural materials in fusion reactor is, besides the plasma surface interactions, a combined effect of high heat fluxes and neutron irradiation. Depending on the pulse lengths, the operating conditions, and the thermal conductivity, these oscillating temperature gradients will cause elastic and elastic-plastic cyclic deformation giving rise to (creep-) fatigue in structural first wall and blanket components. Especially, investigation of the fatigue property in Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAF/M) steel and establishment of the evaluation technology are demanded in particular immediately for design/manufacturing of ITER-TBM. And also, fatigue testing after irradiation will be carried out in hot cells with remote control system. Considering limited ability of specimen manipulation in the cells, the specimen and the test method need to be simple for operation. The existing data bases of RAF/M steel provide baseline data set including post-irradiation fatigue data. However, to perform the accurate fatigue lifetime assessment for ITER-TBM and beyond utilizing the existing data base, the mechanical understanding of fatigue fracture is mandatory. It has been previously reported by co-authors that dislocation cell structure was developed on low cycle fatigued RAF/M steel, and led the fatigue crack to develop along prior austenitic grain boundary. In this work, the effects of nuclear irradiation on low cycle fatigue properties for RAF/M steels and its fracture mechanisms were examined based on the flow stress analysis and detailed microstructure analysis. Fracture surfaces and crack initiation site were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was also applied to clarify the microstructural features of fatigue behavior. It is also important to

  2. Effects of irradiation on low cycle fatigue properties for reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, S.W. [Kyoto Univ., Graduate School of Energy Science (Japan); Tanigawa, H. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Hirose, T. [Blanket Engineering Group, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka, Ibaraki (Japan); Kohyama, A. [Kyoto Univ., lnstitute of Advanced Energy (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: In materials life decision for a commercial blanket, thermal fatigue property of materials is a particularly important. The loading of structural materials in fusion reactor is, besides the plasma surface interactions, a combined effect of high heat fluxes and neutron irradiation. Depending on the pulse lengths, the operating conditions, and the thermal conductivity, these oscillating temperature gradients will cause elastic and elastic-plastic cyclic deformation giving rise to (creep-) fatigue in structural first wall and blanket components. Especially, investigation of the fatigue property in Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAF/M) steel and establishment of the evaluation technology are demanded in particular immediately for design/manufacturing of ITER-TBM. And also, fatigue testing after irradiation will be carried out in hot cells with remote control system. Considering limited ability of specimen manipulation in the cells, the specimen and the test method need to be simple for operation. The existing data bases of RAF/M steel provide baseline data set including post-irradiation fatigue data. However, to perform the accurate fatigue lifetime assessment for ITER-TBM and beyond utilizing the existing data base, the mechanical understanding of fatigue fracture is mandatory. It has been previously reported by co-authors that dislocation cell structure was developed on low cycle fatigued RAF/M steel, and led the fatigue crack to develop along prior austenitic grain boundary. In this work, the effects of nuclear irradiation on low cycle fatigue properties for RAF/M steels and its fracture mechanisms were examined based on the flow stress analysis and detailed microstructure analysis. Fracture surfaces and crack initiation site were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was also applied to clarify the microstructural features of fatigue behavior. It is also important to

  3. Irradiation creep of various ferritic alloys irradiated at {approximately}400{degrees}C in the PFR and FFTF reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Toloczko, M.B.; Garner, F.A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Eiholzer, C.R. [Westinghouse Hanford Company, Richland, WA (United States)

    1997-04-01

    Three ferritic alloys were irradiated in two fast reactors to doses of 50 dpa or more at temperatures near 400{degrees}C. One martensitic alloy, HT9, was irradiated in both the FFTF and PFR reactors. PFR is the Prototype Fast Reactor in Dourneay, Scotland, and FFTF is the Fast Flux Test Facility in Richland, WA. D57 is a developmental alloy that was irradiated in PFR only, and MA957 is a Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} dispersion-hardened ferritic alloy that was irradiated only in FFTF. These alloys exhibited little or no void swelling at {approximately}400{degrees}C. Depending on the alloy starting condition, these steels develop a variety of non-creep strains early in the irradiation that are associated with phase changes. Each of these alloys creeps at a rate that is significantly lower than that of austenitic steels irradiated in the same experiments. The creep compliance for ferritic alloys in general appears to be {approximately}0.5 x 10{sup {minus}6} MPa{sup {minus}1} dpa{sup {minus}1}, independent of both composition and starting state. The addition of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} as a dispersoid does not appear to change the creep behavior.

  4. Fractal characteristics of fracture morphology of steels irradiated with high-energy ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xian, Yongqiang; Liu, Juan [Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049 (China); Zhang, Chonghong, E-mail: c.h.zhang@impcas.ac.cn [Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Chen, Jiachao [Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Yang, Yitao; Zhang, Liqing; Song, Yin [Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

    2015-06-15

    Highlights: • Fractal dimensions of fracture surfaces of steels before and after irradiation were calculated. • Fractal dimension can effectively describe change of fracture surfaces induced by irradiation. • Correlation of change of fractal dimension with embrittlement of irradiated steels is discussed. - Abstract: A fractal analysis of fracture surfaces of steels (a ferritic/martensitic steel and an oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic steel) before and after the irradiation with high-energy ions is presented. Fracture surfaces were acquired from a tensile test and a small-ball punch test (SP). Digital images of the fracture surfaces obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to calculate the fractal dimension (FD) by using the pixel covering method. Boundary of binary image and fractal dimension were determined with a MATLAB program. The results indicate that fractal dimension can be an effective parameter to describe the characteristics of fracture surfaces before and after irradiation. The rougher the fracture surface, the larger the fractal dimension. Correlation of the change of fractal dimension with the embrittlement of the irradiated steels is discussed.

  5. Fatigue crack propagation in neutron-irradiated ferritic pressure-vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    James, L.A.

    1977-01-01

    The results of a number of experiments dealing with fatigue crack propagation in irradiated reactor pressure-vessel steels are reviewed. The steels included ASTM alloys A302B, A533B, A508-2, and A543, as well as weldments in A543 steel. Fluences and irradiation conditions were generally typical of those experienced by most power reactors. In general, the effect of neutron irradiation on the fatigue crack propagation behavior of these steels was neither significantly beneficial nor significantly detrimental

  6. Irradiation behavior evaluation of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel cladding tubes irradiated in JOYO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamashita, Shinichiro, E-mail: yamashita.shinichiro@jaea.go.jp; Yano, Yasuhide; Ohtsuka, Satoshi; Yoshitake, Tsunemitsu; Kaito, Takeji; Koyama, Shin-ichi; Tanaka, Kenya

    2013-11-15

    Irradiation behavior of ODS steel cladding tubes was evaluated for the further progress in understanding of the neutron-irradiation effects on ODS steel. Two types of ODS (9Cr–ODS{sub F}/M, 12Cr–ODS{sub F}) steel cladding tubes with differences in basic compositions and matrix phases were irradiated in JOYO. Post-irradiation examination data concerning hardness, ring tensile property, and microstructure were obtained. Hardness measurement after irradiation showed that there was an apparent irradiation temperature dependence on hardness for 9Cr–ODS{sub F}/M steel whereas no distinct temperature dependence for 12Cr–ODS{sub F} steel. Also, there was no significant change in tensile strengths after irradiation below 923 K, but those above 1023 K up to 6.6 × 10{sup 26} n/m{sup 2} (E > 0.1 MeV) were decreased by about 20%. TEM observations showed that the radiation-induced defect cluster formation during irradiation was suppressed because of high density sink site for defect such as initially-existed dislocation, and precipitate interfaces. In addition, oxide particles were stable up to the maximum doses of this irradiation test.

  7. Dynamic mechanical properties of reduced activation ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirose, T.; Kohyama, A.; Tanigawa, H.; Ando, M.; Jitsukawa, S.

    2003-01-01

    A fatigue test method by a miniaturized hourglass-shaped fatigue specimen has been developed for International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) and sufficient potential as the alternative to a conventional large specimen was presented. Furthermore, focused ion beam micro- sampling method was successfully applied to microstructural analysis on fracture process. Where, the effects of displacement damage and transmutation helium on the fatigue properties of Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steels, RAFs, were investigated. Neutron irradiation and helium-ion-implantation at ambient temperature caused radiation hardening to degrade fatigue lifetime of F82H steel. Microstructural analysis revealed that local brittle fractures occurred at early stage of fatigue tests was the origin of the degradation.. No significant difference in fatigue life degradation was detected with and without implanted helium. This result suggests that 100 appm helium implanted has no impact on fracture life time under neutron irradiation. (author)

  8. Microstructure and mechanical behavior of neutron irradiated ultrafine grained ferritic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alsabbagh, Ahmad, E-mail: ahalsabb@ncsu.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Sarkar, Apu [Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Miller, Brandon [ATR National Scientific User Facility, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Burns, Jatuporn [Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Squires, Leah; Porter, Douglas; Cole, James I. [ATR National Scientific User Facility, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Murty, K.L. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States)

    2014-10-06

    Neutron irradiation effects on ultra-fine grain (UFG) low carbon steel prepared by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) have been examined. Counterpart samples with conventional grain (CG) sizes have been irradiated alongside with the UFG ones for comparison. Samples were irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to 1.37 dpa. Atom probe tomography revealed manganese and silicon-enriched clusters in both UFG and CG steel after neutron irradiation. Mechanical properties were characterized using microhardness and tensile tests, and irradiation of UFG carbon steel revealed minute radiation effects in contrast to the distinct radiation hardening and reduction of ductility in its CG counterpart. After irradiation, micro hardness indicated increases of around 9% for UFG versus 62% for CG steel. Similarly, tensile strength revealed increases of 8% and 94% respectively for UFG and CG steels while corresponding decreases in ductility were 56% versus 82%. X-ray quantitative analysis showed that dislocation density in CG increased after irradiation while no significant change was observed in UFG steel, revealing better radiation tolerance. Quantitative correlations between experimental results and modeling were demonstrated based on irradiation induced precipitate strengthening and dislocation forest hardening mechanisms.

  9. Development of oxide dispersion strengthened 9Cr ferritic-martensitic steel clad tube for fast reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laha, K.; Saroja, S.; Mathew, M.D.; Jayakumar, T.; Vijay, R.; Venugopal Reddy, A.; Lakshminarayana, B.; Kapoor, Komal; Jha, S.K.; Tonpe, S.S.

    2012-01-01

    One of the key issues in the economical operation of FBR is to achieve high burn-up of fuel (200-250 GWd/t) which considerably reduces the fuel cycle cost. This imposes stringent requirements of void swelling resistance upto 200 dpa for the core structural materials. Presently used alloy 09 (a modified austenitic stainless steel, 15Cr-15Ni-Ti) for PFBR has void swelling limit less than 150 dpa. Because of the inherent void swelling resistance, 9-12Cr steels ferritic/martensitic steels are qualified for irradiation upto 200 dpa but their low creep strength at temperatures above 600 deg C restricts their application as a clad material. Oxide dispersion strengthening is found to be promising means of extending the creep resistance of ferritic/martensitic steels beyond 650 deg C without sacrificing the inherent advantages of high thermal conductivity and low swelling of ferritic steels

  10. Ferritic steels for French LMFBR steam generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aubert, M.; Mathieu, B.; Petrequin, P.

    1983-06-01

    Austenitic stainless steels have been widely used in many components of the French LMFBR. Up to now, ferritic steels have not been considered for these components, mainly due to their relatively low creep properties. Some ferritic steels are usable when the maximum temperatures in service do not exceed about 530 0 C. It is the case of the steam generators of the Phenix plant, where the exchange tubes of the evaporator are made of 2,25% Cr-1% Mo steel, stabilized or not by addition of niobium. These ferritic alloys have worked successfully since the first steam production in October 1973. For the SuperPhenix power plant, an ''all austenitic stainless alloy'' apparatus has been chosen. However, for the future, ferritic alloys offer potential for use as alternative materials in the evaporators: low alloys steels type 2,25% Cr-1% Mo (exchange tubes, tube-sheets, shells), or at higher chromium content type 9% Cr-2% Mo NbV (exchange tubes) or 12M Cr-1% Mo-V (tube-sheets). Most of these steels have already an industrial background, and are widely used in similar applications. The various potential applications of these steels are reviewed with regards to the French LMFBR steam generators, indicating that some points need an effort of clarification, for instance the properties of the heterogeneous ferritic/austenitic weldments

  11. Water corrosion resistance of ODS ferritic-martensitic steel tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narita, Takeshi; Ukai, Shigeharu; Kaito, Takeji; Ohtsuka, Satoshi; Matsuda, Yasuji

    2008-01-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic-martensitic steels have superior radiation resistance; it is possible to achieve a service temperature of up to around 973 K because of their superior creep strength. These advantages of ODS steels facilities their application to long-life cladding tubes in advanced fast reactor fuel elements. In addition to neutron radiation resistance, sufficient general corrosion resistance to maintain the strength of the cladding, and the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance for spent-fuel-pool cooling systems and high-temperature oxidation for the fuel-clad chemical interaction (FCCI) of ODS ferritic steel are required. Although the addition of Cr to ODS is effective in preventing water corrosion and high-temperature oxidation, an excessively high amount of Cr leads to embrittlement due to the formation of a Cr-rich α' precipitate. The Cr content in 9Cr-ODS martensite and 12Cr-ODS ferrite, the ODS steels developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), is controlled. In a previous paper, it has been demonstrated that the resistances of 9Cr- and 12Cr-ODS ferritic-martensitic steels for high-temperature oxidation are superior to those of conventional 12Cr ferritic steel. However, the water corrosion data of ODS ferritic-martensitic steels are very limited. In this study, a water corrosion test was conducted on ODS steels in consideration of the spent-fuel-pool cooling condition, and the results were compared with those of conventional austenitic stainless steel and ferritic-martensitic stainless steel. (author)

  12. Tensile and charpy impact properties of irradiated reduced-activation ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, R.L.; Alexander, D.J. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1996-10-01

    Tensile tests were conducted on eight reduced-activation Cr-W steels after irradiation to 15-17 and 26-29 dpa, and Charpy impact tests were conducted on the steels irradiated to 26-29 dpa. Irradiation was in the Fast Flux Test Facility at 365{degrees}C on steels containing 2.25-12% Cr, varying amounts of W, V, and Ta, and 0.1%C. Previously, tensile specimens were irradiated to 6-8 dpa and Charpy specimens to 6-8, 15-17, and 20-24 dpa. Tensile and Charpy specimens were also thermally aged to 20000 h at 365{degrees}C. Thermal aging had little effect on the tensile behavior or the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT), but several steels showed a slight increase in the upper-shelf energy (USE). After {approx}7 dpa, the strength of the steels increased and then remained relatively unchanged through 26-29 dpa (i.e., the strength saturated with fluence). Post-irradiation Charpy impact tests after 26-29 dpa showed that the loss of impact toughness, as measured by an increase in DBTT and a decrease in the USE, remained relatively unchanged from the values after 20-24 dpa, which had been relatively unchanged from the earlier irradiations. As before, the two 9Cr steels were the most irradiation resistant.

  13. New stainless steels of ferrite-martensite grade and perspectives of their application in thermonuclear facilities and fast reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajtkhozhin, Eh.S.; Maksimkin, O.P.

    2007-01-01

    Review of scientific literature for last 5 years in which results on study of radiation effect on ferrite-martensite steels - construction materials of fast reactors and most probable candidates for first wall and blanket of the thermonuclear facilities ITER and Demo - are presented. Alongside with this a prior experimental data on study of microstructure changing and physical- mechanical properties of ferrite-martensite steel EhP-450 - the material of hexahedral case of spent assembly of BN-350 fast reactor- are cited. Principal attention was paid to considering of radiation effects of structural components content changing and ferrite-martensite steel swelling irradiated at comparatively low values of radiation damage climb rate

  14. Effect of specimen size on the upper shelf energy of ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, A.S.

    1990-01-01

    A methodology is proposed that can be used to predict the upper shelf energy (USE) of ferritic steels based on subsize specimen data. The proposed methodology utilizes the partitioning of the USE into energies required for crack initiation and crack propagation. Notched-only Charpy specimens are used in conjunction with precracked specimens to separate the two components. An unirradiated ferritic steel, HT-9, was used to demonstrate the validity of the methodology. Unlike previous correlations that were limited in their applicability to either highly ductile or brittle material, the proposed methodology is expected to be applicable over a wide range of ductility and to be particularly useful for materials that harden significantly during irradiation

  15. Delta ferrite in the weld metal of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sam, Shiju, E-mail: shiju@ipr.res.in [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382 428 (India); Das, C.R.; Ramasubbu, V.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.; Jayakumar, T. [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); Rajendra Kumar, E. [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382 428 (India)

    2014-12-15

    Formation of delta(δ)-ferrite in the weld metal, during autogenous bead-on-plate welding of Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process, has been studied. Composition of the alloy is such that delta-ferrite is not expected in the alloy; but examination of the weld metal revealed presence of delta-ferrite in the weld metal. Volume fraction of delta-ferrite is found to be higher in the weld interface than in the rest of the fusion zone. Decrease in the volume fraction of delta-ferrite, with an increase in preheat temperature or with an increase in heat input, is observed. Results indicate that the cooling rate experienced during welding affects the volume fraction of delta-ferrite retained in the weld metal and variation in the delta-ferrite content with cooling rate is explained with variation in the time that the weld metal spends in various temperature regimes in which delta-ferrite is stable for the alloy during its cooling from the liquid metal to the ambient temperature. This manuscript will discuss the effect of welding parameters on formation of delta-ferrite and its retention in the weld metal of RAFM steel.

  16. Report of IEA workshop on reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    IEA Workshop on Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steels under implementing agreement for program of research and development on fusion materials was held at Tokyo Yayoi Kaikan and JAERI headquarter on November 2-3, 2000. The objective of this workshop was a review of the fusion material development programs, the progress of the collaboration and the irradiation effects studies on RAF/M steels in the collaborating parties (Europe, Russia the United States, and Japan). Moreover, the development of plans for future collaboration was discussed. The present report contains viewgraphs presented at the workshop. (author)

  17. Future directions for ferritic/martensitic steels for nuclear applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Swindeman, R.W.

    2000-01-01

    High-chromium (7-12% Cr) ferritic/martensitic steels are being considered for nuclear applications for both fission and fusion reactors. Conventional 9-12Cr Cr-Mo steels were the first candidates for these applications. For fusion reactors, reduced-activation steels were developed that were patterned on the conventional steels but with molybdenum replaced by tungsten and niobium replaced by tantalum. Both the conventional and reduced-activation steels are considered to have an upper operating temperature limit of about 550degC. For improved reactor efficiency, higher operating temperatures are required. For ferritic/martensitic steels that could meet such requirements, oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels are being considered. In this paper, the ferritic/martensitic steels that are candidate steels for nuclear applications will be reviewed, the prospect for ODS steel development and the development of steels produced by conventional processes will be discussed. (author)

  18. Multiscale simulation of yield strength in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Chen Chong; Zhang, Chi; Yang, Zhigang [Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); Zhao, Ji Jun [State Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Electron, and Ion Beams, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology and College of Advanced Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian (China)

    2017-04-15

    One of the important requirements for the application of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel is to retain proper mechanical properties under irradiation and high-temperature conditions. To simulate the yield strength and stress-strain curve of steels during high-temperature and irradiation conditions, a multiscale simulation method consisting of both microstructure and strengthening simulations was established. The simulation results of microstructure parameters were added to a superposition strengthening model, which consisted of constitutive models of different strengthening methods. Based on the simulation results, the strength contribution for different strengthening methods at both room temperature and high-temperature conditions was analyzed. The simulation results of the yield strength in irradiation and high-temperature conditions were mainly consistent with the experimental results. The optimal application field of this multiscale model was 9Cr series (7–9 wt.%Cr) RAFM steels in a condition characterized by 0.1–5 dpa (or 0 dpa) and a temperature range of 25–500°C.

  19. Current status and recent research achievements in ferritic/martensitic steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavassoli, A.-A. F.; Diegele, E.; Lindau, R.; Luzginova, N.; Tanigawa, H.

    2014-12-01

    When the austenitic stainless steel 316L(N) was selected for ITER, it was well known that it would not be suitable for DEMO and fusion reactors due to its irradiation swelling at high doses. A parallel programme to ITER collaboration already had been put in place, under an IEA fusion materials implementing agreement for the development of a low activation ferritic/martensitic steel, known for their excellent high dose irradiation swelling resistance. After extensive screening tests on different compositions of Fe-Cr alloys, the chromium range was narrowed to 7-9% and the first RAFM was industrially produced in Japan (F82H: Fe-8%Cr-2%W-TaV). All IEA partners tested this steel and contributed to its maturity. In parallel several other RAFM steels were produced in other countries. From those experiences and also for improving neutron efficiency and corrosion resistance, European Union opted for a higher chromium lower tungsten grade, Fe-9%Cr-1%W-TaV steel (Eurofer), and in 1997 ordered the first industrial heats. Other industrial heats have been produced since and characterised in different states, including irradiated up to 80 dpa. China, India, Russia, Korea and US have also produced their grades of RAFM steels, contributing to overall maturity of these steels. This paper reviews the work done on RAFM steels by the fusion materials community over the past 30 years, in particular on the Eurofer steel and its design code qualification for RCC-MRx.

  20. Current status and recent research achievements in ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tavassoli, A.-A.F., E-mail: farhad.tavassoli@cea.fr [Commissariat à l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, CEA/DEN/DANS/DMN, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Diegele, E., E-mail: eberhard.diegele@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institut of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany); Lindau, R., E-mail: rainer.lindau@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institut of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany); Luzginova, N., E-mail: Natalia.Luzginova@gmail.com [NRG-Petten, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Tanigawa, H., E-mail: tanigawa.hiroyasu@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Authority (JAEA), Tokai, Ibaraki, 319-1195 (Japan)

    2014-12-15

    When the austenitic stainless steel 316L(N) was selected for ITER, it was well known that it would not be suitable for DEMO and fusion reactors due to its irradiation swelling at high doses. A parallel programme to ITER collaboration already had been put in place, under an IEA fusion materials implementing agreement for the development of a low activation ferritic/martensitic steel, known for their excellent high dose irradiation swelling resistance. After extensive screening tests on different compositions of Fe–Cr alloys, the chromium range was narrowed to 7–9% and the first RAFM was industrially produced in Japan (F82H: Fe–8%Cr–2%W–TaV). All IEA partners tested this steel and contributed to its maturity. In parallel several other RAFM steels were produced in other countries. From those experiences and also for improving neutron efficiency and corrosion resistance, European Union opted for a higher chromium lower tungsten grade, Fe–9%Cr–1%W–TaV steel (Eurofer), and in 1997 ordered the first industrial heats. Other industrial heats have been produced since and characterised in different states, including irradiated up to 80 dpa. China, India, Russia, Korea and US have also produced their grades of RAFM steels, contributing to overall maturity of these steels. This paper reviews the work done on RAFM steels by the fusion materials community over the past 30 years, in particular on the Eurofer steel and its design code qualification for RCC-MRx.

  1. European development of ferritic-martensitic steels for fast reactor wrapper applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagley, K.; Little, E.A.; Levy, V.; Alamo, A.

    1987-01-01

    9-12%Cr ferritic-martensitic stainless steels are under development in Europe for fast reactor sub-assembly wrapper applications. Within this class of alloys, attention is focussed on three key specifications, viz. FV448 and DIN 1.4914 (both 10-12%CrMoVNb steels) and EM10 (an 8-10%Cr-0.15%C steel), which can be optimized to give acceptably low ductile-brittle transition characteristics. The results of studies on these steels, and earlier choices, covering heat treatment and compositional optimization, evolution of wrapper fabrication routes, pre and post-irradiation mechanical property and fracture toughness behaviour, microstructural stability, void swelling and in-reactor creep characteristics are reviewed. The retention of high void swelling to displacement doses in excess of 100 dpa in reactor irradiations reaffirms the selection of 9-12%Cr steels for on-going wrapper development. Moreover, irradiation-induced changes in mechanical properties (e.g. in-reactor creep and impact behaviour), measured to intermediate doses, do not give cause for concern; however, additional data to higher doses and at the lower irradiation temperatures of 370 0 -400 0 C are needed in order to fully endorse these alloys for high burnup applications in advanced reactor systems

  2. Study of irradiation damage structures in austenitic stainless steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamada, Shozo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1997-08-01

    The irradiation damage microstructures in austenitic stainless steels, which have been proposed to be a candidate of structural materials of a fusion reactor, under ions and neutrons irradiation have been studied. In ion irradiation experiments, cross-sectional observation of the depth distribution of damage formed due to ion irradiation became available. Comparison and discussion between experimental results with TEM and the calculated ones in the depth profiles of irradiation damage microstructures. Further, dual-phase stainless steels, consisted of ferritic/austenitic phases, showed irradiation-induced/enhanced precipitation during ion irradiation. High Flux Isotope Reactor with high neutron fluxes was employed in neutron-irradiation experiments. Swelling of 316 steel showed irradiation temperature dependence and this had strong correlation with phase instability under heavy damage level. Swelling resistance of Ti-modified austenitic stainless steel, which has good swelling resistance, decreased during high damage level. This might be caused by the instability of Ti-carbide particles. The preparation method to reduce higher radioactivity of neutron-irradiated TEM specimen was developed. (author). 176 refs.

  3. Study of irradiation damage structures in austenitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamada, Shozo

    1997-08-01

    The irradiation damage microstructures in austenitic stainless steels, which have been proposed to be a candidate of structural materials of a fusion reactor, under ions and neutrons irradiation have been studied. In ion irradiation experiments, cross-sectional observation of the depth distribution of damage formed due to ion irradiation became available. Comparison and discussion between experimental results with TEM and the calculated ones in the depth profiles of irradiation damage microstructures. Further, dual-phase stainless steels, consisted of ferritic/austenitic phases, showed irradiation-induced/enhanced precipitation during ion irradiation. High Flux Isotope Reactor with high neutron fluxes was employed in neutron-irradiation experiments. Swelling of 316 steel showed irradiation temperature dependence and this had strong correlation with phase instability under heavy damage level. Swelling resistance of Ti-modified austenitic stainless steel, which has good swelling resistance, decreased during high damage level. This might be caused by the instability of Ti-carbide particles. The preparation method to reduce higher radioactivity of neutron-irradiated TEM specimen was developed. (author). 176 refs

  4. Assessment of the integrity of ferritic-austenitic dissimilar weld joints of different grades of Cr-Mo ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laha, K.; Chandravathi, K.S.; Parameswaran, P.; Goyal, Sunil; Mathew, M.D. [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam (India). Metallurgy and Materials Group

    2010-07-01

    Integrity of the 2.25 Cr-1Mo / Alloy 800, 9Cr-1Mo / Alloy 800 and 9Cr-1Mo-VNb / Alloy 800 ferritic-austenitic dissimilar joints, fusion welded employing Inconel 182 electrode, has been assessed under creep conditions at 823 K. The dissimilar weld joints displayed lower creep rupture strength than their respective ferritic steel base metals. The strength reduction was more for 2.25Cr-1Mo steel joint and least for 9Cr-1Mo steel joint. The failure location in the joints was found to shift from the ferritic steel base metal to the intercritical region of heat-affected zone (HAZ) in ferritic steel (type IV cracking) with decrease in stress. At still lower stresses the failure occurred at the ferritic / austenitic weld interface. Localized creep deformation and cavitation in the soft intercritical HAZ induced type IV failure whereas creep cavitation at the weld interface particles induced ferritic / austenitic interface cracking due to high creep strength mismatch across it. Micromechanisms of type IV failure and interface cracking in the ferritic / austenitic joints and different susceptibility to failure for different grades of ferritic steels are discussed based on microstructural investigation, mechanical testing and finite element analysis. (Note from indexer: paper contains many typographical errors.)

  5. Corrosion-resistant coating technique for oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakasegawa, Hideo; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Ando, Masami

    2014-01-01

    Oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels are attractive materials for application as fuel cladding in fast reactors and first-wall material of fusion blanket. Recent studies have focused more on high-chromium ferritic (12-18 wt% Cr) ODS steels with attractive corrosion resistance properties. However, they have poor material workability, require complicated heat treatments for recrystallization, and possess anisotropic microstructures and mechanical properties. On the other hand, low-chromium ferritic/martensitic (8-9 wt% Cr) ODS steels have no such limitations; nonetheless, they have poor corrosion resistance properties. In our work, we developed a corrosion-resistant coating technique for a low-chromium ferritic/martensitic ODS steel. The ODS steel was coated with the 304 or 430 stainless steel, which has better corrosion resistances than the low-chromium ferritic/martensitic ODS steels. The 304 or 430 stainless steel was coated by changing the canning material from mild steel to stainless steel in the conventional material processing procedure for ODS steels. Microstructural observations and micro-hardness tests proved that the stainless steels were successfully coated without causing a deterioration in the mechanical property of the low-chromium ferritic/martensitic ODS steel. (author)

  6. Material science and manufacturing of heat-resistant reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steels for fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ioltukhovskiy, A.G.; Blokhin, A.I.; Budylkin, N.I.; Chernov, V.M.; Leont'eva-Smirnova, M.V.; Mironova, E.G.; Medvedeva, E.A.; Solonin, M.I.; Porollo, S.I.; Zavyalsky, L.P.

    2000-01-01

    A number of issues regarding the development and use of 10-12% Cr reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steels (RAFMS) for fusion are considered. These include: (1) problems of manufacturing and modifying their composition and metallurgical condition; (2) the influence on properties of their composition, purity, δ-ferrite concentration and cooling rates in the final stages of manufacturing; and (3) the effects of neutron irradiation at 320-650 deg. C up to 108 dpa on their mechanical properties. In addition, neutron activation and nuclear accumulation of elements in RAFMS with different initial concentrations of alloying and impurity elements for typical fusion reactor (DEMO) irradiation regimes have been calculated

  7. Corrosion of Ferritic-Martensitic steels in high temperature water: A literature Review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, P.; Lapena, J.; Blazquez, F.

    2001-01-01

    Available literature concerning corrosion of high-chromium ferritic/martensitic steel in high temperature water as reviewed. The subjects considered are general corrosion, effect of irradiation on corrosion, environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) including stress corrosion cracking (SCC), corrosion fatigue and irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). In addition some investigations about radiation induced segregation (RIS). Are shown in order to know the compositional changes at grain boundaries of these alloys and their influence on corrosion properties. (Author)

  8. Neutron irradiation creep in stainless steel alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schuele, Wolfgang (Commission of the European Union, Institute for Advanced Materials, I-21020 Ispra (Vatican City State, Holy See) (Italy)); Hausen, Hermann (Commission of the European Union, Institute for Advanced Materials, I-21020 Ispra (Vatican City State, Holy See) (Italy))

    1994-09-01

    Irradiation creep elongations were measured in the HFR at Petten on AMCR steels, on 316 CE-reference steels, and on US-316 and US-PCA steels varying the irradiation temperature between 300 C and 500 C and the stress between 25 and 300 MPa. At the beginning of an irradiation a type of primary'' creep stage is observed for doses up to 3-5 dpa after which dose the secondary'' creep stage begins. The primary'' creep strain decreases in cold-worked steel materials with decreasing stress and decreasing irradiation temperature achieving also negative creep strains depending also on the pre-treatment of the materials. These primary'' creep strains are mainly attributed to volume changes due to the formation of radiation-induced phases, e.g. to the formation of [alpha]-ferrite below about 400 C and of carbides below about 700 C, and not to irradiation creep. The secondary'' creep stage is found for doses larger than 3 to 5 dpa and is attributed mainly to irradiation creep. The irradiation creep rate is almost independent of the irradiation temperature (Q[sub irr]=0.132 eV) and linearly dependent on the stress. The total creep elongations normalized to about 8 dpa are equal for almost every type of steel irradiated in the HFR at Petten or in ORR or in EBR II. The negative creep elongations are more pronounced in PCA- and in AMCR-steels and for this reason the total creep elongation is slightly smaller at 8 dpa for these two steels than for the other steels. ((orig.))

  9. Heating temperature effect on ferritic grain size of rotor steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheremnykh, V.G.; Derevyankin, E.V.; Sakulin, A.A.

    1983-01-01

    The heating temperature effect on ferritic grain size of two steels 13Kh1M1FA and 25Kh1M1FA is evaluated. It is shown that exposure time increase at heating temperatures below 1000 deg C up to 10h changes but slightly the size of the Cr-Mo-V ferritic grain of rotor steel cooled with 25 deg C/h rate. Heating up to 1000 deg C and above leads to substantial ferritic grain growth. The kinetics of ferritic grain growth is determined by the behaviour of phases controlling the austenitic grain growth, such as carbonitrides VCsub(0.14)Nsub(0.78) in 13Kh1M1FA steel and VCsub(0.18)Nsub(0.72) in 25Kh1M1FA steel. Reduction of carbon and alloying elements content in steel composition observed at the liquation over rotor length leads to a certain decrease of ferritic grain resistance to super heating

  10. Recent progress of R and D activities on reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Q., E-mail: qunying.huang@fds.org.cn [Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1135, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Baluc, N. [CRPP-EPFL, ODGA C110 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Dai, Y. [LNM, PSI, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Jitsukawa, S. [JAEA, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai-Mura, Ibaraki-Ken 319-1195 (Japan); Kimura, A. [IAE, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Konys, J. [KIT, P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Kurtz, R.J. [PNNL, Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Lindau, R. [KIT, P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Muroga, T. [NIFS, Oroshi, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan); Odette, G.R. [UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Raj, B. [IGCAR, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); Stoller, R.E.; Tan, L. [ORNL, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Tanigawa, H. [JAEA, Naka, Ibaraki 311-0193 (Japan); Tavassoli, A.-A.F. [DMN/Dir, DEN, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex (France); Yamamoto, T. [UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Wan, F. [DMPC, USTB, Beijing 100083 (China); Wu, Y. [Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1135, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China)

    2013-11-15

    Several types of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel have been developed over the past 30 years in China, Europe, India, Japan, Russia and the USA for application in ITER test blanket modules (TBMs) and future fusion DEMO and power reactors. The progress has been particularly important during the past few years with evaluation of mechanical properties of these steels before and after irradiation and in contact with different cooling media. This paper presents recent RAFM steel results obtained in ITER partner countries in relation to different TBM and DEMO options.

  11. Hardening and embrittlement mechanisms of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels irradiated at 573 K

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanigawa, H. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Klueh, R.L. [Oak Ridge Noational Laboratory, TN (United States); Hashimoto, N. [Hokkaido Univ., Materials Science and Engineering Div., Graduate School of Engineering, Sapporo (Japan); Sokolov, M. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Div., TN (United States)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: It has been reported that reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels (RAFMs), such as F82H, ORNL9Cr-2WVTa, and JLF-1, showed a variety of changes in ductile-brittle transition temperature and yield stress after irradiation at 573 K up to 5 dpa, and those differences could not be interpreted solely by the difference of dislocation microstructure induced by irradiation. To investigate the impact of other microstructural feature, i.e. precipitates, the precipitation behavior of F82H, ORNL 9Cr-2WVTa, and JLF-1 was examined. It was revealed that irradiation-induced precipitation and amorphization of precipitates partly occurred and caused the different precipitation on block, packet and prior austenitic grain boundaries. In addition to these phenomena, irradiation-induced nano-size precipitates were also observed in the matrix. It was also revealed that the chemical compositions of precipitates approached the calculated thermal equilibrium state of M{sub 23}C{sub 6} at an irradiation temperature of 573 K. The calculation also suggests the presence of Laves phase at 573 K, which is usually not observed at this temperature, but the ion irradiation on aged F82H with Laves phase suggests that Laves phase becomes amorphous and could not be stable under irradiation at 573 K. This observation indicates the possibility that the irradiation-induced nano-size precipitation could be the consequence of the conflict between precipitation and amorphization of Laves phase. Over all, these observations suggests that the variety of embrittlement and hardening of RAFMs observed at 573 K irradiation up to 5 dpa might be the consequence of the transition phenomena that occur as the microstructure approaches thermal equilibrium during irradiation at 573 K. (authors)

  12. Microstructural probing of ferritic/martensitic steels using internal transmutation-based positron source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krsjak, Vladimir, E-mail: vladimir.krsjak@psi.ch; Dai, Yong

    2015-10-15

    This paper presents the use of an internal {sup 44}Ti/{sup 44}Sc radioisotope source for a direct microstructural characterization of ferritic/martensitic (f/m) steels after irradiation in targets of spallation neutron sources. Gamma spectroscopy measurements show a production of ∼1MBq of {sup 44}Ti per 1 g of f/m steels irradiated at 1 dpa (displaced per atom) in the mixed proton–neutron spectrum at the Swiss spallation neutron source (SINQ). In the decay chain {sup 44}Ti → {sup 44}Sc → {sup 44}Ca, positrons are produced together with prompt gamma rays which enable the application of different positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) analyses, including lifetime and Doppler broadening spectroscopy. Due to the high production yield, long half-life and relatively high energy of positrons of {sup 44}Ti, this methodology opens up new potential for simple, effective and inexpensive characterization of radiation induced defects in f/m steels irradiated in a spallation target.

  13. Microstructural probing of ferritic/martensitic steels using internal transmutation-based positron source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krsjak, Vladimir; Dai, Yong

    2015-10-01

    This paper presents the use of an internal 44Ti/44Sc radioisotope source for a direct microstructural characterization of ferritic/martensitic (f/m) steels after irradiation in targets of spallation neutron sources. Gamma spectroscopy measurements show a production of ∼1MBq of 44Ti per 1 g of f/m steels irradiated at 1 dpa (displaced per atom) in the mixed proton-neutron spectrum at the Swiss spallation neutron source (SINQ). In the decay chain 44Ti → 44Sc → 44Ca, positrons are produced together with prompt gamma rays which enable the application of different positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) analyses, including lifetime and Doppler broadening spectroscopy. Due to the high production yield, long half-life and relatively high energy of positrons of 44Ti, this methodology opens up new potential for simple, effective and inexpensive characterization of radiation induced defects in f/m steels irradiated in a spallation target.

  14. HRTEM Study of the Role of Nanoparticles in ODS Ferritic Steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hsiung, L; Tumey, S; Fluss, M; Serruys, Y; Willaime, F

    2011-08-30

    Structures of nanoparticles and their role in dual-ion irradiated Fe-16Cr-4.5Al-0.3Ti-2W-0.37Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (K3) ODS ferritic steel produced by mechanical alloying (MA) were studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. The observation of Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9} complex-oxide nanoparticles in the ODS steel imply that decomposition of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} in association with internal oxidation of Al occurred during mechanical alloying. HRTEM observations of crystalline and partially crystalline nanoparticles larger than {approx}2 nm and amorphous cluster-domains smaller than {approx}2 nm provide an insight into the formation mechanism of nanoparticles/clusters in MA/ODS steels, which we believe involves solid-state amorphization and re-crystallization. The role of nanoparticles/clusters in suppressing radiation-induced swelling is revealed through TEM examinations of cavity distributions in (Fe + He) dual-ion irradiated K3-ODS steel. HRTEM observations of helium-filled cavities (helium bubbles) preferably trapped at nanoparticle/clusters in dual-ion irradiated K3-ODS are presented.

  15. Estimation of radiation hardening in ferritic steels using the cluster dynamics models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Jun Hyun; Kim, Whung Whoe; Hong, Jun Hwa [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-07-01

    Evolution of microstructure under irradiation brings about the mechanical property changes of materials, of which the major concern is radiation hardening in this work. Radiation hardening is generally expressed in terms of an increase in yield strength as a function of radiation dose and temperature. Cluster dynamics model for radiation hardening has been developed to describe the evolution of point defects clusters (PDCs) and copperrich precipitates (CRPs). While the mathematical models developed by Stoller focus on the evolution of PDCs in ferritic steels under neutron irradiation, we slightly modify the model by including the CRP growth and estimate the magnitude of hardening induced by PDC and CRP. The model is then used to calculate the changes in yield strength of RPV steels. The calculation results are compared to measured yield strength values, obtained from surveillance testing of PWR vessel steels in France.

  16. 78 FR 63517 - Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-24

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0231] Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld... Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal.'' This guide (Revision 4) describes a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for controlling ferrite content in stainless steel weld metal. It updates the...

  17. A comparative assessment of the fracture toughness behavior of ferritic-martensitic steels and nanostructured ferritic alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Byun, Thak Sang, E-mail: thaksang.byun@pnnl.gov [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Hoelzer, David T. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Kim, Jeoung Han [Hanbat National University, Daejeon 305-719 (Korea, Republic of); Maloy, Stuart A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

    2017-02-15

    The Fe-Cr alloys with ultrafine microstructures are primary candidate materials for advanced nuclear reactor components because of their excellent high temperature strength and high resistance to radiation-induced damage such as embrittlement and swelling. Mainly two types of Fe-Cr alloys have been developed for the high temperature reactor applications: the quenched and tempered ferritic-martensitic (FM) steels hardened primarily by ultrafine laths and carbonitrides and the powder metallurgy-based nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFAs) by nanograin structure and nanoclusters. This study aims at elucidating the differences and similarities in the temperature and strength dependences of fracture toughness in the Fe-Cr alloys to provide a comparative assessment of their high-temperature structural performance. The K{sub JQ} versus yield stress plots confirmed that the fracture toughness was inversely proportional to yield strength. It was found, however, that the toughness data for some NFAs were outside the band of the integrated dataset at given strength level, which indicates either a significant improvement or deterioration in mechanical properties due to fundamental changes in deformation and fracture mechanisms. When compared to the behavior of NFAs, the FM steels have shown much less strength dependence and formed narrow fracture toughness data bands at a significantly lower strength region. It appeared that at high temperatures ≥600 °C the NFAs cannot retain the nanostructure advantage of high strength and high toughness either by high-temperature embrittlement or by excessive loss of strength. Irradiation studies have revealed, however, that the NFAs have much stronger radiation resistance than tempered martensitic steels, such as lower radiation-induced swelling, finer helium bubble formation, lower irradiation creep rate and reduced low temperature embrittlement.

  18. Microstructural control and high temperature mechanical property of ferritic/martensitic steels for nuclear reactor application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adetunji, G.J.

    1991-04-01

    The materials under study are 9-12% Cr ferritic/martensitic steels, alternative candidate materials for application in core components of nuclear power reactors. This work involves (1) Investigation of high temperature fracture mechanism during slow tensile and limited creep testing at 600 o C (2) Extensive study of solute element segregation both theoretically and experimentally (3) Investigation of effects by thermal ageing and irradiation on microstructural developments in relation to high temperature mechanical behaviour. From (1) the results obtained indicate that the important microstructural characteristics controlling the fracture of 9-12% Cr ferritic/martensitic steels at high temperature are (a) solute segregation to inclusion-matrix interfaces (b) hardness of the martensitic matrix and (c) carbide particle size distribution. From (2) the results indicate a strong concentration gradient of silicon and molybdenum near lath packet boundaries for certain quenching rates from the austenitizing temperature. From (3) high temperature tensile data were obtained for irradiated samples with thermally aged ones as control. (author)

  19. Impact behavior of 9-Cr and 12-Cr ferritic steels after low-temperature irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Vitek, J.M.; Corwin, W.R.; Alexander, D.J.

    1987-01-01

    Miniature Charpy impact specimens of 9Cr-1MoVNb and 12Cr-1MoVW steels and these steels with 1 and 2% Ni were irradiated in the High-Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at 50 0 C to displacement damage levels of up to 9 dpa. Nickel was added to study the effect of transmutation helium. Irradiation caused an increase in the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT). The 9Cr-1MoVNb steels, with and without nickel, showed a larger shift than the 12Cr-1MoVW steels, with and without nickel. The results indicated that helium also increased the DBTT. The same steels were previously irradiated at higher temperatures. From the present and past tests, the effect of irradiation temperature on the DBTT behavior can be evaluated. For the 9Cr-1MoVNb steel, there is a continuous decrease in the magnitude of the DBTT increase up to an irradiation temperature of about 400 0 C, after which the shift drops rapidly to zero at about 450 0 C. The DBTT of the 12Cr-1MoVW steel shows a maximum increase at an irradiation temperature of about 400 0 C and less of an increase at either higher or lower irradiation temperatures

  20. Current status of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels R and D for fusion energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Akihiko

    2005-01-01

    Reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAF/M) steels have been considered to be the prime candidate for the fusion blanket structural material. The irradiation data obtained up to now indicates rather high feasibility of the steels for application to fusion reactors because of their high resistance to degradation of material performance caused by both the irradiation-induced displacement damage and transmutation helium atoms. The martensitic structure of RAF/M steels consists of a large number of lattice defects before the irradiation, which strongly retards the formation of displacement damage through absorption and annihilation of the point defects generated by irradiation. Transmutation helium can be also trapped at those defects in the martensitic structure so that the growth of helium bubbles at grain boundaries is suppressed. The major properties of the steels are well within our knowledge, and processing technologies are mostly developed for fusion application. RAF/M steels are now certainly ready to proceed to the next stage, that is, the construction of International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor Test Blanket Modules (ITER-TBM). Oxide dispersion strengthening (ODS) steels have been developed for higher thermal efficiency of fusion power plants. Recent irradiation experiments indicated that the steels were quite highly resistant to neutron irradiation embrittlement, showing hardening accompanied by no loss of ductility. High-Cr ODS steels whose chromium concentration was in the range from 14 to 19 mass% showed high resistance to corrosion in supercritical pressurized water. It is shown that the 14Cr-ODS steel is susceptible to neither hydrogen nor helium embrittlement. A combined utilization of ODS steels with RAF/M steels will be effective to realize fusion power early at a reasonable thermal efficiency. (author)

  1. Stability under irradiation of a fine dispersion of oxides in a ferritic matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monnet, I.

    1999-01-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic-martensitic steels are being considered for high temperature, high fluence nuclear applications, like fuel pin cladding in Fast Breeder Reactors. ODS alloys offer improved out of pile strength characteristics at temperature above 550 deg.C and ferritic-martensitic matrix is highly swelling resistant. A clad in an ODS ferritic steel, call DY (Fe-13Cr-1,5Mo+TiO 2 +Y 2 O 3 ) has been irradiated in the experimental reactor Phenix. Under irradiation oxide dissolution occurs. Microstructural observations indicated that oxide evolution is correlated with the dose and consist in four phenomena: the interfaces of oxide particles with the matrix become irregular, the uniform distribution of the finest oxide ( 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , MgO or MgAl 2 O 4 . These materials were irradiated with charged particles in order to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of dissolution. Irradiation with 1 MeV Helium does not induce any modification, neither in the chemical modification of the particles nor in their spatial and size distribution. Since most of the energy of helium ions is lost by inelastic interaction, this result proves that this kind of interaction does not induce oxide dissolution. Irradiation with 1 MeV or 1.2 MeV electrons leads to a significant dissolution with a radius decrease proportional to the dose. These experiments prove that oxide dissolution can be induced by Frenkel pairs alone, provided that metallic atoms are displaced. The comparison between irradiation with ions (displacements cascades) and electrons (Frenkel pairs only) shows the importance of free point defects in the dissolution phenomena. For all the irradiations (ions or electrons) the spinel MgAl 2 O 4 seems more resistant than Y 2 O 3 to dissolution, and MgO and Al 2 O 3 are even less resistant. This is the order of stability under irradiation of bulk oxides. (author)

  2. Investigations of low-temperature neutron embrittlement of ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farrell, K.; Mahmood, S.T.; Stoller, R.E.; Mansur, L.K.

    1992-01-01

    Investigations were made into reasons for accelerated embrittlement of surveillance specimens of ferritic steels irradiated at 50C at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) pressure vessel. Major suspects for the precocious embrittlement were a highly thermalized neutron spectrum,a low displacement rate, and the impurities boron and copper. None of these were found guilty. A dosimetry measurement shows that the spectrum at a major surveillance site is not thermalized. A new model of matrix hardening due to point defect clusters indicates little effect of displacement rate at low irradiation temperature. Boron levels are measured at 1 wt ppM or less, inadequate for embrittlement. Copper at 0.3 wt % and nickel at 0.7 wt % are shown to promote radiation strengthening in iron binary alloys irradiated at 50 to 60C, but no dependence on copper and nickel was found in steels with 0.05 to 0.22% Cu and 0.07 to 3.3% Ni. It is argued that copper impurity is not responsible for the accelerated embrittlement of the HFIR surveillance specimens. The dosimetry experiment has revealed the possibility that the fast fluence for the surveillance specimens may be underestimated because the stainless steel monitors in the surveillance packages do not record an unexpected component of neutrons in the spectrum at energies just below their measurement thresholds of 2 to 3 MeV

  3. Carbon Contamination During Ion Irradiation - Accurate Detection and Characterization of its Effect on Microstructure of Ferritic/Martensitic Steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jing; Toloczko, Mychailo B.; Kruska, Karen; Schreiber, Daniel K.; Edwards, Danny J.; Zhu, Zihua; Zhang, Jiandong

    2017-11-17

    Accelerator-based ion beam techniques have been used to study radiation effects in materials for decades. Although carbon contamination induced by ion beam in target materials is a well-known issue, it has not been fully characterized nor quantified for studies in ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels that are candidate materials for applications such as core structural components in advanced nuclear reactors. It is an especially important issue for this class of material because of the effect of carbon level on precipitate formation. In this paper, the ability to quantify carbon contamination using three common techniques, namely time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS), atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is compared. Their effectiveness and short-comings in determining carbon contamination will be presented and discussed. The corresponding microstructural changes related to carbon contamination in ion irradiated F/M steels are also presented and briefly discussed.

  4. Development of an extensive database of mechanical properties for Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanigawa, H.; Shiba, K.; Ando, M.; Wakai, E.; Jitsukawa, S.; Hirose, T.; Kasada, R.; Kimura, A.; Kohyama, A.; Kohno, Y.; Klueh, R.L.; Sokolov, M.; Stoller, R.; Zinklek, S.; Yamamoto, T.; Odette, G.; Kurtz, R.J.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels (RAFMs) are recognized as the primary candidate structural materials for fusion blanket systems, as they have been developed based on massive industrial experience of ferritic/martensitic steel replacing Mo and Nb of high chromium heat resistant martensitic steels (such as modified 9Cr-1Mo) with W and Ta, respectively. F82H (8Cr-2W-0.2V-0.04Ta-0.1C) and JLF-1 (9Cr-2W-0.2V-0.08Ta-0.1C) are RAFMs, which have been developed and studied in Japan and the various effects of irradiation were reported. F82H is designed with emphasis on high temperature property and weldablility, and was provided and evaluated in various countries as a part of the IEA fusion materials development collaboration. The Japan/US collaboration program also has been conducted with the emphasis on heavy irradiation effects of F82H, JLF-1 and ORNL9Cr2WVTa over the past two decades using Fast Flux Testing Facility (FFTF) of PNNL and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) of ORNL, and the irradiation condition of the irradiation capsules of those reactors were precisely controlled by the well matured capsule designing and instrumentation. Now, among the existing database for RAFMs the most extensive one is that for F82H. The objective of this paper is to review the database status of RAFMs, mainly on F82H, to identify the key issues for the future development of database. Tensile, fracture toughness, creep and fatigue properties and microstructural studies before and after irradiation are summarized. (authors)

  5. Development of an extensive database of mechanical properties for Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanigawa, H.; Shiba, K.; Ando, M.; Wakai, E.; Jitsukawa, S. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Hirose, T. [Blanket Engineering Group, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka, Ibaraki (Japan); Kasada, R.; Kimura, A.; Kohyama, A. [Kyoto Univ., lnstitute of Advanced Energy (Japan); Kohno, Y. [Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Klueh, R.L. [0ak Ridge Noational Laboratory, TN (United States); Sokolov, M.; Stoller, R.; Zinklek, S. [0ak Ridge Noational Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Div., TN (United States); Yamamoto, T.; Odette, G. [UCSB, Dept. of Chemical Engineering UCSB, Santa-Barbara (United States); Kurtz, R.J. [Pacifie Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA (United States)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels (RAFMs) are recognized as the primary candidate structural materials for fusion blanket systems, as they have been developed based on massive industrial experience of ferritic/martensitic steel replacing Mo and Nb of high chromium heat resistant martensitic steels (such as modified 9Cr-1Mo) with W and Ta, respectively. F82H (8Cr-2W-0.2V-0.04Ta-0.1C) and JLF-1 (9Cr-2W-0.2V-0.08Ta-0.1C) are RAFMs, which have been developed and studied in Japan and the various effects of irradiation were reported. F82H is designed with emphasis on high temperature property and weldablility, and was provided and evaluated in various countries as a part of the IEA fusion materials development collaboration. The Japan/US collaboration program also has been conducted with the emphasis on heavy irradiation effects of F82H, JLF-1 and ORNL9Cr2WVTa over the past two decades using Fast Flux Testing Facility (FFTF) of PNNL and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) of ORNL, and the irradiation condition of the irradiation capsules of those reactors were precisely controlled by the well matured capsule designing and instrumentation. Now, among the existing database for RAFMs the most extensive one is that for F82H. The objective of this paper is to review the database status of RAFMs, mainly on F82H, to identify the key issues for the future development of database. Tensile, fracture toughness, creep and fatigue properties and microstructural studies before and after irradiation are summarized. (authors)

  6. Residual stress studies of austenitic and ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrenko, R.M.

    1978-01-01

    Residual studies have been made on austenitic and ferritic steels of the types used as structural materials. The residual stress results presented here will include residual stress measurements in the heat-affected zone on butt welded Type 304 stainless steel pipes, and the stresses induced in Type 304 austenitic stainless steel and Type A508 ferritic steel by several surface preparations. Such surface preparation procedures as machining and grinding can induce large directionality effects in the residual stresses determined by X-ray techniques and some typical data will be presented. A brief description is given of the mobile X-ray residual stress apparatus used to obtain most of the data in these studies. (author)

  7. 77 FR 60478 - Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-03

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [[NRC-2012-0231] Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld... draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1279, ``Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal.'' This guide describes a method that the NRC staff considers acceptable for controlling ferrite content in...

  8. Behaviour and microstructure of stainless steels irradiated in the french fast breeder reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubuisson, P.; Gilbon, D.

    1991-01-01

    The burn-up of Fast Breeder Reactors is limited by the irradiation induced dimensional changes and mechanical properties of structural materials used for replaceable in-core components. This paper describes the behaviour improvements and also the radiation-induced microstructures of the different steels used for fuel pin cladding and wrapper tubes in French reactors. Materials of fuel pin cladding are austenitic steels whose main problem is swelling. Improvements in swelling resistance by cold-working, titanium additions and modifications of matrix (Fe-Cr-Ni) from SA 316 to CW 15-15 Ti are shown. These improvements are correlated with a best stability of microstructure under irradiation. Beneficial effects of phosphorus addition and multistabilisation (NbVTi) on radiation induced microstructure and swelling resistance are also shown. Austenitic steels used for wrapper tubes are limited both by swelling and by void embrittlement. The ferritic F17 (17Cr), ferritic-martensitic EM12 (9Cr-2MoNbV) and martensitic EM10 (9Cr-1Mo) steels present high swelling resistance. Nevertheless radiation-induced embrittlement is observed in EM12 and especially in F17. This embrittlement results from a fine and uniform radiation enhanced precipitation in ferrite grains. By contrast, the microstructure of fully martensitic EM10 steel is mush more stable and its ductile-brizzle transition temperature stays below 0 0 C. 12 figs

  9. Microstructure and mechanical properties in the weld heat affected zone of 9Cr-2W-VTa reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel for fusion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Joonoh; Lee, Changhoon; Lee, Taeho; Jang, Minho; Park, Mingu [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyoung Chan [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel demonstrated excellent resistance to the neutron irradiation and mechanical properties. The investigation of weldability in company with the development of RAFM steel is essential for construction of the fusion reactor. Generally, the superior mechanical properties of the RAFM steel can be upset during welding process due to microstructural change by rapid heating and cooling in the weld heat affected zone (HAZ). The phase transformation and mechanical properties in the weld HAZ of RAFM steel were investigated. The base steel consisted of tempered martensite and two carbides. During rapid welding thermal cycle, the microstructure of the base steel was transformed into martensite and δ-ferrite. In addition, the volume fraction of δ-ferrite and grain size increased with increase in the peak temperature and heat input. The strength of the HAZs was higher than that of the base steel due to the formation of martensite, whereas the impact properties of the HAZs deteriorated as compared with the base steel due to the formation of δ-ferrite. The PWHT improved the impact properties of the HAZs, resulting from the formation of tempered martensite.

  10. Ferrite control--Measurement problems and solutions during stainless steel fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pickering, E.W.

    1986-01-01

    Ferrite is one of the magnetic phases found in many grades of otherwise nonmagnetic austenitic stainless steel weldments. Control of ferrite during the fabrication of cryogenic component parts is necessary to produce a reliable product, free of cracking and microfissuring. This is accomplished by balancing compositions in order to produce a small amount of ferrite which is generally accompanied with reduced toughness. Control of ferrite is essential during the fabrication of component parts. The means to accomplish this will vary with the type of material being welded, thickness, welding process, method of measurement and fabrication procedures. An application used during the fabrication of component parts for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) required specially formulated shielded manual arc welding (SMAW) electrodes and consumable inserts. Control of ferrite measurements and shop welding procedures were essential. The special materials and techniques were used to weld Type 316 stainless steel pipe joints, 28 in. (0.71 m) in diameter. By using three lots of electrodes, each with a different ferrite level, a compatible range of ferrite was achieved throughout the layers of weld metal. By extensive use of the Schaeffler and DeLong modified constitution diagrams for stainless steel weld metal, E-16-8-2 SMAW electrodes were developed with ''0'' ferrite level. The electrodes were used during fabrication of the Liquid Metal Fast Breader Reactor (LMFBR) component parts of Type 316 stainless steel. Metallographic evaluation of laboratory specimens, control of shop welding techniques and individual laboratory training of shop welders combined to produce a quality product

  11. Irradiation effects on tensile ductility and dynamic toughness of ferritic-martensitic 7-12 Cr steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preininger, D.

    2006-01-01

    The superimposed effect of irradiation-induced hardening by small defects (clusters, dislocation loops) and chromium-rich - precipitate formations on tensile ductility and Charpy-impact behaviour of various ferritic-martensitic (7-13)CrWVTa(Ti)-RAFM steels have been examined by micro-mechanical deformation and ductile/dynamic fracture models. Analytical relations have been deduced describing irradiation-induced changes of uniform ductility and fracture strain as well as ductile-to-brittle transition temperature DBTT and ductile upper shelf energy USE observed from impact tests. The models apply work-hardening with competitive action of relevant dislocation multiplication and annihilation reactions. The impact model takes into account stress intensity with local plasticity and fracture within the damage zone of main crack. Especially, the influences of radiation-induced changes in ductile and dynamic fracture stresses have been considered together with effects from strain rate sensitivity of strength, precipitate morphology as mean size dp and volume fraction fv as well as deformation temperature and strain rate. For these, particularly the correlation between tensile ductility and impact properties have been examined. Strengthening by clusters and loops generally reduces uniform ductility, and more stronger fracture strain as well as ductile upper shelf energy USE and additionally increases DBTT for constant fracture stresses. A superimposed precipitation hardening by formation of 3-6 nm, f v 6 nm, which clear above the sharable limit of coherent precipitates increases with increasing fraction fv and but strongly reduces with increasing matrix strength due to full martensitic structure, higher C, N alloying contents and pronounced hardening by irradiation-induced cluster and loop formations. A combined increase of fracture stresses due to irradiation-induced changes of the grain boundary structure diminishes the strength-induced increase in DBTT and more stronger

  12. Resistance to pitting corrosion in ferritic and austenitic/ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Bouvier, O.

    1995-01-01

    Stainless steel tubes carrying raw water are potentially vulnerable to pitting corrosion. With a view to minimizing the corrosion risk in the river-water-cooled condensers at PWR power plant, a study was conducted to determine initiation conditions and incubation durations for pitting corrosion in stagnant water. As a result, condenser tubes in Z2 CI 18 (439) or Z2 CT 18-10 (304L) steels were phased out in favour of Z2 CND 16-32 (316L) stainless steel. The same question can be yield for other applications and especially for all types of exchangers for use in electrical applications. This study sought to assess alternative methods for estimating pitting corrosion, and to check the results of these methods against the actual behaviour of studied steels. The study covered ferritic steels (439, 444, 290Mo), austenitic steel (316L) and austenitic/ferritic steels (Uranus 35N, 45N, 47N, 52N). Two approaches were adopted: laboratory tests to compare pitting corrosion risks on different materials, and tests for characterizing the behaviour of steels exposed to river water. The study begins with a laboratory tests that yield an arbitrary parameter for quantifying pitting corrosion resistance. One method involves measuring the pitting temperature in an aggressive ferric chloride solution. Other methods measure the pitting potential, either statistically (Multipit method) or deterministically (polarization curve). We then go on to discuss tests under simulated life-like conditions, involving repeated immersions in water from the Seine. (author). 9 refs., 13 figs, 9 tabs

  13. Comparison of fracture behavior for low-swelling ferritic and austenitic alloys irradiated in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) to 180 DPA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, F.H.

    1992-02-01

    Fracture toughness testing was conducted to investigate the radiation embrittlement of high-nickel superalloys, modified austenitic steels and ferritic steels. These materials have been experimentally proven to possess excellent resistance to void swelling after high neutron exposures. In addition to swelling resistance, post-irradiation fracture resistance is another important criterion for reactor material selection. By means of fracture mechanics techniques the fracture behavior of those highly irradiated alloys was characterized in terms of irradiation and test conditions. Precipitation-strengthened alloys failed by channel fracture with very low postirradiation ductility. The fracture toughness of titanium-modified austenitic stainless steel D9 deteriorates with increasing fluence to about 100 displacement per atom (dpa), the fluence level at which brittle fracture appears to occur. Ferritic steels such as HT9 are the most promising candidate materials for fast and fusion reactor applications. The upper-shelf fracture toughness of alloy HT9 remained adequate after irradiation to 180 dpa although its ductile- brittle transition temperature (DBTT) shift by low temperature irradiation rendered the material susceptible to brittle fracture at room temperature. Understanding the fracture characteristics under various irradiation and test conditions helps reduce the potential for brittle fracture by permitting appropriate measure to be taken

  14. Mechanical Performance of Ferritic Martensitic Steels for High Dose Applications in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderoglu, Osman; Byun, Thak Sang; Toloczko, Mychailo; Maloy, Stuart A.

    2013-01-01

    Ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels are considered for core applications and pressure vessels in Generation IV reactors as well as first walls and blankets for fusion reactors. There are significant scientific data on testing and industrial experience in making this class of alloys worldwide. This experience makes F/M steels an attractive candidate. In this article, tensile behavior, fracture toughness and impact property, and creep behavior of the F/M steels under neutron irradiations to high doses with a focus on high Cr content (8 to 12) are reviewed. Tensile properties are very sensitive to irradiation temperature. Increase in yield and tensile strength (hardening) is accompanied with a loss of ductility and starts at very low doses under irradiation. The degradation of mechanical properties is most pronounced at martensitic steels exhibit a high fracture toughness after irradiation at all temperatures even below 673 K (400 °C), except when tested at room temperature after irradiations below 673 K (400 °C), which shows a significant reduction in fracture toughness. Creep studies showed that for the range of expected stresses in a reactor environment, the stress exponent is expected to be approximately one and the steady state creep rate in the absence of swelling is usually better than austenitic stainless steels both in terms of the creep rate and the temperature sensitivity of creep. In short, F/M steels show excellent promise for high dose applications in nuclear reactors.

  15. Effect of the radiation in the reference temperature T0 in ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villanueva O, A.; Gachuz M, M.E.

    2004-01-01

    The present work studies the effect that produces the irradiation in ferritic steels (AISI 8620) on the reference temperature (T 0 ) that characterizes the tenacity to the fractures (K JC ) of these materials obtaining this way a characteristic curve (Master Curve) of this steel. The approach of the 'Master curve' is based on the Astm E-1921. Following this standard the methodology of a sub size settled down in Charpy type test tubes. Due to this type of steels is used mainly in pressure vessels of the reactor in Nuclear Power plants, the fracture tenacity gives the rule at the moment for the verification of structural integrity of the pressure vessel of the reactor. (Author)

  16. Oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels: a basic research joint program in France

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boutard, J.-L.; Badjeck, V.; Barguet, L.; Barouh, C.; Bhattacharya, A.; Colignon, Y.; Hatzoglou, C.; Loyer-Prost, M.; Rouffié, A. L.; Sallez, N.; Salmon-Legagneur, H.; Schuler, T.

    2014-12-01

    AREVA, CEA, CNRS, EDF and Mécachrome are funding a joint program of basic research on Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steels (ODISSEE), in support to the development of oxide dispersion strengthened 9-14% Cr ferritic-martensitic steels for the fuel element cladding of future Sodium-cooled fast neutron reactors. The selected objectives and the results obtained so far will be presented concerning (i) physical-chemical characterisation of the nano-clusters as a function of ball-milling process, metallurgical conditions and irradiation, (ii) meso-scale understanding of failure mechanisms under dynamic loading and creep, and, (iii) kinetic modelling of nano-clusters nucleation and α/α‧ unmixing.

  17. Effect of temperature on sintered austeno-ferritic stainless steel microstructure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Munez, C.J. [Departamento de Ciencia e Ingenieria de Materiales, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnologia, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Mostoles, Madrid (Spain)], E-mail: claudio.munez@urjc.es; Utrilla, M.V.; Urena, A. [Departamento de Ciencia e Ingenieria de Materiales, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnologia, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Mostoles, Madrid (Spain)

    2008-09-08

    The influence of temperature on microstructural changes of sintered austeno-ferritic steels has been investigated. PM stainless steels have been obtained by sintering mixtures of austenitic and ferritic stainless steel powders. Only temperature-induced phase transformation was observed in austenite, as a result of elements interdiffusion between both phases. Microstructural characterization was completed with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro- and nano-indentation test, it is revealed an increase in the hardness with respect to the solutionized materials.

  18. TEM characterization of irradiated microstructure of Fe-9%Cr ODS and ferritic-martensitic alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swenson, M. J.; Wharry, J. P.

    2018-04-01

    The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of irradiation dose and dose rate on defect cluster (i.e. dislocation loops and voids) evolution in a model Fe-9%Cr oxide dispersion strengthened steel and commercial ferritic-martensitic steels HCM12A and HT9. Complimentary irradiations using Fe2+ ions, protons, or neutrons to doses ranging from 1 to 100 displacements per atom (dpa) at 500 °C are conducted on each alloy. The irradiated microstructures are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Dislocation loops exhibit limited growth after 1 dpa upon Fe2+ and proton irradiation, while any voids observed are small and sparse. The average size and number density of loops are statistically invariant between Fe2+, proton, and neutron irradiated specimens at otherwise fixed irradiation conditions of ∼3 dpa, 500 °C. Therefore, we conclude that higher dose rate charged particle irradiations can reproduce the neutron irradiated loop microstructure with temperature shift governed by the invariance theory; this temperature shift is ∼0 °C for the high sink strength alloys studied herein.

  19. Microstructural characterization of ODS ferritic steels at different processing stages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gil, E., E-mail: egil@ceit.es; Ordás, N.; García-Rosales, C.; Iturriza, I., E-mail: iiturriza@ceit.es

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • ODS ferritic stainless steel produced by new route without mechanical alloying. • Fully dense ferritic stainless steels containing Y and Ti were obtained by HIPping. • Y and Ti-rich precipitates prevent grain growth during heat treatment up to 1320 °C. • HIPping at 1220 °C dissolves the metastable oxides on PPBs. - Abstract: Nanostructured Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Reduced Activation Ferritic Stainless Steels (ODS RAF) are promising structural materials for fusion reactors, due to their ultrafine microstructure and the presence of a dispersion of Y–Ti–O nanoclusters that provide excellent creep strength at high temperatures (up to 750 °C). The traditional powder metallurgical route to produce these steels is based on Gas Atomization (GA) + Mechanical Alloying (MA) + HIP + ThermoMechanical Treatments (TMTs). Recently, alternative methods have arisen to avoid the MA step. In line with this new approach, ferritic stainless steel powders were produced by gas atomization and HIPped, after adjusting their oxygen, Y and Ti contents to form Y–Ti–O nanoclusters during subsequent heat treatments. The microstructure of as-HIPped steels mainly consists of ferrite grains, Y–Ti precipitates, carbides and oxides on Prior Particle Boundaries (PPBs). Post-HIP heat treatments performed at high temperatures (1270 and 1300 °C) evaluated the feasibility of achieving a complete dissolution of the oxides on PPBs and a precipitation of ultrafine Ti- and Y-rich oxides in the Fe14Cr2W matrix. FEG-SEM with extensive EDS analysis was used to characterize the microstructure of the atomized powders and the ODS-RAF specimens after HIP consolidation and post-HIP heat treatments. A deeper characterization of atomized powder was carried out by TEM.

  20. Ultra-sonic testing for brittle-ductile transition temperature of ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nomakuchi, Michiyoshi

    1979-01-01

    The ultra-sonic testing for the brittle-ductile transition temperature, the USTB test for short, of ferritic steels is proposed in the present paper. And also the application of the USTB test into the nuclear pressure vessel surveillance is discussed. The USTB test is based upon the experimental results in the present work that the ultrasonic pressure attenuation coefficient of a ferritic steel has the evident transition property with its temperature due to the nature from which the brittle-ductile fracture transition property of the steel come and for four ferritic steels the upper boundary temperatute of the region in which the transition of the attenuation coefficient of a steel takes place is 4 to 5 0 C higher than the sub(D)T sub(E), i.e. the transition temperature of the fracture absorption energy of the steel by the DWTT test. The USTB test estimates the crack arrest temperature which is defined to be the fracture transition elastic temperature by the upper boundary temperature. (author)

  1. Microstructure and tensile properties of high strength duplex ferrite-martensite (DFM) steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chakraborti, P.C.; Mitra, M.K.

    2007-01-01

    Duplex ferrite-martensite (DFM) steels containing 38-80% martensite of varying morphologies were developed by batch intercritical annealing of a commercial variety vanadium bearing 0.2% C-Mn steel at different temperatures. Microstructures before intercritical annealing were found to control the morphological distribution of the phase constituents of the developed DFM steels. Tensile test results revealed best strength-ductility combination for finely distributed lamellar ferrite-martensite phase aggregate containing ∼60% martensite developed from a prior martensitic structure. Taking consideration of the modified law of mechanical mixture the experimental tensile strength data of the developed DFM steels has been formulated with some success and very good estimation for tensile strengths of pure ferrite and low carbon martensite has been made from tensile strength data of DFM steels

  2. Creep strength and rupture ductility of creep strength enhanced ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kushima, Hideaki; Sawada, Kota; Kimura, Kazuhiro [National Inst. for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

    2010-07-01

    Creep strength and rupture ductility of Creep Strength Enhanced Ferritic (CSEF) steels were investigated from a viewpoint of stress dependence in comparison with conventional low alloy ferritic creep resistant steels. Inflection of stress vs. time to rupture curve was observed at 50% of 0.2% offset yield stress for both CSEF and conventional ferritic steels. Creep rupture ductility tends to decrease with increase in creep exposure time, however, those of conventional low alloy steels indicate increase in the long-term. Creep rupture ductility of the ASME Grades 92 and 122 steels indicates drastic decrease with decrease in stress at 50% of 0.2% offset yield stress. Stress dependence of creep rupture ductility of the ASME Grades 92 and 122 steels is well described by stress ratio to 0.2% offset yield stress, regardless of temperature. Drop of creep rupture ductility is caused by inhomogeneous recovery at the vicinity of prior austenite grain boundary, and remarkable drop of creep rupture ductility of CSEF steels should be derived from those stabilized microstructure. (orig.)

  3. Further application of the cleavage fracture stress model for estimating the T{sub 0} of highly embrittled ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sreenivasan, P.R.

    2016-02-15

    The semi-empirical cleavage fracture stress model (CFS), based on the microscopic cleavage fracture stress, s{sub f}, for estimating the ASTM E1921 reference temperature (T{sub 0}) of ferritic steels from instrumented impact testing of unprecracked Charpy V-notch specimens is further confirmed by test results for additional steels, including steels highly embrittled by thermal aging or irradiation. In addition to the ferrite-pearlite, bainitic or tempered martensitic steels (which was examined earlier), acicular or polygonal ferrite, precipitation-strengthened or additional simulated heat affected zone steels are also evaluated. The upper limit for the applicability of the present CFS model seems to be T{sub 41J} ∝160 to 170 C or T{sub 0} or T{sub Qcfs} (T{sub 0} estimate from the present CFS model) ∝100 to 120 C. This is not a clear-cut boundary, but indicative of an area of caution where generation and evaluation of further data are required. However, the present work demonstrates the applicability of the present CFS model even to substantially embrittled steels. The earlier doubts expressed about T{sub Qcfs} becoming unduly non-conservative for highly embrittled steels has not been fully substantiated and partly arises from the necessity of modifications in the T{sub 0} evaluation itself at high degrees of embrittlement suggested in the literature.

  4. Stability under irradiation of a fine dispersion of oxides in a ferritic matrix; Stabilite sous irradiation de particules d'oxydes finement dispersees dans des alliages ferritiques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Monnet, I

    1999-07-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic-martensitic steels are being considered for high temperature, high fluence nuclear applications, like fuel pin cladding in Fast Breeder Reactors. ODS alloys offer improved out of pile strength characteristics at temperature above 550 deg.C and ferritic-martensitic matrix is highly swelling resistant. A clad in an ODS ferritic steel, call DY (Fe-13Cr-1,5Mo+TiO{sub 2}+Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}) has been irradiated in the experimental reactor Phenix. Under irradiation oxide dissolution occurs. Microstructural observations indicated that oxide evolution is correlated with the dose and consist in four phenomena: the interfaces of oxide particles with the matrix become irregular, the uniform distribution of the finest oxide (< 20 nm) disappear, the modification of oxide composition, and a halo of fine oxides appear around the larger oxides. The use of such a material requires a study of oxide stability under irradiation, since the oxide particles provide the desired mechanical properties. The study is based on two types of alloys, the DY and four ferritic steels Fe-9Cr-1Mo reinforced by Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}, MgO or MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}. These materials were irradiated with charged particles in order to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of dissolution. Irradiation with 1 MeV Helium does not induce any modification, neither in the chemical modification of the particles nor in their spatial and size distribution. Since most of the energy of helium ions is lost by inelastic interaction, this result proves that this kind of interaction does not induce oxide dissolution. Irradiation with 1 MeV or 1.2 MeV electrons leads to a significant dissolution with a radius decrease proportional to the dose. These experiments prove that oxide dissolution can be induced by Frenkel pairs alone, provided that metallic atoms are displaced. The comparison between irradiation with ions (displacements cascades) and electrons (Frenkel

  5. Ferrite morphology and residual phases in continuously cooled low carbon steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunne, D.P.

    1999-01-01

    Although much research has been conducted on the isothermal transformation products of medium to high carbon hardenable steels, relatively little has been reported for transformation of low carbon structural steels under continuous cooling conditions. The trend towards reduced carbon levels (less than about 0.1 wt% C) has been driven by demands for formability and weldability, challenging steel designers to maintain strength by microalloying and/or thermomechanical controlled processing. Although control of the ferritic products formed in low carbon steels after hot rolling, normalising and welding is essential in order to ensure adequate strength and toughness, understanding of the microstructures formed on continuous cooling is still limited. In addition, transformation mechanisms remain controversial because of polarisation of researchers into groups championing diffusional and displacive theories for the transformation of austenite over a wide range of cooling rates. The present review compares and draws together the main ferrite classification schemes, and discusses some critical issues on kinetics and mechanisms, in an attempt to rationalise the effects of cooling rate, prior austenite structure and composition on the resulting ferrite structure and its mechanical properties. It is concluded that with increasing cooling rate the ferritic product becomes finer, more plate-like, more dislocated, more carbon supersaturated, more likely to be formed by a displacive mechanism, harder and stronger. Other conclusions are that: (i) 'bainitic ferrite', which is a pervasive form of ferrite in continuously cooled low carbon steels, is different from the conventional upper and lower bainites observed in higher carbon steels, insofar as the co-product 'phase' is typically martensite-austenite islands rather than cementite; and (ii) low carbon bainite rather than martensite is the dominant product at typical fast cooling rates (<500K/s) associated with commercial

  6. Self-ion Irradiation Damage of F/M and ODS steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Suk Hoon; Chun, Young-Bum; Noh, Sanghoon; Jang, Jinsung; Kim, Tae Kyu

    2014-01-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels are potential high-temperature materials that are stabilized by dispersed particles at elevated temperatures. These dispersed particles improve the tensile strength and creep rupture strength, they are expected to increase the operation temperature up to approximately 650 .deg. C and also enhance the energy efficiency of the fusion reactor. Some reports described that the nano-clusters are strongly resistant to coarsening by annealing up to 1000 .deg. C, and nanoclusters do not change after ion irradiation up to 0.7 dpa at 300 .deg. C. ODS steels will be inevitably exposed to neutron irradiation condition; the irradiation damages, creep and swelling are always great concern. The dispersed oxide particles are believed to determine the performance of the steel, even the radiation resistance. In this study, F/M and ODS model alloys of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) were irradiated by Fe 3+ self-ion to emulate the neutron irradiation effect. In this study, Fe 3+ self-ion irradiation is used as means of introducing radiation damage in F/M steel and ODS steel. The ion accelerator named DuET (in Kyoto University, Japan) was used for irradiation of Fe 3+ ion by 6.4 MeV at 300 .deg. C. The maximum damage rate in F/M and ODS steels were estimated roughly 6 dpa. After radiation, point or line defects were dominantly observed in F/M steel, on the other hands, small circular cavities were typically observed in ODS steel. Nanoindentation is a useful tool to determine the irradiationinduced hardness change in the damage layer of ionirradiated iron base alloys

  7. Boron-bearing Influences of 9Cr-0.5Mo-2W-V-Nb Ferritic/Martensitic Steels for a SFR Fuel Cladding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baek, Jong-Hyuk; Han, Chang-Hee; Kim, Woo-Gon; Kim, Sung-Ho; Lee, Chan-Bock

    2008-01-01

    Currently the principal materials in a SFR (sodium-cooled fast reactor) of Gen-IV nuclear system are considering stainless steels (e.g. austenitic steels and ferritic/martensitic steels) for pressure boundary and structural applications in the primary circuit (cladding, duct, cold and hot leg piping, and pressure vessel). There are sound technical justifications for these material selections, and the adoption of these stainless steels for a wide range of nuclear and non-nuclear applications has generated much industrial technology and experience. However, there are strong incentives to develop advanced materials, especially cladding, for the Gen-IV SFR. The Gen-IV SFR is to have a considerable increase in safety and be economically competitive when compared with the conventional water reactors. To accomplish these objectives, the development of the fuel cladding material should be set forth as a premise because its integrity is directly related to those of the reactor system as well as the fuel in the Gen-IV SFR. Since last year, a R and D program was launched to develop the improved ferritic/martensitic steel for the Gen-IV SFR fuel cladding. Categories of materials considered in the program included 8 - 12% Cr ferritic/ martensitic steels. A strong recommendation was made for the development of a high strength steel equivalent to or superior to ASTM Gr.92 steel to offset the difficulties encountered with commercial available steels of the 8 - 12% Cr group. That is, since fuel cladding in the Gen-IV SFR would operate under higher temperatures than 600 .deg. C, contacting with liquid sodium, and be irradiated by neutrons to as high as 200dpa, the cladding should thus sustain both superior irradiation and temperature stabilities during an operational life. The newly developed advanced steel should overcome the severe drawback; mechanical properties, especially creep, are deteriorated at a higher temperature over 600 .deg. C. In this study, as one of the composition

  8. Proceedings of the IEA Working Group meeting on ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.

    1996-01-01

    An IEA working group on ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion applications, consisting of researchers from Japan, European Union, USA, and Switzerland, met at the headquarters of the Joint European Torus, Culham, UK. At the meeting, preliminary data generated on the large heats of steels purchased for the IEA program and on other heats of steels were presented and discussed. Second purpose of the meeting was to continue planning and coordinating the collaborative test program in progress on reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels. The majority of this report consists of viewographs for the presentations

  9. On the corrosion resistance of 01Kh25 ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eremeeva, R.A.; Koval', E.K.

    1989-01-01

    Effect of non-ferrous metal ions on corrosion behaviour of 01Kh25 specific low carbon steel as compared to austenitic 12Kh18N10T and 06KhN28MDT steels in boiling solutions of sulfuric and nitric acids and their mixture is studied. Compositions initating commercial ones are chosen the media. It is shown that trough corrosion resistance of 01Kh25 steel in 10% H 2 SO 4 is two order below 06KhN28MDT austenitic steel in presence of Cu 2+ ions as a result of the surface passivation corrosion resistance of ferritic steel is an order higher the austenitic ones. Ferrite steel resistance in the nitric acid and its mixture with sulfuric acid is five timesas much as in 12Kh18N10T austenitic steel

  10. THE INFLUENCE OF POSTHEAT TREATMENT ON FERRITE REDISTRIBUTION IN DUPLEX STEELS ELECTRON BEAM WELDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zita Iždinská

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available The duplex stainless steel is two-phase steel with the structure composed of austenite and ferrite with optimum austenite/ferrite proportion 50%. At present, classical arc processes for welding duplex steels are generally regarded as acceptable. On the other hand electron and laser beam welding is up to now considered less suitable for welding duplex steels. The submitted work presents the results of testing various thermal conditions at welding duplex stainless steel with electron beam. It was shown, that application of suitable postheat made possible to reduce the ferrite content in weld metal.

  11. Behavior of the elements in the mechanically alloyed and cast ferritic steels and a type 316 stainless steel in a flowing sodium environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, T.; Mutoh, I.

    1988-01-01

    Sodium corrosion behavior of a mechanically alloyed ferritic steel, dispersion-strengthened with addition of Y 2 0 3 and Ti, two kinds of melted/cast ferritic steels and a Type 316 stainless steel was examined by using a non-isothermal sodium loop system, constructed of another Type 316 stainless steel, with a direct resistance electrical heater. The sodium conditions were 675 0 C, 4.0 m/s in velocity and 1-2 ppm oxygen concentration and a cumulative exposure time of the specimens was about 3000 h. The absorption of Ni and selective dissolution of Cr played an important role in the corrosion of the mechanically alloyed ferritic steel as in the case of the cast ferritic steels. However, the region of Ni absorption and Cr diminution was deeper than that of the cast ferritic steels. Peculiar finding for the mechanically alloyed ferritic steel was the corroded surface with irregularly shaped protuberance, that might be related with formation of sodium titanate, and the absorption of carbon and nitrogen to form carbide and nitride of titanium. It seems that these facts resulted in the irregular weight loss of the specimens, which depended on the downstream position and the cumulative exposure time. However, the tensile properties of the mechanically alloyed ferritic steel did not noticeably change by the sodium exposure

  12. Development and Application of High-Cr Ferritic Stainless Steels as Building Exterior Materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yeong H.; Lee, Yong H.; Lee, Yong D.

    2008-01-01

    Stainless Steels have been widely used as a building exterior materials in Asian countries for the last decade. It is required for the materials in this field to have an aesthetic appearance,a relatively high strength, and an excellent corrosion resistance. Other metallic materials such as copper, aluminum, and carbon steels have been also used as the exterior materials. Considering the cost of maintenance, stainless steel, having the outstanding corrosion resistance, is replacing other materials in the several parts in the building exteriors. Ferritic stainless steel has been applied as the roofing materials because its thermal expansion is much smaller than that of austenitic stainless steel. Therefore, it is suitable for the large-scale construction such as airport terminal, convention center, and football stadium. To improve the corrosion resistance of the ferritic stainless steels, the modification of alloy composition has been studied to develop new grade materials and the progress in the surface technology has been introduced. Corrosion properties, of these materials were evaluated in the laboratory and in the field for longer than two years. High-Cr ferritic stainless steel showed excellent corrosion resistance to the atmospheric environments. In the region close to the sea, the corrosion resistance of high-Cr ferritic stainless steel was much superior to that of other materials, which may prove this steel to be the appropriate materials for the construction around seashore. In some of the large constructions around seashore in South Korea, high-Cr ferritic stainless steels have been used as the building exterior materials for six years

  13. Development and Application of High-Cr Ferritic Stainless Steels as Building Exterior Materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Yeong H.; Lee, Yong H.; Lee, Yong D. [POSCO Technical Reseaarch Lab., Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-12-15

    Stainless Steels have been widely used as a building exterior materials in Asian countries for the last decade. It is required for the materials in this field to have an aesthetic appearance,a relatively high strength, and an excellent corrosion resistance. Other metallic materials such as copper, aluminum, and carbon steels have been also used as the exterior materials. Considering the cost of maintenance, stainless steel, having the outstanding corrosion resistance, is replacing other materials in the several parts in the building exteriors. Ferritic stainless steel has been applied as the roofing materials because its thermal expansion is much smaller than that of austenitic stainless steel. Therefore, it is suitable for the large-scale construction such as airport terminal, convention center, and football stadium. To improve the corrosion resistance of the ferritic stainless steels, the modification of alloy composition has been studied to develop new grade materials and the progress in the surface technology has been introduced. Corrosion properties, of these materials were evaluated in the laboratory and in the field for longer than two years. High-Cr ferritic stainless steel showed excellent corrosion resistance to the atmospheric environments. In the region close to the sea, the corrosion resistance of high-Cr ferritic stainless steel was much superior to that of other materials, which may prove this steel to be the appropriate materials for the construction around seashore. In some of the large constructions around seashore in South Korea, high-Cr ferritic stainless steels have been used as the building exterior materials for six years.

  14. Recent improvements in size effects correlations for DBTT and upper shelf energy of ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, A.S.; Louden, B.S.; Garner, F.A.; Hamilton, M.L.

    1992-01-01

    Currently available correlations for the effects of specimen size on the USE were developed for relatively ductile steels and will not serve as well when the steels become embrittled. Size effects correlations were developed recently for the impact properties of less ductile HT9 to be applied to other initially more ductile steels as they lose their ductility during irradiation. These new correlations successfully predict the ductile brittle transition temperature (DBTT) and the upper shelf energy (USE) of full size Charpy specimens based on subsize specimen data. The new DBTT and the USE correlations were tested against published experimental data on other ferritic steels and shown to perform successfully at lower USE particularly when both precracked and notched only specimens were employed

  15. Progress of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel development in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jitsukawa, S.; Kimura, A.; Kohyama, A.; Ukai, S.; Sawai, T.; Wakai, E.; Shiba, K.; Miwa, Y.; Furuya, K.; Tanigawa, H.; Ando, M.

    2005-01-01

    Recent accomplishment by the Japanese activity for the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel (RAF/M) development has been reviewed. Some of the results obtained in EU and US by international collaborative activities are also introduced. Effect of irradiation on the shift of ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) has been evaluated to a dose of 20dpa. Results suggest that RAF/M appears to satisfy the requirement on DBTT-shift for the blanket application in the dose range up to several tens of dpa. Also, enhancement effect of DBTT-shift by transmutation produced helium (He) atoms was revealed to be smaller than has been suggested previously. Preliminary studies about the effect of irradiation on fatigue mechanism, the susceptibility to environmentally assisted cracking in water and flow stress-strain relation have been conducted for the specimens irradiated to several dpa, including the post irradiation tensile property examination of the joints by Hot-isostatic press (HIP) bonding method. The results also indicate that RAF/Ms exhibit suitable properties for ITER test blanket module. (author)

  16. Atom probe study of the microstructural evolution induced by irradiation in Fe-Cu ferritic alloys and pressure vessel steels; Etude a la sonde atomique de l`evolution microstructurale sous irradiation d`alliages ferritiques Fe-Cu et d`aciers de cuve REP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pareige, P

    1996-04-01

    Pressure vessel steels used in pressurized water reactors are low alloyed ferritic steels. They may be prone to hardening and embrittlement under neutron irradiation. The changes in mechanical properties are generally supposed to result from the formation of point defects, dislocation loops, voids and/or copper rich clusters. However, the real nature of the irradiation induced-damage in these steels has not been clearly identified yet. In order to improve our vision of this damage, we have characterized the microstructure of several steels and model alloys irradiated with electrons and neutrons. The study was performed with conventional and tomographic atom probes. The well known importance of the effects of copper upon pressure vessel steel embrittlement has led us to study Fe-Cu binary alloys. We have considered chemical aging as well as aging under electron and neutron irradiations. The resulting effects depend on whether electron or neutron irradiations ar used for thus. We carried out both kinds of irradiation concurrently so as to compare their effects. We have more particularly considered alloys with a low copper supersaturation representative of that met with the French vessel alloys (0.1% Cu). Then, we have examined steels used on French nuclear reactor pressure vessels. To characterize the microstructure of CHOOZ A steel and its evolution when exposed to neutrons, we have studied samples from the reactor surveillance program. The results achieved, especially the characterization of neutron-induced defects have been compared with those for another steel from the surveillance program of Dampierre 2. All the experiment results obtained on model and industrial steels have allowed us to consider an explanation of the way how the defects appear and grow, and to propose reasons for their influence upon steel embrittlement. (author). 3 appends.

  17. Use of double and triple-ion irradiation to study the influence of high levels of helium and hydrogen on void swelling of 8-12% Cr ferritic-martensitic steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kupriiyanova, Y. E.; Bryk, V. V.; Borodin, O. V.; Kalchenko, A. S.; Voyevodin, V. N.; Tolstolutskaya, G. D.; Garner, F. A.

    2016-01-01

    In accelerator-driven spallation (ADS) devices, some of the structural materials will be exposed to intense fluxes of very high energy protons and neutrons, producing not only displacement damage, but very high levels of helium and hydrogen. Unlike fission flux-spectra where most helium and hydrogen are generated by transmutation in nickel and only secondarily in iron or chromium, gas production in ADS flux-spectra are rather insensitive to alloy composition, such that Fe-Cr base ferritic alloys also generate very large gas levels. While ferritic alloys are known to swell less than austenitic alloys in fission spectra, there is a concern that high gas levels in fusion and especially ADS facilities may strongly accelerate void swelling in ferritic alloys. In this study of void swelling in response to helium and hydrogen generation, irradiation was conducted on three ferritic-martensitic steels using the Electrostatic Accelerator with External Injector (ESUVI) facility that can easily produce any combination of helium to dpa and/or hydrogen to dpa ratios. Irradiation was conducted under single, dual and triple beam modes using 1.8 MeV Cr+3, 40 keV He+, and 20 keV H+. In the first part of this study we investigated the response of dual-phase EP-450 to variations in He/dpa and H/dpa ratio, focusing first on dual ion studies and then triple ion studies, showing that there is a diminishing influence on swelling with increasing total gas content. In the second part we investigated the relative response of three alloys spanning a range of starting microstructure and composition. In addition to observing various synergisms between He and H, the most important conclusion was that the tempered martensite phase, known to lag behind the ferrite phase in swelling in the absence of gases, loses much of its resistance to void nucleation when irradiated at large gas/dpa levels.

  18. Nanostructures in a ferritic and an oxide dispersion strengthened steel induced by dynamic plastic deformation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Zhenbo

    fission and fusion reactors. In this study, two candidate steels for nuclear reactors, namely a ferritic/martensitic steel (modified 9Cr-1Mo steel) and an oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel (PM2000), were nanostructured by dynamic plastic deformation (DPD). The resulting microstructure...

  19. Chromium Enrichment on P11 Ferritic Steel by Pack Cementation

    OpenAIRE

    Fauzi F. A.; Kurniawan T.; Salwani M. S.; Bin Y. S.; Harun W. S. W.

    2016-01-01

    The future thermal power plant is expected to operate at higher temperature to improve its efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emission. This target requires better corrosion properties of ferritic steels, which commonly used as materials for superheater and reheater of boiler tubes. In this work, chromium enrichment on the surface of ferritic steel is studied. The deposited chromium is expected to become a reservoir for the formation of chromia protective layer. Chromium was deposited on...

  20. Conversion of MX Nitrides to Modified Z-Phase in 9-12%Cr Ferritic Steels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cipolla, Leonardo

    for Z-phase formation was highlighted during the studies. Several 9-12%Cr commercial steels with prolonged high-temperature exposures have been investigated, too. The same mechanism of Z-phase formation observed in 12%Cr model alloys was identified in industrial 9-12%Cr steels after thousands of hours......The 9-12%Cr ferritic steels are extensively used in modern steam power plants at service temperature up to 620°C. Currently the best perform ing ferritic creep resistance steel is the ASTM Grade 92, whose high temperature strength has recently been assessed by European Creep Collaborative Committee...... in 2005 as 600°C/113MPa/10 5h. All previous attempts made in the last twenty years to develop ferritic steels for 650°C applications have failed due to the incapacity to combine the superior oxidation resistance, given by 12%Cr content, with excellent creep resistance of high-alloyed ferritic steels...

  1. Development of next generation tempered and ODS reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion energy applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinkle, S. J.; Boutard, J. L.; Hoelzer, D. T.; Kimura, A.; Lindau, R.; Odette, G. R.; Rieth, M.; Tan, L.; Tanigawa, H.

    2017-09-01

    Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels are currently the most technologically mature option for the structural material of proposed fusion energy reactors. Advanced next-generation higher performance steels offer the opportunity for improvements in fusion reactor operational lifetime and reliability, superior neutron radiation damage resistance, higher thermodynamic efficiency, and reduced construction costs. The two main strategies for developing improved steels for fusion energy applications are based on (1) an evolutionary pathway using computational thermodynamics modelling and modified thermomechanical treatments (TMT) to produce higher performance reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels and (2) a higher risk, potentially higher payoff approach based on powder metallurgy techniques to produce very high strength oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels capable of operation to very high temperatures and with potentially very high resistance to fusion neutron-induced property degradation. The current development status of these next-generation high performance steels is summarized, and research and development challenges for the successful development of these materials are outlined. Material properties including temperature-dependent uniaxial yield strengths, tensile elongations, high-temperature thermal creep, Charpy impact ductile to brittle transient temperature (DBTT) and fracture toughness behaviour, and neutron irradiation-induced low-temperature hardening and embrittlement and intermediate-temperature volumetric void swelling (including effects associated with fusion-relevant helium and hydrogen generation) are described for research heats of the new steels.

  2. Synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen for bubble swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel under sequential helium and hydrogen irradiation at different temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Wenhui [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Guo, Liping, E-mail: guolp@whu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Chen, Jihong; Luo, Fengfeng; Li, Tiecheng [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Ren, Yaoyao [Center for Electron Microscopy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Suo, Jinping; Yang, Feng [State Key Laboratory of Mould Technology, Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

    2014-04-15

    Highlights: • Helium/hydrogen synergistic effect can increase irradiation swelling of RAFM steel. • Hydrogen can be trapped to the outer surface of helium bubbles. • Too large a helium bubble can become movable. • Point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations at high temperature. • The peak swelling temperature for RAFM steel is 450 °C. - Abstract: In order to investigate the synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen on swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel, specimens were separately irradiated by single He{sup +} beam and sequential He{sup +} and H{sup +} beams at different temperatures from 250 to 650 °C. Transmission electron microscope observation showed that implantation of hydrogen into the specimens pre-irradiated by helium can result in obvious enhancement of bubble size and swelling rate which can be regarded as a consequence of hydrogen being trapped by helium bubbles. But when temperature increased, Ostwald ripening mechanism would become dominant, besides, too large a bubble could become mobile and swallow many tiny bubbles on their way moving, reducing bubble number density. And these effects were most remarkable at 450 °C which was the peak bubble swelling temperature for RAMF steel. When temperature was high enough, say above 450, point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations or surface. As a consequence, helium could no longer effectively diffuse and clustering in materials and bubble formation was suppressed. When temperature was above 500, helium bubbles would become unstable and decompose or migrate out of surface. Finally no bubble was observed at 650 °C.

  3. Synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen for bubble swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel under sequential helium and hydrogen irradiation at different temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Wenhui; Guo, Liping; Chen, Jihong; Luo, Fengfeng; Li, Tiecheng; Ren, Yaoyao; Suo, Jinping; Yang, Feng

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Helium/hydrogen synergistic effect can increase irradiation swelling of RAFM steel. • Hydrogen can be trapped to the outer surface of helium bubbles. • Too large a helium bubble can become movable. • Point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations at high temperature. • The peak swelling temperature for RAFM steel is 450 °C. - Abstract: In order to investigate the synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen on swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel, specimens were separately irradiated by single He + beam and sequential He + and H + beams at different temperatures from 250 to 650 °C. Transmission electron microscope observation showed that implantation of hydrogen into the specimens pre-irradiated by helium can result in obvious enhancement of bubble size and swelling rate which can be regarded as a consequence of hydrogen being trapped by helium bubbles. But when temperature increased, Ostwald ripening mechanism would become dominant, besides, too large a bubble could become mobile and swallow many tiny bubbles on their way moving, reducing bubble number density. And these effects were most remarkable at 450 °C which was the peak bubble swelling temperature for RAMF steel. When temperature was high enough, say above 450, point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations or surface. As a consequence, helium could no longer effectively diffuse and clustering in materials and bubble formation was suppressed. When temperature was above 500, helium bubbles would become unstable and decompose or migrate out of surface. Finally no bubble was observed at 650 °C

  4. Enhancement of electrical conductivity in gamma irradiated cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nawpute, Asha A.; Raut, A.V.; Babrekar, M.K.; Kale, C.M.; Jadhav, K.M.; Shinde, A.B.

    2014-01-01

    The cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel auto- combustion method, in which L-ascorbic acid was used as a fuel. The effect of gamma irradiation on the electrical resistivity of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles has been studied. The ferrite powder annealed at 550℃ was irradiated by gamma source 137 Cs. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction and DC resistivity. (author)

  5. Effect of microstructure on the fracture toughness of ferrite-martensite-bainite steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byun, Thak Sang; Kim, In Sup

    1988-01-01

    The effect of microstructure on the fracture toughness of ferrite-martensite -bainite steels was investigated with Fe-0.11C-1.64Mn-0.78Si composition. One inch compact tension specimens (1T-CTSs) were machined from hot rolled plates. The microstructure of ferrite-martensite-bainite was introduced to the specimens by the heat treatment of intercritical annealing at 800deg C and isothermal holding at 350deg C. Holding at 350deg C increased volume fraction of bainite, while decreased that of martensite, and refined martensite particles. Single specimen unloading compliance method was used in fracture test to obtain J-resistance (J-R) curve and to determine the fracture toughness(J IC ). Introduction of bainite to the ferrite-martensite steel improved the fracture toughness due to the deformation of bainite which relaxed the stress concentration on the interface of ferrite and martensite. Observation of fracto-graphs through the scanning electron microscope(SEM) identified the fracture mechanism of ferrite-martensite-bainite steels as dimple nucleation and crack growth by decohesion of ferrite matrix and second phase particles and by microvoid coales cence. (Author)

  6. Formation of oxides particles in ferritic steel by using gas-atomized powder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Yong; Fang Jinghua; Liu Donghua; Lu Zhi; Liu Feng; Chen Shiqi; Liu, C.T.

    2010-01-01

    Oxides dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel was prepared by using gas-atomized pre-alloyed powder, without the conventional mechanical alloying process. By adjusting the volume content of O 2 in the gas atmosphere Ar, the O level in the ferritic powder can be well controlled. The O dissolves uniformly in the ferritic powder, and a very thin layer of oxides forms on the powder surface. After hot deformation, the primary particle boundaries, which retain after sintering, can be disintegrated and near fully dense materials can be obtained. The oxide layer on the powder surface has a significant effect on the microstructural evolution. It may prevent the diffusion in between the primary particles during sintering, and may dissolve and/or induce the nucleation of new oxides in the ferritic matrix during recrystallization. Two kinds of oxide particles are found in the ferritic steel: large (∼100 nm) Ti-rich and fine (10-20 nm) Y-Ti-rich oxides. The hardness of the ferritic steel increases with increasing annealing temperatures, however, decreases at 1400 deg. C, due to the coarsening of precipitates and the recrystallization microstructure.

  7. Radiation induced phosphorus segregation in austenitic and ferritic alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brimhall, J.L.; Baer, D.R.; Jones, R.H.

    1984-01-01

    The radiation induced surface segregation (RIS) of phosphorus in stainless steel attained a maximum at a dose of 0.8 dpa then decreased continually with dose. This decrease in the surface segregation of phosphorus at high dose levels has been attributed to removal of the phosphorus layer by ion sputtering. Phosphorus is not replenished since essentially all of the phosphorus within the irradiation zone has been segregated to the surface. Sputter removal can explain the previously reported absence of phosphorus segregation in ferritic alloys irradiated at high dosessup(1,2) (>1 dpa) since irradiation of ferritic alloys to low doses has shown measurable RIS. This sputtering phenomenon places an inherent limitation to the heavy ion irradiation technique for the study of surface segregation of impurity elements. The magnitude of the segregation in ferritics is still much less than in stainless steel which can be related to the low damage accumulation in these alloys. (orig.)

  8. Electrochemical approach to corrosion behavior of ferritic steels in Flibe melt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, H.; Suzuki, A.; Terai, T.; Kondo, M.; Sagara, A.; Noda, N.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: A mixture of LiF-BeF 2 , Flibe, is considered as a candidate material for tritium breeding in a fusion liquid blanket. Flibe has favorable characteristics such as high chemical stability and low electric conductivity. However, it produces TF with neutron irradiation, which is corrosive to structural materials. Therefore, the compatibility of structural materials with Flibe is a critical issue. Up to the present, the compatibility of some materials with Flibe was examined by carrying out simple immersion tests under limited conditions. By visual observations and analyses such as XRD on the surfaces after washing out Flibe from specimens, it was found that ferritic steels seemed to have good compatibility. However, strictly speaking, surface condition of the specimens should not be same as that during immersion in melt because these specimens were subjected to heat treatments and washing processes in order to remove solidified Flibe. Therefore, we planed electrochemical experiment to observe corrosion behavior during immersion. In this study, by carrying out cyclic voltammetry on specimens to observe alteration of surface condition of specimen in Flibe melt from moment to moment, the compatibility of ferritic steel with Flibe melt was discussed on. JLF-1 JOYO-II heat ferritic steel (Fe-9.000r-1.98W-0.09C-0.49Mn-0.20V-0.083Ta) which is a candidate low activation ferritic steel as a structural material of fusion reactor was chosen as a test specimen. Fe-9Cr and Fe-2W alloys were also chosen for comparison. The size of all specimens was 20 x 10 x 1 mm. A electrochemical cell was assembled using these specimens as working electrodes. Pt was chosen as a material for quasi-reference electrode. A Ni crucible which was the container of electrolyte, Flibe, was used as a counter electrode. 600 grams of Flibe was prepared and purified by HF/H 2 bubbling before being filled in the Ni crucible. Each specimen was dunked into Flibe at 773, 823 and

  9. Characterization of friction stir welded joint of low nickel austenitic stainless steel and modified ferritic stainless steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondal, Mounarik; Das, Hrishikesh; Ahn, Eun Yeong; Hong, Sung Tae; Kim, Moon-Jo; Han, Heung Nam; Pal, Tapan Kumar

    2017-09-01

    Friction stir welding (FSW) of dissimilar stainless steels, low nickel austenitic stainless steel and 409M ferritic stainless steel, is experimentally investigated. Process responses during FSW and the microstructures of the resultant dissimilar joints are evaluated. Material flow in the stir zone is investigated in detail by elemental mapping. Elemental mapping of the dissimilar joints clearly indicates that the material flow pattern during FSW depends on the process parameter combination. Dynamic recrystallization and recovery are also observed in the dissimilar joints. Among the two different stainless steels selected in the present study, the ferritic stainless steels shows more severe dynamic recrystallization, resulting in a very fine microstructure, probably due to the higher stacking fault energy.

  10. Radiation effects on low cycle fatigue properties of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirose, T.; Tanigawa, H.; Ando, M.; Kohyama, A.; Katoh, Y.; Narui, M.

    2002-01-01

    The reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel, RAFs F82H IEA heat has been fatigue-tested at ambient temperature under diametral strain controlled conditions. In order to evaluate the effects of radiation damage and transmutation damage on fatigue characteristics, post-neutron irradiation and post-helium ion implantation fatigue tests were carried out. Fracture surfaces and fatigue crack initiation on the specimen surface were observed by SEM. Low-temperature irradiation caused an increase in stress amplitude and a reduction in fatigue lifetime corresponding to radiation hardening and loss of ductility. Neutron irradiated samples showed brittle fracture surface, and it was significant for large strain tests. On the other hand, helium implantation caused delay of cyclic softening. However, brittle crack initiation and propagation did not depend on the helium concentration profiles

  11. The relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties of ferritic chromium steel weldments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mayr, Peter; Cerjak, Horst [Graz Univ. of Technology (Austria); Toda, Yoshiaki; Hara, Toru; Abe, Fujio [National Institute for Materials Science (Japan)

    2008-07-01

    Welding as the major joining and repair technology for steels in thermal power plants has a significant influence on the steels microstructure and, therefore, on its properties. Heat-resistant martensitic 9-12% chromium steels show an affinity to the retention of delta ferrite in the heat-affected zone of their weldments. This is related to their high level of ferrite stabilizing alloying elements such as Cr, W or Mo. Retained delta ferrite in martensitic steel grades has a significant negative influence on creep strength, fatigue strength, toughness and oxidation resistance. In the long-term range of creep exposure, many weldments of martensitic heatresistant steels fail by Type IV cracking in the fine-grained region of the heat-affected zone. In this work, the formation of the heat-affected zone microstructures in martensitic chromium steels is studied by in-situ X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation, optical microscopy as well as most advanced electron microscopical methods. The observed microstructure is directly linked to the mechanical properties, i.e. ductility, toughness and creep strength. Characteristic failure modes are discussed in detail. (orig.)

  12. Friction Stir Welding of HT9 Ferritic-Martensitic Steel: An Assessment of Microstructure and Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-01

    report of FSW on a ferritic- martensitic stainless steel is the work of Chung, which applied this approach to a dissimilar weld between F82H (ferritic... martensitic ) and SUS304 (austenitic stainless ) [43]. 7 D. CORROSION OF FERRITIC/ MARTENSITIC STEELS IN HIGH TEMPERATURE MOLTEN SALT COOLANTS In...Philadelphia, PA, 1992, pp. 1267–1286, March 1990. [15] S. Rosenwasser, ―The application of martensitic stainless steels in a lifelong fusion first wall

  13. Passivation behavior of a ferritic stainless steel in concentrated alkaline solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arash Fattah-alhosseini

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The passivation behavior of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel was investigated in concentrated alkaline solutions in relation to several test parameters, using electrochemical techniques. Increasing solution pH (varying from 11.5 to 14.0 leads to an increase in the corrosion rate of the alloy. Mott–Schottky analysis revealed that passive films formed on AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel behave as n-type semiconductor and the donor densities increased with pH. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS results showed that the reciprocal capacitance of the passive film is directly proportional to its thickness, which decreases with pH increase. The results revealed that for this ferritic stainless steel in concentrated alkaline solutions, decreasing the solution pH offers better conditions for forming passive films with higher protection behavior, due to the growth of a much thicker and less defective film.

  14. Recent status and improvement of reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steels for high-temperature service

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tan, L., E-mail: tanl@ornl.gov [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831 (United States); Katoh, Y. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831 (United States); Tavassoli, A.-A.F.; Henry, J. [DMN/Dir, DEN, CEA Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Rieth, M. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Sakasegawa, H. [National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Rokkasho, Aomori, 039-3212 (Japan); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831 (United States); Tanigawa, H. [National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Rokkasho, Aomori, 039-3212 (Japan); Huang, Q. [Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China)

    2016-10-15

    Reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels, candidate structural materials for fusion reactors, have achieved technological maturity after about three decades of research and development. The recent status of a few developmental aspects of current RAFM steels, such as aging resistance, plate thickness effects, fracture toughness, and fatigue, is updated in this paper, together with ongoing efforts to develop next-generation RAFM steels for superior high-temperature performance. In addition to thermomechanical treatments, including nonstandard heat treatment, alloy chemistry refinements and modifications have demonstrated some improvements in high-temperature performance. Castable nanostructured alloys (CNAs) were developed by significantly increasing the amount of nanoscale MX (M = V/Ta/Ti, X = C/N) precipitates and reducing coarse M{sub 23}C{sub 6} (M = Cr). Preliminary results showed promising improvement in creep resistance and Charpy impact toughness. Limited low-dose neutron irradiation results for one of the CNAs and China low activation martensitic are presented and compared with data for F82H and Eurofer97 irradiated up to ∼70 displacements per atom at ∼300–325 °C.

  15. THE INFLUENCE OF POSTHEAT TREATMENT ON FERRITE REDISTRIBUTION IN DUPLEX STEELS ELECTRON BEAM WELDS

    OpenAIRE

    Zita Iždinská; František Kolenič

    2009-01-01

    The duplex stainless steel is two-phase steel with the structure composed of austenite and ferrite with optimum austenite/ferrite proportion 50%. At present, classical arc processes for welding duplex steels are generally regarded as acceptable. On the other hand electron and laser beam welding is up to now considered less suitable for welding duplex steels. The submitted work presents the results of testing various thermal conditions at welding duplex stainless steel with electron beam. It w...

  16. Effect of residual stress on fatigue crack propagation at 200 C in a welded joint austenitic stainless steel - ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zahouane, A.I.; Gauthier, J.P.; Petrequin, P.

    1988-01-01

    Fatigue resistance of heterogeneous welded joints between austenitic stainless steels and ferritic steels is evaluated for reactor components and more particularly effect of residual stress on fatigue crack propagation in a heterogeneous welded joint. Residual stress is measured by the hole method in which a hole is drilled through the center of a strain gage glued the surface of the materials. In the non uniform stress field a transmissibility function is used for residual stress calculation. High compression residual stress in the ferritic metal near the interface ferritic steel/weld slow down fatigue crack propagation. 5 tabs., 15 figs., 19 refs [fr

  17. Prediction of δ-ferrite distribution in continuously cast type 304 stainless steel slabs by diffusion transformation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, J. Joon; Kim, Sun K.; Kim, Jong W.

    1998-01-01

    Retained δ-ferrite in 304 stainless steel is known to prevent hot cracking during continuous casting. Excess content of retained δ-ferrite lowers the hot workability. So it is necessary to control the amount of retained δ-ferrite in stainless steel. A numerical model based on coupled analysis of macro heat transfer and micro diffusion transformation has been developed in order to predict retained δ-ferrite in continuously cast 304 stainless steel slab. The finite difference technique for moving boundary problem has been formulated utilizing 'murray-landis variable-grid method'. The reliability of numerical model is compared with the other results. The prediction of δ-ferrite content in CC type 304 stainless steel slabs shows good agreement between measured and predicted results. Effect of secondary cooling condition on the δ-ferrite has been also investigated

  18. The filler powders laser welding of ODS ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liang, Shenyong, E-mail: s_y_liang@126.com; Lei, Yucheng; Zhu, Qiang

    2015-01-15

    Laser welding was performed on Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel with the self-designed filler powders. The filler powders were added to weld metal to produce nano-particles (Y–M–O and TiC), submicron particles (Y–M–O) and dislocation rings. The generated particles were evenly distributed in the weld metal and their forming mechanism and behavior were analyzed. The results of the tests showed that the nano-particles, submicron particles and dislocation rings were able to improve the micro-hardness and tensile strength of welded joint, and the filler powders laser welding was an effective welding method of ODS ferritic steel.

  19. High strength ferritic alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-01-01

    A high strength ferritic steel is specified in which the major alloying elements are chromium and molybdenum, with smaller quantities of niobium, vanadium, silicon, manganese and carbon. The maximum swelling is specified for various irradiation conditions. Rupture strength is also specified. (U.K.)

  20. Plasma spot welding of ferritic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lesnjak, A.; Tusek, J.

    2002-01-01

    Plasma spot wedding of ferritic stainless steels studied. The study was focused on welding parameters, plasma and shieldings and the optimum welding equipment. Plasma-spot welded overlap joints on a 0.8 mm thick ferritic stainless steel sheet were subjected to a visual examination and mechanical testing in terms of tension-shear strength. Several macro specimens were prepared Plasma spot welding is suitable to use the same gas as shielding gas and as plasma gas , i. e. a 98% Ar/2% H 2 gas mixture. Tension-shear strength of plasma-spot welded joint was compared to that of resistance sport welded joints. It was found that the resistance welded joints withstand a somewhat stronger load than the plasma welded joints due to a large weld sport diameter of the former. Strength of both types of welded joints is approximately the same. (Author) 32 refs

  1. Age-hardening susceptibility of high-Cr ODS ferritic steels and SUS430 ferritic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Dongsheng, E-mail: chen.dongsheng85@gmail.com [Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Kimura, Akihiko; Han, Wentuo; Je, Hwanil [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • The role of oxide particles in α/α′ phase decomposition behavior; microstructure of phase decomposition observed by TEM. • The characteristics of ductility loss caused by age-hardening. • Correlation of phase decomposition and age-hardening explained by dispersion strengthened models. • Age-hardening susceptibility of ODS steels and SUS430 steel. - Abstract: The effect of aging on high-Cr ferritic steels was investigated with focusing on the role of oxide particles in α/α′ phase decomposition behavior. 12Cr-oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel, 15Cr-ODS steel and commercial SUS430 steel were isothermally aged at 475 °C for up to 10,000 h. Thermal aging caused a larger hardening in SUS430 than 15Cr-ODS, while 12Cr-ODS showed almost no hardening. A characteristic of the ODS steels is that the hardening was not accompanied by the significant loss of ductility that was observed in SUS430 steel. After aging for 2000 h, SUS430 steel shows a larger ductile–brittle transition temperature (DBTT) shift than 15Cr-ODS steel, which suggests that the age-hardening susceptibility is lower in 15Cr-ODS steel than in conventional SUS430 steel. Thermal aging leaded to a large number of Cr-rich α′ precipitates, which were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Correlation of age-hardening and phase decomposition was interpreted by Orowan type strengthening model. Results indicate that oxide particles cannot only suppress ductility loss, but also may influence α/α′ phase decomposition kinetics.

  2. Modeling of Ni Diffusion Induced Austenite Formation in Ferritic Stainless Steel Interconnects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Ming; Molin, Sebastian; Zhang, L.

    2015-01-01

    Ferritic stainless steel interconnect plates are widely used in planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) or electrolysis cell (SOEC) stacks. During stack production and operation, nickel from the Ni/YSZ fuel electrode or from the Ni contact component diffuses into the IC plate, causing transformation...... of the ferritic phase into an austenitic phase in the interface region. This is accompanied with changes in volume and in mechanical and corrosion properties of the IC plates. In this work, kinetic modeling of the inter-diffusion between Ni and FeCr based ferritic stainless steel was conducted, using the CALPHAD...

  3. The effects of laser welding parameters on the microstructure of ferritic and duplex stainless steels welds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pekkarinen, J.; Kujanpää, V.

    This study is focused to determine empirically, which microstructural changes occur in ferritic and duplex stainless steels when heat input is controlled by welding parameters. Test welds were done autogenously bead-on-plate without shielding gas using 5 kW fiber laser. For comparison, some gas tungsten arc welds were made. Used test material were 1.4016 (AISI 430) and 1.4003 (low-carbon ferritic) type steels in ferritic steels group and 1.4162 (low-alloyed duplex, LDX2101) and 1.4462 (AISI 2205) type steels in duplex steels group. Microstructural changes in welds were identified and examined using optical metallographic methods.

  4. Material physical properties of 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel (PNC-FMS) wrapper tube materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yano, Yasuhide; Kaito, Takeji; Ohtsuka, Satoshi; Tanno, Takashi; Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Koyama, Shinichi

    2012-09-01

    It is necessary to develop core materials for fast reactors in order to achieve high-burnup. Ferritic steels are expected to be good candidate core materials to achieve this objective because of their excellent void swelling resistance. Therefore, oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel and 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel (PNC-FMS) have been respectively developed for cladding and wrapper tube materials in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. In this study, various physical properties of PNC-FMS wrapper materials were measured and equations and future standard measurement technique of physical properties for the design and evaluation were conducted. (author)

  5. Sigma phases in an 11%Cr ferritic/martensitic steel with the normalized and tempered condition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, Yinzhong, E-mail: shenyz@sjtu.edu.cn [School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Zhou, Xiaoling; Shi, Tiantian; Huang, Xi [School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Shang, Zhongxia [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Liu, Wenwen; Ji, Bo; Xu, Zhiqiang [School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China)

    2016-12-15

    At the present time 9–12% Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels with target operating temperatures up to 650 °C and higher are being developed in order to further increase thermal efficiency so as to reduce coal consumption and air pollution. An 11% Cr F/M steel was prepared by reference to the nominal chemical composition of SAVE12 steel with an expected maximum use temperature of 650 °C. The precipitate phases of the 11% Cr F/M steel normalized at 1050 °C for 0.5 h and tempered at 780 °C for 1.5 h were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Except for Cr-/Cr-Fe-Co-rich M{sub 23}C{sub 6}, Nb-/V-/Ta-Nb-/Nd-rich MX, Fe-rich M{sub 5}C{sub 2}, Co-rich M{sub 3}C and Fe-Co-rich M{sub 6}C phases previously identified in the steel, two types of sigma phases consisting of σ-FeCr and σ-FeCrW were found to be also present in the normalized and tempered steel. Identified σ-FeCr and σ-FeCrW phases have a simple tetragonal crystal structure with estimated lattice parameters a/c = 0.8713/0.4986 and 0.9119/0.5053 nm, respectively. The compositions in atomic pct of the observed sigma phases were determined to be approximately 50Fe-50Cr for the σ-FeCr, and 30Fe-55Cr-10W in addition to a small amount of Ta, Co and Mn for the σ-FeCrW. The sigma phases in the steel exhibit various blocky morphologies, and appear to have a smaller amount compared with the dominant phases Cr-rich M{sub 23}C{sub 6} and Nb-/V-/Ta-Nb-rich MX of the steel. The σ-FeCr phase in the steel was found to precipitate at δ-ferrite/martensite boundaries, suggesting that δ-ferrite may rapidly induce the formation of sigma phase at δ-ferrite/martensite boundaries in high Cr F/M steels containing δ-ferrite. The formation mechanism of sigma phases in the steel is also discussed in terms of the presence of δ-ferrite, M{sub 23}C{sub 6} precipitation, precipitation/dissolution of M{sub 2}X, and steel composition. - Highlights: •Precipitate phases in normalized and tempered 11%Cr F/M steel are

  6. Elevated-Temperature Ferritic and Martensitic Steels and Their Application to Future Nuclear Reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, RL

    2005-01-31

    In the 1970s, high-chromium (9-12% Cr) ferritic/martensitic steels became candidates for elevated-temperature applications in the core of fast reactors. Steels developed for conventional power plants, such as Sandvik HT9, a nominally Fe-12Cr-1Mo-0.5W-0.5Ni-0.25V-0.2C steel (composition in wt %), were considered in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Now, a new generation of fission reactors is in the planning stage, and ferritic, bainitic, and martensitic steels are again candidates for in-core and out-of-core applications. Since the 1970s, advances have been made in developing steels with 2-12% Cr for conventional power plants that are significant improvements over steels originally considered. This paper will review the development of the new steels to illustrate the advantages they offer for the new reactor concepts. Elevated-temperature mechanical properties will be emphasized. Effects of alloying additions on long-time thermal exposure with and without stress (creep) will be examined. Information on neutron radiation effects will be discussed as it applies to ferritic and martensitic steels.

  7. Influence of tempering on mechanical properties of ferritic martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chun, Y. B.; Han, C. H.; Choi, B. K.; Lee, D. W.; Kim, T. K.; Jeong, Y. H.; Cho, S.

    2012-01-01

    In the mid-1980s research programs for development of low activation materials began. This is based on the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Guidelines (10CFR part 61) that were developed to reduce long-lived radioactive isotopes, which allows nuclear reactor waste to be disposed of by shallow land burial when removed from service. Development of low activation materials is also key issue in nuclear fusion systems, as the structural components can became radioactive due to nuclear transmutation caused by exposure to high dose neutron irradiation. Reduced-activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steels have been developed in the leading countries in nuclear fusion technology, and are now being considered as primary candidate material for the test blanket module (TBM) in the international thermonuclear experiment reactor (ITER). RAFM steels developed so far (e.g., EUROFER 97 and F82H) meet the requirement for structural application in the ITER. However, if such alloys are used in the DEMO or commercial fusion reactor is still unclear, as the reactors are designed to operate under much severe conditions (i.e., higher outlet coolant temperature and neutron fluences). Such harsh operating conditions lead to development of RAFM steels with better creep and irradiation resistances. Mechanical properties of RAFM steels are strongly affected by microstructural features including the distribution, size and type of precipitates, dislocation density and grain size. For a given composition, such microstructural characteristics are determined mainly by thermo-mechanical process employed to fabricate the final product, and accordingly a final heat treatment, i.e., tempering is the key step to control the microstructure and mechanical properties. In the present work, we investigated mechanical properties of the RAFM steels with a particular attention being paid to effects of tempering on impact and creep properties

  8. In-situ observation of weld joint of austenitic stainless steel due to helium irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamada, S.; Hojou, K.; Hishinuma, A.

    1992-01-01

    Microstructural evolution during helium ions irradiation in a weld metal containing 10% delta-ferrite of a weld joint of Ti-modified austenitic stainless steel were in-situ observed through a transmission electron microcopy. Very fine helium bubbles were observed in high number density in both a delta ferrite phase and a matrix to a dose of 3 x 10 19 ions·m -2 . Entirely different behavior appeared in both phases with increasing dose. Bubbles in a delta-ferrite phase were readily converted into voids during slight increment of dose, and these rapidly grew with additional increasing of dose. On the other hand, finer bubbles in a matrix were very stable during irradiation and did not grow any more up to 2 x 10 20 ions·m -2 . Swelling became much larger in a delta-ferrite phase than in a fcc matrix phase, resultantly ; This means an inverse phenomenon for conventional results that swelling is smaller in a ferrite phase than in a fcc phase. Sigma phase radiation-enhanced precipitated at the grain boundary between a delta-ferrite phase and a matrix at a dose 9 x 10 19 ions·m -2 . This phase grew in two dimensions with increasing dose. The chemical composition of the sigma phase observed during irradiation showed Cr and Mo enrichment, and Fe and Ni depletion compared with those of a sigma phase thermally produced. (author)

  9. Use of microstructure control to toughen ferritic steels for cryogenic use. I. Fe--Ni steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Syn, C.K.; Jin, S.; Morris, J.W. Jr.

    1976-12-01

    Alternation of austenitization and austenite + ferrite two-phase decomposition treatment in a cyclic thermal treatment allows the achievement of ultra-fine grain size in steels containing 8-12% Ni. The grain refinement leads to a substantial improvement in cryogenic mechanical properties. The ductile-brittle transition temperature of a ferritic Fe-12Ni-0.25Ti alloy was suppressed to below liquid helium temperature by this grain refinement procedure; the transition temperature of commercial ''9Ni'' cryogenic steel was similarly reduced by combining the grain refinement with a final temper which introduces a small admixture of retained austenite

  10. Tube manufacturing and characterization of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ukai, Shigeharu; Mizuta, Shunji; Yoshitake, Tunemitsu; Okuda, Takanari; Fujiwara, Masayuki; Hagi, Shigeki; Kobayashi, Toshimi

    2000-01-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels have an advantage in radiation resistance and superior creep rupture strength at elevated temperature due to finely distributed Y 2 O 3 particles in the ferritic matrix. Using a basic composition of low activation ferritic steel (Fe-12Cr-2W-0.05C), cladding tube manufacturing by means of pilger mill rolling and subsequent recrystallization heat-treatment was conducted while varying titanium and yttria contents. The recrystallization heat-treatment, to soften the tubes hardened due to cold-rolling and to subsequently improve the degraded mechanical properties, was demonstrated to be effective in the course of tube manufacturing. For a titanium content of 0.3 wt% and yttria of 0.25 wt%, improvement of the creep rupture strength can be attained for the manufactured cladding tubes. The ductility is also adequately maintained

  11. Determination of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in austenitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida Macedo, W.A. de.

    1983-01-01

    Measurements of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels were done by X-ray diffraction, quantitative metallography (point count) and by means of one specific commercial apparatus whose operational principle is magnetic-inductive: The Ferrite Content Meter 1053 / Institut Dr. Foerster. The results obtained were comparated with point count, the reference method. It was also investigated in these measurements the influence of the martensite induced by mechanical deformation. Determinations by X-ray diffraction, by the ratio between integrated intensities of the ferrite (211) and austenite (311) lines, are in excelent agreement with those taken by point count. One correction curve for the lectures of the commercial equipment in focus was obtained, for the range between zero and 20% of delta ferrite in 18/8 stainless steels. It is demonstrated that, depending on the employed measurement method and surface finishing of the material to be analysed, the presence of martensite produced by mechanical deformation of the austenitic matrix is one problem to be considered. (Author) [pt

  12. Determination of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in austenitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida Macedo, W.A. de.

    1983-01-01

    Measurements of delta ferrite volumetric fraction in AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels were done by X-ray difraction, quantitative metallography (point count) and by means of one specific commercial apparatus whose operational principle is magnetic-inductive: The Ferrite Content Meter 1053 / Institut Dr. Forster. The results obtained were comparated with point count, the reference method. It was also investigated in these measurements the influence of the martensite induced by mechanical deformation. Determinations by X-ray diffraction, by the ratio between integrated intensities of the ferrite (211) and austenite (311) lines, are in excelent agreement with those taken by point count. One correction curve for the lectures of the commercial equipment in focus was obtained, for the range between zero and 20% of delta ferrite in 18/8 stainless steels. It is demonstrated that, depending on the employed measurement method and surface finishing of the material to be analysed, the presence of martensite produced by mechanical deformation of the austenitic matrix is one problem to be considered. (Author) [pt

  13. Influence of delta ferrite on mechanical and creep properties of steel P92

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohyla, Petr [VSB - Technical Univ. of Ostrava (Czech Republic). Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; Kubon, Zdenek [Material and Metallurgical Research Ltd., Ostrava (Czech Republic)

    2010-07-01

    This article presents some new results obtained during research of chromium modified steel P92. This steel is considered the best modified 9-12% Cr steel for the construction of modern power plants with ultra-super-critical steam parameters. High creep rupture strength of steel P92 is characterized by its chemical composition and by microstructure as well. Optimal microstructure of steel P92 is ideally composed of homogeneous martensite and fine dispersion of secondary particles. During the research program one P92 heat with an occurrence of about 20% delta ferrite was produced. The article describes the microstructure of the heat in various modes of heat treatment, as well as the results of mechanical properties tests at room temperature and also creep test results. The results are confronted with properties of other heats that have no delta ferrite. The relevance is on the significant difference while comparing of creep test results. The comparison of results brings conclusions, defining influence of delta ferrite on mechanical and creep properties of P92 steel. (orig.)

  14. In situ 3D monitoring of corrosion on carbon steel and ferritic stainless steel embedded in cement paste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itty, Pierre-Adrien; Serdar, Marijana; Meral, Cagla; Parkinson, Dula; MacDowell, Alastair A.; Bjegović, Dubravka; Monteiro, Paulo J.M.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The morphology of the corrosion of steel in cement paste was studied in situ. • During galvanostatic corrosion, carbon steel reinforcement corroded homogeneously. • On ferritic stainless steel, deep corrosion pits formed and caused wider cracks. • The measured rate of steel loss correlated well with Faraday’s law of electrolysis. - Abstract: In a X-ray microcomputed tomography study, active corrosion was induced by galvanostatically corroding steel embedded in cement paste. The results give insight into corrosion product build up, crack formation, leaching of products into the cracks and voids, and differences in morphology of corrosion attack in the case of carbon steel or stainless steel reinforcement. Carbon steel was homogeneously etched away with a homogeneous layer of corrosion products forming at the steel/cement paste interface. For ferritic stainless steel, pits were forming, concentrating the corrosion products locally, which led to more extensive damage on the cement paste cover

  15. Intragranular ferrite morphologies in medium carbon vanadium-microalloyed steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fadel A.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to determine TTT diagram of medium carbon V-N micro-alloyed steel with emphasis on the development of intragranular ferrite morphologies. The isothermal treatment was carried out at 350, 400, 450, 500, 550 and 600°C. These treatments were interrupted at different times in order to analyze the evolution of the microstructure. Metallographic evaluation was done using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The results show that at high temperatures (≥ 500°C polygonal intragranulary nucleated ferrite idiomorphs, combined with grain boundary ferrite and pearlite were produced and followed by an incomplete transformation phenomenon. At intermediate temperatures (450, 500°C an interloced acicular ferrite (AF microstructure is produced, and at low temperatures (400, 350°C the sheave of parallel acicular ferrite plates, similar to bainitic sheaves but intragranularly nucleated were observed. In addition to sheaf type acicular ferrite, the grain boundary nucleated bainitic sheaves are observed. [Projekat Ministartsva nauke Republike Srbije, br. OI174004

  16. Development of Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic Steels in South Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chun, Y. B.; Choi, B. K.; Han, C. H.; Lee, D. W.; Cho, S.; Kim, T. K.; Jeong, Y. H.

    2012-01-01

    In the mid-1980s research programs for development of low activation materials began. This is based on the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Guidelines (10CFR part 61) that were developed to reduce longlived radioactive isotopes, which allows nuclear reactor waste to be disposed of by shallow land burial when removed from service. Development of low activation materials is also key issue in nuclear fusion systems, as the structural components can became radioactive due to nuclear transmutation caused by exposure to high dose neutron irradiation. Reduced-activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steels have been developed in the leading countries in nuclear fusion technology, and are now being considered as candidate structural material for the test blanket module (TBM) in the international thermonuclear experiment reactor (ITER). South Korea joined the ITER program in 2003 and since then extensive effort has been made for developing the helium-cooled solid-breeder (HCSB) TBM which is scheduled to be tested in the ITER program. However, there has been no research activity to develop RAFM steels in South Korea, while all the participants in the ITER program have developed their own RAFM steels. It is recently that the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) started the Korean RAFM steel research program, aiming at an application for the HCSB-type TBM structure in ITER. In what follows, the current status of RAFM steels and the R and D program led by KAERI to develop Korean RAFM steels are summarized

  17. Nanocluster irradiation evolution in Fe-9%Cr ODS and ferritic-martensitic alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swenson, M. J.; Wharry, J. P.

    2017-12-01

    The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of dose rate and cascade morphology on nanocluster evolution in a model Fe-9%Cr oxide dispersion strengthened steel and the commercial ferritic/martensitic (F/M) alloys HCM12A and HT9. We present a large, systematic data set spanning the three alloys, three irradiating particle types, four orders of magnitude in dose rate, and doses ranging 1-100 displacements per atom over 400-500 °C. Nanoclusters are characterized using atom probe tomography. ODS oxide nanoclusters experience partial dissolution after irradiation due to inverse Ostwald ripening, while F/M nanoclusters undergo Ostwald ripening. Damage cascade morphology is indicative of nanocluster number density evolution. Finally, the effects of dose rate on nanocluster morphology provide evidence for a temperature dilation theory, which purports that a negative temperature shift is necessary for higher dose rate irradiations to emulate nanocluster evolution in lower dose rate irradiations.

  18. Strain hardening of cold-rolled lean-alloyed metastable ferritic-austenitic stainless steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Papula, Suvi [Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 14200, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Anttila, Severi [Centre for Advanced Steels Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4200, 90014 Oulu (Finland); Talonen, Juho [Outokumpu Oyj, P.O. Box 245, FI-00181 Helsinki (Finland); Sarikka, Teemu; Virkkunen, Iikka; Hänninen, Hannu [Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 14200, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland)

    2016-11-20

    Mechanical properties and strain hardening of two pilot-scale lean-alloyed ferritic-austenitic stainless steels having metastable austenite phase, present at 0.50 and 0.30 volume fractions, have been studied by means of tensile testing and nanoindentation. These ferritic-austenitic stainless steels have high strain-hardening capacity, due to the metastable austenite phase, which leads to an improved uniform elongation and higher tensile strength in comparison with most commercial lean duplex stainless steels. According to the results, even as low as 0.30 volume fraction of austenite seems efficient for achieving nearly 40% elongation. The austenite phase is initially the harder phase, and exhibits more strain hardening than the ferrite phase. The rate of strain hardening and the evolution of the martensite phase were found to depend on the loading direction: both are higher when strained in the rolling direction as compared to the transverse direction. Based on the mechanical testing, characterization of the microstructure by optical/electron microscopy, magnetic balance measurements and EBSD texture analysis, this anisotropy in mechanical properties of the cold-rolled metastable ferritic-austenitic stainless steels can be explained by the elongated dual-phase microstructure, fiber reinforcement effect of the harder austenite phase and the presence and interplay of rolling textures in the two phases.

  19. Ferritic stainless steels: corrosion resistance + economy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Remus, A.L.

    1976-01-01

    Ferritic stainless steels provide corrosion resistance at lower cost. They include Type 409, Type 439, 18SR, 20-Mo (1.6 Mo), 18-2 (2 Mo), 26-1S, E-Brite 26-1, 29 Cr-4 Mo, and 29 Cr-4 Mo-2 Ni. Their corrosion and mechanical properties are examined. Resistance to stress-corrosion cracking is an advantage compared to austenitic types

  20. Dilution and Ferrite Number Prediction in Pulsed Current Cladding of Super-Duplex Stainless Steel Using RSM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eghlimi, Abbas; Shamanian, Morteza; Raeissi, Keyvan

    2013-12-01

    Super-duplex stainless steels have an excellent combination of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance at relatively low temperatures and can be used as a coating to improve the corrosion and wear resistance of low carbon and low alloy steels. Such coatings can be produced using weld cladding. In this study, pulsed current gas tungsten arc cladding process was utilized to deposit super-duplex stainless steel on high strength low alloy steel substrates. In such claddings, it is essential to understand how the dilution affects the composition and ferrite number of super-duplex stainless steel layer in order to be able to estimate its corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. In the current study, the effect of pulsed current gas tungsten arc cladding process parameters on the dilution and ferrite number of super-duplex stainless steel clad layer was investigated by applying response surface methodology. The validity of the proposed models was investigated by using quadratic regression models and analysis of variance. The results showed an inverse relationship between dilution and ferrite number. They also showed that increasing the heat input decreases the ferrite number. The proposed mathematical models are useful for predicting and controlling the ferrite number within an acceptable range for super-duplex stainless steel cladding.

  1. On superplasticity of corrosion resistant ferritic-austenitic chromium-nickel steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Surovtsev, A P; Sukhanov, V E

    1988-01-01

    The deformability of corrosion resistant chromium-nickel ferritic austenitic steel type O8Kh22N6T under tension, upsetting and torsion in the 600-1200 deg C temperature range is studied. For the deformation rate of the order of 10/sup -3/ s/sup -1/ the effect of superelasticity reveals itself at 850 deg C in the process of ferrite dynamic polymerization, in the 925-950 deg C range, at initial stages of dynamic recrystallization - the dynamic polygonization controlled by chromium carbide dissolving in steel and maximum at 1050 deg C in the process of development of austenite dynamic recrystallization with grain refinement with F/A ratio equalling 1. After upsetting in the elasticity mode at 1050 deg C the impact strength of the above steel is maximum.

  2. Paraequilibrium Carburization of Duplex and Ferritic Stainless Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michal, G. M.; Gu, X.; Jennings, W. D.; Kahn, H.; Ernst, F.; Heuer, A. H.

    2009-08-01

    AISI 301 and E-BRITE stainless steels were subjected to low-temperature (743 K) carburization experiments using a commercial technology developed for carburization of 316 austenitic stainless steels. The AISI 301 steel contained ~40 vol pct ferrite before carburization but had a fully austenitic hardened case, ~20- μm thick, and a surface carbon concentration of ~8 at. pct after treatment; this “colossal” paraequilibrium carbon supersaturation caused an increase in lattice parameter of ~3 pct. The E-BRITE also developed a hardened case, 12- to 18- μm thick, but underwent a more modest (~0.3 pct) increase in lattice parameter; the surface carbon concentration was ~10 at. pct. While the hardened case on the AISI 301 stainless steel appeared to be single-phase austenite, evidence for carbide formation was apparent in X-ray diffractometer (XRD) scans of the E-BRITE. Paraequilibrium phase diagrams were calculated for both AISI 301 and E-BRITE stainless steels using a CALPHAD compound energy-based interstitial solid solution model. In the low-temperature regime of interest, and based upon measured paraequilibrium carbon solubilities, more negative Cr-carbon interaction parameters for austenite than those in the current CALPHAD data base may be appropriate. A sensitivity analysis involving Cr-carbon interaction parameters for ferrite found a strong dependence of carbon solubility on relatively small changes in the magnitude of these parameters.

  3. Corrosion of austenitic and ferritic-martensitic steels exposed to supercritical carbon dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan, L.; Anderson, M.; Taylor, D.; Allen, T.R.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Oxidation is the primary corrosion phenomenon for the steels exposed to S-CO 2 . → The austenitic steels showed significantly better corrosion resistance than the ferritic-martensitic steels. → Alloying elements (e.g., Mo and Al) showed distinct effects on oxidation behavior. - Abstract: Supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO 2 ) is a potential coolant for advanced nuclear reactors. The corrosion behavior of austenitic steels (alloys 800H and AL-6XN) and ferritic-martensitic (FM) steels (F91 and HCM12A) exposed to S-CO 2 at 650 deg. C and 20.7 MPa is presented in this work. Oxidation was identified as the primary corrosion phenomenon. Alloy 800H had oxidation resistance superior to AL-6XN. The FM steels were less corrosion resistant than the austenitic steels, which developed thick oxide scales that tended to exfoliate. Detailed microstructure characterization suggests the effect of alloying elements such as Al, Mo, Cr, and Ni on the oxidation of the steels.

  4. Effects of irradiation on ferritic alloys and implications for fusion reactor applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.

    1986-07-01

    This paper reviews the ADIP irradiation effects data base on ferritic (martensitic) alloys to provide reactor teams with an understanding of how such alloys will behave for fusion reactor first wall applications. Irradiation affects dimensional stability, strength and toughness. Dimensional stability is altered by precipitation and void swelling. Swelling as high as 25% may occur in some ferritic alloys at 500 dpa. Irradiation alters strength both during and following irradiation. Irradiation at low temperatures leads to hardening whereas at higher temperatures and high exposures, precipitate coarsening can result in softening. Toughness can also be adversely affected by irradiation. Failure can occur in ferritic in a brittle manner and irradiation induced hardening causes brittle failure at higher temperatures. Even at high test temperatures, toughness is reduced due to reduced failure initiation stresses. 39 refs

  5. Parametrical limits of SCC-susceptibility of austenitic and austenitic-ferritic Cr-Ni steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Starosvetskij, D.I.; Baru, R.L.; Bondarenko, A.I.; Bogoyavlenskij, V.L.; Timonin, V.A.

    1990-01-01

    Comparative investigations into corrosion cracking (CC) of austenitic (12Kh18N10T) and austenitic-ferritic (08Kh22N6T) chromium-nickel steels are performed for various chloride media in a wide range of chloride concentrations and temperatures. It is shown that the ratio between steels in terms of their CC-susceptibility is not definite and can undergo a reversal depending on parameters of medium, level and conditions of loading. Differences in mechanisms of corrosion cracking of austenitic and austenitic-ferritic steels are established

  6. Use of double and triple-ion irradiation to study the influence of high levels of helium and hydrogen on void swelling of 8–12% Cr ferritic-martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kupriiyanova, Y.E., E-mail: fomenkoj@kipt.kharkov.ua [National Science Centre Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, 1, Akademicheskaya St., Kharkov, 61108 (Ukraine); Bryk, V.V.; Borodin, O.V.; Kalchenko, A.S.; Voyevodin, V.N.; Tolstolutskaya, G.D. [National Science Centre Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, 1, Akademicheskaya St., Kharkov, 61108 (Ukraine); Garner, F.A. [Radiation Effects Consulting, Richland, WA 99354 (United States)

    2016-01-15

    In accelerator-driven spallation (ADS) devices, some of the structural materials will be exposed to intense fluxes of very high energy protons and neutrons, producing not only displacement damage, but very high levels of helium and hydrogen. Unlike fission flux-spectra where most helium and hydrogen are generated by transmutation in nickel and only secondarily in iron or chromium, gas production in ADS flux-spectra are rather insensitive to alloy composition, such that Fe–Cr base ferritic alloys also generate very large gas levels. While ferritic alloys are known to swell less than austenitic alloys in fission spectra, there is a concern that high gas levels in fusion and especially ADS facilities may strongly accelerate void swelling in ferritic alloys. In this study of void swelling in response to helium and hydrogen generation, irradiation was conducted on three ferritic-martensitic steels using the Electrostatic Accelerator with External Injector (ESUVI) facility that can easily produce any combination of helium to dpa and/or hydrogen to dpa ratios. Irradiation was conducted under single, dual and triple beam modes using 1.8 MeV Cr{sup +3}, 40 keV He{sup +}, and 20 keV H{sup +}. In the first part of this study we investigated the response of dual-phase EP-450 to variations in He/dpa and H/dpa ratio, focusing first on dual ion studies and then triple ion studies, showing that there is a diminishing influence on swelling with increasing total gas content. In the second part we investigated the relative response of three alloys spanning a range of starting microstructure and composition. In addition to observing various synergisms between He and H, the most important conclusion was that the tempered martensite phase, known to lag behind the ferrite phase in swelling in the absence of gases, loses much of its resistance to void nucleation when irradiated at large gas/dpa levels.

  7. Fracture toughness of irradiated stainless steel alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mills, W.J.

    1986-01-01

    The postirradiation fracture toughness responses of Types 316 and 304 stainless steel (SS) wrought products, cast CF8 SS and Type 308 SS weld deposit were characterized at 427 0 C using J/sub R/-curve techniques. Fast-neutron irradiation of these alloys caused an order of magnitude reduction in J/sub c/ and two orders of magnitude reduction in tearing modulus at neutron exposures above 10 dpa, where radiation-induced losses in toughness appeared to saturate. Saturation J/sub c/ values for the wrought materials ranged from 28 to 31 kJ/m 2 ; the weld exhibited a saturation level of 11 kJ/m 2 . Maximum allowable flaw sizes for highly irradiated stainless steel components stressed to 90% of the unirradiated yield strength are on the order of 3 cm for the wrought material and 1 cm for the weld. Electron fractographic examination revealed that irradiation displacement damage brought about a transition from ductile microvoid coalescence to channel fracture, associated with local separation along planar deformation bands. The lower saturation toughness value for the weld relative to that for the wrought products was attributed to local failure of ferrite particles ahead of the advancing crack which prematurely initiated channel fracture

  8. Influence of delta ferrite on corrosion susceptibility of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lawrence O. Osoba

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In the current study, the influence of delta (δ ferrite on the corrosion susceptibility of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel was evaluated in 1Molar concentration of sulphuric acid (H2SO4 and 1Molar concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl. The study was performed at ambient temperature using electrochemical technique—Tafel plots to evaluate the corrosive tendencies of the austenitic stainless steel sample. The as-received (stainless steel specimen and 60% cold-worked (stainless steel specimens were isothermally annealed at 1,100°C for 2 h and 1 h, respectively, and quenched in water. The results obtained show that the heat-treated specimen and the 60% cold-worked plus heat-treated specimen exhibited higher corrosion susceptibility than the as-received specimen, which invariably contained the highest fraction of δ ferrite particles. The finding shows that the presence of δ ferrite, in which chromium (Cr, the main corrosion inhibitor segregates, does not degrade and or reduces the resistance to aqueous corrosion of the austenitic stainless steel material.

  9. Microstructure and tensile properties of yttrium nitride dispersion-strengthened 14Cr–3W ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Liqing [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4067, QLD (Australia); Liu, Zuming, E-mail: lzm@csu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Chen, Shiqi; Guo, Yang [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China)

    2015-12-15

    Highlights: • Innovative nano yttrium nitride dispersion strengthened steels were fabricated. • Higher content of additives accelerate the steel-ceramic powder milling process more. • Steel with high content (3%) of YN dispersoids can obtain good performance at 500 °C. - Abstract: 14Cr–3W ferritic steel powders were mechanically milled with microscale yttrium nitride (YN) particles to fabricate particle dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels. After hot consolidation and annealing, the steel matrix was homogeneously dispersed with nano-scale YN particles. The steel containing 0.3 wt.% YN particles exhibited a yield strength of 1445 MPa at room temperature. Its total elongation was 10.3%, and the fracture surface exhibited mixed ductile and quasi-cleavage fracture morphologies. The steel with a much higher content of YN particles (3 wt.%) in its matrix was much stronger (1652 MPa) at room temperature at the cost of ductility. In particular, it exhibited a high yield strength (1350 MPa) with applicable ductility (total elongation > 10%) at 500 °C. This study has developed a new kind of reinforcement particle to fabricate high-performance ferritic steels.

  10. Numerical simulation of hydrogen-assisted crack initiation in austenitic-ferritic duplex steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mente, Tobias

    2015-01-01

    Duplex stainless steels have been used for a long time in the offshore industry, since they have higher strength than conventional austenitic stainless steels and they exhibit a better ductility as well as an improved corrosion resistance in harsh environments compared to ferritic stainless steels. However, despite these good properties the literature shows some failure cases of duplex stainless steels in which hydrogen plays a crucial role for the cause of the damage. Numerical simulations can give a significant contribution in clarifying the damage mechanisms. Because they help to interpret experimental results as well as help to transfer results from laboratory tests to component tests and vice versa. So far, most numerical simulations of hydrogen-assisted material damage in duplex stainless steels were performed at the macroscopic scale. However, duplex stainless steels consist of approximately equal portions of austenite and δ-ferrite. Both phases have different mechanical properties as well as hydrogen transport properties. Thus, the sensitivity for hydrogen-assisted damage is different in both phases, too. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop a numerical model of a duplex stainless steel microstructure enabling simulation of hydrogen transport, mechanical stresses and strains as well as crack initiation and propagation in both phases. Additionally, modern X-ray diffraction experiments were used in order to evaluate the influence of hydrogen on the phase specific mechanical properties. For the numerical simulation of the hydrogen transport it was shown, that hydrogen diffusion strongly depends on the alignment of austenite and δ-ferrite in the duplex stainless steel microstructure. Also, it was proven that the hydrogen transport is mainly realized by the ferritic phase and hydrogen is trapped in the austenitic phase. The numerical analysis of phase specific mechanical stresses and strains revealed that if the duplex stainless steel is

  11. Corrosion of High Chromium Ferritic/Martensitic Steels in High Temperature Water. a Literature Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez, P.; Lapena, J.; Blazquez, F. [Ciemat, Madrid (Spain)

    2000-07-01

    Available literature concerning corrosion of high-chromium ferritic/martensitic steels in high temperature water has been reviewed. The subjects considered are general corrosion, effect of irradiation on corrosion, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). In addition some investigations about radiation induced segregation (RIS) are shown in order to know the compositional changes at grain boundaries of these alloys and their influence on corrosion properties. The data on general corrosion indicate moderate corrosion rates in high temperature water up to 350 degree centigree. Considerably larger corrosion rates were observed under neutron irradiation. The works concerning to the behaviour of these alloys to stress corrosion cracking seem to conclude that in these materials is necessary to optimize the temper temperature and to carry out the post-weld heat treatments properly in order to avoid stress corrosion cracking. (Author) 40 refs.

  12. Corrosion of High Chromium Ferritic/Martensitic Steels in High Temperature Water. a Literature Review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, P.; Lapena, J.; Blazquez, F.

    2000-01-01

    Available literature concerning corrosion of high-chromium ferritic/martensitic steels in high temperature water has been reviewed. The subjects considered are general corrosion, effect of irradiation on corrosion, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). In addition some investigations about radiation induced segregation (RIS) are shown in order to know the compositional changes at grain boundaries of these alloys and their influence on corrosion properties. The data on general corrosion indicate moderate corrosion rates in high temperature water up to 350 degree centigrade. Considerably larger corrosion rates were observed under neutron irradiation. The works concerning to the behaviour of these alloys to stress corrosion cracking seem to conclude that in these materials is necessary to optimize the temper temperature and to carry out the post-weld heat treatments properly in order to avoid stress corrosion cracking. (Author) 40 refs

  13. Evaluation of toughness degradation by small punch (SP) tests for neutron irradiated structural steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Misawa, Toshihei; Hamaguchi, Yoshikazu; Kimura, Akihiko; Eto, Motokuni; Suzuki, Masahide; Nakajima, Nobuya.

    1992-01-01

    The small punch (SP) test as one of the useful small specimen testing technique (SSTT) has been developed to evaluate the fracture toughness, ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) and tensile properties for neutron irradiated structural materials. The SP tests using the miniaturized specimens of φ3 mm TEM disk and 10 mm 2 coupon were performed for six kinds of ferritic steels of F-82, F-82H, HT-9, JFMS, 2.25-1Mo and SQV2A. It was shown that the temperature dependence of SP fracture energies with scatter in miniaturized testing can give reliable information on the DBTT by use of the statistical analysis based on the Weibull distribution. A good correlation between the DBTT of the SP tests and that of the standard CVN test has been obtained for the various nuclear ferritic steels. The SP test was performed for cryogenic austenitic steels as a way of evaluating elastic-plastic fracture toughness, J IC , on the basis of a universal empirical relationship between J IC and SP equivalent fracture strain, ε-bar qf . The SP testing using the neutron irradiated specimens of 2.25Cr-1Mo, F-82, F-82H and HT-9 steels was successfully applied and presented the neutron radiation induced changes on the DBTT, fracture toughness and tensile properties. (author)

  14. Impurity content of reduced-activation ferritic steels and a vanadium alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Grossbeck, M.L.; Bloom, E.E.

    1997-01-01

    Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to analyze a reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel and a vanadium alloy for low-level impurities that would compromise the reduced-activation characteristics of these materials. The ferritic steel was from the 5-ton IEA heat of modified F82H, and the vanadium alloy was from a 500-kg heat of V-4Cr-4Ti. To compare techniques for analysis of low concentrations of impurities, the vanadium alloy was also examined by glow discharge mass spectrometry. Two other reduced-activation steels and two commercial ferritic steels were also analyzed to determine the difference in the level of the detrimental impurities in the IEA heat and steels for which no extra effort was made to restrict some of the tramp impurities. Silver, cobalt, molybdenum, and niobium proved to be the tramp impurities of most importance. The levels observed in these two materials produced with present technology exceeded the limits for low activation for either shallow land burial or recycling. The chemical analyses provide a benchmark for the improvement in production technology required to achieve reduced activation; they also provide a set of concentrations for calculating decay characteristics for reduced-activation materials. The results indicate the progress that has been made and give an indication of what must still be done before the reduced-activation criteria can be achieved

  15. Tem study of thermal ageing of ferrite in cast duplex stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nenonen, P.; Massoud, J.P.; Timofeev, B.T.

    2002-01-01

    The changes in the microstructure and composition of ferrite in two types of cast duplex stainless steels and in an austenitic-ferritic weld metal after long term thermal ageing has been studied using analytical transmission electron microscope (FEGTEM). A cast test steel containing Mo was investigated first as a reference material in three different conditions: as solution annealed, aged at 300 C and aged at 400 C. This investigation was carried out to gain experience of how EDS (X-ray analyser) analyser and TEM (transmission electron microscope) can be used to study elemental inhomogeneity, which is usually investigated with an atom probe (APFIM). The two other materials, an austenitic-ferritic weld metal and a cast duplex Ti-stabilised stainless steel used for long time at NPP operation temperature were investigated using the experience obtained with the test steel. The results showed that analytical TEM can be used to investigate elemental inhomogeneity of ferrite, but there are several important things to be taken into account when the spectra for this purpose are collected. These things are, such as the thickness of the specimen, probe size, contamination rate, 'elemental background' of the spectrum and possible enrichment of certain alloying elements in the surface oxide layer of the TEM-specimens. If minor elements are also analysed, it may increase the scattering of the results. (authors)

  16. Postirradiation thermocyclic loading of ferritic-martensitic structural materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belyaeva, L.; Orychtchenko, A.; Petersen, C.; Rybin, V.

    Thermonuclear fusion reactors of the Tokamak-type will be unique power engineering plants to operate in thermocyclic mode only. Ferritic-martensitic stainless steels are prime candidate structural materials for test blankets of the ITER fusion reactor. Beyond the radiation damage, thermomechanical cyclic loading is considered as the most detrimental lifetime limiting phenomenon for the above structure. With a Russian and a German facility for thermal fatigue testing of neutron irradiated materials a cooperation has been undertaken. Ampule devices to irradiate specimens for postirradiation thermal fatigue tests have been developed by the Russian partner. The irradiation of these ampule devices loaded with specimens of ferritic-martensitic steels, like the European MANET-II, the Russian 05K12N2M and the Japanese Low Activation Material F82H-mod, in a WWR-M-type reactor just started. A description of the irradiation facility, the qualification of the ampule device and the modification of the German thermal fatigue facility will be presented.

  17. Ultrahigh Charpy impact toughness (~450J) achieved in high strength ferrite/martensite laminated steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Wenquan; Zhang, Mingda; Huang, Chongxiang; Xiao, Shuyang; Dong, Han; Weng, Yuqing

    2017-02-01

    Strength and toughness are a couple of paradox as similar as strength-ductility trade-off in homogenous materials, body-centered-cubic steels in particular. Here we report a simple way to get ultrahigh toughness without sacrificing strength. By simple alloying design and hot rolling the 5Mn3Al steels in ferrite/austenite dual phase temperature region, we obtain a series of ferrite/martensite laminated steels that show up-to 400-450J Charpy V-notch impact energy combined with a tensile strength as high as 1.0-1.2 GPa at room temperature, which is nearly 3-5 times higher than that of conventional low alloy steels at similar strength level. This remarkably enhanced toughness is mainly attributed to the delamination between ferrite and martensite lamellae. The current finding gives us a promising way to produce high strength steel with ultrahigh impact toughness by simple alloying design and hot rolling in industry.

  18. Mechanical properties and TEM examination of RAFM steels irradiated up to 70 dpa in BOR-60

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaganidze, E., E-mail: Ermile.Gaganidze@kit.edu [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Institut fuer Angewandte Materialien, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Petersen, C.; Materna-Morris, E.; Dethloff, C.; Weiss, O.J.; Aktaa, J. [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Institut fuer Angewandte Materialien, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Povstyanko, A.; Fedoseev, A.; Makarov, O.; Prokhorov, V. [Joint Stock Company ' State Scientific Centre Research Institute of Atomic Reactors' , 433510 Dimitrovgrad-10, Ulyanovsk Region (Russian Federation)

    2011-10-01

    Mechanical properties of Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steels were studied after irradiation in BOR-60 reactor to a neutron displacement damage of 70 dpa at 330-340 deg. C. Yield stress and Ductile-to-Brittle-Transition-Temperature of EUROFER97 indicate saturation of hardening and embrittlement. The phenomenological models for description of microstructure evolution and resulting irradiation hardening and embrittlement are discussed. The evolution of yield stress with dose is qualitatively understood within a Whapham and Makin model. Dislocation loops examined in TEM are considered a main source for low-temperature irradiation hardening. The analysis of the fatigue data in terms of the inelastic strain reveals comparable fatigue behaviour both for unirradiated and irradiated conditions, which can be described by a common Manson-Coffin relation. The study of helium effects in B-doped model steels indicated progressive material embrittlement with helium content. Post-irradiation annealing of RAFM steels yielded substantial recovery of mechanical properties.

  19. Modeling of helium bubble nucleation and growth in neutron irradiated boron doped RAFM steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dethloff, Christian; Gaganidze, Ermile; Svetukhin, Vyacheslav V.; Aktaa, Jarir

    2012-01-01

    Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are promising candidates for structural materials in future fusion technology. In addition to other irradiation defects, the transmuted helium is believed to strongly influence material hardening and embrittlement behavior. A phenomenological model based on kinetic rate equations is developed to describe homogeneous nucleation and growth of helium bubbles in neutron irradiated RAFM steels. The model is adapted to different 10 B doped EUROFER97 based heats, which already had been studied in past irradiation experiments. Simulations yield bubble size distributions, whereby effects of helium generation rate, surface energy, helium sinks and helium density are investigated. Peak bubble diameters under different conditions are compared to preliminary microstructural results on irradiated specimens. Helium induced hardening was calculated by applying the Dispersed Barrier Hardening model to simulated cluster size distributions. Quantitative microstructural investigations of unirradiated and irradiated specimens will be used to support and verify the model.

  20. Modeling of helium bubble nucleation and growth in neutron irradiated boron doped RAFM steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dethloff, Christian, E-mail: christian.dethloff@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Gaganidze, Ermile [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Svetukhin, Vyacheslav V. [Ulyanovsk State University, Leo Tolstoy Str. 42, 432970 Ulyanovsk (Russian Federation); Aktaa, Jarir [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

    2012-07-15

    Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are promising candidates for structural materials in future fusion technology. In addition to other irradiation defects, the transmuted helium is believed to strongly influence material hardening and embrittlement behavior. A phenomenological model based on kinetic rate equations is developed to describe homogeneous nucleation and growth of helium bubbles in neutron irradiated RAFM steels. The model is adapted to different {sup 10}B doped EUROFER97 based heats, which already had been studied in past irradiation experiments. Simulations yield bubble size distributions, whereby effects of helium generation rate, surface energy, helium sinks and helium density are investigated. Peak bubble diameters under different conditions are compared to preliminary microstructural results on irradiated specimens. Helium induced hardening was calculated by applying the Dispersed Barrier Hardening model to simulated cluster size distributions. Quantitative microstructural investigations of unirradiated and irradiated specimens will be used to support and verify the model.

  1. The liquid metal embrittlement of iron and ferritic steels in sodium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hilditch, J.P.; Hurley, J.R.; Tice, D.R.; Skeldon, P.

    1995-01-01

    The liquid metal embrittlement of iron and A508 III, 21/4Cr-1Mo and 15Mo3 steels in sodium at 200-400 o C has been studied, using dynamic straining at 10 -6 s -1 , in order to investigate the roles of microstructure and composition. The steels comprised bainitic, martensitic, tempered martensitic and ferritic/pearlitic microstructures. All materials were embrittled by sodium, the embrittlement being associated generally with quasicleavage on fracture surfaces. Intergranular cracking was also found with martensitic and ferritic/pearlitic microstructures. The susceptibility to embrittlement was greater in higher strength materials and at higher temperatures. The embrittlement was similar to that encountered previously in 9Cr steel, which depends upon the presence of non-metallic impurities in the sodium. (author)

  2. TEM and HRTEM study of oxide particles in an Al-alloyed high-Cr oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel with Hf addition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dou, Peng; Kimura, Akihiko; Kasada, Ryuta; Okuda, Takanari; Inoue, Masaki; Ukai, Shigeharu; Ohnuki, Somei; Fujisawa, Toshiharu; Abe, Fujio; Jiang, Shan; Yang, Zhigang

    2017-01-01

    The nanoparticles in an Al-alloyed high-Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel with Hf addition, i.e., SOC-16 (Fe-15Cr-2W-0.1Ti-4Al-0.62Hf-0.35Y 2 O 3 ), have been examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Relative to an Al-alloyed high-Cr ODS ferritic steel without Hf addition, i.e., SOC-9 (Fe-15.5Cr-2W-0.1Ti-4Al-0.35Y 2 O 3 ), the dispersion morphology and coherency of the oxide nanoparticles in SOC-16 were significantly improved. Almost all the small nanoparticles (diameter <10 nm) in SOC-16 were found to be consistent with cubic Y 2 Hf 2 O 7 oxides with the anion-deficient fluorite structure and coherent with the bcc steel matrix. The larger particles (diameter >10 nm) were also mainly identified as cubic Y 2 Hf 2 O 7 oxides with the anion-deficient fluorite structure. The results presented here are compared with those of SOC-9 with a brief discussion of the underlying mechanisms of the unusual thermal and irradiation stabilities of the oxides as well as the superior strength, excellent irradiation tolerance and extraordinary corrosion resistance of SOC-16.

  3. Corrosion behavior of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels in supercritical water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Wenhua [School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Guo, Xianglong, E-mail: guoxianglong@sjtu.edu.cn [School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Shen, Zhao [Department of Materials Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Zhang, Lefu, E-mail: lfzhang@sjtu.edu.cn [School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China)

    2017-04-01

    The corrosion resistance of three different Cr content oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels in supercritical water (SCW) and their passive films formed on the surface have been investigated. The results show that the dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical composition have significant influence on the corrosion behavior of the ODS ferritic steels. In 2000 ppb DO SCW at 650 °C, the 14Cr-4Al ODS steel forms a tri-layer oxide film and the surface morphologies have experienced four structures. For the tri-layer oxide film, the middle layer is mainly Fe-Cr spinel and the Al is gradually enriched in the inner layer. - Highlights: • We evaluated the corrosion resistance of three different Cr content ODS steels at 650 °C in supercritical water. • Corrosion behavior of ODS steels is rarely reported and ODS steel may be promising material for generation IV reactors. • We found total opposite phenomenon compared to Lee's work before. Our result may be more reasonable.

  4. Austenitic stainless steel-to-ferritic steel transition joint welding for elevated temperature service

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, J.F.; Goodwin, G.M.; Slaughter, G.M.

    1978-01-01

    Transition weld joints between ferritic steels and austenitic stainless steels are required for fossil-fired power plants and proposed nuclear plants. The experience with these dissimilar-metal transition joints has been generally satisfactory, but an increasing number of failures of these joints is occurring prematurely in service. These concerns with transition joint service history prompted a program to develop more reliable joints for application in proposed nuclear power plants

  5. Some initial considerations on the suitability of Ferritic/ martensitic stainless steels as first wall and blanket materials in fusion reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butterworth, G.J.

    1982-01-01

    The constitution of stainless iron alloys and the characteristic properties of alloys in the main ferritic, martensitic and austenitic groups are discussed. A comparison of published data on the mechanical, thermal and irradiation properties of typical austenitic and martensitic/ferritic steels shows that alloys in the latter groups have certain advantages for fusion applications. The ferromagnetism exhibited by martensitic and ferritic alloys has, however, been identified as a potentially serious obstacle to their utilisation in magnetic confinement devices. The paper describes measurements performed in other laboratories on the magnetic properties of two representative martensitic alloys 12Cr-1Mo and 9Cr-2Mo. These observations show that a modest bias magnetic field of magnitude 1 - 2 tesla induces a state of magnetic saturation in these materials. They would thus behave as essentially paramagnetic materials having a relative permeability close to unity when saturated by the toroidal field of a tokamak reactor. The results of computations by the General Atomic research group to assess the implications of such magnetic behaviour on reactor design and operation are presented. The results so far indicate that the ferromagnetism of martensitic/ferritic steels would not represent a major obstacle to their utilisation as first wall or blanket materials. (author)

  6. Microstructure development of welding joints in high Cr ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kubushiro, Keiji; Takahashi, Satoshi; Morishima, Keiko [IHI Corporation (Japan). Research Lab.

    2010-07-01

    Creep failure in high Cr ferritic steels welding joints are Type IV failure. Type IV-failure was ruptured in fine grained region of heat affected zone, microstructure and phase transformation process at welding in fine grained region were very important to clarify. Microstructure difference of heat affected zone was investigated in Gr.91, Gr.92, Gr.122 welding joint. The fraction of 60 degree block boundary, packet boundary, random boundary (including prior gamma boundary) length was compared in three ferritic steels by EBSP(Electron Backscatter Diffraction Pattern) analysis. HAZ was almost fully martensite phase in Gr.122 weld joint. On the other hand, HAZ in Gr.91 welding joint were some equiaxial grain and martensite structure. (orig.)

  7. Effects of neutron irradiation on microstructure in experimental and commercial ferritic alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.; Thomas, L.E.

    1983-05-01

    A series of microstructural studies have been undertaken on fast-reactor-irradiated specimens of experimental ferritic alloys and ferritic/martensitic commercial alloys covering a broad range of compositions and starting microstructures. It is found that voids do indeed form in ferritic alloys and that dislocation loops and tangles are created during irradiation at temperatures below 500 0 C. Swelling rates as high as 0.25% per 10 22 n/cm 2 have been measured. However, the major effect of irradiation is precipitation and precipitation can suppress void swelling completely and/or be responsible for degradation of mechanical properties

  8. APFIM investigation of clustering in neutron-irradiated Fe-Cu alloys and pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auger, P.; Pareige, P.; Blavette, D.

    1996-01-01

    Pressure vessel steels used in PWRs are known to be prone to hardening and embrittlement under neutron irradiation. The changes in mechanical properties are commonly supposed to result from the formation of point defects, dislocation loops, voids and copper-rich precipitates. However, the real nature of the irradiation induced damage, in these particularly low copper steels (>0,1 wt%), has not been clearly identify yet. A new experimental work has been carried out thanks to atom probe and field ion microscopy (APFIM) facilities and, more particularly with a new generation of atom probe recently developed, namely the tomographic atom probe (TAP), in order to improve: the understanding of the complex behavior of copper precipitation which occurs when low-alloyed Fe-Cu model alloys are irradiated with neutrons; the microstructural characterization of the pressure vessel steel of the CHOOZ A reactor under various fluences (French Surveillance Programme). The investigations clearly reveal the precipitation of copper-rich clusters in irradiated Fe-Cu alloys while more complicated Si, Ni, Mn and Cu-solute 'clouds' were observed to develop in the low-copper ferritic solid solution of the pressure vessel steel. (authors)

  9. Study on microstructure and mechanical characteristics of low-carbon steel and ferritic stainless steel joints

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarkari Khorrami, Mahmoud; Mostafaei, Mohammad Ali; Pouraliakbar, Hesam, E-mail: hpouraliakbar@alum.sharif.edu; Kokabi, Amir Hossein

    2014-07-01

    In this work, examinations on the microstructure and mechanical properties of plain carbon steel and AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel dissimilar welds are carried out. Welding is conducted in both autogenous and using ER309L austenitic filler rod conditions through gas tungsten arc welding process. The results indicate that fully-ferritic and duplex ferritic–martensitic microstructures are formed for autogenous and filler-added welds, respectively. Carbide precipitation and formation of martensite at ferrite grain boundaries (intergranular martensite) as well as grain growth occur in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of AISI 430 steel. It is found that weld heat input can strongly affect grain growth phenomenon along with the amount and the composition of carbides and intergranular martensite. Acquired mechanical characteristics of weld in the case of using filler metal are significantly higher than those of autogenous one. Accordingly, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), hardness, and absorbed energy during tensile test of weld metal are increased from 662 MPa to 910 MPa, 140 Hv to 385 Hv, and 53.6 J m{sup −3} to 79 J m{sup −3}, respectively by filler metal addition. From fracture surfaces, predominantly ductile fracture is observed in the specimen welded with filler metal while mainly cleavage fracture occurs in the autogenous weld metal.

  10. Microstructural evolution in modified 9Cr-1Mo ferritic/martensitic steel irradiated with mixed high-energy proton and neutron spectra at low temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sencer, B.H.; Garner, F.A.; Gelles, D.S.; Bond, G.M.; Maloy, S.A.

    2002-01-01

    Modified 9Cr-1Mo ferritic/martensitic steel was exposed at 32-57 deg. C to a mixed proton/neutron particle flux and spectrum at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The microstructure of unirradiated 9Cr-1Mo consists of laths, dislocations and carbides. Examination of electron diffraction patterns obtained from extraction replicas of unirradiated 9Cr-1Mo revealed that the precipitate microstructure was primarily dominated by M 23 C 6 carbides. The post-irradiation microstructure contained black-spot damage in addition to precipitates and dislocations. Examination of electron diffraction patterns revealed diffuse rings from M 23 C 6 carbides, indicating amorphization and/or nanocrystallinity. Crystalline MC carbides were also found. No cavity formation was found although a significant amount of helium and hydrogen generation had been generated. TEM-EDS examination of extraction replicas for carbides from unirradiated and irradiated samples did not show any detectable changes in composition of either M 23 C 6 or MC carbides. There was also no evident change in carbide size. Lattice images of M 23 C 6 carbides revealed an amorphous microstructure following irradiation, but MC carbides were still crystalline

  11. Thin slab processing of acicular ferrite steels with high toughness

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reip, Carl-Peter; Hennig, Wolfgang; Hagmann, Rolf [SMS Demag Aktiengesellschaft, Duesseldorf (Germany); Sabrudin, Bin Mohamad Suren; Susanta, Ghosh; Lee, Weng Lan [Megasteel Sdn Bhd, Banting (Malaysia)

    2005-07-01

    Near-net-shape casting processes today represent an important option in steelmaking. High productivity and low production cost as well as the variety of steel grades that can be produced plus an excellent product quality are key factors for the acceptance of such processes in markets all over the world. Today's research focuses on the production of pipe steel with special requirements in terms of toughness at low temperatures. The subject article describes the production of hot strip made from acicular ferritic / bainitic steel grades using the CSP thin-slab technology. In addition, the resulting strength and toughness levels as a function of the alloying concepts are discussed. Optimal control of the CSP process allows the production of higher-strength hot-rolled steel grades with a fine-grain acicular-ferritic/bainitic microstructure. Hot strip produced in this way is characterized by a high toughness at low temperatures. In a drop weight tear test, transition temperatures of up to -50 deg C can be achieved with a shear-fracture share of 85%. (author)

  12. In situ TEM study of G-phase precipitates under heavy ion irradiation in CF8 cast austenitic stainless steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wei-Ying; Li, Meimei; Zhang, Xuan; Kirk, Marquis A.; Baldo, Peter M.; Lian, Tiangan

    2015-09-01

    Thermally-aged cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS) CF8 was irradiated with 1 MeV Kr ions at 300, 350 and 400 °C to 1.88 × 1019 ions/m2 (∼3 dpa) at the IVEM-Tandem Facility at the Argonne National Laboratory. Before irradiation, the distribution of G-phase precipitates in the ferrite showed spatial variations, and both their size and density were affected by the ferrite-austenite phase boundary and presence of M23C6 carbides. Under 300 °C irradiation, in situ TEM observation showed G-phase precipitates were relatively unchanged in the vicinity of the phase boundary M23C6 carbides, while the density of G-phase precipitates increased with increasing dose within the ferrite matrix. Coarsening of G-phase precipitates was observed in the vicinity of phase boundary M23C6 carbides at 350 °C and 400 °C.

  13. Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Gas Metal Arc Welded AISI 409 Grade Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakshminarayanan, A. K.; Shanmugam, K.; Balasubramanian, V.

    2009-10-01

    The effect of filler metals such as austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, and duplex stainless steel on fatigue crack growth behavior of the gas metal arc welded ferritic stainless steel joints was investigated. Rolled plates of 4 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single ‘V’ butt welded joints. Center cracked tensile specimens were prepared to evaluate fatigue crack growth behavior. Servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine with a capacity of 100 kN was used to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behavior of the welded joints. From this investigation, it was found that the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal showed superior fatigue crack growth resistance compared to the joints fabricated by austenitic and ferritic stainless steel filler metals. Higher yield strength and relatively higher toughness may be the reasons for superior fatigue performance of the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal.

  14. Effects of nickel and cobalt addition on creep strength and microstructure of the precipitation-strengthened 15Cr ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shibuya, Masachika; Toda, Yoshiaki; Sawada, Kota; Kushima, Hideaki; Kimura, Kazuhiro [National Inst. for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

    2010-07-01

    Creep strength of 15Cr ferritic steel with ferrite matrix was increased by precipitation strengthening of intermetallic compounds. It was higher than those of 9-12Cr ferritic steels with a tempered martensitic microstructure strengthened by carbide and carbonitride. Addition of nickel was confirmed to improve Charpy impact toughness of the 15Cr steels, however, creep strength was slightly reduced by the addition of nickel. Microstructure of the 15Cr steel changes from ferrite single phase to dual phases of ferrite and martensite with the addition of nickel which is an austenite stabilizing element. The 15Cr steels investigated in the previous study, contain 3mass% of cobalt which is also an austenite stabilizing element, therefore, the influence of nickel and cobalt combination on mechanical properties and microstructure of the 15Cr-1Mo-6W-V-Nb steel is investigated in this study. Creep strength, Charpy impact toughness and microstructure of the steel were strongly influenced by the composition of nickel and cobalt. Design guideline of the 15Cr steel is discussed with respect to a role of microstructure and combination of nickel and cobalt addition. (orig.)

  15. Ferrite channel effect on ductility and strain hardenability of ultra high strength dual phase steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ravi, Kumar B., E-mail: ravik@nmlindia.org [CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur 831007 (India); Patel, Nand Kumar [O.P Jindal University, Raigarh 496001 (India); Mukherjee, Krishnendu; Walunj, Mahesh; Mandal, Gopi Kishor [CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur 831007 (India); Venugopalan, T. [Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur 831001 (India)

    2017-02-08

    This study describes an effect of controlled austenite decomposition on microstructure evolution in dual phase steel. Steel sheets austenitized at various annealing temperatures were rapidly cooled to the inter-critical annealing temperature of 800 °C for the isothermal decomposition of austenite and then ultra fast cooled to room temperature. The scanning electron microscope analysis of evolving microstructure revealed ferrite nucleation and growth along prior austenite grain boundaries leading to ferrite network/channel formation around martensite. The extent of ferrite channel formation showed a strong dependence on the degree of undercooling in the inter-critical annealing temperature regime. Uniaxial tensile deformation of processed steel sheets showed extensive local inter-lath martensite damage activity. Extension/propagation of these local micro cracks to neighboring martensite grains was found to be arrested by ferrite channels. This assisted in delaying the onset of global damage which could lead to necking and fracture. The results demonstrated an alternate possible way of inducing ductility and strain hardenability in ultra high strength dual phase steels.

  16. Influence of displacement damage on deuterium and helium retention in austenitic and ferritic-martensitic alloys considered for ADS service

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Voyevodin, V.N.; Karpov, S.A.; Kopanets, I.E.; Ruzhytskyi, V.V. [National Science Center “Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology” Kharkov, 1, Akademicheskaya St., Kharkov, 61108 (Ukraine); Tolstolutskaya, G.D., E-mail: g.d.t@kipt.kharkov.ua [National Science Center “Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology” Kharkov, 1, Akademicheskaya St., Kharkov, 61108 (Ukraine); Garner, F.A. [Radiation Effects Consulting, Richland, WA (United States)

    2016-01-15

    The behavior of ion-implanted hydrogen (deuterium) and helium in austenitic 18Cr10NiTi stainless steel, EI-852 ferritic steel and ferritic/martensitic steel EP-450 and their interaction with displacement damage were investigated. Energetic argon irradiation was used to produce displacement damage and bubble formation to simulate nuclear power environments. The influence of damage morphology and the features of radiation-induced defects on deuterium and helium trapping in structural alloys was studied using ion implantation, the nuclear reaction D({sup 3}He,p){sup 4}He, thermal desorption spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy. It was found in the case of helium irradiation that various kinds of helium-radiation defect complexes are formed in the implanted layer that lead to a more complicated spectra of thermal desorption. Additional small changes in the helium spectra after irradiation with argon ions to a dose of ≤25 dpa show that the binding energy of helium with these traps is weakly dependent on the displacement damage. It was established that retention of deuterium in ferritic and ferritic-martensitic alloys is three times less than in austenitic steel at damage of ∼1 dpa. The retention of deuterium in steels is strongly enhanced by presence of radiation damages created by argon ion irradiation, with a shift in the hydrogen release temperature interval of 200 K to higher temperature. At elevated temperatures of irradiation the efficiency of deuterium trapping is reduced by two orders of magnitude.

  17. New ferritic steels for advanced steam plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mayer, K H; Koenig, H [GEC ALSTHOM Energie GmbH, Nuremberg (Germany)

    1999-12-31

    During the last 15-20 years ferritic-martensitic 9-12 % chromium steels have been developed under international research programmes which permit inlet steam temperatures up to approx. 625 deg C and pressures up to about 300 bars, thus leading to improvements in thermal efficiency of around 8 % and a CO{sub 2} reduction of about 20 % versus conventional steam parameters. These new steels are already being applied in 13 European and 34 Japanese power stations with inlet steam temperature up to 610 deg C. This presentation will give an account of the content, scope and results of the research programmes and of the experience gained during the production of components which have been manufactured from the new steels. (orig.) 13 refs.

  18. New ferritic steels for advanced steam plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mayer, K.H; Koenig, H. [GEC ALSTHOM Energie GmbH, Nuremberg (Germany)

    1998-12-31

    During the last 15-20 years ferritic-martensitic 9-12 % chromium steels have been developed under international research programmes which permit inlet steam temperatures up to approx. 625 deg C and pressures up to about 300 bars, thus leading to improvements in thermal efficiency of around 8 % and a CO{sub 2} reduction of about 20 % versus conventional steam parameters. These new steels are already being applied in 13 European and 34 Japanese power stations with inlet steam temperature up to 610 deg C. This presentation will give an account of the content, scope and results of the research programmes and of the experience gained during the production of components which have been manufactured from the new steels. (orig.) 13 refs.

  19. Effects of Mn addition on microstructures and mechanical properties of 10Cr ODS ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Hyun Ju; Kim, Tae Kyu

    2014-01-01

    Ferritic/martensitic (FM) steels are very attractive for the structural materials of fast fission reactors such as a sodium cooled fast reactor (SFR) owing to their excellent irradiation resistance to a void swelling, but are known to reveal an abrupt loss of their creep and tensile strengths at temperatures above 600 .deg. C. Accordingly, high temperature strength should be considerably improved for an application of the FM steel to the structural materials of SFR. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) FM steels are considered to be promising candidate materials for high- temperature components operating in severe environments such as nuclear fusion and fission systems due to their excellent high temperature strength and radiation resistance stemming from the addition of extremely thermally stable oxide particles dispersed in the ferritic/martensitic matrix.. To develop an advanced ODS steel for core structural materials for next generation nuclear reactor system applications, it is important to optimize its compositions to improve the high temperature strength and radiation resistance. This study investigates effects of Mn addition on microstructures and mechanical properties of 10Cr ODS FM steel. For this, two 10 Cr ODS FM steels were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA), hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and hot rolling process. Tensile tests were carried out at room temperature and 700 .deg. C to evaluate the influences of the Mn element on the mechanical properties. The microstructures were observed using SEM, electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). In the present study, the effects of Mn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ODS FM steels were investigated. The ODS FM steels were manufactured by the MA, HIP and hot-rolling processes

  20. Microstructural characterization of irradiated PWR steels using the atom probe field-ion microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, M.K.; Burke, M.G.

    1987-08-01

    Atom probe field-ion microscopy has been used to characterize the microstructure of a neutron-irradiated A533B pressure vessel steel weld. The atomic spatial resolution of this technique permits a complete structural and chemical description of the ultra-fine features that control the mechanical properties to be made. A variety of fine scale features including roughly spherical copper precipitates and clusters, spherical and rod-shaped molybdenum carbide and disc-shaped molybdenum nitride precipitates were observed to be inhomogeneously distributed in the ferrite. The copper content of the ferrite was substantially reduced from the nominal level. A thin film of molybdenum carbides and nitrides was observed on grain boundaries in addition to a coarse copper-manganese precipitate. Substantial enrichment of manganese and nickel were detected at the copper-manganese precipitate-ferrite interface and this enrichment extended into the ferrite. Enrichment of nickel, manganese and phosphorus were also measured at grain boundaries

  1. Preliminary evaluation of microstructure and mechanical properties on low activation ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsu, C.Y.; Lechtenberg, T.A.

    1985-01-01

    Radioactive waste disposal has become a primary concern for the selection of materials for the structural components for fusion reactors. One way to minimize this potential environmental problem is to use structural materials in which the induced radioactivity decays quickly to levels that allow for near-surface disposal under 10CFR61 rules. The primary objective of this work is to develop low activation ferritic steels that exhibit mechanical and physical properties approximately equivalent to the HT-9 and 9Cr-1Mo steels, but which only contain elements that would permit near-surface disposal under 10CFR61 after exposure to fusion neutrons. A preliminary evaluation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of a 9Cr-2.5W-0.3V-0.15C (GA3X) low activation ferritic steel has been performed. An optimum heat treatment condition has been defined for GA3X steel. The properties and microstructure of the quenched and tempered specimens were characterized via hardness measurement and optical metallographic observation. The hot-microhardness and ductility parameter measurements were used to estimate the tensile properties at elevated temperatures. The estimated tensile strengths of GA3X steel at elevated temperatures are comparable to both 9Cr-1Mo and the modified 9Cr-1Mo steels. These preliminary results are encouraging in that they suggest that suitable low activation alloys can be successfully produced in this ferritic alloy class

  2. Chromium Enrichment on P11 Ferritic Steel by Pack Cementation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fauzi F. A.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The future thermal power plant is expected to operate at higher temperature to improve its efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emission. This target requires better corrosion properties of ferritic steels, which commonly used as materials for superheater and reheater of boiler tubes. In this work, chromium enrichment on the surface of ferritic steel is studied. The deposited chromium is expected to become a reservoir for the formation of chromia protective layer. Chromium was deposited on the substrate of steel by pack cementation process for two hours at the temperature of 850ºC, 950ºC and 1050ºC, respectively. XRD analysis indicated that chromium was successfully deposited at all temperatures. Somehow, SEM cross sectional image showed that continuous layer of chromium was not continuously formed at 850oC. Therefore, this research clarify that chromium enrichment by pack cementation may be conducted at the temperature above 950°C.

  3. Development of ferritic-martensitic P9 steel for wrapper application in future SFRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choudhary, B.K.; Mathew, M.D.; Isaac Samuel, E.; Moitra, A.

    2011-01-01

    The paper deals with the outcome of the research and development efforts directed towards the development of ferritic-martensitic P9 steel for wrapper application in future sodium cooled fast reactors with an objective to achieve high fuel burnup and more economical nuclear energy. The important and critical issues involved for the development of P9 wrappers such as optimisation of chemical composition in terms of trace elements like sulphur and phosphorous and appropriate thermo-mechanical treatments along with thermal ageing and irradiation effects on fracture properties have been discussed. Tensile properties evaluated at temperatures ranging from 300 to 873 K on the experimental three heats of P9 steel with different silicon contents and made using primary vacuum induction melting followed by secondary electro slag refining route, have been presented. Fracture behaviour examined mainly in terms of ductile to brittle transition temperature and upper shelf energy provided encouraging results. Based on these investigations, a roadmap has been drawn to make experimental P9 steel wrappers for tests in fast breeder test reactor and prototype fast breeder reactor. (author)

  4. SPEED DEPENDENCE OF ACOUSTIC VIBRATION PROPAGATION FROM THE FERRITIC GRAIN SIZE IN LOW-CARBON STEEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. A. Vakulenko

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. It is determining the nature of the ferrite grain size influence of low-carbon alloy steel on the speed propagation of acoustic vibrations. Methodology. The material for the research served a steel sheet of thickness 1.4 mm. Steel type H18T1 had a content of chemical elements within grade composition: 0, 12 % C, 17, 5 % Cr, 1 % Mn, 1, 1 % Ni, 0, 85 % Si, 0, 9 % Ti. The specified steel belongs to the semiferritic class of the accepted classification. The structural state of the metal for the study was obtained by cold plastic deformation by rolling at a reduction in the size range of 20-30 % and subsequent recrystallization annealing at 740 – 750 ° C. Different degrees of cold plastic deformation was obtained by pre-selection of the initial strip thickness so that after a desired amount of rolling reduction receives the same final thickness. The microstructure was observed under a light microscope, the ferrite grain size was determined using a quantitative metallographic technique. The using of X-ray structural analysis techniques allowed determining the level of second-order distortion of the crystal latitude of the ferrite. The speed propagation of acoustic vibrations was measured using a special device such as an ISP-12 with a working frequency of pulses 1.024 kHz. As the characteristic of strength used the hardness was evaluated by the Brinell’s method. Findings. With increasing of ferrite grain size the hardness of the steel is reduced. In the case of constant structural state of metal, reducing the size of the ferrite grains is accompanied by a natural increasing of the phase distortion. The dependence of the speed propagation of acoustic vibrations up and down the rolling direction of the ferrite grain size remained unchanged and reports directly proportional correlation. Originality. On the basis of studies to determine the direct impact of the proportional nature of the ferrite grain size on the rate of propagation of sound

  5. Comparison of material property specifications of ferritic steels in fast-breeder reactor technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delporte, E.; Vanderborck, Y.

    1988-01-01

    The component fabrications for the fast breeder reactors request the use of ferritic steels specially appropriated for the construction of the equipments sustaining pressure and high temperature. The Activity Group nr 3 Materials of the FRCC has decided to make a study to compare the different norms related to the properties of somme ferritic steels used in the different European fast breeder projects. In particular, this study should allow in the different countries of the Community, to identify the designation of a specific steel and to compare its properties. Deviations between the different norms of a same material are mentioned to facilitate European standardization of this type of material

  6. Corrosion behaviour of dissimilar welds between ferritic-martensitic stainless steel and austenitic stainless steel from secondary circuit of CANDU NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Popa, L.; Fulger, M.; Tunaru, M.; Velciu, L.; Lazar, M.

    2016-01-01

    Corrosion damages of welds occur in spite of the fact that the proper base metal and filler metal have been correctly selected, industry codes and standards have been followed and welds have been realized with full weld penetration and have proper shape and contour. In secondary circuit of a Nuclear Power Station there are some components which have dissimilar welds. The principal criteria for selecting a stainless steel usually is resistance to corrosion, and white most consideration is given to the corrosion resistance of the base metal, additional consideration should be given to the weld metal and to the base metal immediately adjacent to the weld zone. Our experiments were performed in chloride environmental on two types of samples: non-welded (410 or W 1.4006 ferritic-martensitic steel and 304L or W 1.4307 austenitic stainless steel) and dissimilar welds (dissimilar metal welds: joints between 410 ferritic-martensitic and 304L austenitic stainless steel). To evaluate corrosion susceptibility of dissimilar welds was used electrochemical method (potentiodynamic method) and optic microscopy (microstructural analysis). The present paper follows the localized corrosion behaviour of dissimilar welds between austenitic stainless steel and ferritic-martensitic steel in solutions containing chloride ions. It was evaluated the corrosion rates of samples (welded and non-welded) by electrochemical methods. (authors)

  7. Magnetic properties of a stainless steel irradiated with 6 MeV Xe ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Chaoliang; Liu, Xiangbing; Qian, Wangjie; Li, Yuanfei

    2017-11-01

    Specimens of austenitic stainless steel were irradiated with 6 MeV Xe ions at room temperature to 2, 7, 15 and 25 dpa. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PLS) were carried out to analysis the magnetic properties and microstructural variations. The magnetic hysteresis loops indicated that higher irradiation damage causes more significant magnetization phenomenon. The equivalent saturated magnetization Mes and coercive force Hc were obtained from magnetic hysteresis loops. It is indicated that the Mes increases with irradiation damage. While Hc increases first to 2 dpa and then decreases continuously with irradiation damage. The different contributions of irradiation defects and ferrite precipitates on Mes and Hc can explain these phenomena.

  8. Determination of ferrite formation coefficient of tin in an austenitic stainless steel by the diffusion couple method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchive, Daniel; Treheux, Daniel; Guiraldenq, Pierre

    1976-01-01

    The ferritic action of tin for a 18-10 stainless steel has been measured by two different methods: the first is based on the diffusion couple method and the graphical representation of compositions in a diagram α/α + γ/γ corresponding to ferrite and austenitic elements of the steel. In the second method, ferrite formation is analyzed in small ingots prepared with different chromium and tin concentrations. Ferrite coefficient of tin, compared to chromium is 0.25 with diffusion couples and this value is in good agreement with the classical method [fr

  9. Optimization and testing results of Zr-bearing ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tan, Lizhen [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Yang, Ying [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Tyburska-Puschel, Beata [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Sridharan, K. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

    2014-09-01

    The mission of the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) program is to develop crosscutting technologies for nuclear energy applications. Advanced structural materials with superior performance at elevated temperatures are always desired for nuclear reactors, which can improve reactor economics, safety margins, and design flexibility. They benefit not only new reactors, including advanced light water reactors (LWRs) and fast reactors such as sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) that is primarily designed for management of high-level wastes, but also life extension of the existing fleet when component exchange is needed. Developing and utilizing the modern materials science tools (experimental, theoretical, and computational tools) is an important path to more efficient alloy development and process optimization. Ferritic-martensitic (FM) steels are important structural materials for nuclear reactors due to their advantages over other applicable materials like austenitic stainless steels, notably their resistance to void swelling, low thermal expansion coefficients, and higher thermal conductivity. However, traditional FM steels exhibit a noticeable yield strength reduction at elevated temperatures above ~500°C, which limits their applications in advanced nuclear reactors which target operating temperatures at 650°C or higher. Although oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels have shown excellent high-temperature performance, their extremely high cost, limited size and fabricability of products, as well as the great difficulty with welding and joining, have limited or precluded their commercial applications. Zirconium has shown many benefits to Fe-base alloys such as grain refinement, improved phase stability, and reduced radiation-induced segregation. The ultimate goal of this project is, with the aid of computational modeling tools, to accelerate the development of a new generation of Zr-bearing ferritic alloys to be fabricated using conventional

  10. Development of ODS (oxide dispersion strengthened) ferritic-martensitic steels for fast reactor fuel cladding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ukai, Shigeharu

    2000-01-01

    In order to attain higher burnup and higher coolant outlet temperature in fast reactor, oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic-martensitic steels were developed as a long life fuel cladding. The improvement in formability and ductility, which are indispensable in the cold-rolling method for manufacturing cladding tube, were achieved by controlling the microstructure using techniques such as recrystallization heat-treatment and α to γ phase transformation. The ODS ferritic-martensitic cladding tubes manufactured using these techniques have the highest internal creep rupture strength in the world as ferritic stainless steels. Strength level approaches adequate value at 700degC, which meets the requirement for commercial fast reactors. (author)

  11. Synthesis and Characterization of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Ferritic Steel via a Sol-Gel Route

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Qinxing; Zhang Tao; Wang Xianping; Fang Qianfeng; Hu Jing; Liu Changsong

    2012-01-01

    Nanocrystalline oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel powders with nominal composition of Fe-14Cr-3W-0.3Ti-0.4Y 2 O 3 are synthesized using sol-gel method and hydrogen reduction. At low reduction temperature the impurity phase of CrO is detected. At higher reduction temperature the impurity phase is Cr 2 O 3 which eventually disappears with increasing reduction time. A pure ODS ferritic steel phase is obtained after reducing the sol-gel resultant products at 1200°C for 3 h. The HRTEM and EDS mapping indicate that the Y 2 O 3 particles with a size of about 15 nm are homogenously dispersed in the alloy matrix. The bulk ODS ferritic steel samples prepared from such powders exhibit good mechanical performance with an ultimate tensile stress of 960 MPa.

  12. TEM and HRTEM study of oxide particles in an Al-alloyed high-Cr oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel with Hf addition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dou, Peng, E-mail: doup@tsinghua.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Kimura, Akihiko, E-mail: kimura@iae.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Kasada, Ryuta, E-mail: r-kasada@iae.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Okuda, Takanari, E-mail: okuda.takanari@kki.kobelco.com [Kobelco Research Institute, 1-5-5 Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-2271 (Japan); Inoue, Masaki, E-mail: inoue.masaki@jaea.go.jp [Advanced Nuclear System R& D Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4002 Narita, O-arai, Ibaraki 311-1393 (Japan); Ukai, Shigeharu, E-mail: s-ukai@eng.hokudai.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N13, W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan); Ohnuki, Somei, E-mail: ohnuki@eng.hokudai.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N13, W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan); Fujisawa, Toshiharu, E-mail: fujisawa@esi.nagoya-u.ac.jp [EcoTopia Science Institute, Nagoya University, Furo, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Abe, Fujio, E-mail: ABE.Fujio@nims.go.jp [Structural Metals Center, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan); Jiang, Shan, E-mail: js93518@gmail.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Yang, Zhigang, E-mail: zgyang@tsinghua.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), School of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2017-03-15

    The nanoparticles in an Al-alloyed high-Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel with Hf addition, i.e., SOC-16 (Fe-15Cr-2W-0.1Ti-4Al-0.62Hf-0.35Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}), have been examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Relative to an Al-alloyed high-Cr ODS ferritic steel without Hf addition, i.e., SOC-9 (Fe-15.5Cr-2W-0.1Ti-4Al-0.35Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}), the dispersion morphology and coherency of the oxide nanoparticles in SOC-16 were significantly improved. Almost all the small nanoparticles (diameter <10 nm) in SOC-16 were found to be consistent with cubic Y{sub 2}Hf{sub 2}O{sub 7} oxides with the anion-deficient fluorite structure and coherent with the bcc steel matrix. The larger particles (diameter >10 nm) were also mainly identified as cubic Y{sub 2}Hf{sub 2}O{sub 7} oxides with the anion-deficient fluorite structure. The results presented here are compared with those of SOC-9 with a brief discussion of the underlying mechanisms of the unusual thermal and irradiation stabilities of the oxides as well as the superior strength, excellent irradiation tolerance and extraordinary corrosion resistance of SOC-16.

  13. Microstructure and mechanical properties of unirradiated low activation ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsu, C.Y.; Lechtenberg, T.A.

    1986-01-01

    Transmission electron micrographs of normalized and tempered 9Cr-2.5W-0.3V-0.15C low activation ferritic steel showed tempered lath-type martensite with precipitation of rod and plate-like carbides at lath and grain boundaries. X-ray diffraction analysis of the extracted replicas revealed nearly 100% M 23 C 6 carbides (a=1.064 nm), with no indication of Fe 2 W-type Laves phase even after thermal aging at 600 0 C/1000 h. Thermal aging increased the number density of rod-like M 23 C 6 along prior austenite grain boundaries and martensite lath boundaries. The elevated-temperature tensile strengths of this steel are about 10% higher than the average strengths of commercial heats of 9Cr-1Mo and modified 9Cr-1Mo steels up to 650 0 C, with equivalent uniform elongation and ∝50% decrease in total elongation. The DBTT was determined to be -25 0 C which is similar to other 9Cr-1Mo steels. Fractographic examination of tensile tested specimens shows a mixed mode of equiaxed and elongated dimples at test temperatures above 400 0 C. Modification of the Ga3X alloy composition for opimization of materials properties is discussed. However, the proposed low activation ferritic steel shows the promise of improved mechanical properties over 9Cr-1Mo steels. (orig.)

  14. Epitaxial growth of zinc on ferritic steel under high current density electroplating conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greul, Thomas; Comenda, Christian; Preis, Karl; Gerdenitsch, Johann; Sagl, Raffaela; Hassel, Achim Walter

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •EBSD of electroplated Zn on Fe or steel was performed. •Zn grows epitaxially on electropolished ferritic steel following Burger's orientation relation. •Surface deformation of steel leads to multiple electroplated zinc grains with random orientation. •Zn grows epitaxially even on industrial surfaces with little surface deformation. •Multiple zinc grains on one steel grain can show identical orientation relations. -- Abstract: The dependence of the crystal orientation of electrodeposited zinc of the grain orientation on ferritic steel substrate at high current density deposition (400 mA cm −2 ) during a pulse-plating process was investigated by means of EBSD (electron backscatter diffraction) measurements. EBSD-mappings of surface and cross-sections were performed on samples with different surface preparations. Furthermore an industrial sample was investigated to compare lab-coated samples with the industrial process. The epitaxial growth of zinc is mainly dependent on the condition of the steel grains. Deformation of steel grains leads to random orientation while zinc grows epitaxially on non-deformed steel grains even on industrial surfaces

  15. Solid-state diffusion bonding of high-Cr ODS ferritic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Sanghoon, E-mail: sh-noh@iae.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto (Japan); Kasada, Ryuta; Kimura, Akihiko [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto (Japan)

    2011-05-15

    Research highlights: > Oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel joined by solid-state diffusion bonding. > Free of precipitates and micro-voids at the bonding interface was existed. > Joints had the same tensile properties with anisotropy of the base material. > USE of joints was fully reserved in L-R bonding orientation. > Cracks did not propagate on the bonding interface at the Charpy impact test. - Abstract: Solid-state diffusion bonding (SSDB) was employed to join high-Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel (Fe-15Cr-2W-0.2Ti-0.35Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}) blocks under uniaxial hydrostatic pressure using a high-vacuum hot press, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated. High-Cr ODS ferritic steels were successfully diffusion bonded at 1200 deg. C for 1 h, without precipitates and microvoids at the bonding interface or degradation in the base materials. Transmission electron microscopic observation revealed that the nano-oxide particles near the bonding interface were uniformly distributed in the matrix and that the chemical composition across the bonding interface was virtually constant. At room temperature, the joint had nearly the same tensile properties and exhibited anisotropic behavior similar to that of the base material. The tensile strength of the joint region at elevated temperatures is nearly the same as that of the base material, with necking behavior at several micrometers from the bonding interface. The total elongation of the joint region decreased slightly at 700 {sup o}C, with an exfoliation fracture surface at the bonding interface. Although a small ductile-brittle transition temperature shift was observed in the joints, the upper shelf energy was fully reserved in the case of joints with L-R bonding orientation, for which cracks did not propagate on the bonding interface. Therefore, it is concluded that SSDB can be potentially employed as a joining method for high-Cr ODS ferritic steel owing to

  16. The creep properties of a low alloy ferritic steel containing an intermetallic precipitate dispersion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batte, A.D.; Murphy, M.C.; Edmonds, D.V.

    1976-01-01

    A good combination of creep rupture ductility and strength together with excellent long term thermal stability, has been obtained from a dispersion of intermetallic Laves phase precipitate in a non-transforming ferritic low alloy steel. The steel is without many of the problems currently associated with the heat affected zone microstructures of low alloy transformable ferritic steels, and can be used as a weld metal. Following suitable development to optimize the composition and heat treatment, such alloys may provide a useful range of weldable creep resistant steels for steam turbine and other high temperature applications. They would offer the unique possibility of easily achievable microstructural uniformity, giving good long term strength and ductility across the entire welded joint

  17. Microstructure and Mechanical Property of ODS Ferritic Steels Using Commercial Alloy Powders for High Temperature Service Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Sanghoon; Choi, Byoung-Kwon; Kang, Suk Hoon; Kim, Tae Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Oxide dispersion strengthening (ODS) is one of the promising ways to improve the mechanical property at high temperatures. This is mainly attributed to uniformly distributed nano-oxide particle with a high density, which is extremely stable at the high temperature and acts as effective obstacles when the dislocations are moving. In this study, as a preliminary examination to develop the advanced structural materials for high temperature service applications, ODS ferritic steels were fabricated using commercial alloy powders and their microstructural and mechanical properties were investigated. In this study, ODS ferritic steels were fabricated using commercial stainless steel 430L powder and their microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated. Morphology of micro-grains and oxide particles were significantly changed by the addition of minor alloying elements such as Ti, Zr, and Hf. The ODS ferritic steel with Zr and Hf additions showed ultra-fine grains with fine complex oxide particles. The oxide particles were uniformly located in grains and on the grain boundaries. This led to higher hardness than ODS ferritic steel with Ti addition.

  18. Effect of alloying element partitioning on ferrite hardening in a low alloy ferrite-martensite dual phase steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ebrahimian, A., E-mail: ebrahimiana@yahoo.com; Ghasemi Banadkouki, S.S.

    2016-11-20

    In this paper, the effect of carbon and other alloying elements partitioning on ferrite hardening behavior were studied in details using a low alloy AISI4340 ferrite-martensite dual phase (DP) steel. To do so, various re-austenitised samples at 860 °C for 60 min were isothermally heated at 650 °C from 3 to 60 min and then water–quenched to obtain the final ferrite-martensite DP microstructures containing different ferrite and martensite volume fractions. Light and electron microscopic observations were supplemented with electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and nanoindentation tests to explore the localized compositional and hardening variations within ferrite grains in DP samples. The experimental results showed that the ferrite hardness was varied with progress of austenite to ferrite phase transformation in DP samples. In the case of a particular ferrite grain in a particular DP sample, despite a homogeneous distribution of carbon concentration, the ferrite hardness was significantly increased by increasing distance from the central location toward the interfacial α/γ areas. Beside a considerable influence of martensitic phase transformation on adjacent ferrite hardness, these results were rationalized in part to the significant level of Cr and Mo pile-up at α/γ interfaces leading to higher solid solution hardening effect of these regions. The reduction of potential energy developed by attractive interaction between C-Cr and C-Mo couples toward the carbon enriched prior austenite areas were the dominating driving force for pile-up segregation.

  19. Corrosion of an austenite and ferrite stainless steel weld

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BRANIMIR N. GRGUR

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Dissimilar metal connections are prone to frequent failures. These failures are attributed to the difference in the mechanical properties across the weld, the coefficients of thermal expansion of the two types of steels and the resulting creep at the interface. For the weld analyzed in this research, it was shown that corrosion measurements can be used for a proper evaluation of the quality of weld material and for the prediction of whether or not the material, after the applied welding process, can be in service without failures. It was found that the corrosion of the weld analyzed in this research resulted from the simultaneous activity of different types of corrosion. In this study, electrochemical techniques including polarization and metallographic analysis were used to analyze the corrosion of a weld material of ferrite and austenitic stainless steels. Based on surface, chemical and electrochemical analyses, it was concluded that corrosion occurrence was the result of the simultaneous activity of contact corrosion (ferrite and austenitic material conjuction, stress corrosion (originating from deformed ferrite structure and inter-granular corrosion (due to chromium carbide precipitation. The value of corrosion potential of –0.53 V shows that this weld, after the thermal treatment, is not able to repassivate a protective oxide film.

  20. The Cracking Mechanism of Ferritic-Austenitic Cast Steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stradomski G.

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In the high-alloy, ferritic - austenitic (duplex stainless steels high tendency to cracking, mainly hot-is induced by micro segregation processes and change of crystallization mechanism in its final stage. The article is a continuation of the problems presented in earlier papers [1 - 4]. In the range of high temperature cracking appear one mechanism a decohesion - intergranular however, depending on the chemical composition of the steel, various structural factors decide of the occurrence of hot cracking. The low-carbon and low-alloy cast steel casting hot cracking cause are type II sulphide, in high carbon tool cast steel secondary cementite mesh and / or ledeburite segregated at the grain solidified grains boundaries, in the case of Hadfield steel phosphorus - carbide eutectic, which carrier is iron-manganese and low solubility of phosphorus in high manganese matrix. In duplex cast steel the additional factor increasing the risk of cracking it is very “rich” chemical composition and related with it processes of precipitation of many secondary phases.

  1. Protecting against failure by brittle fracture in ferritic steel shipping containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwartz, M.W.; Langland, R.T.

    1983-01-01

    The possible use of ferritic steels for the containment structure of shipping casks has motivated the development of criteria for assuring the integrity of these casks under both normal and hypothetical accident conditions specified in Part 71 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulation Guide 7.6 provides design criteria for preventing ductile failure steel shipping containers. The research described in this paper deals with criteria for preventing brittle fracture of ferritic steel shipping containers. Initially guidelines were developed for ferritic steel up to four inches thick (I). This was followed by an investigation of various criteria that might be used for monolithic thick walled casks greater than four inches thick (2). Three categories of safety are identified in the design of shipping containers. Category I, the highest level of safety, is appropriate for containment systems for spent nuclear fuel and high level waste transport packaging. In Category I, containers are designed to the highest level of safety and brittle fracture is essentially not possible. Categories II and III represent levels of safety commensurate with the consequences of release of lower levels of radioactivity. In these latter categories, consideration of factors contributing to brittle fracture, good engineering practice, and careful selection of material make brittle fracture unlikely under environmental conditions encountered during shipping. This paper will deal primarily with Category I containers. The guidelines for Category II and III containers are fully described elsewhere. 5 references, 10 figures, 3 tables

  2. The influence of delta ferrite in the AISI 416 stainless steel hot workability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardoso, P.H.S.; Kwietniewski, C.; Porto, J.P.; Reguly, A.; Strohaecker, T.R.

    2003-01-01

    Delta ferrite in martensitic stainless steels may have an adverse effect on the mechanical properties of these materials at high temperature. The occurrence of such phase is determined by the material chemical composition (mainly Cr and C), as-received microstructure condition and hot working temperature. The aim of this investigation is to assess the influence of delta ferrite on the hot workability of the martensitic AISI 416 stainless steel. Hence, different heats of this material (differing in chemical composition and as-received microstructure) were submitted to heating tests in order to observe the microstructural transformations that take place at high temperature and then examine the influence of these transformations on the mechanical behaviour. Phase characterisation and quantification were carried out using scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and image analysis. The heating tests were performed in the temperature range of 1100-1350 deg. C and hot workability in two heats with different delta ferrite content was assessed by hot torsion tests in the temperature range of 1000-1250 deg. C. The results have indicated that chemical composition and as-received microstructure strongly affect delta ferrite formation, which in turn deteriorates hot workability of the martensitic AISI 416 stainless steel

  3. Grain refinement by cold deformation and recrystallization of bainite and acicular ferrite structures of C-Mn steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hossein Nedjad, S.; Zahedi Moghaddam, Y.; Mamdouh Vazirabadi, A.; Shirazi, H.; Nili Ahmadabadi, M.

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Bainite showed weak property improvement after rolling and annealing. → Additions of titanium and titanium oxide stimulated acicular ferrite. → Acicular ferrite obtained by nanoparticles exhibited very high strength. → Rolling and annealing of acicular ferrite gave substantial property improvement. - Abstract: The propensity of bainite and acicular ferrite structures of experimental C-Mn steels for enhanced grain refinement by combining phase transformation and plastic deformation has been investigated. Formation of acicular ferrite structures were stimulated with a small amount of titanium and titanium oxide nanoparticles added into the molten steels of high Mn concentrations. Isothermal transformations into the bainite and acicular ferrite structures were performed for 1.8 ks at 823 K after preliminary austenitization for 1.8 ks at 1523 K. Cold rolling for 50% thickness reduction was conducted on the isothermally transformed structures. Subsequent annealing of the deformed structures was conducted for 3.6 ks at 773, 873 and 973 K. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and tensile test were used for characterization of the studied steels. Cold rolling and annealing of the transformed structures at 873 K resulted in strengthening at the expense of ductility where an initial stage of recrystallization is realized. Acicular ferrite obtained by the addition of titanium into the molten steel exhibited the remarkable improvement of tensile properties. Discontinuous recrystallization of the deformed structures at 973 K leads to the formation of fine grains wherein acicular structures represented more enhanced grain refinement than bainite.

  4. Microstructure and grain size effects on irradiation hardening of low carbon steel for reactor tanks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milasin, N.

    1964-05-01

    Irradiation hardening of steel for reactor pressure vessels has been studied extensively during the past few years. A great number of experimental results concerning the behaviour of these steels in the radiation field and several review papers (1,2) have been published. Most of the papers deal with the effects of specific metallurgical factors or irradiation conditions (temperature, flux) on irradiation hardening and embrittlement. In addition, a number of experiments are performed to give evidence on the mechanism of irradiation hardening of these steels. However, this mechanism is still unknown due to the complexity of steel as a system. Among different methods used in radiation damage studies, the changes of mechanical properties have been mainly investigated. By using Hall-Petch's empirical relation, σ y =σ i +k y d -1/2 between lower yield stress, σ y , and grain size, 2d, the information about the effect of irradiation on the parameters σ i and k y is obtained. Taking as a base interpretation of σ i and k y given by Petch and his co-workers it has been concluded that radiation does not change the stress to start slip but that it increase the friction that opposes the passage of free dislocations across a slip plane. In attempting to apply Hall-Petch's relation to one unirradiated ferritic steel with a carbon content higher than 0.15% some difficulties were encountered. The results obtained indicate that the influence of grain size can not be isolated from other factors introduced by the treatments used to produce different grain sizes. This paper deals with a similar problem in the case of irradiated steel. The results obtained give the changes of the mechanical properties of steel in neutron irradiation field as a function of microstructure and grain size. In addition, the mechanical properties of irradiated steel are measured after annealing at 150 deg C and 450 deg C. On the basis of the experimental results obtained the relative microstructure and

  5. Triple ion-beam studies of radiation damage in 9Cr2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, E.H.; Hunn, J.D.; Rao, G.R.; Klueh, R.L.; Mansur, L.K.

    1997-01-01

    To simulate radiation damage under a future Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) environment, irradiation experiments were conducted on a candidate 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel using the Triple Ion Facility (TIF) at ORNL. Irradiation was conducted in single, dual, and triple ion beam modes using 3.5 MeV Fe ++ , 360 keV He + , and 180 keV H + at 80, 200, and 350 degrees C. These irradiations produced various defects comprising black dots, dislocation loops, line dislocations, and gas bubbles, which led to hardening. The largest increase in hardness, over 63 %, was observed after 50 dpa for triple beam irradiation conditions, revealing that both He and H are augmenting the hardening. Hardness increased less than 30 % after 30 dpa at 200 degrees C by triple beams, compatible with neutron irradiation data from previous work which showed about a 30 % increase in yield strength after 27.2 dpa at 365 degrees C. However, the very large concentrations of gas bubbles in the matrix and on lath and grain boundaries after these simulated SNS irradiations make predictions of fracture behavior from fission reactor irradiations to spallation target conditions inadvisable

  6. Summary of the IEA workshop/working group meeting on ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, R.L. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1997-04-01

    An International Energy Agency (IEA) Working Group on Ferritic/Martensitic Steels for Fusion Applications, consisting of researchers from Japan, the European Union, the United States, and Switzerland, met at the headquarters of the Joint European Torus (JET), Culham, United Kingdom, 24-25 October 1996. At the meeting preliminary data generated on the large heats of steel purchased for the IEA program and on other heats of steels were presented and discussed. The second purpose of the meeting was to continue planning and coordinating the collaborative test program in progress on reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels. The next meeting will be held in conjunction with the International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials (ICFRM-8) in Sendai, Japan, 23-31 October 1997.

  7. Summary of the IEA workshop/working group meeting on ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.

    1997-01-01

    An International Energy Agency (IEA) Working Group on Ferritic/Martensitic Steels for Fusion Applications, consisting of researchers from Japan, the European Union, the United States, and Switzerland, met at the headquarters of the Joint European Torus (JET), Culham, United Kingdom, 24-25 October 1996. At the meeting preliminary data generated on the large heats of steel purchased for the IEA program and on other heats of steels were presented and discussed. The second purpose of the meeting was to continue planning and coordinating the collaborative test program in progress on reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels. The next meeting will be held in conjunction with the International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials (ICFRM-8) in Sendai, Japan, 23-31 October 1997

  8. Effect of tungsten and tantalum on the low cycle fatigue behavior of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shankar, Vani, E-mail: vani@igcar.gov.in [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam-603102 (India); Mariappan, K.; Nagesha, A.; Prasad Reddy, G.V.; Sandhya, R.; Mathew, M.D.; Jayakumar, T. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam-603102 (India)

    2012-05-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Effect of tungsten and tantalum on low cycle fatigue behavior of RAFM steels. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Both alloying elements W and Ta improved fatigue life. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Increase in Ta content improved fatigue life more than W. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optimization of W content at 1.4 wt.%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Softening behavior closely related to W and Ta content. - Abstract: Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are candidate materials for the test blanket modules of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Several degradation mechanisms such as thermal fatigue, low cycle fatigue, creep fatigue interaction, creep, irradiation hardening, swelling and phase instability associated irradiation embrittlement must be understood in order to estimate the component lifetime and issues concerning the structural integrity of components. The current work focuses on the effect of tungsten and tantalum on the low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of RAFM steels. Both alloying elements tungsten and tantalum improved the fatigue life. Influence of Ta on increasing fatigue life was an order of magnitude higher than the influence of W on improving the fatigue life. Based on the present study, the W content was optimized at 1.4 wt.%. Softening behavior of RAFM steels showed a strong dependence on W and Ta content in RAFM steels.

  9. Modeling of Ni Diffusion Induced Austenite Formation in Ferritic Stainless Steel Interconnects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Ming; Alimadadi, Hossein; Molin, Sebastian

    2017-01-01

    Ferritic stainless steel interconnect plates are widely used in planar solid oxide fuel cell and electrolysis cell stacks. During stack production and operation, nickel from the Ni/yttria stabilized zirconia fuel electrode or from the Ni contact component layer diffuses into the interconnect plate......, causing transformation of the ferritic phase into an austenitic phase in the interface region. This is accompanied with changes in volume, and in mechanical and corrosion properties of the interconnect plates. In this work, kinetic modeling of the inter-diffusion between Ni and FeCr based ferritic...

  10. The influence of Cr content on the mechanical properties of ODS ferritic steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shaofu; Zhou, Zhangjian; Jang, Jinsung; Wang, Man; Hu, Helong; Sun, Hongying; Zou, Lei; Zhang, Guangming; Zhang, Liwei

    2014-12-01

    The present investigation aimed at researching the mechanical properties of the oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels with different Cr content, which were fabricated through a consolidation of mechanical alloyed (MA) powders of 0.35 wt.% nano Y2O3 dispersed Fe-12.0Cr-0.5Ti-1.0W (alloy A), Fe-16.0Cr-0.5Ti-1.0W (alloy B), and Fe-18.0Cr-0.5Ti-1.0W (alloy C) alloys (all in wt.%) by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) with 100 MPa pressure at 1150 °C for 3 h. The mechanical properties, including the tensile strength, hardness, and impact fracture toughness were tested by universal testers, while Young's modulus was determined by ultrasonic wave non-destructive tester. It was found that the relationship between Cr content and the strength of ODS ferritic steels was not a proportional relationship. However, too high a Cr content will cause the precipitation of Cr-enriched segregation phase, which is detrimental to the ductility of ODS ferritic steels.

  11. A comparison between different oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel ongoing in situ oxide dissolution in High Voltage Electron Microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monnet, I.; Van den Berghe, T.; Dubuisson, Ph.

    2012-01-01

    ODS materials are considered for nuclear applications but previous experimental studies have shown a partial dissolution of some oxides under neutron irradiation. In this work, electron irradiations were used to evaluate the stability of the oxides depending on the chemical composition of the oxide dispersion. Four ferritic steels based on EM10 (Fe–9Cr–1Mo) and reinforced respectively by Al 2 O 3 , MgO, MgAl 2 O 4 and Y 2 O 3 , were studied. These materials were irradiated with 1 MeV or 1.2 MeV electrons in a High Voltage Electron Microscope. This technique allows to follow one single oxide and to determine the evolution of its size during the irradiation. In situ HVEM observations indicate that the dissolution rate depends on the chemical composition of the oxide, on the temperature and on the irradiation dose.

  12. The evolution of ferrite grain size in structural steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodgson, P.D.

    1999-01-01

    The refinement of the ferrite grain size is the main aim of modern thermomechanical processes for hot rolled steels. The ferrite grain size is determined by the composition, the state of the austenite at the point of transformation and the cooling rate through transformation. By adding microalloying additions of Ti for grain refinement and Nb to retard recrystallisation, it is possible to reduce the ferrite grain size to less than 5μm at moderate to high cooling rates. However, it is not possible under even the most extreme traditional controlled rolling and accelerated cooling conditions to produce an equiaxed ferrite grain size of less than 3μm. More recent work, though, involving rolling with high undercooling and friction conditions that lead to high shear, suggests that it is possible to produce microstructures in a single rolling pass with an average grain size less than 1μm. This appears to involve a dynamic (ie strain induced) transformation process. The current understanding of static and dynamic transformation and the resultant grain size is reviewed and areas requiring further research are highlighted

  13. Chemical compatibility study of lithium titanate with Indian reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonak, Sagar; Jain, Uttam; Haldar, Rumu; Kumar, Sanjay

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Chemical compatibility between Li_2TiO_3 and Indian RAFM steel has been studied at ITER operating temperature. • The lithium titanate chemically reacted with ferritic martensitic steel to form a brittle and non-adherent oxide layer. • The layer grew in a parabolic manner as a function of heating time. • Diffusion of oxygen (from Li_2TiO_3) appears to be controlling the oxide layer. - Abstract: Chemical compatibility between lithium titanate and Indian reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel (In-RAFMS) was studied for the first time under ITER operating temperature. Lithium titanate required for the study was synthesized in-house. Coupons of In-RAFMS were packed inside lithium titanate powder and heated at 550 °C up to 900 h under inert argon atmosphere. The lithium titanate chemically reacted with ferritic martensitic steel to form a brittle and non-adherent oxide layer. The layer grew in a parabolic manner as a function of heating time. Microstructural and phase evolution of this oxide layer was studied using XRD, SEM and EPMA. Iron and chromium enriched zones were found within the oxide layer. Diffusion of oxygen (from Li_2TiO_3) appears to be controlling the oxide layer.

  14. Proceedings of the second milestone meeting of European laboratories on the development of ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daum, E.; Ehrlich, K.; Schirra, M.

    1997-05-01

    In the frame of the European Fusion Technology Program a series of ferritic/martensitic developmental alloys, the composition of which had been optimized towards low long-term activation, was investigated and compared with conventional 9-12%CrMoVNb steels. It could be shown that by these chemical modifications neither the physical metallurgy nor the transformation behavior was changed markedly. Tensile-, creep-rupture- and fatigue properties are somewhat reduced, whereas the fracture toughness and impact data are far superior to conventional materials. This is an important advantage, especially if the expected detrimental effect of neutron irradiation on the latter properties is taken into account. First results of low-fluence irradiations indicate that the new alloys are less prone to irradiation-induced DBTT shifts. (orig./HM) [de

  15. Effect of neutron irradiation on vanadium alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braski, D.N.

    1986-01-01

    Neutron-irradiated vanadium alloys were evaluated for their susceptibility to irradiation hardening, helium embrittlement, swelling, and residual radioactivity, and the results were compared with those for the austenitic and ferritic stainless steels. The VANSTAR-7 and V-15Cr-5Ti alloys showed the greatest hardening between 400 and 600 0 C while V-3Ti-1Si and V-20Ti had lower values that were comparable to those of ferritic steels. The V-15Cr-5Ti and VANSTAR-7 alloys were susceptible to helium embrittlement caused by the combination of weakened grain boundaries and irradiation-hardened grain matrices. Specimen fractures were entirely intergranular in the most severe instances of embrittlement. The V-3Ti-1Si and V-20Ti alloys were more resistant to helium embrittlement. Except for VANSTAR-7 irradiated to 40 dpa at 520 0 C, all of the vanadium alloys exhibited low swelling that was similar to the ferritic steels. Swelling was greater in specimens that were preimplanted with helium using the tritium trick. The vanadium alloys clearly exhibit lower residual radioactivity after irradiation than the ferrous alloys

  16. Effect of neutron irradiation on vanadium alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Braski, D.N.

    1986-01-01

    Neutron-irradiated vanadium alloys were evaluated for their susceptibility to irradiation hardening, helium embrittlement, swelling, and residual radioactivity, and the results were compared with those for the austenitic and ferritic stainless steels. The VANSTAR-7 and V-15Cr-5Ti alloys showed the greatest hardening between 400 and 600/sup 0/C while V-3Ti-1Si and V-20Ti had lower values that were comparable to those of ferritic steels. The V-15Cr-5Ti and VANSTAR-7 alloys were susceptible to helium embrittlement caused by the combination of weakened grain boundaries and irradiation-hardened grain matrices. Specimen fractures were entirely intergranular in the most severe instances of embrittlement. The V-3Ti-1Si and V-20Ti alloys were more resistant to helium embrittlement. Except for VANSTAR-7 irradiated to 40 dpa at 520/sup 0/C, all of the vanadium alloys exhibited low swelling that was similar to the ferritic steels. Swelling was greater in specimens that were preimplanted with helium using the tritium trick. The vanadium alloys clearly exhibit lower residual radioactivity after irradiation than the ferrous alloys.

  17. Diffusion of Nickel into Ferritic Steel Interconnects of Solid Oxide Fuel/Electrolysis Stacks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Molin, Sebastian; Chen, Ming; Bowen, Jacob R.

    2013-01-01

    diffusion of nickel from the Ni/YSZ electrode or the contact layer into the interconnect plate. Such diffusion can cause austenization of the ferritic structure and could possibly alter corrosion properties of the steel. Whereas this process has already been recognized by SOFC stack developers, only...... a limited number of studies have been devoted to the phenomenon. Here, diffusion of Ni into ferritic Crofer 22 APU steel is studied in a wet hydrogen atmosphere after 250 hours of exposure at 800 °C using Ni-plated (~ 10 micron thick coatings) sheet steel samples as a model system. Even after...... this relatively short time all the metallic nickel in the coating has reacted and formed solid solutions with iron and chromium. Diffusion of Ni into the steel causes formation of the austenite FCC phase. The microstructure and composition of the oxide scale formed on the sample surface after 250 hours is similar...

  18. Comparison of the mechanical strength properties of several high-chromium ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Booker, M.K.; Sikka, V.K.; Booker, B.L.P.

    1981-01-01

    A modified 9 Cr-1 Mo ferritic steel has been selected as an alternative material for breeder reactors. Different 9 Cr-1 Mo steels are already being used commercially in UK and USA and a 9 Cr-2 Mo steel (EM12) is being used commercially in France. The 12% Cr steel alloy HT9 is also often recommended for high-temperature service. Creep-rupture data for all six seels were analyzed to yield rupture life as a function of stress, temperature, and lot-to-lot variations. Yield and tensile strength data for the three 9 Cr-1 Mo materials were also examined. All results were compared with Type 304 stainless steel, and the tensile and creep properties of the modified and British 9 Cr-1 Mo materials were used to calculate allowable stress values S 0 per Section VIII, Division 1 and S/sub m/ per code Case N-47 to section III of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. these values were compared with code listings for American commercial 9 Cr-1 Mo steel, 2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo steel, and Type 304 stainless steel. The conclusion is made that the modified 9 Cr-1 Mo steel displays tensile and creep strengths superior to those of the other ferritic materials examined and is at least comparable to Type 304 stainless steel from room temperature to about 625 0 C. 31 figures

  19. Evaluation of welds on a ferritic-austenitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pleva, J.; Johansson, B.

    1984-01-01

    Five different welding methods for the ferritic-austenitic steel 22Cr6Ni3MoN have been evaluated on mill welded heavy wall pipes. The corrosion resistance of the weld joints has been tested both in standard tests and in special environments, related to certain oil and gas wells. The tests were conclusive in that a welding procedure with the addition of sufficient amounts of filler metal should be employed. TIG welds without or with marginal filler addition showed poor resistance to pitting, and to boiling nitric acid. Contents of main alloying elements in ferrite and austenite phases have been measured and causes of corrosion attack in welds are discussed

  20. Phase transformation and impact properties in the experimentally simulated weld heat-affected zone of a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Joonoh, E-mail: mjo99@kims.re.kr [Ferrous Alloy Department, Advanced Metallic Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsangu, Changwon, Gyeongnam 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Chang-Hoon; Lee, Tae-Ho [Ferrous Alloy Department, Advanced Metallic Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsangu, Changwon, Gyeongnam 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Min-Ho [Ferrous Alloy Department, Advanced Metallic Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsangu, Changwon, Gyeongnam 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-ku, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Min-Gu [Ferrous Alloy Department, Advanced Metallic Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsangu, Changwon, Gyeongnam 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Material Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, 30 Jangjeon-Dong, Geumjeong-gu, Pusan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Han, Heung Nam [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-12-15

    In this work, the phase transformation and impact properties in the weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) of a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel are investigated. The HAZs were experimentally simulated using a Gleeble simulator. The base steel consisted of tempered martensite through normalizing at 1000 °C and tempering at 750 °C, while the HAZs consisted of martensite, δ-ferrite and a small volume of autotempered martensite. The impact properties using a Charpy V-notch impact test revealed that the HAZs showed poor impact properties due to the formation of martensite and δ-ferrite as compared with the base steel. In addition, the impact properties of the HAZs further deteriorated with an increase in the δ-ferrite fraction caused by increasing the peak temperature. The impact properties of the HAZs could be improved through the formation of tempered martensite after post weld heat treatment (PWHT), but they remained lower than that of the base steel because the δ-ferrite remained in the tempered HAZs.

  1. Diffusion bonding of 9Cr ODS ferritic/martensitic steel with a phase transformation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Sanghoon, E-mail: shnoh@kaeri.re.kr [Nuclear Materials Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kimura, Akihiko [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto (Japan); Kim, Tae Kyu [Nuclear Materials Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • Diffusion bonding was employed to join 9Cr oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic/martensitic steel under uniaxial hydrostatic pressure, and the microstructure and tensile properties of the joints were investigated. • ODS steel was successfully diffusion bonded at an austenization temperature to migrate a residual diffusion bonding interface. • The tensile properties of the joint region were comparable with that of the base metal with a ductile fracture occurred far from the bonding interface. • It is considered that diffusion bonding with a phase transformation can be a very useful joining method for fabricating components in next-generation nuclear systems using 9Cr ODS ferritic/martensitic steel. - Abstract: Diffusion bonding was employed to join oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic/martensitic steel under uniaxial hydrostatic pressure using a high vacuum hot press, and the microstructure and tensile properties of the joints were investigated. 9Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel was successfully diffusion bonded at 1150 °C for 1 h to migrate a residual bonding interface. Following heat treatment, including normalising at 1050 °C and tempering at 800 °C for 1 h, comparable results without inclusions or micro-voids at the bonding interface, or degradation in the base metal were achieved. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation revealed that the nano-oxide particles in the bonding region were uniformly distributed in the matrix. At room temperature, the joint had nearly the same tensile properties with that of the base metal. The tensile strength of the joint region at elevated temperatures was comparable with that of the base metal. The total elongation of the joint region decreased slightly, but reached 80% of the base metal at 700 °C, and a ductile fracture occurred far from the bonding interface. Therefore, it is considered that diffusion bonding with a phase transformation can be a very useful joining method for

  2. Microstructural examination of commercial ferritic alloys at 299 DPA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.

    1995-11-01

    Microstructures and density change measurements are reported for Martensitic commercial steels HT-9 and Modified 9Cr-lMo (T9) and oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic alloys MA956 and NU957 following irradiation in the FFTF/MOTA at 420 degrees C to 200 DPA. Swelling as determined by density change remains below 2% for all conditions. Microstructures are found to be stable except in recrystallized grains of MA957, which are fabrication artifacts, with only minor swelling in the Martensitic steels and α' precipitation in alloys with 12% or more chromium. These results further demonstrate the high swelling resistance and microstructural stability of the ferritic alloy class

  3. High temperature deformation behavior, thermal stability and irradiation performance in Grade 92 steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsagabi, Sultan

    The 9Cr-2W ferritic-martensitic steel (i.e. Grade 92 steel) possesses excellent mechanical and thermophysical properties; therefore, it has been considered to suit more challenging applications where high temperature strength and creep-rupture properties are required. The high temperature deformation mechanism was investigated through a set of tensile testing at elevated temperatures. Hence, the threshold stress concept was applied to elucidate the operating high temperature deformation mechanism. It was identified as the high temperature climb of edge dislocations due to the particle-dislocation interactions and the appropriate constitutive equation was developed. In addition, the microstructural evolution at room and elevated temperatures was investigated. For instance, the microstructural evolution under loading was more pronounced and carbide precipitation showed more coarsening tendency. The growth of these carbide precipitates, by removing W and Mo from matrix, significantly deteriorates the solid solution strengthening. The MX type carbonitrides exhibited better coarsening resistance. To better understand the thermal microstructural stability, long tempering schedules up to 1000 hours was conducted at 560, 660 and 760°C after normalizing the steel. Still, the coarsening rate of M23C 6 carbides was higher than the MX-type particles. Moreover, the Laves phase particles were detected after tempering the steel for long periods before they dissolve back into the matrix at high temperature (i.e. 720°C). The influence of the tempering temperature and time was studied for Grade 92 steel via Hollomon-Jaffe parameter. Finally, the irradiation performance of Grade 92 steel was evaluated to examine the feasibility of its eventual reactor use. To that end, Grade 92 steel was irradiated with iron (Fe2+) ions to 10, 50 and 100 dpa at 30 and 500°C. Overall, the irradiated samples showed some irradiation-induced hardening which was more noticeable at 30°C. Additionally

  4. High temperature creep strength of Advanced Radiation Resistant Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Sanghoon; Kim, Tae Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    Austenitic stainless steel may be one of the candidates because of good strength and corrosion resistance at the high temperatures, however irradiation swelling well occurred to 120dpa at high temperatures and this leads the decrease of the mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Compared to this, ferritic/martensitic steel is a good solution because of excellent thermal conductivity and good swelling resistance. Unfortunately, the available temperature range of ferritic/martensitic steel is limited up to 650 .deg. C. ODS steel is the most promising structural material because of excellent creep and irradiation resistance by uniformly distributed nano-oxide particles with a high density which is extremely stable at the high temperature in ferritic/martensitic matrix. In this study, high temperature strength of advanced radiation resistance ODS steel was investigated for the core structural material of next generation nuclear systems. ODS martensitic steel was designed to have high homogeneity, productivity and reproducibility. Mechanical alloying, hot isostactic pressing and hot rolling processes were employed to fabricate the ODS steels, and creep rupture test as well as tensile test were examined to investigate the behavior at high temperatures. ODS steels were fabricated by a mechanical alloying and hot consolidation processes. Mechanical properties at high temperatures were investigated. The creep resistance of advanced radiation resistant ODS steels was more superior than those of ferritic/ martensitic steel, austenitic stainless steel and even a conventional ODS steel.

  5. Effects of Controlled Cooling-Induced Ferrite-Pearlite Microstructure on the Cold Forgeability of XC45 Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Chengliang; Chen, Lunqiang; Zhao, Zhen; Gong, Aijun; Shi, Weibing

    2018-05-01

    The combination of hot/warm and cold forging with an intermediate controlled cooling process is a promising approach to saving costs in the manufacture of automobile parts. In this work, the effects of the ferrite-pearlite microstructure, which formed after controlled cooling, on the cold forgeability of a medium-carbon steel were investigated. Different specimens for both normal and notched tensile tests were directly heated to high temperature and then cooled down at different cooling rates, producing different ferrite volume fractions, ranging from 6.69 to 40.53%, in the ferrite-pearlite microstructure. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation rate, percentage reduction of area, and fracture strain were measured by tensile testing. The yield strength, indicating deformation resistance, and fracture strain, indicating formability, were used to evaluate the cold forgeability. As the ferrite volume fraction increased, the cold forgeability of the dual-phase ferritic-pearlitic steel improved. A quantitatively relationship between the ferrite volume fraction and the evaluation indexes of cold forgeability for XC45 steel was obtained from the test data. To validate the mathematical relationship, different tensile specimens machined from real hot-forged workpieces were tested. There was good agreement between the predicted and measured values. Our predictions from the relationship for cold forgeability had an absolute error less than 5%, which is acceptable for industrial applications and will help to guide the design of combined forging processes.

  6. Effect of Microstructures and Tempering Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of 9Cr-2W Reduced-Activation Ferritic-Martensitic Steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Min-Gu; Kang, Nam Hyun; Moon, Joonoh; Lee, Tae-Ho; Lee, Chang-Hoon; Kim, Hyoung Chan

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of microstructures (martensite, ferrite, or mixed ferrite and martensite) on the mechanical properties. Of particular interest was the Charpy impact results for 9Cr-2W reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels. Under normalized conditions, steel with martensitic microstructure showed superior tensile strength and Charpy impact results. This may result from auto-tempering during the transformation of martensite. On the other hand, both ferrite, and ferrite mixed with martensite, showed unusually poor Charpy impact results. This is because the ferrite phases, and coarse M_23C_6 carbides at the ferrite-grain boundaries acted as cleavage crack propagation paths, and as preferential initiation sites for cleavage cracks, respectively. After the tempering heat treatment, although tensile strength decreased, the energy absorbed during the Charpy impact test drastically increased for martensite, and ferrite mixed with martensite. This was due to the tempered martensite. On the other hand, there were no distinctive differences in tensile and Charpy impact properties of steel with ferrite microstructure, when comparing normalized and tempered conditions.

  7. Comparison of the corrosion behavior of austenitic and ferritic/martensitic steels exposed to static liquid Pb Bi at 450 and 550 °C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurata, Y.; Futakawa, M.; Saito, S.

    2005-08-01

    Static corrosion tests of various steels were conducted in oxygen-saturated liquid Pb-Bi eutectic at 450 °C and 550 °C for 3000 h to study the effects of temperature and alloying elements on corrosion behavior in liquid Pb-Bi. Corrosion depth decreases at 450 °C with increasing Cr content in steels regardless of ferritic/martensitic steels or austenitic steels. Appreciable dissolution of Ni and Cr does not occur in the three austenitic steels at 450 °C. Corrosion depth of ferritic/martensitic steels also decreases at 550 °C with increasing Cr content in steels whereas corrosion depth of austenitic steels, JPCA and 316SS becomes larger due to ferritization caused by dissolution of Ni at 550 °C than that of ferritic/martensitic steels. An austenitic stainless steel containing about 5%Si exhibits fine corrosion resistance at 550 °C because the protective Si oxide film is formed and prevents dissolution of Ni and Cr.

  8. Comparison of the corrosion behavior of austenitic and ferritic/martensitic steels exposed to static liquid Pb-Bi at 450 and 550 deg. C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurata, Y.; Futakawa, M.; Saito, S.

    2005-01-01

    Static corrosion tests of various steels were conducted in oxygen-saturated liquid Pb-Bi eutectic at 450 deg. C and 550 deg. C for 3000 h to study the effects of temperature and alloying elements on corrosion behavior in liquid Pb-Bi. Corrosion depth decreases at 450 deg. C with increasing Cr content in steels regardless of ferritic/martensitic steels or austenitic steels. Appreciable dissolution of Ni and Cr does not occur in the three austenitic steels at 450 deg. C. Corrosion depth of ferritic/martensitic steels also decreases at 550 deg. C with increasing Cr content in steels whereas corrosion depth of austenitic steels, JPCA and 316SS becomes larger due to ferritization caused by dissolution of Ni at 550 deg. C than that of ferritic/martensitic steels. An austenitic stainless steel containing about 5%Si exhibits fine corrosion resistance at 550 deg. C because the protective Si oxide film is formed and prevents dissolution of Ni and Cr

  9. Radiation damage structure in irradiated and annealed 440 WWER-Type reactor pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kocik, J.; Keilova, E.

    1993-01-01

    A review of irradiation damages in WWER-type RPV steels based on conventional Transmission Electron Microscopy investigations in a power reactor and a research reactor, is presented; the samples consist in Cr-Mo-V ferritic steel (15Kh2MFA type). The visible part of radiation-induced defects consists of very fine vanadium carbide precipitates, small dislocation loops and black dots (presumably corresponding to clusters and particle embryos formed from vacancies and solute-atoms (vanadium, copper, phosphorus) and carbon associated with vanadium. Radiation-induced defects are concentrated at dislocation substructure during irradiation in a power reactor, revealing the role of radiation-enhanced diffusion in damage structure forming process. Contrarily, the distribution of defects resulting from annealing of specimens irradiated in the research reactor is pre-determined by an homogenous distribution of radiation-induced defects prior to annealing. Increasing the number of re-irradiation and annealing cycles, the amount of dislocation loops among all defects seems to be growing. Simultaneously, the dislocation substructure recovers considerably. (authors). 14 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs

  10. Radiation damage structure in irradiated and annealed 440 WWER-Type reactor pressure vessel steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kocik, J; Keilova, E [Czech Nuclear Society, Prague (Czech Republic)

    1994-12-31

    A review of irradiation damages in WWER-type RPV steels based on conventional Transmission Electron Microscopy investigations in a power reactor and a research reactor, is presented; the samples consist in Cr-Mo-V ferritic steel (15Kh2MFA type). The visible part of radiation-induced defects consists of very fine vanadium carbide precipitates, small dislocation loops and black dots (presumably corresponding) to clusters and particle embryos formed from vacancies and solute-atoms (vanadium, copper, phosphorus) and carbon associated with vanadium. Radiation-induced defects are concentrated at dislocation substructure during irradiation in a power reactor, revealing the role of radiation-enhanced diffusion in damage structure forming process. Contrarily, the distribution of defects resulting from annealing of specimens irradiated in the research reactor is pre-determined by an homogenous distribution of radiation-induced defects prior to annealing. Increasing the number of re-irradiation and annealing cycles, the amount of dislocation loops among all defects seems to be growing. Simultaneously, the dislocation substructure recovers considerably. (authors). 14 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs.

  11. Effect of the damage by radiation on the reference temperature T0 of ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villanueva O, A.

    2004-01-01

    Presently work studies the effect that produces the irradiation in ferritic steels, on the reference temperature T 0 (intrinsic characteristic of the fracture tenacity in the area of ductile-fragile transition), applying the approach of the Master curve that is based on the norm Astm E-1921. For it it was elaborated a methodology and procedure for test tubes type Charpy according to the standard before mentioned. Due to the ferritic steels are used mainly in pressure vessels to the reactor (RPV) of nuclear power plants; in the samples it was simulated the effect of the damage for irradiation through a thermal treatment that induced the precipitation of the carbides and sulfurs in the limits of grain (one of the modifications suffered in the irradiated materials); it was made a comparison later with material samples in initial state (without thermal treatment), used as witness sample, by means of assays of fracture mechanics, specifically flexion in three points; this way with it to observe the effect of the damage for irradiation in the reference temperature (T 0 ). This temperature (T 0 ) it is a very important parameter in the mechanical property of the material called fracture tenacity; which at the moment gives the rule for the verification of structural integrity of the RPV. As a result of this it was observed an increase in the reference temperature in the material in fragilezed state with respect to the initial state of 31.75 C. They were carried out metallographic analysis and fractographs of the assayed surface finding carbide inclusions and sulfurs that in theory of the Master Curve they are initiators of cracks and of a possible catastrophic flaw of the material. At the moment the Division of Scientific Investigation of the ININ is carrying out activities in the Nucleo electric Central of Laguna Verde (CNLV) related with the program of surveillance of the materials of the vessel of the unit 2, as well as projects of structural integrity financed by the

  12. In situ 3D monitoring of corrosion on carbon steel and ferritic stainless steel embedded in cement paste

    KAUST Repository

    Itty, Pierre-Adrien

    2014-06-01

    In a X-ray microcomputed tomography study, active corrosion was induced by galvanostatically corroding steel embedded in cement paste. The results give insight into corrosion product build up, crack formation, leaching of products into the cracks and voids, and differences in morphology of corrosion attack in the case of carbon steel or stainless steel reinforcement. Carbon steel was homogeneously etched away with a homogeneous layer of corrosion products forming at the steel/cement paste interface. For ferritic stainless steel, pits were forming, concentrating the corrosion products locally, which led to more extensive damage on the cement paste cover. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

  13. In situ 3D monitoring of corrosion on carbon steel and ferritic stainless steel embedded in cement paste

    KAUST Repository

    Itty, Pierre-Adrien; Serdar, Marijana; Meral, Cagla; Parkinson, Dula; MacDowell, Alastair A.; Bjegović, Dubravka; Monteiro, Paulo J.M.

    2014-01-01

    In a X-ray microcomputed tomography study, active corrosion was induced by galvanostatically corroding steel embedded in cement paste. The results give insight into corrosion product build up, crack formation, leaching of products into the cracks and voids, and differences in morphology of corrosion attack in the case of carbon steel or stainless steel reinforcement. Carbon steel was homogeneously etched away with a homogeneous layer of corrosion products forming at the steel/cement paste interface. For ferritic stainless steel, pits were forming, concentrating the corrosion products locally, which led to more extensive damage on the cement paste cover. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Oxide nanoparticles in an Al-alloyed oxide dispersion strengthened steel: crystallographic structure and interface with ferrite matrix

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhenbo; Pantleon, Wolfgang

    2017-07-01

    Oxide nanoparticles are quintessential for ensuring the extraordinary properties of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels. In this study, the crystallographic structure of oxide nanoparticles, and their interface with the ferritic steel matrix in an Al-alloyed ODS steel, i.e. PM2000, were systematically investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The majority of oxide nanoparticles were identified to be orthorhombic YAlO3. During hot consolidation and extrusion, they develop a coherent interface and a near cuboid-on-cube orientation relationship with the ferrite matrix in the material. After annealing at 1200 °C for 1 h, however, the orientation relationship between the oxide nanoparticles and the matrix becomes arbitrary, and their interface mostly incoherent. Annealing at 1300 °C leads to considerable coarsening of oxide nanoparticles, and a new orientation relationship of pseudo-cube-on-cube between oxide nanoparticles and ferrite matrix develops. The reason for the developing interfaces and orientation relationships between oxide nanoparticles and ferrite matrix under different conditions is discussed.

  15. Thermal treatments effect on the austenite-ferrite equilibrium in a duplex stainless steel weld beads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belkessa, Brahim; Badji, Riad; Bettahar, Kheireddine; Maza, Halim

    2006-01-01

    Heat treatments in the temperature range between 800 to 1200 C, with a keeping at high temperature of 60 min, followed by a water quenching at 20 C, have been carried out on austeno-ferritic stainless steel welds (of type SAF 2205-UNS S31803). The heat treatments carried out at temperatures below 1000 C have modified the structure of the duplex stainless steel 2205 in inducing the formation of precipitates, identified by X-ray diffraction as being the intermetallic compound σ and the chromium carbides M 23 C 6 . The treatments applied to temperatures superior to 1000 C shift the δ-γ equilibrium towards the δ phase. Indeed, the increase of the ferrite rate with the treatment temperature is approximately linear. The ferrite rates are higher in the heat-affected zone, which has been submitted to a ferritizing due to the welding thermal effects. (O.M.)

  16. Study of the stability of the nanometer-sized oxides dispersed in ODS steels under ion irradiations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lescoat, M.-L.

    2012-01-01

    Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) Ferritic-Martensitic (FM) alloys are expected to play an important role as cladding materials in Generation IV sodium fast reactors operating in extreme temperature (400-500 C) and irradiation conditions (up to 200 dpa). Since nano-oxides give ODS steels their high temperature strength, the stability of these particles is an important issue. The present study evaluates the radiation response of nano-oxides by the use of in-situ and ex-situ ion irradiations performed on both Fe18Cr1W0,4Ti +0,3 Y 2 O 3 and Fe18Cr1W0,4Ti + 0.3 MgO ODS steels. In particular, the results showed that Y-Ti-O nano-oxides are quite stable under very high irradiation dose, namely 219 dpa at 500 C, and that the oxide interfacial structures are likely playing an important role on the behavior under irradiation (oxide stability and point defect recombination. (author) [fr

  17. Outgassing characteristics of F82H ferritic steel as a low activation material for fusion reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Odaka, Kenji; Satou, Osamu; Ootsuka, Michio; Abe, Tetsuya; Hara, Shigemitsu; Takatsu, Hideyuki; Enoeda, Mikio.

    1997-01-01

    Outgassing characteristics of F82H ferritic steel as a low activation material for the blanket of fusion device were investigated. A test chamber was constructed by welding F82H ferritic steel plates. The inner surface of the chamber was buffed and electropolished. The test chamber was degassed by the prebaking at temperature of 350degC for 20 h in vacuum. Then outgassing rates of the test chamber were measured by the throughput method as a function of pumping time for the cases that the test chamber was baked and not baked. The typical outgassing rate after baking at 250degC for 24 h was 3 x 10 -9 Pa·ms -1 and it seems that this value is sufficiently small to produce pressures at least as low as 10 -9 Pa in the vacuum chamber made of F82H ferritic steel. In the pump-down of the test chamber without baking after exposure to air, the outgassing rate decreases with pumping time and reached 1 x 10 -7 Pa·ms -1 at t = 10 5 s. The activation energy of hydrogen in bulk diffusion in the F82H ferritic steel was measured and found to be 7 kcal/mol. (author)

  18. In-situ formation of complex oxide precipitates during processing of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayasankar, K.; Pandey, Abhishek; Mishra, B.K.; Das, Siddhartha

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Use of dual drive planetary ball mill for Bench scale (>1 kg) production. • X-ray diffraction and TEM were used to study transformations during sintering. • HIPped and rolled samples with nearly 99% density successfully produced. - Abstract: In fusion and fission reactor material development, ODS alloys are the most suitable candidate materials due to its high temperature creep properties and irradiation resistance properties. This paper describes the preparation of oxide dispersion strengthened alloy powder in large quantity (>1 kg batch) in dual drive planetary ball mill using pre-alloyed ferrtic steel powder with nano sized Y_2O_3. The consolidation of the powders was carried out in hot isostatic press (HIP) followed by hot rolling. 99% of the theoretical density was achieved by this method. The vickers hardness values of pressed and rolled samples were in the range of 380 ± 2HV and 719 ± 2HV, respectively. Samples were further investigated using X-ray diffraction particle size analyzer and electron microscope. Initial increase in particle size with milling was observed showing flattening of the particle. It was found that 5 h of milling time is sufficient to reduce the particle size to achieve the desired size. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of milled ODS steel powder revealed a uniform distribution of combustion synthesized nano-Y_2O_3 in ferritic steel matrix after a milling time of 5 h. Preliminary results demonstrated suitability of dual drive planetary ball mill for mass production of alloy within a short time due to various kinds of forces acting at a time during milling process. Fine monoclinic Y_2Si_2O_7 precipitates were also observed in the steel. This study explains the particle characteristics of nano Y_2O_3 dispersed ODS powder and formation of nano clusters in ODS ferritic alloy.

  19. Microstructure and grain size effects on irradiation hardening of low carbon steel for reactor tanks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milasin, N [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Serbia and Montenegro)

    1964-05-15

    Irradiation hardening of steel for reactor pressure vessels has been studied extensively during the past few years. A great number of experimental results concerning the behaviour of these steels in the radiation field and several review papers (1,2) have been published. Most of the papers deal with the effects of specific metallurgical factors or irradiation conditions (temperature, flux) on irradiation hardening and embrittlement. In addition, a number of experiments are performed to give evidence on the mechanism of irradiation hardening of these steels. However, this mechanism is still unknown due to the complexity of steel as a system. Among different methods used in radiation damage studies, the changes of mechanical properties have been mainly investigated. By using Hall-Petch's empirical relation, {sigma}{sub y}={sigma}{sub i}+k{sub y} d{sup -1/2} between lower yield stress, {sigma}{sub y}, and grain size, 2d, the information about the effect of irradiation on the parameters {sigma}{sub i} and k{sub y} is obtained. Taking as a base interpretation of {sigma}{sub i} and k{sub y} given by Petch and his co-workers it has been concluded that radiation does not change the stress to start slip but that it increase the friction that opposes the passage of free dislocations across a slip plane. In attempting to apply Hall-Petch's relation to one unirradiated ferritic steel with a carbon content higher than 0.15% some difficulties were encountered. The results obtained indicate that the influence of grain size can not be isolated from other factors introduced by the treatments used to produce different grain sizes. This paper deals with a similar problem in the case of irradiated steel. The results obtained give the changes of the mechanical properties of steel in neutron irradiation field as a function of microstructure and grain size. In addition, the mechanical properties of irradiated steel are measured after annealing at 150 deg C and 450 deg C. On the basis of

  20. Resistance to fracture of carbon weldable structural steel with ferrite-pearlite and widmanstaetten structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gulyaev, A.P.; Guzovskaya, M.A.

    1977-01-01

    Consideration is given to mechanical properties of St3 steel with varying ferritic-peartilic and widmanstaetten structures typical of a weld seam and adjacent zones. It has been found that mechanical properties determined at static tension are sensitive to structure variation in the limits under study. A considerable difference has been detected during impact tests CT 50 , asub(p)). The highest resistance to breakage is observed for the steel with a fine-grain ferritic-pearlitic structure (T 50 =-10 deg C, asub(p)=4.3 kgxm/cm 2 ). The enlargement of such a structure enhances transition temperature (T 50 =+20 deg C) and reduces resistance to crack development (asub(p)2.4 kgxm/cm 2 ). The appearance of widmanstaetten zones in the fine-grain structure leads also to a higher T 50 , up to +10 deg C, and at a completely widmanstaetten structure T 50 =+25 deg C. An especially unfavorable effect on the resistance of steel to breakage is produced by structure nonuniformity, i.e. accumulation of loop-like pearlitic and ferritic zones

  1. Microstructural Evolution of Advanced Radiation-Resistant ODS Steel with Different Lengths of Mechanical Alloying Time

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Sanghoon; Kim, Ga Eon; Kang, Suk Hoon; Kim, Tae Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    Austenitic stainless steel may be one of the candidates because of good strength and corrosion resistance at the high temperatures, however irradiation swelling well occurred to 120dpa at high temperatures and this leads the decrease of the mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Compared to this, ferritic/ martensitic steel is a good solution because of excellent thermal conductivity and good swelling resistance. Unfortunately, the available temperature range of ferritic/martensitic steel is limited up to 650 .deg. C. ODS steel is the most promising structural material because of excellent creep and irradiation resistance by uniformly distributed nano-oxide particles with a high density which is extremely stable at the high temperature in ferritic/martensitic matrix. In this study, powder properties and microstructures of the ODS steel with different length of mechanical alloying time was investigated. The ODS steel milled 5h showed homogeneous grain structure with the highest hardness.

  2. Microstructural Evolution of Advanced Radiation-Resistant ODS Steel with Different Lengths of Mechanical Alloying Time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noh, Sanghoon; Kim, Ga Eon; Kang, Suk Hoon; Kim, Tae Kyu

    2015-01-01

    Austenitic stainless steel may be one of the candidates because of good strength and corrosion resistance at the high temperatures, however irradiation swelling well occurred to 120dpa at high temperatures and this leads the decrease of the mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Compared to this, ferritic/ martensitic steel is a good solution because of excellent thermal conductivity and good swelling resistance. Unfortunately, the available temperature range of ferritic/martensitic steel is limited up to 650 .deg. C. ODS steel is the most promising structural material because of excellent creep and irradiation resistance by uniformly distributed nano-oxide particles with a high density which is extremely stable at the high temperature in ferritic/martensitic matrix. In this study, powder properties and microstructures of the ODS steel with different length of mechanical alloying time was investigated. The ODS steel milled 5h showed homogeneous grain structure with the highest hardness

  3. Irradiation of structural materials in contact with lead bismuth eutectic in the high flux reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magielsen, A.J., E-mail: magielsen@nrg.eu [Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, Westerduinweg 3, Postbus 25, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Jong, M.; Bakker, T.; Luzginova, N.V.; Mutnuru, R.K.; Ketema, D.J.; Fedorov, A.V. [Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, Westerduinweg 3, Postbus 25, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands)

    2011-08-31

    In the framework of the materials domain DEMETRA in the European Transmutation research and development project EUROTRANS, irradiation experiment IBIS has been performed in the High Flux Reactor in Petten. The objective was to investigate the synergystic effects of irradiation and lead bismuth eutectic exposure on the mechanical properties of structural materials and welds. In this experiment ferritic martensitic 9 Cr steel, austenitic 316L stainless steel and their welds have been irradiated for 250 Full Power Days up to a dose level of 2 dpa. Irradiation temperatures have been kept constant at 300 deg. C and 500 deg. C. During the post-irradiation test phase, tensile tests performed on the specimens irradiated at 300 deg. C have shown that the irradiation hardening of ferritic martensitic 9 Cr steel at 1.3 dpa is 254 MPa, which is in line with the irradiation hardening obtained for ferritic martensitic Eurofer97 steel investigated in the fusion program. This result indicates that no LBE interaction at this irradiation temperature is present. A visual inspection is performed on the specimens irradiated in contact with LBE at 500 deg. C and have shown blackening on the surface of the specimens and remains of LBE that makes a special cleaning procedure necessary before post-irradiation mechanical testing.

  4. Effects of helium on ductile brittle transition behavior of reduced activation ferritic steels after high concentration he implantation at high temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasegawa, A.; Ejiri, M.; Nogami, S.; Ishiga, M.; Abe, K. [Tohoku Univ., Dept. of Quantum Science and Energy Engr, Sendai (Japan); Kasada, R.; Kimura, A. [Kyoto Univ., Institute of Advanced Energy (Japan); Jitsukawa, S. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Influence of Helium (He) on fracture behavior of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels including Oxide Dispersion Strengthening (ODS) steels and F82H were examined. To study the He effects on fracture behavior of these steels after He bubble formation conditions, higher concentration of He implantation at around 550 C were performed and examined the relationship between microstructure evolution and fracture behavior of the steels. The 1.5CVN mini size Charpy specimens were used to evaluate impact test behavior. Reduced activation ferritic ODS steels, 9Cr-ODS and 12Cr-ODS steels were examine. F82H was also examined as reference material. Helium implantation was performed by a cyclotron of Tohoku University with a beam of 50 MeV {alpha}-particles at temperature around 550 C. A tandem-type energy degrader system was used to implant He into the specimen from the irradiated surface to the range of 50 MeV {alpha}-particles, that was about 380 {mu}m in iron. Implanted He concentration were about 1000 appm. Charpy impact test was performed using a instrumented impact test apparatus in Oarai branch of IMR, Tohoku University. Analyses of absorbed energy change and fracture surface were carried out. Vickers hardness test was also carried out on He implanted area of the 1.5CVN specimen to estimate irradiation hardening. Microstructural observation was performed by TEM. In the case of F82H, DBTT increased by the 1000 appm He implantation condition was about 80 C and grain boundary fracture surface was only observed in the He implanted area of all the ruptured specimens in brittle manner. On the other hand, DBTT shift and fracture mode change of He implanted 9Cr-ODS steel was not observed after He implantation. Microstructural observation showed that He bubble formation on the lath boundaries and grain boundaries were significant in F82H, but the bubble segregation on grain boundary in ODS steel was not apparent. The bubble formation

  5. Precipitates and boundaries interaction in ferritic ODS steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sallez, Nicolas, E-mail: nicolas.sallez@simap.grenoble-inp.fr [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, SIMAP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Hatzoglou, Constantinos [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, Université et INSA de Rouen, UMR CNRS 6634, Normandie Université (France); Delabrouille, Fredéric [EDF–EDF R& D, Les Renardières, 77818 Moret-sur-Loing (France); Sornin, Denis; Chaffron, Laurent [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches Métallurgiques Appliqué, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Blat-Yrieix, Martine [EDF–EDF R& D, Les Renardières, 77818 Moret-sur-Loing (France); Radiguet, Bertrand; Pareige, Philippe [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, Université et INSA de Rouen, UMR CNRS 6634, Normandie Université (France); Donnadieu, Patricia; Bréchet, Yves [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, SIMAP, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

    2016-04-15

    In the course of a recrystallization study of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels during extrusion, particular interest was paid to the (GB) Grain Boundaries interaction with precipitates. Complementary and corresponding characterization experiments using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Atom Probe Tomography (APT) have been carried out on a voluntarily interrupted extrusion or extruded samples. Microscopic observations of Precipitate Free Zones (PFZ) and precipitates alignments suggest precipitate interaction with migrating GB involving dissolution and Oswald ripening of the precipitates. This is consistent with the local chemical information gathered by EDX and APT. This original mechanism for ODS steels is similar to what had been proposed in the late 80s for similar observation made on Ti alloys reinforced by nanosized yttrium oxides: An interaction mechanism between grain boundaries and precipitates involving a diffusion controlled process of precipitates dissolution at grain boundaries. It is believed that this mechanism can be of primary importance to explain the mechanical behaviour of such steels. - Highlights: • To study the microstructural evolution of a ferritic ODS steel during its extrusion, observations have been carried on samples resulting from a voluntarily interrupted extrusion and extruded materials. • A highly heterogeneous precipitate population have been observed. Nanosized coherent precipitates (2–5 nm) on both sides of the grain boundaries despite grain boundary migration after precipitation due to further thermo-mechanical processing as well as coarse precipitates (10–40 nm) alignments are observed on the grain boundaries and within the grains, parallel to the grain boundaries. • Asymmetrical PFZs can be observed around precipitates alignments and grain boundaries. Using TEM with EDX and APT we have been able to ensure that the PFZs are chemically depleted.

  6. Neural-network analysis of irradiation hardening in low-activation steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kemp, R. [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: rk237@cam.ac.uk; Cottrell, G.A. [EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3DB, UK (United Kingdom); Bhadeshia, H.K.D.H. [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK (United Kingdom); Odette, G.R. [Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering and Department of Materials, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Yamamoto, T. [Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering and Department of Materials, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Kishimoto, H. [Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering and Department of Materials, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)

    2006-02-01

    An artificial neural network has been used to model the irradiation hardening of low-activation ferritic/martensitic steels. The data used to create the model span a range of displacement damage of 0-90 dpa, within a temperature range of 273-973 K and contain 1800 points. The trained model has been able to capture the non-linear dependence of yield strength on the chemical composition and irradiation parameters. The ability of the model to generalise on unseen data has been tested and regions within the input domain that are sparsely populated have been identified. These are the regions where future experiments could be focused. It is shown that this method of analysis, because of its ability to capture complex relationships between the many variables, could help in the design of maximally informative experiments on materials in future irradiation test facilities. This will accelerate the acquisition of the key missing knowledge to assist the materials choices in a future fusion power plant.

  7. Formable ferrite-degenerated pearlite steel (FDP-55) for automotive use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagao, N.; Hamamatsu, S.; Kunishige, K.

    1984-01-01

    In order to help the gauge reduction of wheels and chassis parts of automobiles, a formable and weldable hot rolled steel of 550 MPa grade, named FDP-55, has been developed. FDP-55 is an 0.14% C, 0.1% Si, 1.1% Mn and Nb free Alkilled steel obtained by controlled-cooling to a low coiling temperature on a runout table, and it is featured by ferrite-degenerated pearlite microstructure. Results of co-operative works with automotive makers showed that FDP-55 was successful in the application to wheels and chassis parts attaining the large weight reduction. This paper reports the metallurgical features and characteristics of the steel

  8. Alloys influence in ferritic steels with hydrogen attack

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moro, L; Rey Saravia, D; Lombardich, J; Saggio, M; Juan, A; Blanco, J

    2003-01-01

    Materials exposed to a corrosive environment and high temperatures, are associated with a decrease of their mechanical properties and embitterment.At room temperatures atomic hydrogen diffuses easily through metals structure, it accumulates in lattice defects forming molecular hydrogen and generating cracking due to internal stresses.Under high temperatures the phenomenon is more complex.The steels in these conditions present different structures of precipitates, that the change under creep conditions period.In this work it is determined the influence of Cr and V alloys, the changes of ferritic steel resistance in a corrosive environment and high temperatures.1.25 Cr 1 Mo 0.25 V and 2.25Cr 1 Mo under different loads and temperatures previously attacked by hydrogen environment.The hydrogen is induced by the electrolytic technique, optimizing the choice of temperatures, current density, electrolyte, etc. In order to control an adequate cathode charge, a follow up procedure is carried out by electronic barrier microscopy.After the attack, the material is settled at room temperatures for certain period of time, to allow the hydrogen to leave and evaluate the residual damage.Creep by torsion assays, under constant load and temperature is used as an experimental technique.With the outcome data curves are drawn in order to study the secondary creep rate, with the applied load and temperature, determining the value of stress exponent n and the activation energy Q.Comparing to equal assays to the same ferritic steels but non attacked by hydrogen, these values allows the prediction of microstructure changes present during these tests

  9. Plasma sintering of ferritic steel reinforced with niobium carbide prepared by high energy milling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva Junior, J.F. da; Almeida, E.O.; Gomes, U.U.; Alves Junior, C.; Messias, A.P.; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

    2010-01-01

    Plasma is an ionized gas where ions are accelerated from anode to cathode surface, where the sample is placed. There are a lot of collisions on cathode surface by ions heating and sintering the sample. High energy milling (HEM) is often used to produce composite particles to be used on powder metallurgy. These particles can exhibit fine particles and high phase dispersion. This present work aim to study ferritic steels reinforced with 3%NbC prepared by HEM and sintered on plasma furnace. Ferritic steel and NbC powders were milled during 5 hours and characterized by SEM, XRD and laser scattering. Then, these composite powders were compacted in a cylindrical steel die and then sintered in a plasma furnace. Vickers microhardness tests and SEM and XRD analysis were performed on sintered samples. (author)

  10. Irradiation effects on the ductility of fusion reactor structural materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boudamous, F.

    1986-10-01

    Austenitic and ferritic-martensitic stainless steels have been proposed as first wall structural materials for the next generation of fusion devices. In order to study the effect of high temperature irradiation on their tensile properties, specimens of the steel AISI 316 L (CEC reference), of the martensitic steel W. Nr 1.4914 and of the duplex ferritic-martensitic steel EM12 have been irradiated in the BR2 reactor in Mol. The austenitic steel was irradiated at 470 0 C to about 1.1 10 22 n/cm 2 ( E>0.1 MeV) while the ferritic-martensitic steels were irradiated at 590 0 C to about 7.7 10 22 n/cm 2 (E>0.1 MeV). The tensile tests of the 316 L steel have been performed between 250 and 750 0 C. Below around 550 0 C, the yield stress after irradiation increased from about 160 to 270 MPa and the total elongation decreased from 42 to about 26%. At 750 0 C, the yield stress increase was small but the total elongation decreased from 60 to only 10%. At this temperature, the rupture of the irradiated specimen was intergranular while all the other specimens presented a transgranular rupture. At 650 0 C the variations were intermediate. The change of the ultimate tensile strength was small at all test temperatures. The EM12 and W. Nr 1.4914 steels tested only at 550 0 C, showed a decrease of the yield and tensile strength as well as an increase of the total elongation. The same tests performed on specimens which have been heat treated in parallel showed that the observed changes were due, in a large part, if not completely, to the maintenance of steels at high temperature

  11. Irradiation embrittlement of pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brumovsky, M.; Vacek, M.

    1975-01-01

    A Standard Research Programme on Irradiation Embrittlement of Pressure Vessel Steels was approved by the Coordinating Meeting on the 12th May 1972 at the Working Group on Engineering Aspects of Irradiation Embrittlement of Pressure Vessel Steels. This Working Group was set up by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. Seven countries with their research institutes agreed on doing irradiation experiments according to the approved programme on steel A533 B from the U.S. HSST Programme. The Czechoslovak contribution covering tensile and impact testing of non-irradiated steel and steel irradiated at 280degC to 1.3 x 10 23 n/m 2 (E above 1 MeV) is presented in this report. As an additional part the same set of experiments was carried out on two additional steels - A 542 and A 543, made in SKODA Works for comparison of their irradiation embrittlement and hardening with A533 B steel. (author)

  12. Reduced activation ODS ferritic steel - recent development in high speed hot extrusion processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oksiuta, Zbigniew [Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Bialystok Technical University (Poland); Lewandowska, Malgorzata; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology (Poland); Baluc, Nadine [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Association Euratom-Confederation Suisse, Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

    2010-05-15

    The paper presents the microstructure and mechanical properties of an oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS), reduced activation, ferritic steel, namely the Fe-14Cr-2W-0.3Ti-0.3Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} alloy, which was fabricated by hot isostatic pressing followed by high speed hydrostatic extrusion (HSHE) and heat treatment HT at 1050 C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations revealed significant differences in the grain size and dislocation density between the as-HIPped and as-HSHE materials. It was also found that the microstructure of the steel is stable after HT. The HSHE process improves significantly the tensile and Charpy impact properties of the as-HIPped steel. The ultimate tensile strength at room temperature increases from 950 up to 1350 MPa, while the upper shelf energy increases from 3.0 up to 6.0 J. However, the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) remains relatively high (about 75 C).These results indicate that HSHE is a promising method for achieving grain refinement and thus improving the mechanical properties of ODS ferritic steels. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  13. Results from Project on Enhancement of Aging Management and Maintenance in Nuclear Power Plants - Irradiation Embrittlement of RPV Steels -

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, Hiroaki; Onizawa, Kunio; Katsuyama, Jinya; Murakami, Kenta; Iwai, Takeo; Iwata, Tadao; Katano, Yoshio; Sekimura, Naoto; Nagai, Yasuyoshi; Toyama, Takeshi; Tamura, Satoshi

    2012-01-01

    microstructure. The typical RPV steel, A533B steel, is bainite, which consists of colonial distribution of carbides embedded in ferrite matrix. The mechanical property and its susceptibility to irradiation were investigated systematically. It was found that the regions nearby the carbide colonies were harder and more susceptible to irradiation hardening than the ferrite matrix. Irradiation induced hardening was proportional to the square root of dose up to 1dpa under irradiations with 2.8MeV Fe 2+ ions with dose rates ranging from 10 -5 to 10 -3 dpa/s at 563K. Electrical resistivity measurement was applied to achieve indispensable insights into diffusion of solute atoms for the correlation equations which includes microstructural evolutions based on solute and defect diffusion. Trapping of vacancies by solute atoms retards vacancy annihilation and enhance solute diffusion were evident. (author)

  14. Strength of "Light" Ferritic and Austenitic Steels Based on the Fe - Mn - Al - C System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaputkina, L. M.; Svyazhin, A. G.; Smarygina, I. V.; Kindop, V. E.

    2017-01-01

    The phase composition, the hardness, the mechanical properties at room temperature, and the resistance to hot (950 - 1000°C) and warm (550°C) deformation are studied for cast deformable "light" ferritic and austenitic steels of the Fe - (12 - 25)% Mn - (0 - 15)% Al - (0 - 2)% C system alloyed additionally with about 5% Ni. The high-aluminum high-manganese low-carbon and carbonless ferritic steels at a temperature of about 0.5 T melt have a specific strength close to that of the austenitic steels and may be used as weldable scale-resistant and wear-resistant materials. The high-carbon Fe - (20 - 24)% Mn - (5 - 9)% Al - 5% Ni - 1.5% C austenitic steels may be applied as light high-strength materials operating at cryogenic temperatures after a solution treatment and as scale- and heat-resistant materials in an aged condition.

  15. Transformation of austenite to duplex austenite-ferrite assembly in annealed stainless steel 316L consolidated by laser melting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saeidi, K.; Gao, X. [Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Lofaj, F. [Institute of Materials Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, Košice (Slovakia); Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, 916 24 Trnava (Slovakia); Kvetková, L. [Institute of Materials Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, Košice (Slovakia); Shen, Z.J. [Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2015-06-05

    Highlights: • Mechanical properties, phase and microstructure stability of laser melted steel was studied. • Duplex austenite-ferrite assembly with improved mechanical properties was formed. • Dissolution of Mo in the steel matrix resulted in ferrite stabilization and stress relief. • Enhanced mechanical properties were achieved compared to conventionally casted and annealed steel. - Abstract: Laser melting (LM), with a focused Nd:YAG laser beam, was used to form solid bodies from 316L austenite stainless steel powder and the laser melted samples were heat treated at various temperatures. The phase changes in heat treated samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Samples heat treated at 800 °C and 900 °C remained single austenite while in samples heat treated at 1100 °C and 1400 °C a dual austenite-ferrite phase assembly was formed. The ferrite formation was further verified by electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) and selective area diffraction (SAD). Microstructural changes were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM). In samples heat treated up to 900 °C, coalescence of the cellular-sub grains was noticed, whereas in sample heat treated at and above 1100 °C the formation of ferrite phase was observed. The correlation between the microstructure/phase assembly and the measured strength/microhardness were investigated, which indicated that the tensile strength of the laser melted material was significantly higher than that of the conventional 316L steel even after heat treatment whereas caution has to be taken when laser melted material will be exposed to an application temperature above 900 °C.

  16. Defect induced modification of structural, topographical and magnetic properties of zinc ferrite thin films by swift heavy ion irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raghavan, Lisha [Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin 682022 (India); Inter University Accelerator Center, New Delhi 110067 (India); Joy, P.A. [National Chemical Laboratory, Pune (India); Vijaykumar, B. Varma; Ramanujan, R.V. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Anantharaman, M.R., E-mail: mraiyer@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin 682022 (India)

    2017-04-01

    Highlights: • Zinc ferrite films exhibited room temperature ferrimagnetic property. • On ion irradiation amorphisation of films were observed. • The surface morphology undergoes changes with ion irradiation. • The saturation magnetisation decreases on ion irradiation. - Abstract: Swift heavy ion irradiation provides unique ways to modify physical and chemical properties of materials. In ferrites, the magnetic properties can change significantly as a result of swift heavy ion irradiation. Zinc ferrite is an antiferromagnet with a Neel temperature of 10 K and exhibits anomalous magnetic properties in the nano regime. Ion irradiation can cause amorphisation of zinc ferrite thin films; thus the role of crystallinity on magnetic properties can be examined. The influence of surface topography in these thin films can also be studied. Zinc ferrite thin films, of thickness 320 nm, prepared by RF sputtering were irradiated with 100 MeV Ag ions. Structural characterization showed amorphisation and subsequent reduction in particle size. The change in magnetic properties due to irradiation was correlated with structural and topographical effects of ion irradiation. A rough estimation of ion track radius is done from the magnetic studies.

  17. Corrosion behaviour of high chromium ferritic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiesheyer, H.; Lennartz, G.; Brandis, H.

    1976-01-01

    Ferritic steels developed for seawater desalination and containing 20 to 28% chromium, up to 5% Mo and additions of nickel and copper have been tested with respect to their corrosion behaviour, in particular in chloride containing media. The materials in the sensibilized state were tested for intercrystalline corrosion susceptibility in the Strauss-, Streicher-, nitric acid hydrofluoric acid- and Huey-Tests. No intercrystalline corrosion was encountered in the case of the steels with 28% Cr and 2% Mo. The resistance to pitting was assessed on the basis of rupture potentials determined by potentiokinetic tests. The resistance of the steels with 20% Cr and 5% Mo or 28% Cr and 2% Mo is superior to that of the molybdenum containing austenitic types. Addition of nickel yields a significant increase in crevice corrosion resistance; the same applies to resistance in sulfuric acid. In boiling seawater all the materials tested are resistant to stress corrosion cracking. No sign of any type of corrosion was found on nickel containing steels after about 6,000 hours exposure to boiling 50% seawater brine even under salt deposits. (orig.) [de

  18. Precipitation of Epsilon Copper in Ferrite Antibacterial Stainless Steel

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Zhixia ZHANG; Gang LIN; Zhou XU

    2008-01-01

    The precipitation of epsilon copper at 1023 K ageing in ferrite antibacterial stainless steel was investigated by a combination of electron microscopy and micro-Vickers hardness measurement. The results show that epsilon copper precipitation occurs within 90 s. Complex rnultilayer structure confirmed as twins and stacking faults on {111}ε-Cu planes was observed in the precipitates. The precipitates grow by the lengthwise enlargement of a set of parallel layers, having [111]ε-Cu and [112]ε-Cu preferred growth orientations. The volume fraction of precipitates f formed within 120 min can be predicted by a modified Avrami equation (In 1/1-f= kt+b).Simultaneously, substituent atom clusters with a size of 5-10 nm was found to occur in the solution and cause matrix strain. The precipitate morphology and distribution on the surface of ferrite antibacterial stainlesss teel are associated with surface crystallographic orientation of the matrix. The precipitates are predominantly located within the ferrite grains of orientation. The precipitates located on {111}α-Fe surface planes have sphere or ellipse shape.

  19. Effect of gamma irradiation on the structural and magnetic properties of Co–Zn spinel ferrite nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raut, Anil V.; Kurmude, D.V.; Shengule, D.R.; Jadhav, K.M.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles were examined before and after γ-irradiation. • Single phase cubic spinel structure of Co–Zn was confirmed by XRD data. • The grain size was reported in the range of 52–62 nm after γ-irradiation. • Ms, Hc, n B were reported to be increased after gamma irradiation. - Abstract: In this work, the structural and magnetic properties of Co 1−x Zn x Fe 2 O 4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) ferrite nanoparticles were studied before and after gamma irradiation. The as-synthesized samples of Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles prepared by sol–gel auto-combustion technique were analysed by XRD which suggested the single phase; cubic spinel structure of the material. Crystal defects produced in the spinel lattice were studied before and after Co 60 γ-irradiation in a gamma cell with a dose rate of 0.1 Mrad/h in order to report the changes in structural and magnetic properties of the Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles. The average crystallite size (t), lattice parameter (α) and other structural parameters of gamma-irradiated and un-irradiated Co 1−x Zn x Fe 2 O 4 spinel ferrite system was calculated from XRD data. The morphological characterizations were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The magnetic properties were measured using pulse field hysteresis loop tracer by applying magnetic field of 1000 Oe, and the analysis of data obtained revealed that the magnetic property such as saturation magnetization (Ms), coecivity (Hc), magneton number (n B ) etc. magnetic parameters were increased after irradiation

  20. Studies of fracture processes in Cr-Mo-V ferritic steel with various types of microstructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dzioba, I., E-mail: pkmid@tu.kielce.p [Fundamentals of Machine Design Chair, Kielce University of Technology, Al.1000-lecia PP 7, 25-314 Kielce (Poland); Gajewski, M., E-mail: gajem@tu.kielce.p [Fundamentals of Machine Design Chair, Kielce University of Technology, Al.1000-lecia PP 7, 25-314 Kielce (Poland); Neimitz, A., E-mail: neimitz@tu.kielce.p [Fundamentals of Machine Design Chair, Kielce University of Technology, Al.1000-lecia PP 7, 25-314 Kielce (Poland)

    2010-10-15

    In this paper, the authors report on analysis of the influence of microstructure on ductile and cleavage fracture mechanisms. The question investigated was whether microstructure observations alone can provide sufficient information to predict the possible fracture mechanism or change in fracture mechanism. Four different microstructures of ferritic steel were tested after four different heat treatments. The microstructures examined were ferritic, ferritic-pearlitic, ferritic-bainitic, and tempered martensitic types. It was concluded that the ratio (S{sub C}/S{sub 0}) of the area covered by carbides to the total area of a ferritic grain (measured by taking into account large carbides) is the only possible quantitative measure that can be used to predict cleavage fracture.

  1. A study on low temperature transformation ferrite in ultra low carbon IF steels (I) - effects of manganese and annealing conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Woo Chang; Lee, Jae Yeon; Jin, Young Sool

    2001-01-01

    An investigation was made to determine the effects of Mn content and annealing conditions on the formation of the low temperature transformation products in ultra low carbon interstitial free steels. With increasing the Mn content, yield and tensile strengths increased, but yield ratio decreased. The Mn was found to be effective to decrease the yield point elongation, causing continuous yielding in 3% Mn steel. Low temperature transformation ferrites such as quasi-polygonal ferrite, granular bainitic ferrite, and bainitic ferrite more easily formed with higher Mn content, higher annealing temperature, longer annealing time, and faster cooling rate. Polygonal ferrite grain was readily identified in the light microscope and was characterized by the polyhedral and equiaxed shape while quasi-polygonal ferrite showed the irregular changeful grain boundaries. It was found that both granular bainitic and bainitic ferrites revealed some etching evidence of substructures in the light microscope

  2. Technical issues of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels for fabrication of ITER test blanket modules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanigawa, H.; Hirose, T.; Shiba, K.; Kasada, R.; Wakai, E.; Serizawa, H.; Kawahito, Y.; Jitsukawa, S.; Kimura, A.; Kohno, Y.; Kohyama, A.; Katayama, S.; Mori, H.; Nishimoto, K.; Klueh, R.L.; Sokolov, M.A.; Stoller, R.E.; Zinkle, S.J.

    2008-01-01

    Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels (RAFMs) are recognized as the primary candidate structural materials for fusion blanket systems. The RAFM F82H was developed in Japan with emphasis on high-temperature properties and weldability. Extensive irradiation studies have conducted on F82H, and it has the most extensive available database of irradiated and unirradiated properties of all RAFMs. The objective of this paper is to review the R and D status of F82H and to identify the key technical issues for the fabrication of an ITER test blanket module (TBM) suggested from the recent research achievements in Japan. This work clarified that the primary issues with F82H involve welding techniques and the mechanical properties of weld joints. This is the result of the distinctive nature of the joint caused by the phase transformation that occurs in the weld joint during cooling, and its impact on the design of a TBM will be discussed

  3. Mitigation of sensitisation effects in unstabilised 12%Cr ferritic stainless steel welds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warmelo, Martin van; Nolan, David; Norrish, John

    2007-01-01

    Sensitisation in the heat-affected zones of ferritic stainless steel welds is typically prevented by stabilisation of the parent material with titanium or niobium, and suitable design of the overall composition to produce a suitably high ferrite factor. However, such alloy modification has proven to be economically unviable for thick gauge (>10 mm) plate products and therefore unstabilised 12%Cr (3CR12) material is still currently being used for heavy gauge structural applications in many parts of the world. The aim of the current work was to review the mechanisms responsible for sensitisation in these unstabilised ferritic stainless steels, and to characterise the sensitisation effects arising from multipass welding procedures. The objective was to determine the influence of welding parameters, and thereby to recommend mitigating strategies. Two particular sensitisation modes were found to occur in the current work, although only one was predominant and considered problematic from a practical perspective. It was found that with proper positioning of weld capping runs and control of weld overlap, it is possible to ensure that sensitising isotherms remain buried beneath the parent surface, and so reduce harmful corrosion effects

  4. Tensile behavior of EUROFER ODS steel after neutron irradiation up to 16.3 dpa between 250 and 450 °C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Materna-Morris, Edeltraud; Lindau, Rainer; Schneider, Hans-Christian; Möslang, Anton

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The first 9%CrWVTa steel (0.5% Y_2O_3), EUROFER ODS HIP, have been neutron irradiated up to 16.3 dpa, between 250 and 450 °C, in the High Flux Reactor (HFR). • After post-irradiation tensile tests, there was not any increase of the upper yield strength or strain localization after irradiation which is typical of RAFM steels. • Initially higher yield strength, R_p_0_._2, and distinctive tensile strength, R_m, of EUROFER ODS HIP compared to EUROFER97 steel. • These values increased due to the neutron irradiation at lower irradiation temperatures. - Abstract: During the development of structural material for future fusion reactors, a 50 kg heat of reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic 9%CrWVTa steel with nanoscaled Y_2O_3-particles, EUROFER97 ODS HIP, was produced using powder metallurgy fabrication technology. This first batch of EUROFER97 ODS HIP and, for comparison, the steel EUROFER97 were prepared for a post-irradiation tensile test program. During neutron irradiation in the HFR (High Flux Reactor, The Netherlands), an accumulated dose of up to 16.3 dpa was reached for 771 days at full power, with the irradiation temperature ranging between 250 and 450 °C. During the post-examinations, all specimens showed the highest tensile strength at lower irradiation temperatures between 250 and 350 °C. However, ODS-alloy and steel were found to clearly differ in the mechanical behavior, which could be documented by fully instrumented tensile tests. In the un-irradiated state, tensile strength of the ODS-alloy already was increased considerably by about 60% compared to the steel. Strengthening was further increased by another 20% after neutron irradiation, but with a much better ductility than observed in the steel. The typical irradiation-induced strain localization of EUROFER97 or RAFM steels could not be observed in the EUROFER97 ODS HIP alloy.

  5. Precipitation and mechanical properties of Nb-modified ferritic stainless steel during isothermal aging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Haitao; Bi Hongyun; Li Xin; Xu Zhou

    2009-01-01

    The influence of isothermal aging on precipitation behavior and mechanical properties of Nb-modified ferritic stainless steel was investigated using Thermo-calc software, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was observed that TiN, NbC and Fe 2 Nb formed in the investigated steel and the experimental results agreed well with the results calculated by Thermo-calc software. During isothermal aging at 800 deg. C, the coarsening rate of Fe 2 Nb is greater than that of NbC, and the calculated average sizes of NbC and Fe 2 Nb of the aged specimen agreed with the experimental results. In addition, the tensile strength and micro-hardness of the ferritic stainless steel increased with increased aging time from 24 h to 48 h. But aging at 800 deg. C for 96 h caused the coarsening of the precipitation, which led to a decrease of tensile strength and micro-hardness

  6. Effect of nano-sized precipitates on the crystallography of ferrite in high-strength strip steel

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jing-jing Yang; Run Wu; Wen Liang; Meng-xia Tang

    2014-01-01

    For strip steel with the thickness of 1.6 mm, the yield and tensile strengths as high as 760 and 850 MPa, respectively, were achieved using the compact strip production technology. Precipitates in the steel were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the strengthening mechanism. In addition, intragranular misorientation, Kernel average misorientation, and stored energy were measured using electron backscatter diffraction for crystallographic analysis of ferrite grains containing precipitates and their neighbors without precipitates. It is found that precipitates in specimens primarily consist of TiC and Ti4C2S2. Ferrite grains containing pre-cipitates exhibit the high Taylor factor as well as the crystallographic orientations with{012},{011},{112}, or{221}plane parallel to the rolling plane. Compared with the intragranular orientation of adjoining grains, the intragranular misorientation of grains containing precipi-tates fluctuates more frequently and more mildly as a function of distance. Moreover, the precipitates can induce ferrite grains to store a rela-tively large amount of energy. These results suggest that a correlation exists between precipitation in ferrite grains and grain crystallographic properties.

  7. Abnormal grain growth in Eurofer-97 steel in the ferrite phase field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, V.B. [Lorena School of Engineering, University of Sao Paulo, Lorena, SP, 12602-810 (Brazil); Sandim, H.R.Z., E-mail: hsandim@demar.eel.usp.br [Lorena School of Engineering, University of Sao Paulo, Lorena, SP, 12602-810 (Brazil); Raabe, D. [Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf, D-40237 (Germany)

    2017-03-15

    Reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) Eurofer-97 steel is a candidate material for structural applications in future fusion reactors. Depending on the amount of prior cold rolling strain and annealing temperature, important solid-state softening reactions such as recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth occur. Eurofer-97 steel was cold rolled up to 70, 80 and 90% reductions in thickness and annealed in the ferrite phase field (below ≈ 800 °C). Changes in microstructure, micro-, and mesotexture were followed by orientation mappings provided by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Eurofer-97 steel undergoes abnormal grain growth above 650 °C and this solid-state reaction seems to be closely related to the high mobility of a few special grain boundaries that overcome pinning effects caused by fine particles. This solid-state reaction promotes important changes in the microstructure and microtexture of this steel. Abnormal grain growth kinetics for each condition was determined by means of quantitative metallography. - Highlights: • Abnormal grain growth (AGG) occurs in Eurofer-97 steel deformed to several strains. • Kinetics of abnormal grain growth has been determined at 750 and 800 °C. • Significant changes in crystallographic texture take place during AGG. • Grain boundaries with misorientations above 45° may explain abnormal grain growth. • Local microstructural instabilities (coarsening of M23C6 carbides) also explain AGG.

  8. Evaluation of examination techniques for ferritic stainless steel feedwater heater tubing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nugent, M.J.; Catapano, M.C.

    1995-01-01

    Ferritic stainless steel has been finding increased application in utility plant feedwater heaters due to good strength and corrosion resistance and absence of potential copper contamination of feedwater system. Ferritic stainless steel is highly magnetic and is generally not inspectable using conventional eddy current testing techniques. A variety of techniques have been developed for inspection of this tubing material used in typical heat exchanger applications. Through a project funded by the Empire State Electric Energy Research Corporation (ESEERCO), the evaluation of data generated by four present state of the art NDE testing techniques were evaluated on a controlled mock-up of the heater tubing with service related defects. The primary objective was to determine the strengths and limitations of each method. The testing of two in service feedwater heaters at the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison's) Arthur Kill Generating Station also allowed further evaluations based on actual field conditions

  9. In situ TEM study of G-phase precipitates under heavy ion irradiation in CF8 cast austenitic stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Wei-Ying [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Li, Meimei; Zhang, Xuan; Kirk, Marquis A.; Baldo, Peter M. [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Lian, Tiangan [Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA 94304 (United States)

    2015-09-15

    Thermally-aged cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS) CF8 was irradiated with 1 MeV Kr ions at 300, 350 and 400 °C to 1.88 × 10{sup 19} ions/m{sup 2} (∼3 dpa) at the IVEM-Tandem Facility at the Argonne National Laboratory. Before irradiation, the distribution of G-phase precipitates in the ferrite showed spatial variations, and both their size and density were affected by the ferrite–austenite phase boundary and presence of M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides. Under 300 °C irradiation, in situ TEM observation showed G-phase precipitates were relatively unchanged in the vicinity of the phase boundary M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides, while the density of G-phase precipitates increased with increasing dose within the ferrite matrix. Coarsening of G-phase precipitates was observed in the vicinity of phase boundary M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides at 350 °C and 400 °C.

  10. Irradiation induced tensile property change of SA 508 Cl.3 reactor pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chi, Se-Hwan; Hong, Jun-Hwa; Kuk, Il-Hiun

    1998-01-01

    Irradiation induced tensile property change of four kinds of reactor pressure vessel steels manufactured by different steel refining process was compared based on the differences in the unirradiated and irradiated microstructure. Microvickers hardness, indentation, and miniature tensile specimen tests were conducted for mechanical property measurement and optical microscope (OM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used for microstructural characterization. Specimens were 2 irradiated to a neutron fluence of 2.7x10 19 n/cm 2 (E ≥ 1 MeV) at 288 deg. C. Investigation on the unirradiated microstructures showed largely a same microstructure in that tempered acicular bainite and ferrite with bainitic phase prevailing in the unirradiated condition. Band-shaped segregations were also clearly observed except a kind of materials. A large difference in the unirradiated microstructure appeared in the grain size and carbide microstructure. Of carbide microstructures, noticeable differences were observed in the size and distribution of cementite, and bainitic lath microstructures. No noticeable changes were observed in the optical and thin film TEM microstructures after irradiation. Complicated microstructural. state of heat treated bainitic low alloy microstructure prevents easy quantification of microstructural changes due to irradiation. Apparent differences, however, were observed in the results of mechanical testing. Results of tensile testing and hardness measurement show that a steel refined by vacuum carbon deoxidation(VCD) method exhibits the highest radiation hardening behavior. Some of mechanical testing results on irradiated materials were possible to understand based on the initial microstructure, but further investigations using a wide array of sophisticated tools (for example, SANS, APFIM) are required to understand and characterize irradiation induced defects that are responsible for irradiation hardening behavior but are not revealed by

  11. Mechanosynthesis of A Ferritic ODS (Oxide Dispersion Strengthened) Steel Containing 14% Chromium and Its Characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivai, A. K.; Dimyati, A.; Adi, W. A.

    2017-05-01

    One of the advanced materials for application at high temperatures which is aggressively developed in the world is ODS (Oxide Dispersion strengthened) steel. ODS ferritic steels are one of the candidate materials for future nuclear reactors in the world (Generation IV reactors) because it is able to be used in the reactor above 600 °C. ODS ferritic steels have also been developed for the interconnect material of SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) which will be exposed to about 800 °C of temperature. The steel is strengthened by dispersing homogeneously of oxide particles (ceramic) in nano-meter sized in the matrix of the steel. Synthesis of a ferritic ODS steel by dispersion of nano-particles of yttrium oxide (yttria: Y2O3) as the dispersion particles, and containing high-chromium i.e. 14% has been conducted. Synthesis of the ODS steels was done mechanically (mechanosynthesis) using HEM (High Energy ball Milling) technique for 40 and 100 hours. The resulted samples were characterized using SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive Spectroscope), and XRD (X-ray diffraction) to analyze the microstructure characteristics. The results showed that the crystal grains of the sample with 100 hours milling time was much smaller than the sample with 40 hours milling time, and some amount of alloy was formed during the milling process even for 40 hours milling time. Furthermore, the structure analysis revealed that some amount of iron atom substituted by a slight amount of chromium atom as a solid solution. The quantitative analysis showed that the phase mostly consisted of FeCr solid-solution with the structure was BCC (body-centered cubic).

  12. Annealing effect on the microstructure and magnetic properties of 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, H.L.; Gao, R.; Zhang, T.; Wang, X.P.; Fang, Q.F.; Liu, C.S.

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: TEM images of microstructure for 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel annealed for 2 h at different temperatures: (a) 600 °C, (b) 800 °C, (c) 950 °C, and (d) 1150 °C, and the evolution trends of coercivity field (H_C) and Vickers microhardness for samples annealed at above temperatures for 2 h and 50 h. - Highlights: • The thermal stability of annealed 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel was investigated. • The particle size keeps fairly constant with increasing annealing temperature. • The grain size is still 2–4 μm even after annealing for 50 h at 1150 °C. • The hardness and H_C are almost unchanged after annealing from 800 °C to 1150 °C. - Abstract: The microstructure and magnetic properties of the 14%Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel fabricated by sol–gel and HIP method were investigated by annealing in vacuum for 2 h (at 300, 600, 800, 950 and 1150 °C) and 50 h (at 600, 800, 950 and 1150 °C). Microstructure analysis shows that as the annealing temperature increases, the size of oxide nanoparticles becomes smaller and their dispersion in matrix becomes more homogeneous. Grain size remains stable when the annealing temperature is below 800 °C, while above 800 °C, grain size grows with the increasing annealing temperature and time. The Vickers microhardness and coercivity (H_C) display almost similar evolution trend with annealing temperature for 2 h and 50 h. No obvious recrystallization appears after 1150 °C annealing, which indicates the high microstructural stability of 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel. The possible mechanism for above behaviors is discussed in this paper.

  13. The effect of cooling rate and austenite grain size on the austenite to ferrite transformation temperature and different ferrite morphologies in microalloyed steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esmailian, M.

    2010-01-01

    The effect of different austenite grain size and different cooling rates on the austenite to ferrite transformation temperature and different ferrite morphologies in one Nb-microalloyed high strength low alloy steel has been investigated. Three different austenite grain sizes were selected and cooled at two different cooling rates for obtaining austenite to ferrite transformation temperature. Moreover, samples with specific austenite grain size have been quenched, partially, for investigation on the microstructural evolution. In order to assess the influence of austenite grain size on the ferrite transformation temperature, a temperature differences method is established and found to be a good way for detection of austenite to ferrite, pearlite and sometimes other ferrite morphologies transformation temperatures. The results obtained in this way show that increasing of austenite grain size and cooling rate has a significant influence on decreasing of the ferrite transformation temperature. Micrographs of different ferrite morphologies show that at high temperatures, where diffusion rates are higher, grain boundary ferrite nucleates. As the temperature is lowered and the driving force for ferrite formation increases, intragranular sites inside the austenite grains become operative as nucleation sites and suppress the grain boundary ferrite growth. The results indicate that increasing the austenite grain size increases the rate and volume fraction of intragranular ferrite in two different cooling rates. Moreover, by increasing of cooling rate, the austenite to ferrite transformation temperature decreases and volume fraction of intragranular ferrite increases.

  14. Oxide nanoparticles in an Al-alloyed oxide dispersion strengthened steel: crystallographic structure and interface with ferrite matrix

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Zhenbo; Pantleon, Wolfgang

    2017-01-01

    Oxide nanoparticles are quintessential for ensuring the extraordinary properties of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels. In this study, the crystallographic structure of oxide nanoparticles, and their interface with the ferritic steel matrix in an Al-alloyed ODS steel, i.e. PM2000, were...

  15. Effect of temperature and aluminium additions on the mechanical properties of the 13% chromium ferrite stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martins, S.

    1975-01-01

    The potential interest of the ferritic stainless steels as component materials for nuclear power reactors led to investigate how aluminium influences the mechanical properties of 13% chromium ferritic stainless steels between room temperature and about 700 0 C. Nominal 13% chromium and 0.04 to 0.08% carbon ferritic stainless steels containing 0, 0.13, 2.19 and 4.15% aluminium, respectively, were obtained by vacuum remelting of a commercial martensitic-ferritic stainless steel and suitable additions of aluminium. After successive rolling operations and recrystallizations performed in order to obtain final 0.5 mm thick sheets with similar average grain sizes the specimens of the above mentioned steels were tested in a tensile test Instron machine, with a constant strain rate (approximately equal to 1.6 x 10 -3 min -1 ), at room temperature, 140, 265, 415, 565 and 715 0 C. The results obtained show that strengthening by aluminium is strongly temperature dependent. At 265 0 C all the steels presentes serrated plastic deformation (Portevin-Le Chatelier effect), which is attributed to interactions of the interstitial and substitutional solute atoms with dislocations in the body centered cubic structure. Flow stress drops were still observed at 465 0 C, although the tests performed at 565 and 715 0 C showed work-softening of the materials and total absence of serrations. Stress relaxation tests at room temperature yielded values of the apparent activation volumes, which are scattered between about 100 and 130 b 3 (b-Burgers vector), being almost constant with stress, strain and aluminium content. Therefore, although aluminium appreciably strengthens the 13% chromium steel, the behaviour summarized suggests that the mechanism controlling plastic deformation at room temperature is the same for all the tested steels, the values of the apparent activitation volumes being probably determined by the interstitial content. Stress relaxation tests at 20, 75, 140 and 265 0 C for

  16. On the Nature of Internal Interfaces in Tempered Martensite Ferritic Steels

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dronhofer, A.; Pešička, J.; Dlouhý, Antonín; Eggeler, G.

    2003-01-01

    Roč. 94, č. 5 (2003), s. 511-520 ISSN 0044-3093 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA106/99/1172 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z2041904 Keywords : Tempered martensite ferritic steels * martensite variants * orientation imaging Subject RIV: JG - Metallurgy Impact factor: 0.637, year: 2003

  17. High purity ferritic Cr-Mo stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knoth, J.

    1977-01-01

    In five years, E-BRITE 26-1 ferritic stainless steel has won an important place in the spectrum of materials suitable for use in chemical process equipment. It provides, in stainless steel, performance-capability characteristics comparable to more expensive alloys. It has demonstrated cost-effectiveness in equipment used for caustic, nitric-urea, organic chemicals, pulping liquors, refinery streams, and elsewhere. User confidence in the reliability and integrity of Grade XM 27 has increased to the point where large critical systems are now routinely specified in the alloy. The market acceptance of this material has attracted attempts to produce substitute versions of the alloy. Imitation, should be viewed with caution. Stabilized 26-IS must be examined over a lengthy period of time to determine if its own corrosion resistance, ductility, fabricability and reproducibility properties could ever be likened to those of E-BRITE 26-1. (orig.) [de

  18. Effect of gamma irradiation on the structural and magnetic properties of Co–Zn spinel ferrite nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raut, Anil V., E-mail: nano9993@gmail.com [Vivekanand Arts, Sardar Dalipsingh Commerce and Science College, Aurangabad 431004, (M.S.) India (India); Kurmude, D.V. [Milind College of Science, Aurangabad 431004, (M.S.) India (India); Shengule, D.R. [Vivekanand Arts, Sardar Dalipsingh Commerce and Science College, Aurangabad 431004, (M.S.) India (India); Jadhav, K.M. [Department of Physics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004, (M.S.) India (India)

    2015-03-15

    Highlights: • Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles were examined before and after γ-irradiation. • Single phase cubic spinel structure of Co–Zn was confirmed by XRD data. • The grain size was reported in the range of 52–62 nm after γ-irradiation. • Ms, Hc, n{sub B} were reported to be increased after gamma irradiation. - Abstract: In this work, the structural and magnetic properties of Co{sub 1−x}Zn{sub x}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) ferrite nanoparticles were studied before and after gamma irradiation. The as-synthesized samples of Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles prepared by sol–gel auto-combustion technique were analysed by XRD which suggested the single phase; cubic spinel structure of the material. Crystal defects produced in the spinel lattice were studied before and after Co{sup 60} γ-irradiation in a gamma cell with a dose rate of 0.1 Mrad/h in order to report the changes in structural and magnetic properties of the Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles. The average crystallite size (t), lattice parameter (α) and other structural parameters of gamma-irradiated and un-irradiated Co{sub 1−x}Zn{sub x}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} spinel ferrite system was calculated from XRD data. The morphological characterizations were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The magnetic properties were measured using pulse field hysteresis loop tracer by applying magnetic field of 1000 Oe, and the analysis of data obtained revealed that the magnetic property such as saturation magnetization (Ms), coecivity (Hc), magneton number (n{sub B}) etc. magnetic parameters were increased after irradiation.

  19. Influence of chloride and bromide anions on localized corrosion of 15%Cr ferritic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seung Uk; Ahn, Jae Chen; Kim, Dong Hyun; Hong, Seung Chan; Lee, Kyung Sub

    2006-01-01

    The influence of Cl - (919 ppm) and a mixture of Cl - (919 ppm) and Br - (51 ppm) on the corrosion behavior of 15%Cr ferritic stainless steel was investigated. Potentiodynamic and immersion tests were performed to examine the corrosion behavior. The size and the shape of pits were observed by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The oxide films formed on stainless steel were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). During the immersion test at 93 deg. C for 600 h, Fe and Cr were mostly corroded to iron and chromium oxides. The results of depth profiling indicate higher corrosion rate of solution containing chloride than the mixture solution. It was clear that the addition of Br - to the solution containing Cl - inhibited the localized corrosion of 15%Cr ferritic stainless steel

  20. Precipitation behaviors of X70 acicular ferrite pipeline steel

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Hao Yu; Yi Sun; Qixiang Chen; Haitao Jiang; Lihong Zhang

    2006-01-01

    The morphology, structure, and chemical composition of precipitates in the final microstructure of Nb-V-Ti microalloyed X70 acicular ferrite pipeline steel were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Precipitates observed by TEM can be classified into two groups. The large precipitates are complex compounds that comprise square-shaped TiN precipitate as core with fine Nb-containing precipitate nucleated on pre-existing TiN precipitate as caps on one or more faces at high temperature. In contrast, the fine and spherical Nb carbides and/or carbonitrides precipitate heterogeneously on dislocations and sub-boundaries at low temperature. From the analysis in terms of thermodynamics, EDS and chemical composition of the steel, NbC precipitation is considered to be the predominant precipitation behavior in the tested steel under the processing conditions of this research.

  1. Development of ODS ferritic-martensitic steels for application to high temperature and irradiation environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambard, V.

    2000-01-01

    Iron oxide dispersion strengthened alloys are candidate for nuclear fuel cladding. Therefore, it is crucial to control their microstructure in order to optimise their mechanical properties at temperatures up to 700 deg C. The industrial candidates, ODS ferritic alloys, present an anisotropic microstructure which induces a weakening of mechanical properties in transversal direction as well as the precipitation of brittle phases under thermal aging and irradiation. For this purpose, we tried to develop a material with isotropic properties. We studied several 9Cr-1Mo ferritic/martensitic alloys, strengthened or not by oxide dispersion. The mechanical alloying was performed by attribution and powders were consolidated by hot extrusion. In this work, different metallurgical characterisation techniques and modelling were used to optimise a new martensitic ODS alloy. Microstructural and chemical characterization of matrix has been done. The effect of austenitizing and isochronal tempering treatments on microstructure and hardness has been studied. Oxide distribution, size and chemical composition have been studied before and after high temperature thermal treatment. The study of phase transformation upon heating has permitted the extrapolation to the equilibrium temperature formation of austenite. Phase transformation diagrams upon cooling have been determined and the transformation kinetics have been linked to austenite grain size by a simple relation. Fine grain size is unfavourable for the targeted application, so a particular thermal treatment inducing a coarser grain structure has been developed. Finally, tensile properties have been determined for the different microstructures. (author)

  2. Generalization of the existing relations between microstructure and yield stress from ferrite-pearlite to high strength steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iza-Mendia, A., E-mail: aiza@ceit.es [CEIT and Tecnun (University of Navarra), Manuel de Lardizabal 15, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country (Spain); Gutierrez, I. [CEIT and Tecnun (University of Navarra), Manuel de Lardizabal 15, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country (Spain)

    2013-01-20

    A series of available equations allows the yield and the tensile strength of low carbon ferrite-pearlite microstructures to be expressed as a function of the optical grain size, steel composition and interstitials in solution. Over the years, as the complexity of steel microstructures has increased, some additional terms have been added to account for precipitation and forest dislocation contributions. In theory, this opens the door for an extension of these equations to bainitic microstructures. Nevertheless, there is a series of difficulties that needs to be overcome in order to improve prediction accuracy. In the present work, different microstructures (ferrite-pearlite, bainite, quenched, and quenched and tempered) were produced and tension tested in a C-Mn-Nb steel. Optical microscopy and EBSD (Electron Back Scattered Diffraction) were applied and the results were compared as a function of the tolerance angle. Based on this work, an adaptation to Pickering's equation is proposed, including its extension to other microstructures rather than ferrite-pearlite.

  3. Constraint Effects at Brittle Fracture Initiation in a Cast Ferritic Steel

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dlouhý, Ivo; Chlup, Zdeněk; Kozák, Vladislav

    č. 71 (2004), s. 873-883 ISSN 0013-7944 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA2041003 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z2041904 Keywords : Cast ferritic steel * transition behaviour * fracture toughness Subject RIV: JL - Materials Fatigue, Friction Mechanics Impact factor: 1.299, year: 2004 www.sciencedirect.com

  4. Corrosion resistance improvement of ferritic steels through hydrogen additions to the BWR coolant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, B.M.; Jewett, C.W.; Pickett, A.E.; Indig, M.E.

    1984-01-01

    Motivated by the success of oxygen suppression for mitigation of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in weld sensitized austenitic materials used in Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), oxygen suppression, through hydrogen additions to the feedwater was investigated to determine its affect on the corrosion resistance of ferritic and martensitic BWR structural materials. The results of these investigations are presented in this paper, where particular emphasis is placed on the corrosion performance of BWR pressure vessel low alloy steels, carbon steel piping materials and martensitic pump materials. It is important to note that the corrosion resistance of these materials in the BWR environment is excellent. Consequently this investigation was also motivated to determine whether there were any detrimental effects of hydrogen additions, as well as to identify any additional margin in ferritic/martensitic materials corrosion performance

  5. Irradiation induced tensile property change of SA 508 Cl. 3 reactor pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chi, Se Hwan; Hong, Jun Hwa; Kuk, Il Hiun

    1998-01-01

    Irradiation induced tensile property change of four kinds of reactor pressure vessel steels manufactured by different steel refining process was compared based on the differences in the miniature tensile specimen tests were conducted for mechanical property measurement and optical microscope (OM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used for microstructural characterization. Specimens were irradiated to a neutron fluence of 2.7 x 10 19 n/cm 2 (E ≥ 1 MeV) at 288 deg C. Investigation on the unirradiated microstructures showed largely a same microstructure in that tempered acicular bainite and ferrite with bainitic phase prevailing in the unirradiated condition. Ban-shaped segregations were also clearly observed except a kind of materials. A large difference in the unirradiated microstructure appeared in the grain size and carbide microstructure. Of carbide microstructures, noticeable differences were observed in the size and distribution of cementite, and bainitic lath microstructures. No noticeable changes were observed in the optical and thin film TEM microstructures after irradiation. Complicated microstructural state of heat treated bainitic low alloy microstructure prevents easy quantification of microstructural changes due to irradiation. Apparent differences, however, were observed in the results of mechanical testing. Results of tensile testing and hardness measurement show that a steel refined by vacuum carbon deoxidation (VCD) method exhibits the highest radiation hardening behavior. Some of mechanical testing results on irradiated materials were possible to understand based on the initial microstructure, but further investigations using a wide array of sophisticated tools (for example, SANS, APFIM) are required to understand and characterize irradiation induced defects that are responsible for irradiation hardening behavior but are not revealed by conventional TEM. (author)

  6. Development of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) Ferritic Steel Through Powder Forging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Deepak; Prakash, Ujjwal; Dabhade, Vikram V.; Laha, K.; Sakthivel, T.

    2017-04-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels are candidates for cladding tubes in fast breeder nuclear reactors. In this study, an 18%Cr ODS ferritic steel was prepared through powder forging route. Elemental powders with a nominal composition of Fe-18Cr-2 W-0.2Ti (composition in wt.%) with 0 and 0.35% yttria were prepared by mechanical alloying in a Simoloyer attritor under argon atmosphere. The alloyed powders were heated in a mild steel can to 1473 K under flowing hydrogen atmosphere. The can was then hot forged. Steps of sealing, degassing and evacuation are eliminated by using powder forging. Heating ODS powder in hydrogen atmosphere ensures good bonding between alloy powders. A dense ODS alloy with an attractive combination of strength and ductility was obtained after re-forging. On testing at 973 K, a loss in ductility was observed in yttria-containing alloy. The strength and ductility increased with increase in strain rate at 973 K. Reasons for this are discussed. The ODS alloy exhibited a recrystallized microstructure which is difficult to achieve by extrusion. No prior particle boundaries were observed after forging. The forged compacts exhibited isotropic mechanical properties. It is suggested that powder forging may offer several advantages over the traditional extrusion/HIP routes for fabrication of ODS alloys.

  7. Temperature Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Candidate SNS Target Container Materials after Proton and Neutron Irradiation; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byun, T.S.

    2001-01-01

    This report presents the tensile properties of EC316LN austenitic stainless steel and 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel after 800 MeV proton and spallation neutron irradiation to doses in the range 0.54 to 2.53 dpa. Irradiation temperatures were in the range 30 to 100 C. Tensile testing was performed at room temperature (20 C) and 164 C to study the effects of test temperature on the tensile properties. Test materials displayed significant radiation-induced hardening and loss of ductility due to irradiation. The EC316LN stainless steel maintained notable strain-hardening capability after irradiation, while the 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel posted negative strain hardening. In the EC316LN stainless steel, increasing the test temperature from 20 C to 164 C decreased the strength by 13 to 18% and the ductility by 8 to 36%. The tensile data for the EC316LN stainless steel irradiated in spallation conditions were in line with the values in a database for 316 stainless steels for doses up to 1 dpa irradiated in fission reactors at temperatures below 200 C. However, extra strengthening induced by helium and hydrogen contents is evident in some specimens irradiated to above about 1 dpa. The effect of test temperature for the 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel was less significant than for the EC316LN stainless steel. In addition, strain-hardening behaviors were analyzed for EC316LN and 316L stainless steels. The strain-hardening rate of the 316 stainless steels was largely dependent on test temperature. It was estimated that the 316 stainless steels would retain more than 1% true stains to necking at 164 C after irradiation to 5 dpa. A calculation using reduction of area (RA) measurements and stress-strain data predicted positive strain hardening during plastic instability

  8. Stress corrosion cracking studies on ferritic low alloy pressure vessel steel - water chemistry and modelling aspects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tipping, P.; Ineichen, U.; Cripps, R.

    1994-01-01

    The susceptibility of low alloy ferritic pressure vessel steels (A533-B type) to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) degradation has been examined using various BWR type coolant chemistries. Fatigue pre-cracked wedge-loaded double cantilever beams and also constantly loaded 25 mm thick compact tension specimens have shown classical SCC attack. The influence of parameters such as dissolved oxygen content, water impurity level and conductivity, material chemical composition (sulphur content) and stress intensity level are discussed. The relevance of SCC as a life-limiting degradation mechanism for low alloy ferritic nuclear power plant PV steel is examined. Some parameters, thought to be relevant for modelling SCC processes in low alloy steels in simulated BWR-type coolant, are discussed. 8 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs

  9. Concurrent microstructural evolution of ferrite and austenite in a duplex stainless steel processed by high-pressure torsion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Y.; Wang, Y.B.; An, X.H.; Liao, X.Z.; Kawasaki, M.; Ringer, S.P.; Langdon, T.G.; Zhu, Y.T.

    2014-01-01

    A duplex stainless steel with approximately equal volume fractions of ferrite and austenite was processed by high-pressure torsion. Nano-indentation, electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the hardness and microstructure evolutions of the steel. Despite the different strain-hardening rates of individual ferrite and austenite, the microstructures of the two phases evolved concurrently in such a way that the neighbouring two phases always maintained similar hardness. While the plastic deformation and grain refinement of ferrite occurred mainly via dislocation activities, the plastic deformation and grain refinement process of austenite were more complicated and included deformation twinning and de-twinning in coarse grains, grain refinement by twinning and dislocation–twin interactions, de-twinning in ultrafine grains and twin boundary subdivision

  10. Modeling of kinetics of isothermal idiomorphic ferrite formation in a medium carbon vanadium-titanium microalloyed steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Capdevila, C.; Caballer, E. G.; Garcia de Andres, C.

    2002-01-01

    A theoretical model is presented in this work to calculate the evolution of isothermal austenite-to-idiomorphic ferrite transformation in a medium carbon vanadium-titanium microalloyed steel. This model has been developed on the basis of the study of the nucleation and growth kinetics of idiomorphic ferrite, considering the influence of the nature, size and distribution of the inclusions, which are responsible of the intragranular nucleation of idiomorphic ferrite. Moreover, the influence of the austenite grain size on the isothermal decomposition of austenite in idiomorphic ferrite has been thoroughly analysed. An excellent agreement (85% in R''2) has been obtained between experimental and predicted values of volume fraction of idiomorphic ferrite. (Author) 32 refs

  11. Impact Strength of Austenitic and Ferritic-Austenitic Cr-Ni Stainless Cast Steel in -40 and +20°C Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kalandyk B.

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Studies described in this paper relate to common grades of cast corrosion resistant Cr-Ni steel with different matrix. The test materials were subjected to heat treatment, which consisted in the solution annealing at 1060°C followed by cooling in water. The conducted investigations, besides the microstructural characteristics of selected cast steel grades, included the evaluation of hardness, toughness (at a temperature of -40 and +20oC and type of fracture obtained after breaking the specimens on a Charpy impact testing machine. Based on the results of the measured volume fraction of ferrite, it has been found that the content of this phase in cast austenitic steel is 1.9%, while in the two-phase ferritic-austenitic grades it ranges from 50 to 58%. It has been demonstrated that within the scope of conducted studies, the cast steel of an austenitic structure is characterised by higher impact strength than the two-phase ferritic-austenitic (F-A grade. The changing appearance of the fractures of the specimens reflected the impact strength values obtained in the tested materials. Fractures of the cast austenitic Cr-Ni steel obtained in these studies were of a ductile character, while fractures of the cast ferritic-austenitic grade were mostly of a mixed character with the predominance of brittle phase and well visible cleavage planes.

  12. Behaviour and damage of aged austenitic-ferritic steels: a micro-mechanical approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bugat, St.

    2000-12-01

    The austenitic-ferritic steels are used in the PWR primary cooling system. At the running temperature (320 C), they are submitted to a slow aging, which leads to the embrittlement of the ferritic phase. This embrittlement leads to a decrease of the mechanical properties, in particular of the crack resistance of the austenitic-ferritic steels. The damage and rupture of the austenitic-ferritic steels have been approached at the ENSMP by the works of P. Joly (1992) and of L. Devilliers-Guerville (1998). These works have allowed to reveal a damage heterogeneity which induces a strong dispersion on the ductilities and the toughnesses as well as on the scale effects. Modeling including the damage growth kinetics measured experimentally, have allowed to verify these effects. Nevertheless, they do not consider the two-phase character of the material and do not include a physical model of the cleavage cracks growth which appear in the embrittled ferrite. In this study, is proposed a description of the material allowing to treat these aspects while authorizing the structure calculation. In a first part, the material is studied. The use of the ESBD allows to specify the complex morphology of these steels and crystal orientation relations between the two phases. Moreover, it is shown that the two phases keep the same crystal orientation in the zones, called bicrystals, whose size varies between 500 μm and 1 mm. The study of the sliding lines, coupled to the ESBD, allows to specify too the deformation modes of the two phases. At last, tensile and tensile-compression tests at various deformation range are carried out to characterize the macroscopic mechanical behaviour of these materials. Then, a micro-mechanical modeling of the material behaviour is proposed. This one takes into account the three scales identified at the preceding chapter. The first scale, corresponding to the laths is described as a monocrystal whose behaviour includes both an isotropic and a kinematic strain

  13. Characterisation of high-temperature damage mechanisms of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salmon-Legagneur, Hubert

    2017-01-01

    The development of the fourth generation of nuclear power plants relies on the improvement of cladding materials, in order to achieve resistance to high temperature, stress and irradiation dose levels. Strengthening of ferritic steels through nano-oxide dispersion allows obtaining good mechanical strength at high temperature and good resistance to irradiation induced swelling. Nonetheless, studies available from open literature evidenced an unusual creep behavior of these materials: high anisotropy in time to rupture and flow behavior, low ductility and quasi-inexistent tertiary creep stage. These phenomena, and their still unclear origin are addressed in this study. Three 14Cr ODS steels rods have been studied. Their mechanical behavior is similar to those of other ODS steels from open literature. During creep tests, the specimens fractured by through crack nucleation and propagation from the lateral surfaces, followed by ductile tearing once the critical stress intensity factor was reached at the crack tip. Tensile and creep properties did not depend on the chemical environment of specimens. Crack propagation tests performed at 650 C showed a low value of the stress intensity factor necessary to start crack propagation. The cracks followed an intergranular path through the smaller-grained regions, which partly explains the anisotropy of high temperature strength. Notched specimens have been used to study the impact of the main loading parameters (deformation rate, temperature, stress triaxiality) on macroscopic crack initiation and stable propagation, from the central part of the specimens. These tests allowed revealing cavities created during high temperature loading, but unexposed to the external environment. These cavities showed a high chemical reactivity of the free surfaces in this material. The performed tests also evidenced different types of grain boundaries, which presented different damage development behaviors, probably due to differences in local

  14. Influence of Nb content on grain size and mechanical properties of 18 wt% Cr ferritic stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Y. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Mao, W.M., E-mail: weiminmao@263.net [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Chen, Y.J. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Jing, J.; Cheng, M. [Taizhou Xinyu Precision Manufacture Company Limited, Jiangyan 225500, Jiangsu (China)

    2016-11-20

    The influence of Nb contents between 0.20 and 1.20 wt% on the grain size and mechanical properties of 18 wt% Cr ferritic stainless steel produced by investment casting was investigated. The average grain sizes of the three steels decreased apparently with increasing Nb content mainly due to the increasing number of pre-existing oxides formed at higher temperature, which were more likely to be the nuclei of heterogeneous nucleation. The thermodynamic analysis of Nb(C,N) formation was in conformity to the experimental result that the Nb(C,N) precipitates became larger with increasing Nb content. The as-cast specimen with the smallest grain size of steel C had the worse tensile strength and elongation in comparison with the as-cast specimens of steels A and B, mostly owing to the catenarian and dendritic Nb(C,N) particles distributed densely at the grain boundaries. The mechanical properties of specimens were not improved remarkably through high temperature solid-solution, whereas the mechanical properties of normalized specimens in the three steels were improved to different degrees. The coalescence and sparse distribution of smaller precipitates at grain boundaries after normalizing effectively weakened the local stress concentration arising from the reticular distribution of particles. The normalized specimen of steel A with 0.24 wt% Nb still showed good mechanical properties. Normalizing at 850 °C for 2 h is the appropriate heat treatment for the 18 wt% Cr ferritic stainless steel. The comparatively rational Nb content of the ferritic stainless steel is between 0.20 and 0.40 wt% for investment casting production.

  15. Modelling study on the three-dimensional neutron depolarisation response of the evolving ferrite particle size distribution during the austenite-ferrite phase transformation in steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, H.; van der Zwaag, S.; van Dijk, N. H.

    2018-07-01

    The magnetic configuration of a ferromagnetic system with mono-disperse and poly-disperse distribution of magnetic particles with inter-particle interactions has been computed. The analysis is general in nature and applies to all systems containing magnetically interacting particles in a non-magnetic matrix, but has been applied to steel microstructures, consisting of a paramagnetic austenite phase and a ferromagnetic ferrite phase, as formed during the austenite-to-ferrite phase transformation in low-alloyed steels. The characteristics of the computational microstructures are linked to the correlation function and determinant of depolarisation matrix, which can be experimentally obtained in three-dimensional neutron depolarisation (3DND). By tuning the parameters in the model used to generate the microstructure, we studied the effect of the (magnetic) particle size distribution on the 3DND parameters. It is found that the magnetic particle size derived from 3DND data matches the microstructural grain size over a wide range of volume fractions and grain size distributions. A relationship between the correlation function and the relative width of the particle size distribution was proposed to accurately account for the width of the size distribution. This evaluation shows that 3DND experiments can provide unique in situ information on the austenite-to-ferrite phase transformation in steels.

  16. Effect of the delta ferrite solidification morphology of austenitic steels weld metal on the joint properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilmes, P.; Gonzalez, A.; Llorente, C.; Solari, M.

    1996-01-01

    The properties of austenitic stainless steel weld metals are largely influenced by the appearance in the microstructure of delta ferrite of a given morphology. The susceptibility to hot cracks and low temperature toughness are deeply conditioned by the mixed complex austenitic-ferritic structures which depending on the steel chemical composition and on the cooling rate may be developed. The latest research on this issue points out the importance of the sodification mode as regards to the influence in the appearance of delta ferrite of a certain morphology. In fact, it is very important to understand the solidification sequences, the primary solidification modes which are possible and the subsequent solid state transformations to correlate the structural elements of the weld metal with the parameters of the welding process on the one had, and the weld joint properties on the other. (Author) 19 refs

  17. Effects of delta ferrite content on the mechanical properties of E308-16 stainless steel weld metal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Edmonds, D. P.; Vandergriff, D. M.; Gray, R. J.

    1978-01-01

    The effects of ferrite content on the properties of type 308 stainless steel shielded metal-arc (SMA) welds were investigated. Welds were made at four levels of ferrite content ranging from 2 to 15 FN (Ferrite Number). Creep and tensile tests were performed. Specimens were aged at 1100/sup 0/C (593/sup 0/C) for times up to 10,000 h (36 Ms) and Charpy V-notch impact tests were performed. Chemical analysis of the original deposits, Magne-gage evaluations, and metallographic evaluation of tested specimens were made. The E308-16 stainless steel electrodes were formulated to produce SMA welds with 2, 5, 9, and 15 FN. The ferrite number was made to vary by varying the nickel and chromium concentrations. Magne-gage determinations revealed that as-welded structures contained an average of 1.8, 4.2, 9.6, and 14.5 FN, respectively. Chemical anslysis of these deposits revealed no unusually high concentrations of tramp elements that would significantly affect mechanical properties. The extra low-ferrite electrodes were made with a different core wire, which produced deposits with slightly higher molybdenum concentrations. This variation in molybdenum should affect properties only minimally. From these chemical analyses and a constitutional diagram, ferrite concentrations were calculated, and the results correlated with the Magne-gage values

  18. Effect of weld metal properties on fatigue crack growth behaviour of gas tungsten arc welded AISI 409M grade ferritic stainless steel joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shanmugam, K.; Lakshminarayanan, A.K.; Balasubramanian, V.

    2009-01-01

    The effect of filler metals such as austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel on fatigue crack growth behaviour of the gas tungsten arc welded ferritic stainless steel joints was investigated. Rolled plates of 4 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single 'V' butt welded joints. Centre cracked tensile (CCT) specimens were prepared to evaluate fatigue crack growth behaviour. Servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine was used to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behaviour of the welded joints. From this investigation, it was found that the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal showed superior fatigue crack growth resistance compared to the joints fabricated by austenitic and ferritic stainless steel filler metals. Higher yield strength, hardness and relatively higher toughness may be the reasons for superior fatigue performance of the joints fabricated by duplex stainless steel filler metal.

  19. Characterizing microstructural changes in ferritic steels by positron annihilation spectroscopy: Studies on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hari Babu, S., E-mail: shb@igcar.gov.in [Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India); Rajkumar, K.V. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India); Hussain, S. [UGC-DAE CSR, Kokilamedu 603 104, TN (India); Amarendra, G.; Sundar, C.S. [Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India); Jayakumar, T. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India)

    2013-01-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Positron lifetime technique probing microstructure of ferritic/martensitic steels. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Correlation between positron lifetime, ultrasonic and hardness. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Complementary nature of positron annihilation spectroscopy in probing defects. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Distinguishing precipitation stages by positron annihilation spectroscopy. - Abstract: Applicability of positron annihilation spectroscopy in probing the microstructural changes in ferritic steels has been investigated with thermal treatment studies on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, during 300-1273 K. Positron lifetime results are compared with those of ultrasonic velocity and hardness techniques with two initial microstructural conditions i.e., normalized and tempered condition as well as only normalized condition. In first case, positron lifetime is found to be sensitive to small changes in metal carbide precipitation which could not be probed by other two techniques. In later case, positron lifetime is found to be sensitive to defect annealing until 673 K and in distinguishing the growth and coarsening of metal carbide precipitation stages during 773-1073 K. The present study suggests that by combining positron lifetime, ultrasonic velocity and hardness measurements, it is possible to distinguish distinct microstructures occurring at different stages.

  20. Microstructural examination of several commercial ferritic alloys irradiated to high fluence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.

    1981-01-01

    Microstructural observations are reported for a series of five commercial ferritic alloys, 2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo, H-11, EM-12, 416, and 430F, covering the composition range 2.25 to 17% chromium, following EBR-II irradiation over the temperature range 400 to 650 0 C and to a maximum fluence of 17.6 x 10 22 n/cm 2 (E > 0.1 MeV). These materials were confirmed to be low void swelling with maximum swelling of 0.63% measured in EM-12 following irradiation at 400 0 C to 14.0 x 10 22 n/cm 2 . A wide range of precipitation response was found both as a function of alloy and irradiation temperature. Precipitates observed included M 6 C, Mo 2 C, Chi, Laves, M 23 C 6 , α' and a low temperature phase as yet unidentified. It is predicted, based on these results, that the major impact of irradiation on the ferritic alloy class will be changes in postirradiation mechanical properties due to precipitation

  1. Microstructural examination of several commercial ferritic alloys irradiated to high fluence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelles, D. S.

    Microstructural observations are reported for a series of five commercial ferritic alloys, 2 {1}/{4}Cr-1Mo , H-11, EM-12, 416, and 430F, covering the composition range 2.25 to 17% chromium, following EBR-II irradiation over the temperature range 400 to 650°C and to a maximum fluence of 1.76 × 10 23 n/cm 2 (E >0.1 MeV). These materials were confirmed to be low void swelling with maximum swelling of 0.63% measured in EM-12 following irradiation at 400°C to 1.40 × 10 23 n/cm 2. A wide range of precipitation response was found both as a function of alloy and irradiation temperature. Precipitates observed included M 6C, Mo 2C, Chi, Laves, M 23C 6, α' and a low temperature phase as yet unidentified. It is predicted, based on these results, that the major impact of irradiation on the ferritic alloy class will be changes in postirradiation mechanical properties due to precipitation.

  2. Development of ferritic steels for steam generators of fast breeder reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen-Thanh; Vigneron, G.; Vanderschaeghe, A.

    1988-01-01

    STEIN INDUSTRIE, a manufacturer of equipment for the conventional and nuclear power industry, has built up expertise in the use of Cr-Mo steels used at high temperatures. The main ferritic steels developed were 10 CD 9-10 (AFNOR), Z10 CDNb V 9-2 (AFNOR), X 20 Cr Mo V 12-1 (DIN) and ASTM Grade 9.1. For the fast breeder reactor system, STEIN INDUSTRIE proposes the use of these steels in the construction of steam generators. The wide programme of development undertaken by STEIN INDUSTRIE is aimed at the following main subjects: - characterization of materials - welding and bending tests - studies of special junctions. This article reports the results obtained

  3. Comparison between magnetic force microscopy and electron back-scatter diffraction for ferrite quantification in type 321 stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warren, A.D., E-mail: Xander.Warren@bristol.ac.uk [Interface Analysis Centre, HH Wills Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1FD (United Kingdom); Harniman, R.L. [School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1 TS (United Kingdom); Collins, A.M. [School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1 TS (United Kingdom); Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, Nanoscience and Quantum Information Centre, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1FD (United Kingdom); Davis, S.A. [School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1 TS (United Kingdom); Younes, C.M. [Interface Analysis Centre, HH Wills Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1FD (United Kingdom); Flewitt, P.E.J. [Interface Analysis Centre, HH Wills Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1FD (United Kingdom); School of Physics, HH Wills Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1FD (United Kingdom); Scott, T.B. [Interface Analysis Centre, HH Wills Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1FD (United Kingdom)

    2015-01-15

    Several analytical techniques that are currently available can be used to determine the spatial distribution and amount of austenite, ferrite and precipitate phases in steels. The application of magnetic force microscopy, in particular, to study the local microstructure of stainless steels is beneficial due to the selectivity of this technique for detection of ferromagnetic phases. In the comparison of Magnetic Force Microscopy and Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction for the morphological mapping and quantification of ferrite, the degree of sub-surface measurement has been found to be critical. Through the use of surface shielding, it has been possible to show that Magnetic Force Microscopy has a measurement depth of 105–140 nm. A comparison of the two techniques together with the depth of measurement capabilities are discussed. - Highlights: • MFM used to map distribution and quantify ferrite in type 321 stainless steels. • MFM results compared with EBSD for same region, showing good spatial correlation. • MFM gives higher area fraction of ferrite than EBSD due to sub-surface measurement. • From controlled experiments MFM depth sensitivity measured from 105 to 140 nm. • A correction factor to calculate area fraction from MFM data is estimated.

  4. Effect of hardness of martensite and ferrite on void formation in dual phase steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Azuma, M.; Goutianos, Stergios; Hansen, Niels

    2012-01-01

    The influence of the hardness of martensite and ferrite phases in dual phase steel on void formation has been investigated by in situ tensile loading in a scanning electron microscope. Microstructural observations have shown that most voids form in martensite by evolving four steps: plastic...... deformation of martensite, crack initiation at the martensite/ferrite interface, crack propagation leading to fracture of martensite particles and void formation by separation of particle fragments. It has been identified that the hardness effect is associated with the following aspects: strain partitioning...... between martensite and ferrite, strain localisation and critical strain required for void formation. Reducing the hardness difference between martensite and ferrite phases by tempering has been shown to be an effective approach to retard the void formation in martensite and thereby is expected to improve...

  5. Fatigue and fracture behavior of low alloy ferritic forged steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhry, V.; Sharma, A.K.; Muktibodh, U.C.; Borwankar, Neeraj; Singh, D.K.; Srinivasan, K.N.; Kulkarni, R.G.

    2016-01-01

    Low alloy ferritic steels are widely used in nuclear industry for the construction of pressure vessels. Pressure vessel forged low alloy steels 20MnMoNi55 (modified) have been developed indigenously. Experiments have been carried out to study the Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) and fracture behavior of these forged steels. Fully reversed strain controlled LCF testing at room temperature and at 350 °C has been carried out at a constant strain rate, and for different axial strain amplitude levels. LCF material behavior has been studied from cyclic stress-strain responses and the strain-life relationships. Fracture behavior of the steel has been studied based on tests carried out for crack growth rate and fracture toughness (J-R curve). Further, responses of fatigue crack growth rate tests have been compared with the rate evaluated from fatigue precracking carried out for fracture toughness (J-R) tests. Fractography of the samples have been carried out to reveal dominant damage mechanisms in crack propagation and fracture. The fatigue and fracture properties of indigenously developed low alloy steel 20MnMoNi55 (modified) steels are comparable with similar class of steels. (author)

  6. Kinetics of G-phase precipitation and spinodal decomposition in very long aged ferrite of a Mo-free duplex stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pareige, C., E-mail: cristelle.pareige@univ-rouen.fr [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, UMR 6634 CNRS, Université et INSA de Rouen, Avenue de l' Université, BP 12, 76801 Saint Etienne du Rouvray (France); Emo, J. [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, UMR 6634 CNRS, Université et INSA de Rouen, Avenue de l' Université, BP 12, 76801 Saint Etienne du Rouvray (France); Saillet, S.; Domain, C. [EDF R& D Département Matériaux et Mécanique des Composants, Avenue des Renardières – Ecuelles, F-77250 Moret sur Loing (France); Pareige, P. [Groupe de Physique des Matériaux, UMR 6634 CNRS, Université et INSA de Rouen, Avenue de l' Université, BP 12, 76801 Saint Etienne du Rouvray (France)

    2015-10-15

    Evolution of spinodal decomposition and G-phase precipitation in ferrite of a thermally aged Mo-free duplex stainless steel was studied by Atom Probe Tomography (APT). Kinetics was compared to kinetics observed in ferrite of some Mo-bearing steels aged in similar conditions. This paper shows that formation of the G-phase particles proceeds via at least a two-step mechanism: enrichment of α/α′ inter-domains by G-former elements followed by formation of G-phase particles. As expected, G-phase precipitation is much less intense in the Mo-free steel than in Mo-bearing steels. The kinetic synergy observed in Mo-bearing steels between spinodal decomposition and G-phase precipitation is shown to also exist in Mo-free steel. Spinodal decomposition is less developed in the ferrite of the Mo-free steel investigated than in Mo-bearing steels: both the amplitude of the decomposition and the effective time exponent of the wavelength (0.06 versus 0.16) are much lower for the Mo-free steel. Neither the temperature of homogenisation nor quench effects or Ni and Mo contents could successfully explain the low time exponent of the spinodal decomposition observed in the Mo-free steel. The diffusion mechanisms could be at the origin of the different time exponents (diffusion along α/α′ interfaces or diffusion of small clusters).

  7. Foucault current testing of ferritic steel fuel cans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stossel, A.

    1984-10-01

    The analysis of impedance involved by a Foucault current test of ferritic steel tubes, is quite different from the classical analysis which refers to non-magnetic tubes; more particularly, volume defects are considered as magnetic anomalies. Contrarily to current instructions which recommend to test the product in a satured magnetic state, it is very interesting to work with a continuous energizing field, comparatively low, corresponding to a sequenced magnetization, of which value is obtained according to the magnetic structure of the product. This analysis is useful when testing fast reactor fuel cans [fr

  8. Anisotropy in tensile and ductile-brittle transition behavior of ODS ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kasada, R., E-mail: r-kasada@iae.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto (Japan); Lee, S.G.; Isselin, J.; Lee, J.H.; Omura, T.; Kimura, A. [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto (Japan); Okuda, T. [KOBELCO Research Institute, 1-5-5, Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2271 (Japan); Inoue, M. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4002 Narita, Oarai, Ibaraki 311-1393 (Japan); Ukai, S.; Ohnuki, S. [Materials Science and Engineering, Hokkaido University, N14 W8, Kita ku, Sapporo 060-8626 (Japan); Fujisawa, T. [Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Abe, F. [National Institute of Materials Science, Tsukuba, (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047 (Japan)

    2011-10-01

    Anisotropic fracture behavior of SOC-1 oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel has been investigated for a hot-extruded bar by tensile tests and Charpy impact tests. These mechanical properties are better in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse directions against extrusion direction (ED). Fracture surface observations by scanning electron microscopy and auger electron spectroscopy indicated bundle-like morphology with existence of segregation/precipitation/inclusions along ED. Pole figures of the hot-extruded bar characterized using electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) technique and X-ray diffraction exhibited <1 1 0> fiber texture formation along ED. The EBSD orientation map showed a complex bundle-like grain morphology which consists of elongated grains having a specific orientation <1 1 0>// ED and relatively isotropic and small grains having other orientation. The results conclude that the combined effects of observed elongated grain morphology and these small grains with segregation/precipitation/inclusions along ED can explain the anisotropic fracture behavior of the hot-extruded ODS ferritic steel.

  9. Internal stresses in an austeno-ferritic duplex stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verhaeghe, B.; Brechet, Y.; Louchet, F.; Massoud, J.P.; Touzeau, D.

    1996-04-01

    Austeno-ferritic duplex steels possess microstructures containing comparable volume fractions of hard and soft phases which are bi-percolated. They are therefore liable to develop large internal stresses during straining. The evolution and the relaxation of these stresses and the occurrence of damage are characterized using Bauschinger tests. Thermally aged and non-aged material behaviour are compared. Plastic flow in the hard phase is shown to be significantly efficient in releasing these internal stresses. (authors). 15 refs., 8 figs

  10. Effects of mechanical force on grain structures of friction stir welded oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Wentuo; Kimura, Akihiko; Tsuda, Naoto; Serizawa, Hisashi; Chen, Dongsheng; Je, Hwanil; Fujii, Hidetoshi; Ha, Yoosung; Morisada, Yoshiaki; Noto, Hiroyuki

    2014-01-01

    The weldability of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels is a critical obstructive in the development and use of these steels. Friction stir welding has been considered to be a promising way to solve this problem. The main purpose of this work was to reveal the effects of mechanical force on grain structures of friction stir welded ODS ferritic steel. The grain appearances and the misorientation angles of grain boundaries in different welded zones were investigated by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Results showed that the mechanical force imposed by the stir tool can activate and promote the recrystallization characterized by the transformation of boundaries from LABs to HABs, and contribute to the grain refinement. The type of recrystallization in the stir zone can be classified as the continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX)

  11. Effects of mechanical force on grain structures of friction stir welded oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Wentuo, E-mail: hanwentuo@hotmail.com [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Kimura, Akihiko [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Tsuda, Naoto [Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Serizawa, Hisashi [Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Chen, Dongsheng [Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Je, Hwanil [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Fujii, Hidetoshi [Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Ha, Yoosung [Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Morisada, Yoshiaki [Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Noto, Hiroyuki [Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan)

    2014-12-15

    The weldability of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels is a critical obstructive in the development and use of these steels. Friction stir welding has been considered to be a promising way to solve this problem. The main purpose of this work was to reveal the effects of mechanical force on grain structures of friction stir welded ODS ferritic steel. The grain appearances and the misorientation angles of grain boundaries in different welded zones were investigated by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Results showed that the mechanical force imposed by the stir tool can activate and promote the recrystallization characterized by the transformation of boundaries from LABs to HABs, and contribute to the grain refinement. The type of recrystallization in the stir zone can be classified as the continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX)

  12. Influence of HIP pressure on tensile properties of a 14Cr ODS ferritic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oksiuta, Z., E-mail: z.oksiuta@pb.edu.pl [Bialystok Technical University, Mechanical Department, Wiejska 45c, 15-351 Bialystok (Poland); Ozieblo, A.; Perkowski, K.; Osuchowski, M. [Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials, Postępu 9, 02-676 Warsaw (Poland); Lewandowska, M. [Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-504 Warsaw (Poland)

    2014-02-15

    Highlights: • The HIPping parameters of the 14Cr–2W–0.3Ti–0.3Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} ODS steel powder were investigated. • The density and microstructure of the tested specimens after HIPping were studied. • The mechanical properties, high temperature tensile tests, were performed. • Residual porosity was observed in all tested specimens. • HIPping pressure has negligible influence on the strength of the ODS steel however improves material ductility. - Abstract: An oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel with a nominal composition of Fe–14Cr–2W–0.3Ti–0.3Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (in wt.%) was consolidated by hot isostatic pressing at 1150 °C under various pressures in the range of 185–300 MPa for 3 h. The microstructure, microhardness and high temperature tensile properties of the steel were investigated. With increasing compaction pressure the density of specimens also increased, however OM and SEM observations revealed residual porosity in all tested specimens and similar ferritic microstructure with bimodal-like grains and numerous of large oxide particles, located at the grain boundaries. Mechanical testing revealed that compaction pressure has negligible influence on the hardness and tensile strength of the ODS steel, however improves the material ductility.

  13. Influence of HIP pressure on tensile properties of a 14Cr ODS ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oksiuta, Z.; Ozieblo, A.; Perkowski, K.; Osuchowski, M.; Lewandowska, M.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The HIPping parameters of the 14Cr–2W–0.3Ti–0.3Y 2 O 3 ODS steel powder were investigated. • The density and microstructure of the tested specimens after HIPping were studied. • The mechanical properties, high temperature tensile tests, were performed. • Residual porosity was observed in all tested specimens. • HIPping pressure has negligible influence on the strength of the ODS steel however improves material ductility. - Abstract: An oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel with a nominal composition of Fe–14Cr–2W–0.3Ti–0.3Y 2 O 3 (in wt.%) was consolidated by hot isostatic pressing at 1150 °C under various pressures in the range of 185–300 MPa for 3 h. The microstructure, microhardness and high temperature tensile properties of the steel were investigated. With increasing compaction pressure the density of specimens also increased, however OM and SEM observations revealed residual porosity in all tested specimens and similar ferritic microstructure with bimodal-like grains and numerous of large oxide particles, located at the grain boundaries. Mechanical testing revealed that compaction pressure has negligible influence on the hardness and tensile strength of the ODS steel, however improves the material ductility

  14. Effect of Proton Irradiation on the Corrosion Behaviors of Ferritic/Martensitic Steel in Liquid Metal Environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jeonghyeon; Kim, Tae Yong; Kim, Ji Hyun [UNIST, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs) such as sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) and lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) are the candidates of GEN-IV nuclear energy systems. Among various liquid metals that can be used as primary coolant material, sodium is a world widely used coolant for GEN-IV reactors. In this study, as-received Gr.92 and irradiated Gr.92 specimen in the oxygen-saturated liquid sodium were examined at high temperature for 300h. The microstructure results reveal the information of the effect of irradiation and effect of the chrome concentration in specimen. From the SRIM result, penetration distance of 40 μm in stainless steel and nominal sample thickness of 30 μm was used to avoid the damage peak and any proton implantation and From the microstructural evaluation, chromium-rich zones existed under the surface of the both of non-irradiated and irradiated materials. The irradiated materials showed chromium-rich zones with larger depths than the non-irradiated specimens.

  15. Cathodic cage nitriding of AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel with the addition of CH4

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rômulo Ribeiro Magalhães de Sousa

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel samples were nitrided using the cathodic cage plasma nitriding technique (CCPN, with the addition of methane to reduce chromium precipitation, increase hardness and wear resistance and reduce the presence of nitrides when compared to plasma carbonitriding. Microhardness profiles and X-Ray analysis confirm the formation of a very hard layer containing mainly ε-Fe3N and expanded ferrite phases.

  16. Contribution to the metallurgy of welding processes in stainless ferritic-austenitic (duplex) steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perteneder, E.; Toesch, J.; Rabensteiner, G.

    1989-01-01

    Duplex steels have a ferritic austenitic structure. Therefore, to obtain a successful welding, special metallurgical regulations must be observed. The effect of energy per unit length and plate thickness onto the heat influence zone in case of manual arc welding is examined. Practice-oriented instructions for the welding technique to be applied are deduced from the results. Finally, the effect of the alloy composition onto the welding capacity of duplex steels is examined. (orig.) [de

  17. Austin: austenitic steel irradiation E 145-02 Irradiation Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genet, F.; Konrad, J.

    1987-01-01

    Safety measures for nuclear reactors require that the energy which might be liberated in a reactor core during an accident should be contained within the reactor pressure vessel, even after very long irradiation periods. Hence the need to know the mechanical properties at high deformation velocity of structure materials that have received irradiation damage due to their utilization. The stainless steels used in the structures of reactors undergo damage by both thermal and fast neutrons, causing important changes in the mechanical properties of these materials. Various austenitic steels available as structural materials were irradiated or are under irradiation in various reactors in order to study the evolution of the mechanical properties at high deformation velocity as a function of the irradiation damage rate. The experiment called AUSTIN (AUstenitic STeel IrradiatioN) 02 was performed by the JRC Petten Establishment on behalf of Ispra in support of the reactor safety programme

  18. Stress and adhesion of chromia-rich scales on ferritic stainless steels in relation with spallation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Galerie

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available The relation between chromia scale spallation during oxidation or cooling down of ferritic stainless steels is generally discussed in terms of mechanical stresses induced by volume changes or differential thermal expansion. In the present paper, growth and thermal stress measurements in scales grown on different ferritic steel grades have shown that the main stress accumulation occurs during isothermal scale growth and that thermal stresses are of minor importance. However, when spallation occurs, it is always during cooling down. Steel-oxide interface undulation seems to play a major role at this stage, thus relating spallation to the metal mechanical properties, thickness and surface preparation. A major influence on spallation of the minor stabilizing elements of the steels was observed which could not be related to any difference in stress state. Therefore, an original inverted blister test was developed to derive quantitative values of the metal-oxide adhesion energy. These values clearly confirmed that this parameter was influenced by scale thickness and by minor additions, titanium greatly increasing adhesion whereas niobium decreased it.

  19. A roadmap for tailoring the strength and ductility of ferritic/martensitic T91 steel via thermo-mechanical treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, M.; Sun, C.; Fan, Z.; Chen, Y.; Zhu, R.; Yu, K.Y.; Hartwig, K.T.; Wang, H.; Zhang, X.

    2016-01-01

    Ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels with high strength and excellent ductility are important candidate materials for the life extension of the current nuclear reactors and the design of next generation nuclear reactors. Recent studies show that equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was able to improve mechanical strength of ferritic T91 steels moderately. Here, we examine several strategies to further enhance the mechanical strength of T91 while maintaining its ductility. Certain thermo-mechanical treatment (TMT) processes enabled by combinations of ECAE, water quench, and tempering may lead to “ductile martensite” with exceptionally high strength in T91 steel. The evolution of microstructures and mechanical properties of T91 steel were investigated in detail, and transition carbides were identified in water quenched T91 steel. This study provides guidelines for tailoring the microstructure and mechanical properties of T91 steel via ECAE enabled TMT for an improved combination of strength and ductility.

  20. High-Temperature Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Studies of Ferrite Formation in Inclusion-Engineered Steels: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mu, Wangzhong; Hedström, Peter; Shibata, Hiroyuki; Jönsson, Pär G.; Nakajima, Keiji

    2018-05-01

    The concepts of oxide metallurgy and inclusion engineering can be utilized to improve the properties of low-alloy steels. These concepts aim at controlling the formation of intragranular ferrite (IGF), often a desirable microstructure providing good mechanical properties without the need for expensive alloying elements. IGF formation is stimulated to occur at non-metallic inclusions and form an arrangement of fine, interlocking ferrite grains. A method that has contributed significantly to investigations in this field lately is high-temperature confocal laser scanning microscopy (HT-CLSM). HT-CLSM is suited for in situ studies of inclusion behavior in liquid steel and phase transformations in solid-state steel, where in particular, displacive phase transformations can be studied, since they provide sufficient topographic contrast. The purpose of the present report is to provide a brief review of the state of the art of HT-CLSM and its application for in situ observations of ferrite formation in inclusion-engineered steels. The scientific literature in this field is surveyed and supplemented by new work to reveal the capability of HT-CLSM as well as to discuss the effect of factors such as cooling rate and parent grain size on IGF formation and growth kinetics. The report concludes with an outlook on the opportunities and challenges of HT-CLSM for applications in oxide metallurgy.

  1. Nondestructive testing for microstructural characterization in 9Cr-1Mo ferritic steel towards assessment of fabrication quality and in-service degradation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jayakumar, T.; Rao, K.B.S.; Raj, Baldev [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam (India)

    1999-07-01

    The paper discusses the usefulness of non destructive testing for microstructural characterization in 9Cr-1Mo ferritic steel. Ultrasonic velocity and attenuation measurements and spectral analysis have been used in a complementary way for characterizing Ac{sub 1} and Ac{sub 3} temperatures, amount of martensite and ferrite, dissolution of V{sub 4}C{sub 3} and NbC and formation of {delta}-ferrite. The microstructural degradation occurring due to thermal ageing and creep has also been studied by ultrasonic velocity measurements. Magnetic Barkhausen noise technique has been used for estimating the extent of various regions in heat affected zone (HAZ) of 9Cr-1Mo ferritic steel weldment. The same technique has been used for the assessment of low cycle fatigue damage in 9Cr-1Mo steel. The study establishes that non destructive methods can be used for the assessment of fabrication quality and in service degradation of the components. (author)

  2. Characterization and Strain-Hardening Behavior of Friction Stir-Welded Ferritic Stainless Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Gaurav; Dwivedi, Dheerendra Kumar; Jain, Pramod Kumar

    2017-12-01

    In this study, friction stir-welded joint of 3-mm-thick plates of 409 ferritic stainless steel (FSS) was characterized in light of microstructure, x-ray diffraction analysis, hardness, tensile strength, ductility, corrosion and work hardening properties. The FSW joint made of ferritic stainless steel comprises of three distinct regions including the base metal. In stir zone highly refined ferrite grains with martensite and some carbide precipitates at the grain boundaries were observed. X-ray diffraction analysis also revealed precipitation of Cr23C6 and martensite formation in heat-affected zone and stir zone. In tensile testing of the transverse weld samples, the failure eventuated within the gauge length of the specimen from the base metal region having tensile properties overmatched to the as-received base metal. The tensile strength and elongation of the longitudinal (all weld) sample were found to be 1014 MPa and 9.47%, respectively. However, in potentiodynamic polarization test, the corrosion current density of the stir zone was highest among all the three zones. The strain-hardening exponent for base metal, transverse and longitudinal (all weld) weld samples was calculated using various equations. Both the transverse and longitudinal weld samples exhibited higher strain-hardening exponents as compared to the as-received base metal. In Kocks-Mecking plots for the base metal and weld samples at least two stages of strain hardening were observed.

  3. Ferritic steels for the first generation of breeder blankets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diegele, E.

    2009-01-01

    Materials development in nuclear fusion for in-vessel components, i.e. for breeder blankets and divertors, has a history of more than two decades. It is the specific in-service and loading conditions and the consequentially required properties in combination with safety standards and social-economic demands that create a unique set of specifications. Objectives of Fusion for Energy (F4E) include: 1) To provide Europe's contribution to the ITER international fusion energy project; 2) To implement the Broader Approach agreement between Euratom and Japan; 3) To prepare for the construction and demonstration of fusion reactors (DEMO). Consequently, activities in F4E focus on structural materials for the first generations of breeder blankets, i.e. ITER Test Blanket Modules (TBM) and DEMO, whereas a Fusion Materials Topical Group implemented under EFDA coordinates R and D on physically based modelling of irradiation effects and R and D in the longer term (new and /or higher risk materials). The paper focuses on martensitic-ferritic steels and (i) reviews briefly the challenges and the rationales for the decisions taken in the past, (ii) analyses the status of the main activities of development and qualification, (iii) indicates unresolved issues, and (iv) outlines future strategies and needs and their implications. Due to the exposure to intense high energy neutron flux, the main issue for breeder materials is high radiation resistance. The First Wall of a breeder blanket should survive 3-5 full power years or, respectively in terms of irradiation damage, typically 50-70 dpa for DEMO and double figures for a power plant. Even though the objective is to have the materials and key fabrication technologies needed for DEMO fully developed and qualified within the next two decades, a major part of the task has to be completed much earlier. Tritium breeding test blanket modules will be installed in ITER with the objective to test DEMO relevant technologies in fusion

  4. Grain boundary precipitation strengthening mechanism in W containing advanced creep resistant ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shibata, T.; Hasegawa, Y. [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan)

    2010-07-01

    Grain boundary precipitation strengthening is expected to be a decisive factor in developing ferritic creep resistant steels. This study examined the grain boundary precipitation strengthening mechanism extracting the effect of the tempered martensitic microstructure and precipitates on the high angle grain boundary in M{sub 23}C4{sub 6} type carbide and the Fe{sub 2}W type Laves phase effect of the creep deformation fixing the grain boundary according to transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation. A creep test was carried out at high temperature in order to evaluate the high angle boundary strengthening effect simulating the long-term creep deformation microstructure by the lath structure disappearance. The correlation of the creep rupture time and the grain boundary shielding ratio were found to be independent of precipitate type. The creep deformation model represents block boundary shielding by precipitates as the decisive factor for W containing ferritic creep resistant steels. (orig.)

  5. Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corwin, W.R.

    1990-08-01

    The primary goal of the Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program is to provide a thorough, quantitative assessment of the effects of neutron irradiation on the material behavior (particularly the fracture toughness properties) of typical pressure-vessel steels as they relate to light-water-reactor pressure-vessel integrity. The program includes direct continuation of irradiation studies previously conducted by the Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program augmented by enhanced examinations of the accompanying microstructural changes. Effects of specimen size; material chemistry; product form and microstructure; irradiation fluence, flux, temperature, and spectrum; and postirradiation annealing are examined on a wide range of fracture properties. Detailed statistical analyses of the fracture data on K Ic shift of high-copper welds were performed. Analysis of the first phase of irradiated crack-arrest testing on high-copper welds was completed. Final analysis and publication of the results of the second phase of the irradiation studies on stainless steel weld-overlay cladding were completed. Determinations were made of the variations in chemistry and unirradiated RT NDT of low upper-shelf weld metal from the Midland reactor. Final analyses were performed on the Charpy impact and tensile data from the Second and Third Irradiation series on low upper-shelf welds, and the report on the series was drafted. A detailed survey of existing data on microstructural models and data bases of irradiation damage was performed, and initial development of a reaction-rate-based model was completed. 40 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

  6. Interim storage of sodium in ferritic steel tanks at ambient temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blackburn, L.D.

    1994-01-01

    Sodium tanks originally fabricated for elevated temperature service in the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant (CRBRP) will be used to store sodium removed from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) in the Sodium Storage Facility (SSF) at ambient temperature. This report presents an engineering review to confirm that protection against brittle fracture of the ferritic steel tanks is adequate for the intended service

  7. Numerical simulation of transformation-induced microscopic residual stress in ferrite-martensite lamellar steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikami, Y; Inao, A; Mochizuki, M; Toyoda, M

    2009-01-01

    The effect of transformation-induced microscopic residual stress on fatigue crack propagation behavior of ferrite-martensite lamellar steel was discussed. Fatigue tests of prestrained and non-prestrained specimens were performed. Inflections and branches at ferrite-martensite boundaries were observed in the non-prestrained specimens. On the other hand, less inflections and branches were found in the prestrained specimens. The experimental results showed that the transformation induced microscopic residual stress has influence on the fatigue crack propagation behavior. To estimate the microscopic residual, a numerical simulation method for the calculation of microscopic residual stress stress induced by martensitic transformation was performed. The simulation showed that compressive residual stress was generated in martensite layer, and the result agree with the experimental result that inflections and branches were observed at ferrite-martensite boundaries.

  8. Corrosion studies on Cu-Ni alloys and ferritic steel in salt water for desalination service

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shibad, P.R.; Balachandra, J.

    1975-01-01

    Corrosion studies on In 838 and In 848 alloys in 3% NaCl solution, synthetic sea water and in 3% NaCl at pH3 and pH10 indicate that the latter alloy is more corrosion resistant than the former at room (28 0 C), and boiling temperature (101 0 C) and at 125 0 C. Ferritic steel is unaffected in boiling synthetic sea water. In boiling 3% NaCl solution at pH3 and pH10, (the pH values adjusted at room temperature) increase in the rate of corrosion of ferritic steel compared to that at room temperature has been observed. A fair correlation between polarization characteristics and dissolution rates in these solutions is seen for all these materials. (author)

  9. A reassessment of the effects of helium on Charpy impact properties of ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.; Hamilton, M.L.; Hankin, G.L.

    1998-01-01

    To test the effect of helium on Charpy impact properties of ferritic/martensitic steels, two approaches are reviewed: quantification of results of tests performed on specimens irradiated in reactors with very different neutron spectra, and isotopic tailoring experiments. Data analysis can show that if the differences in reactor response are indeed due to helium effects, then irradiation in a fusion machine at 400 C to 100 dpa and 1000 appm He will result in a ductile to brittle transition temperature shift of over 500 C. However, the response as a function of dose and helium level is unlikely to be simply due to helium based on physical reasoning. Shear punch tests and microstructural examinations also support this conclusion based on irradiated samples of a series of alloys made by adding various isotopes of nickel in order to vary the production of helium during irradiation in HFIR. The addition of nickel at any isotopic balance to the Fe-12Cr base alloy significantly increased the shear yield and maximum strengths of the alloys. However, helium itself, up to 75 appm at over 7 dpa appears to have little effect on the mechanical properties of the alloys. This behavior is instead understood to result from complex precipitation response. The database for effects of helium on embrittlement based on nickel additions is therefore probably misleading and experiments should be redesigned to avoid nickel precipitation

  10. Processing of a new high strength high toughness steel with duplex microstructure (Ferrite + Austenite)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martis, Codrick J.; Putatunda, Susil K.; Boileau, James

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► This new steel has exceptional combination of high strength and fracture toughness. ► Austempering treatment resulted in a very fine scale bainitic ferrite microstructure. ► As the austempering temperature increases yield strength and toughness decreases. ► Maximum fracture toughness of 105 MPa √m is obtained after austempering at 371 °C. ► A relationship between fracture toughness and the parameter σ y (X γ C γ ) 1/2 was observed. - Abstract: In this investigation a new third generation advanced high strength steel (AHSS) has been developed. This steel was synthesized by austempering of a low carbon and low alloy steel with high silicon content. The influence of austempering temperature on the microstructure and the mechanical properties including the fracture toughness of this steel was also examined. Compact tension and cylindrical tensile specimens were prepared from a low carbon low alloy steel and were initially austenitized at 927 °C for 2 h and then austempered in the temperature range between 371 °C and 399 °C to produce different microstructures. The microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and optical metallography. Test results show that the austempering heat treatment has resulted in a microstructure consisting of very fine scale bainitic ferrite and austenite. A combination of very high tensile strength of 1388 MPa and fracture toughness of 105 MPa √m was obtained after austempering at 371 °C

  11. Fracture toughness of ferritic alloys irradiated at FFTF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, F.H.

    1986-05-01

    Ferritic compact tension specimens loaded in the Material Open Test Assembly (MOTA) for irradiation during FFTF Cycle 4 were tested at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 428/degree/C. The electrical potential single specimen method was used to measure the fracture toughness of the specimens. Results showed that the fracture toughness of both HT-9 and 9Cr-1Mo decreases with increasing test temperature and that the toughness of HT-9 was about 30% higher than that of 9Cr-1Mo. In addition, increasing irradiation temperature resulted in an increase in tearing modulus for both alloys. 4 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

  12. Comparison of swelling for structural materials on neutron and ion irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loomis, B.A.

    1986-03-01

    The swelling of V-base alloys, Type 316 stainless steel, Fe-25Ni-15Cr alloys, ferritic steels, Cu, Ni, Nb-1% Zr, and Mo on neutron irradiation is compared with the swelling for these materials on ion irradiation. The results of this comparison show that utilization of the ion-irradiation technique provides for a discriminative assessment of the potential for swelling of candidate materials for fusion reactors.

  13. Evaluation of carburization depth in service exposed ferritic steel using magnetic Barkhausen noise analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaidyanathan, S.; Moorthy, V.; Jayakumar, T.; Baldev Raj

    1996-01-01

    The feasibility of using magnetic Barkhausen (MBN) measurement for the evaluation of carburization depth in ferritic steels has been reported in this paper. MBN measurements were carried out on samples from service exposed 0.5Cr-0.5Mo ferritic steel tube at different depths (cross section) from carburised ID surface to simulate the variation in carbon concentration gradient within the skin depth of MBN with increasing time of exposure to carburization. It has been observed that the MBN level increases with increasing depth of measurement. An inverse relation between MBN level and carbon content/hardness value has been observed. This study suggests that, the MBN measurements on the carburised surface can be correlated with the concentration gradient within the skin depth of the MBN which would help in predicting the approximate depth of the carburised layer with proper prior calibration. (author)

  14. Effect of the radiation in the reference temperature T{sub 0} in ferritic steel; Efecto de la radiacion en la temperatura de referencia T{sub 0} en acero ferritico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Villanueva O, A.; Gachuz M, M.E. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

    2004-07-01

    The present work studies the effect that produces the irradiation in ferritic steels (AISI 8620) on the reference temperature (T{sub 0}) that characterizes the tenacity to the fractures (K{sub JC}) of these materials obtaining this way a characteristic curve (Master Curve) of this steel. The approach of the 'Master curve' is based on the Astm E-1921. Following this standard the methodology of a sub size settled down in Charpy type test tubes. Due to this type of steels is used mainly in pressure vessels of the reactor in Nuclear Power plants, the fracture tenacity gives the rule at the moment for the verification of structural integrity of the pressure vessel of the reactor. (Author)

  15. Temperature effects on the mechanical properties of candidate SNS target container materials after proton and neutron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byun, T.S.; Farrell, K.; Lee, E.H.; Mansur, L.K.; Maloy, S.A.; James, M.R.; Johnson, W.R.

    2002-01-01

    This report presents the tensile properties of EC316LN austenitic stainless steel and 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel after 800 MeV proton and spallation neutron irradiation to doses in the range 0.54-2.53 dpa at 30-100 deg. C. Tensile testing was performed at room temperature (20 deg. C) and 164 deg. C. The EC316LN stainless steel maintained notable strain-hardening capability after irradiation, while the 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel posted negative hardening in the engineering stress-strain curves. In the EC316LN stainless steel, increasing the test temperature from 20 to 164 deg. C decreased the strength by 13-18% and the ductility by 8-36%. The effect of test temperature for the 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel was less significant than for the EC316LN stainless steel. In addition, strain-hardening behaviors were analyzed for EC316LN and 316L stainless steels. The strain-hardening rate of the 316 stainless steels was largely dependent on test temperature. A calculation using reduction of area measurements and stress-strain data predicted positive strain hardening during plastic instability

  16. Tensile behavior of irradiated manganese-stabilized stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, R.L. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1996-10-01

    Tensile tests were conducted on seven experimental, high-manganese austenitic stainless steels after irradiation up to 44 dpa in the FFTF. An Fe-20Mn-12Cr-0.25C base composition was used, to which various combinations of Ti, W, V, B, and P were added to improve strength. Nominal amounts added were 0.1% Ti, 1% W, 0.1% V, 0.005% B, and 0.03% P. Irradiation was carried out at 420, 520, and 600{degrees}C on the steels in the solution-annealed and 20% cold-worked conditions. Tensile tests were conducted at the irradiation temperature. Results were compared with type 316 SS. Neutron irradiation hardened all of the solution-annealed steels at 420, 520, and 600{degrees}C, as measured by the increase in yield stress and ultimate tensile strength. The steel to which all five elements were added to the base composition showed the least amount of hardening. It also showed a smaller loss of ductility (uniform and total elongation) than the other steels. The total and uniform elongations of this steel after irradiation at 420{degrees}C was over four times that of the other manganese-stabilized steels and 316 SS. There was much less difference in strength and ductility at the two higher irradiation temperatures, where there was considerably less hardening, and thus, less loss of ductility. In the cold-worked condition, hardening occured only after irradiation at 420{degrees}C, and there was much less difference in the properties of the steels after irradiation. At the 420{degrees}C irradiation temperature, most of the manganese-stabilized steels maintained more ductility than the 316 SS. After irradiation at 420{degrees}C, the temperature of maximum hardening, the steel to which all five of the elements were added had the best uniform elongation.

  17. HRTEM Study of Oxide Nanoparticles in K3-ODS Ferritic Steel Developed for Radiation Tolerance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hsiung, L; Fluss, M; Tumey, S; Kuntz, J; El-Dasher, B; Wall, M; Choi, W; Kimura, A; Willaime, F; Serruys, Y

    2009-11-02

    Crystal and interfacial structures of oxide nanoparticles and radiation damage in 16Cr-4.5Al-0.3Ti-2W-0.37 Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} ODS ferritic steel have been examined using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. Oxide nanoparticles with a complex-oxide core and an amorphous shell were frequently observed. The crystal structure of complex-oxide core is identified to be mainly monoclinic Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9} (YAM) oxide compound. Orientation relationships between the oxide and the matrix are found to be dependent on the particle size. Large particles (> 20 nm) tend to be incoherent and have a spherical shape, whereas small particles (< 10 nm) tend to be coherent or semi-coherent and have a faceted interface. The observations of partially amorphous nanoparticles and multiple crystalline domains formed within a nanoparticle lead us to propose a three-stage mechanism to rationalize the formation of oxide nanoparticles containing core/shell structures in as-fabricated ODS steels. Effects of nanoparticle size and density on cavity formation induced by (Fe{sup 8+} + He{sup +}) dual-beam irradiation are briefly addressed.

  18. On the way to high resolution TEM characterization of dual ion beam irradiated ODS steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsiung, L.; Tumey, S.; Fluss, M. J.; King, W.; Marian, J.; Kuntz, J.; Dasher, B. El; Serruys, Y.; Willaime, F.; Kimura, A.

    2009-01-01

    Fission and fusion energy application of ODS steels while appearing promising requires that many key science issues be resolved. Among these issues are our incomplete understanding of the effect of irradiation on low-temperature fracture properties, the role of fusion relevant helium and hydrogen transmutation gases on the deformation and fracture of irradiated material at low and high temperatures, radiation-induced solute segregation and phase stability, mechanisms of swelling suppression in ODS steels, and the effects of radiation damage on localized deformation. While planning to focus on all these issues we are particularly interested in the atomic scale mechanism by which helium is mitigated by the nano scale particles. In order to obtain insight we are performing analytical transmission electron microscopy (AEM), high resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) to investigate micro-structural and micro-compositional changes and property alterations of Fe-Cr ferritic/martensitic and ODS steels driven by temperature and ion-beam irradiation with Fe, H, and He. As a beginning to a collaboration between LLNL and CEA-Saclay, we have carried out an irradiation of four specimens, Fe, Fe14%Cr, and two ODS steels (14% Cr and 16% Cr) using the dual beam facility at CEA-Saclay (JANNuS). An Fe 8+ beam was implanted at 24 MeV and helium was implanted through a degrader wheel with energies between 1.7 MeV and 1.3 MeV. The nominal radiation parameters were 40 to 25 DPA, 10 to 25 appm He/DPA ratio, and specimen temperatures of ∼425 deg. C. Our goal is to compare the evolved microstructure with respect to the accumulation of helium at or near the particle matrix interface. Preparatory to this first study we have made many hi-resolution analyses of the nano-particles in the two ODS steels which serve as a base line for comparison with the TEM post irradiation examination reported here. These base line studies are reported separately at this conference. (author)

  19. Mechanical properties of friction stir welded 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yano, Y.; Sato, Y.S.; Sekio, Y.; Ohtsuka, S.; Kaito, T.; Ogawa, R.; Kokawa, H.

    2013-01-01

    Friction stir welding was applied to the wrapper tube materials, 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel, designed for fast reactors and defect-free welds were successfully produced. The mechanical and microstructural properties of the friction stir welded steel were subsequently investigated. The hardness values of the stir zone were approximately 550 Hv (5.4 GPa) with minimal dependence on the rotational speed, even though they were much higher than those of the base material. However, tensile strengths and elongations of the stir zones were high at 298 K, compared to those of the base material. The excellent tensile properties are attributable to the fine grain formation during friction stir welding

  20. Mechanical properties of irradiated 9Cr-2WVTa steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.; Alexander, D.J.; Rieth, M.

    1998-01-01

    An Fe-9Cr-2W-0.25V-0.07Ta-0.1C (9Cr-2WVTa) steel has excellent strength and impact toughness before and after irradiation in the Fast Flux Test Facility and the High Flux Reactor (HFR). The ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) increased only 32 C after 28 dpa at 365 C in FFTF, compared to a shift of ∼60 C for a 9Cr-2WV steel--the same as the 9Cr-2WVTa steel but without tantalum. This difference occurred despite the two steels having similar tensile but without tantalum. This difference occurred despite the two steels having similar tensile properties before and after irradiation. The 9Cr-2WVTa steel has a smaller prior-austenite grain size, but otherwise microstructures are similar before irradiation and show similar changes during irradiation. The irradiation behavior of the 9Cr-2WVTa steel differs from the 9Cr-2WV steel and other similar steels in two ways: (1) the shift in DBTT of the 9Cr-2WVTa steel irradiated in FFTF does not saturate with fluence by ∼28 dpa, whereas for the 9Cr-2WV steel and most similar steels, saturation occurs at <10 dpa, and (2) the shift in DBTT for 9Cr-2WVTa steel irradiated in FFTF and HFR increased with irradiation temperature, whereas it decreased for the 9Cr-2WV steel, as it does for most similar steels. The improved properties of the 9Cr-2WVTa steel and the differences with other steels were attributed to tantalum in solution

  1. Corrosion behavior of austenitic and ferritic/martensitic steels in oxygen-saturated liquid Pb-Bi eutectic at 450circC and 550circC

    OpenAIRE

    倉田 有司; 二川 正敏; 斎藤 滋

    2005-01-01

    Static corrosion tests of various austenitic and ferritic/martensitic steels were conducted in oxygen-saturated liquid Pb-Bi at 450circC and 550circC for 3000h to study the effects of temperature and alloying elements on corrosion behavior. Oxidation, grain boundary corrosion, dissolution and penetration were observed. The corrosion depth decreases at 450circC with increasing Cr content in steels regardless of ferritic/martensitic or austenitic steels. Appreciable dissolution of Ni and Cr doe...

  2. The morphology and ageing behaviour of δ-ferrite in a modified 9Cr-1Mo steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishore, R.; Singh, R.N.; Sinha, T.K.; Kashyap, B.P.

    1992-01-01

    Dual phase (martensite + δ-ferrite) microstructures were developed in a modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, by austenitising at 1523-1623 K, followed by water-quenching. These duplex structures were thermally aged at 973 K for ageing periods varying from 30 min to 21 h. Morphological aspects of δ-ferrite phase and its response to age-hardening were studied by optical, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis and microhardness testing. It was observed that austenitizing at 1523 K produced fine, acicular δ-ferrite while the δ-ferrite formed by austenitising at higher temperatures (1573-623 K) were massive, irregular-shaped and banded. Moreover the presence of δ-ferrite caused an abnormally strong (110) reflection, observed in X-ray diffraction patterns of martensite plus δ-ferrite structures. This behaviour is thought to be due to development of (110) texture in δ-ferrite phase. Thermal ageing at 973 K caused age-hardening of δ-ferrite with a peak hardness attained after 3.6 ks of ageing. Electron microscopic results suggest that the observed hardening was caused by the formation of Fe 2 Mo Laves phase. (orig.)

  3. Role of ferrite and phosphorus plus sulphur in the crack sensitivity of autogenously welded type 309 stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambert, F.J. Jr.

    1976-07-01

    A study on autogenous welding of Type 309 thin stainless steel sheet was made after experiencing cracking difficulties on several commercial heats. A relationship exists between the sum of the phosphorus plus sulfur, the ferrite control of the weld metal, and the crack sensitivity of autogenously made welds. A new simple weld test for thin-gage sheet is utilized for studying the susceptibility to cracking. A chemistry modification is suggested to alleviate possible weld cracking when autogenously welding this grade. The principles of crack sensitivity prediction could apply to other austenitic stainless steel types where chemistry limits are such that ferrite is possible

  4. Analysis of various NDT techniques to determine their feasibility for detecting thin layers of ferrite on Type 316 stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dudder, G.B.; Atteridge, D.G.; Davis, T.J.

    1978-09-01

    The applicability of various NDT techniques for detecting thin layers of ferrite on Type 316 stainless steel cladding was studied. The ability to detect sodium-induced ferrite layers on fuel pins would allow an experimental determination of the fuel pin temperature distribution. The research effort was broken down into three basic sections. Phase one consisted of a theoretical determination of the ferrite detection potential of each of the propsed NDT techniques. The second phase consisted of proof-of-principle experiments on the techniques that passed phase one. The third phase consisted of in-hot cell testing on actual EBR-II fuel pins. Most of the candidate techniques were eliminated in the first phase of analysis. Four potential techniques passed the initial phase of analysis but only three of these passed the second analysis phase. The three techniques that passed the proof-of-principle section of analysis were heat tinting, magnetic force and electromagnetic techniques. The electromagnetic technique was successfully demonstrated on actual fuel pins irradiated in EBR-II in the third phase of analysis while the other two techniques were not carried to the hot cell analysis phase. Results of this technique screening study indicates that an electromagnetic and/or heat tinting ferrite layer NDT technique should be readily adoptable to hot cell inspection requirements. It wasalso concluded that the magnetic force technique, while feasible, would not readily lend itself to hot cell fuel pin inspection

  5. Hydrogen embrittlement of the 22 Cr5 Ni austeno-ferritic stainless steel. Role of the microstructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iacoviello, Francesco

    1997-01-01

    Austenitic-ferritic stainless steels are characterised by very good mechanical properties and by a high corrosion resistance, especially to stress-corrosion and to pitting. However, their duplex structure shows a sensitivity to hydrogen embrittlement. Among duplex stainless steels, the 22 Cr 5 Ni grade has gradually became the most used. In this work the tensile properties and the resistance to fatigue crack propagation of 22 Cr5 Ni duplex stainless steel have been analysed, with and without hydrogen charging, after it had been treated at temperatures ranging between 200-1050 deg. C for varying times. The heat treatment times and temperatures were chosen to characterise completely the effects of the different intermetallic and the carbide and nitride phases and to compare these results with those from the tensile tests and those in the literature. A technique for obtaining the hydrogen diffusion coefficient in the steel was optimised and was shown to be alternative to the permeation technique. Thermal analysis was used to determine the activation energy of the hydrogen traps in the steel. From the results the following conclusions were established: - Grain boundaries and dislocations have very little influence on the process of hydrogen diffusion. - The quantity of hydrogen absorbed depends in that any type of precipitate decrease the absorption. This decrease was probably due to changes in the diffusivity and solubility of hydrogen caused by the precipitation. - The charging with hydrogen caused a large decrease in ε m pc for the steel for all heat treatments temperature, except 1050 deg. C. At this temperature the effect was much less as the dislocation density was very low and the precipitates were now in solution. - Hydrogen charging of the steel did not affect the YS and the decrease in UTS produced depended on the microstructure. Use of the embrittlement index 'F' showed that spinodal decomposition and precipitation of G phase decrease hydrogen embrittlement

  6. Resistance spot welding of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel: Phase transformations and mechanical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alizadeh-Sh, M.; Marashi, S.P.H.; Pouranvari, M.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Phase transformations during RSW of AISI430 are detailed. • Grain growth, martensite formation and carbide precipitation are dominant phase transformations. • Failure mode of AISI430 resistance spot welded joints are analyzed. • Larger FZ size provided improved load bearing capacity and energy absorption capability. - Abstract: The paper aims at investigating the process–microstructure–performance relationship in resistance spot welding of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel. The phase transformations which occur during weld thermal cycle were analyzed in details, based on the physical metallurgy of welding of the ferritic stainless steels. It was found that the microstructure of the fusion zone and the heat affected zone is influenced by different phenomena including grain growth, martensite formation and carbide precipitation. The effects of welding cycle on the mechanical properties of the spot welds in terms of peak load, energy absorption and failure mode are discussed

  7. TIG of Reduced Activation Ferrite/Martensitic Steel for the Korean ITER-TBM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ku, Duck Young; Ahn, Mu Young; Yu, In Keun; Cho, Seun Gyon; Oh, Seung Jin

    2010-01-01

    Test Blanket Modules (TBM) will be tested in ITER to verify the capability of tritium breeding and recovery and the extraction of thermal energy suitable for the production of electricity. A Helium Cooled Solid Breeder (HCSB) TBM has been developed in Korea to accomplish these goals. Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steel has been chosen as the primary candidate structural material for Korean TBM. Due to the complexity of the First wall (FW) and Side wall (SW), it is necessary to develop various joining technologies, such as Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), Electron Beam Welding (EBW) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, for the successful fabrication of TBM. In this study, the mechanical properties of TIG welded RAFM steel were investigated. Various mechanical tests of TIG-welded RAFM steel were performed to obtain the optimized TIG welding process for RAFM steel

  8. TIG of Reduced Activation Ferrite/Martensitic Steel for the Korean ITER-TBM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ku, Duck Young; Ahn, Mu Young; Yu, In Keun; Cho, Seun Gyon [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Seung Jin [KHNP, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-10-15

    Test Blanket Modules (TBM) will be tested in ITER to verify the capability of tritium breeding and recovery and the extraction of thermal energy suitable for the production of electricity. A Helium Cooled Solid Breeder (HCSB) TBM has been developed in Korea to accomplish these goals. Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steel has been chosen as the primary candidate structural material for Korean TBM. Due to the complexity of the First wall (FW) and Side wall (SW), it is necessary to develop various joining technologies, such as Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), Electron Beam Welding (EBW) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, for the successful fabrication of TBM. In this study, the mechanical properties of TIG welded RAFM steel were investigated. Various mechanical tests of TIG-welded RAFM steel were performed to obtain the optimized TIG welding process for RAFM steel

  9. Material physical properties of 12 chromium ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ando, Masanori; Wakai, Takashi; Aoto, Kazumi

    2003-09-01

    High chromium ferritic steel is an attractive candidate for structural material of the next Fast Breeder Reactor, since both of thermal properties and high temperature strength of the steel are superior to those of conventional austenitic stainless steels. In this study, physical properties of 12Cr steels are measured and compared to those obtained in the previous studies to discuss about stochastic dispersions. The effect of measurement technique on Young's modulus and the influence of the specimen size on coefficient of thermal expansion are also investigated. The following conclusions are obtained. (1) Young's modulus of 12Cr steels obtained in this study tends to larger than those obtained in the previous studies especially in high temperature. Such a discrepancy is resulted from the difference in measurement technique. It was clarified that Young's modulus obtained by free vibration method is more adequate those obtained by the cantilever characteristic vibration method. Therefore, the authors recommend using the values obtained by free vibration method as Young's modulus of 12Cr steels. (2) Both instant and mean coefficient of thermal expansion of 12Cr steels obtained in this study is in a good agreement with those obtained in the previous studies. However, the obviously different values are obtained from the measurement by large size specimens. Such a discrepancy is resulted from heterogeneous during heating process of the specimens. Therefore, the authors recommend using the values obtained by φ4 x 20 mm specimens as instant and mean coefficient of thermal expansion of 12Cr steels. (3) Specific heat of 12Cr steels obtained in this study agree with those obtained in the previous studies with a few exceptions. (4)Thermal conductivity of 12Cr steels obtained in this study agree with those obtained in the previous studies. (5) It was confirmed that instant and mean coefficient of thermal expansion, density, specific heat and thermal conductivity of 12Cr steels

  10. Corrosion stability of ferritic stainless steels for solid oxide electrolyser cell interconnects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Palcut, Marián; Mikkelsen, Lars; Neufeld, Kai

    2010-01-01

    Long-term oxidation behaviour of eight ferritic steels with 20–29 wt.% chromium (F 20 T, TUS 220 M, AL 453, Crofer 22 APU, Crofer 22 H, Sanergy HT, E-Brite and AL 29-4C) has been studied. The samples were cut into square coupons, ground and annealed for 140–1000 h at 1173 K in flowing, wet hydrogen...

  11. Effect of mechanical alloying atmosphere on the microstructure and Charpy impact properties of an ODS ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oksiuta, Z.; Baluc, N.

    2009-01-01

    Two types of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels, with the composition of Fe-14Cr-2W-0.3Ti-0.3Y 2 O 3 (in weight percent), have been produced by mechanically alloying elemental powders of Fe, Cr, W, and Ti with Y 2 O 3 particles either in argon atmosphere or in hydrogen atmosphere, degassing at various temperatures, and compacting the mechanically alloyed powders by hot isostatic pressing. It was found in particular that mechanical alloying in hydrogen yields a significant reduction in oxygen content in the materials, a lower dislocation density, and a strong improvement in the fast fracture properties of the ODS ferritic steels, as measured by Charpy impact tests.

  12. Evaluation of defects induced by neutron radiation in reactor pressure vessels steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez Jimenez, J.

    1978-01-01

    We have developed a method for calculating the production of neutron induced defects (depleted zone and crowdions) in ferritic pressure vessel steels for different neutron spectra. They have been analysed both the recoil primary atoms produced by elastic and inelastic collisions with fast neutrons and the ones produced by gamma-ray emission by thermal neutron absorption. Theoretical modelling of increasing in the ductile-brittle transition temperature of ferritic steels has been correlated with experimental data at irradiation temperature up to 400 degree centigree (Author) 15 refs

  13. Ion-induced swelling of ODS ferritic alloy MA957 tubing to 500 dpa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Toloczko, M.B., E-mail: mychailo.toloczko@pnnl.gov [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 (United States); Garner, F.A. [Radiation Effects Consulting, Richland, WA 99354 (United States); Voyevodin, V.N.; Bryk, V.V.; Borodin, O.V.; Mel’nychenko, V.V.; Kalchenko, A.S. [Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, Kharkov (Ukraine)

    2014-10-15

    In order to study the potential swelling behavior of the ODS ferritic alloy MA957 at very high dpa levels, specimens were prepared from pressurized tubes that were unirradiated archives of tubes previously irradiated in FFTF to doses as high as 110 dpa. These unirradiated specimens were irradiated with 1.8 MeV Cr{sup +} ions to doses ranging from 100 to 500 dpa and examined by transmission electron microscopy. No co-injection of helium or hydrogen was employed. It was shown that compared to several tempered ferritic/martensitic steels irradiated in the same facility, these tubes were rather resistant to void swelling, reaching a maximum value of only 4.5% at 500 dpa and 450 °C. In this fine-grained material, the distribution of swelling was strongly influenced by the presence of void denuded zones along the grain boundaries.

  14. Numerical simulation of hydrogen-assisted crack initiation in austenitic-ferritic duplex steels; Numerische Simulation der wasserstoffunterstuetzten Rissbildung in austentisch-ferritischen Duplexstaehlen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mente, Tobias

    2015-07-01

    Duplex stainless steels have been used for a long time in the offshore industry, since they have higher strength than conventional austenitic stainless steels and they exhibit a better ductility as well as an improved corrosion resistance in harsh environments compared to ferritic stainless steels. However, despite these good properties the literature shows some failure cases of duplex stainless steels in which hydrogen plays a crucial role for the cause of the damage. Numerical simulations can give a significant contribution in clarifying the damage mechanisms. Because they help to interpret experimental results as well as help to transfer results from laboratory tests to component tests and vice versa. So far, most numerical simulations of hydrogen-assisted material damage in duplex stainless steels were performed at the macroscopic scale. However, duplex stainless steels consist of approximately equal portions of austenite and δ-ferrite. Both phases have different mechanical properties as well as hydrogen transport properties. Thus, the sensitivity for hydrogen-assisted damage is different in both phases, too. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop a numerical model of a duplex stainless steel microstructure enabling simulation of hydrogen transport, mechanical stresses and strains as well as crack initiation and propagation in both phases. Additionally, modern X-ray diffraction experiments were used in order to evaluate the influence of hydrogen on the phase specific mechanical properties. For the numerical simulation of the hydrogen transport it was shown, that hydrogen diffusion strongly depends on the alignment of austenite and δ-ferrite in the duplex stainless steel microstructure. Also, it was proven that the hydrogen transport is mainly realized by the ferritic phase and hydrogen is trapped in the austenitic phase. The numerical analysis of phase specific mechanical stresses and strains revealed that if the duplex stainless steel is

  15. Comparative study of eddy current and Barkhausen noise nondestructive testing methods in microstructural examination of ferrite-martensite dual-phase steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghanei, S.; Kashefi, M.; Mazinani, M.

    2014-04-01

    The magnetic properties of ferrite-martensite dual-phase steels were evaluated using eddy current and Barkhausen noise nondestructive testing methods and correlated with their microstructural changes. Several routes were used to produce different microstructures of dual-phase steels. The first route was different heat treatments in γ region to vary the ferrite grain size (from 9.47 to 11.12 in ASTM number), and the second one was variation in intercritical annealing temperatures (from 750 to 890 °C) in order to produce different percentages of martensite in dual-phase microstructure. The results concerning magnetic Barkhausen noise are discussed in terms of height, position and shape of Barkhausen noise profiles, taking into account two main aspects: ferrite grain size, and different percentages of martensite. Then, eddy current testing was used to study the mentioned microstructural changes by detection of impedance variations. The obtained results show that microstructural changes have a noticeable effect on the magnetic properties of dual-phase steels. The results reveal that both magnetic methods have a high potential to be used as a reliable nondestructive tool to detect and monitor microstructural changes occurring during manufacturing of dual-phase steels.

  16. Fe3Nb3N precipitates of the Fe3W3C type in Nb stabilized ferritic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malfliet, A.; Van den Broek, W.; Chassagne, F.; Mithieux, J.-D.; Blanpain, B.; Wollants, P.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → The precipitation in Nb stabilized ferritic stainless steel at 950 deg. C is investigated. → We characterized the Fe 3 Nb 3 X precipitates with SAED, EELS, WDS and AES. → We found that Fe 3 Nb 3 X precipitates are stabilized by N and not by C or O. → This insight is new and important for future development of this type of steel grade. - Abstract: A Nb stabilized ferritic stainless steel with 0.45 wt.%Nb, 82 ppm C and 170 ppm N is investigated to reveal the nature of the precipitates present at 950 deg. C. In particular, Fe 3 Nb 3 X precipitates of the Fe 3 W 3 C type are analyzed with WDS and EELS to determine the light elements X stabilizing this phase in the steel. According to WDS on large precipitates after 500 h at 950 deg. C, the Fe 3 Nb 3 X phase contains 10.4 at.% N, 1.2 at.% O and 1.0 at.% C. Auger Electron Spectroscopy on the same precipitates confirms the presence of N. In addition, it is revealed that the C and O peaks observed with WDS result from surface contamination as they disappear after Ar sputtering. The presence of a N peak in the EELS spectra of small Fe 3 Nb 3 X precipitates which have formed after 6 min at 950 deg. C indicate that N stabilizes this phase already from the initial precipitation stage. With this analysis it is demonstrated that N is an effective stabilizer of Fe 3 Nb 3 X precipitates in ferritic stainless steels. The formation of this phase should therefore be considered when predicting the precipitation behavior of Nb in industrial Nb stabilized ferritic stainless steels containing residual N.

  17. Microstructural Variations Across a Dissimilar 316L Austenitic: 9Cr Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Steel Weld Joint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas Paul, V.; Karthikeyan, T.; Dasgupta, Arup; Sudha, C.; Hajra, R. N.; Albert, S. K.; Saroja, S.; Jayakumar, T.

    2016-03-01

    This paper discuss the microstructural variations across a dissimilar weld joint between SS316 and 9Cr-RAFM steel and its modifications on post weld heat treatments (PWHT). Detailed characterization showed a mixed microstructure of austenite and martensite in the weld which is in agreement with the phases predicted using Schaeffler diagram based on composition measurements. The presence of very low volume fraction of δ-ferrite in SS316L has been identified employing state of the art electron back-scattered diffraction technique. PWHT of the ferritic steel did not reduce the hardness in the weld metal. Thermal exposure at 973 K (700 °C) showed a progressive reduction in hardness of weld joint with duration of treatment except in austenitic base metal. However, diffusion annealing at 1073 K (800 °C) for 100 hours resulted in an unexpected increase in hardness of weld metal, which is a manifestation of the dilution effects and enrichment of Ni on the transformation characteristics of the weld zone. Migration of carbon from ferritic steel aided the precipitation of fine carbides in the austenitic base metal on annealing at 973 K (700 °C); but enhanced diffusion at 1073 K (880 °C) resulted in coarsening of carbides and thereby reduction of hardness.

  18. Microstructure and mechanical properties of an oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel by a new fabrication route

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Lina; Jia Chengchang; Hu Benfu; Li Huiying

    2010-01-01

    A reduced activation oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel with nominal composition of Fe-12Cr-2.5W-0.25Ti-0.2V-0.4Y 2 O 3 (designated 12Cr-ODS) was produced by using EDTA-citrate complex method to synthesize and add Y 2 O 3 particles to an argon atomized steel powder, followed by hot isostatic pressing at 1160 deg. C for 3 h under the pressure of 130 MPa, forging at 1150 deg. C, and heat treatment at 1050 deg. C for 2 h. The microstructure, tensile, and Charpy impact properties of the 12Cr-ODS steel were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that the 12Cr-ODS steel exhibits the characteristic ferritic structure containing few dislocations. Tensile characterization has shown that the 12Cr-ODS steel has superior tensile strength accompanied by good elongation at room temperature and 550 deg. C. The material exhibits very attractive Charpy impact properties with upper shelf energy of 22 J and a ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of about -15 deg. C. The formation of small, equiaxed grains and fine dispersion of oxide particles are the main reasons for the good compromise between tensile strength and impact properties.

  19. Microstructure and mechanical properties of an oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel by a new fabrication route

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo Lina, E-mail: guoln702@yahoo.com.cn [School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Jia Chengchang; Hu Benfu; Li Huiying [School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)

    2010-07-25

    A reduced activation oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel with nominal composition of Fe-12Cr-2.5W-0.25Ti-0.2V-0.4Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (designated 12Cr-ODS) was produced by using EDTA-citrate complex method to synthesize and add Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles to an argon atomized steel powder, followed by hot isostatic pressing at 1160 deg. C for 3 h under the pressure of 130 MPa, forging at 1150 deg. C, and heat treatment at 1050 deg. C for 2 h. The microstructure, tensile, and Charpy impact properties of the 12Cr-ODS steel were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that the 12Cr-ODS steel exhibits the characteristic ferritic structure containing few dislocations. Tensile characterization has shown that the 12Cr-ODS steel has superior tensile strength accompanied by good elongation at room temperature and 550 deg. C. The material exhibits very attractive Charpy impact properties with upper shelf energy of 22 J and a ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of about -15 deg. C. The formation of small, equiaxed grains and fine dispersion of oxide particles are the main reasons for the good compromise between tensile strength and impact properties.

  20. Mechanical properties of reactor pressure vessel steels studied by static and dynamic torsion tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munier, A.; Maamouri, M.; Schaller, R.; Mercier, O.

    1993-01-01

    Internal friction measurements and torsional plastic deformation tests have been performed in reactor pressure vessel steels (unirradiated, irradiated and irradiated/annealed specimens). The results of these experiments have been interpreted with help of transmission electron microscopy observations (conventional and in situ). It is shown how the interactions between screw dislocations and obstacles (Peierls valleys, impurities and precipitates) could explain the low temperature hardening and the irradiation embrittlement of ferritic steels. In addition, it appears that the nondestructive internal friction technique could be used advantageously to follow the evolution of the material properties under irradiation, as for instance the irradiation embrittlement of the reactor pressure vessel steels. (orig.)

  1. Evaluation of temper embrittlement of martensitic and ferritic-martensitic steels by acoustic emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Yusho; Takahashi, Hideaki; Shoji, Tetsuo

    1987-01-01

    Martensitic (HT-9) and ferritic-martensitic steels (9Cr-2Mo) are considered as fusion first wall materials. In this investigation in order to understand the sensitivity of temper embrittlement in these steels under actual service condition, fracture toughness testing was made by use of acoustic emission technique. The temper embrittlement was characterized in terms of fracture toughness. The fracture toughness of these steels under 500 deg C, 100 hrs, and 1000 hrs heat treatment was decreased and their changes in micro-fracture process have been observed. The fracture toughness changes by temper embrittlement was discussed by the characteristic of AE, AE spectrum analysis and fractographic investigation. The relation between micro-fracture processes and AE has been clarified. (author)

  2. Cyclic oxidation of stainless steel ferritic AISI 409, AISI 439 and AISI 441

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, Maria de Fatima; Santos, Diego Machado dos; Oliveira, Givanilson Brito de; Lins, Vanessa de Freitas Cunha

    2014-01-01

    Stainless steels have many industrial applications. The cyclic oxidation of ferritic stainless steels technical and scientific importance presents, because they are less susceptible to peeling the austenitic alloys. For the purpose of investigating the behavior of these steels under thermal cycling, cyclic oxidation of AISI 409, AISI 441 and AISI 439 was carried out in a tubular furnace under two different conditions: oxidation by dipping the steel in the synthetic condensate for 10h and without oxidation immersion in the condensate, for up to 1500h at 300° C temperature. Using techniques: SEM, EDS and XRD revealed a microstructure with increased oxidation in the samples were immersed in the condensate. The oxide film remained intact during oxidation for steels 439 and 441 409 The Steel immersed in the condensate was rupture of the film after the 20th cycle of oxidation. The chemical characterization of the films allowed the identification of elements: Chromium, Iron, Aluminium and Silicon To a great extent, Cr_2O_3. (author)

  3. Compatibility of graphite with a martensitic-ferritic steel, an austenitic stainless steel and a Ni-base alloy up to 1250 C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, P.

    1994-08-01

    To study the chemical interactions between graphite and a martensitic-ferritic steel (1.4914), an austenitic stainless steel (1.4919; AISI 316), and a Ni-base alloy (Hastelloy X) isothermal reaction experiments were performed in the temperature range between 900 and 1250 C. At higher temperatures a rapid and complete liquefaction of the components occurred as a result of eutectic interactions. The chemical interactions are diffusion-controlled processes and can be described by parabolic rate laws. The reaction behavior of the two steels is very similar. The chemical interactions of the steels with graphite are much faster above 1100 C than those for the Ni-base alloy. Below 1000 C the effect is opposite. (orig.) [de

  4. On the empirical determination of positron trapping coefficient at nano-scale helium bubbles in steels irradiated in spallation target

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krsjak, Vladimir; Kuriplach, Jan; Vieh, Christiane; Peng, Lei; Dai, Yong

    2018-06-01

    In the present work, the specific positron trapping rate of small helium bubbles was empirically derived from positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of Fe9Cr martensitic steels. Both techniques are well known to be sensitive to nanometer-sized helium-filled cavities induced during irradiation in a mixed proton-neutron spectrum of spallation target. Complementary TEM and PALS studies show that positrons are being trapped to these defects at a rate of 1.2 ± 0.8 × 10-14 m3s-1. This suggests that helium bubbles in ferritic/martensitic steels are attractive traps for positrons comparable to mono-vacancies and quantitative analysis of the bubbles by PALS technique is plausible.

  5. Compression behavior of a ferritic-martensitic Cr-Mo steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Zhenbo; Mishin, Oleg; Pantleon, Wolfgang

    2012-01-01

    The compression behavior of a ferritic-martensitic Cr-Mo steel is characterized for strain rates ranging from 10-4 s-1 to 10-1 s-1 and engineering strains up to 40%. Adiabatic heating causes a reduction in flow stress during continuous compression at a strain rate of 10-1 s-1. No reduction...... in the flow stress is observed if interrupted compression tests are performed with loading and holding steps. Two work-hardening stages with work-hardening rates decreasing linearly with the flow stress are identified and interpreted in terms of the KocksMecking model. The microstructural evolution...

  6. Reevaluation of ferritic steel ΔDBTT data used in damage function analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simons, R.L.

    1980-01-01

    Damage functions for the change in ductile-brittle transition temperature (ΔDBTT) in ferritic steels for application to Light Water Reactor (LWR) pressure vessels were re-evaluated. Two improvements in the analysis of the data resulted in a reduction in data scatter from the 15-30% range to the 4-15% range. These improvements were in the form of an improved fluence dependence function and correction of errors in the fluence values themselves. A comparison of several spectral indices used to correlate the data showed that the A-212 and A-302 steels favored the use of the displacement cross section (dpa) while the A-350 steels favored the use of an interstitial cluster cross section which is spectrally more sensitive to neutron energy than the dpa cross section

  7. Dislocation structures in cyclically strained X10CrAl24 ferritic steel

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Petrenec, Martin; Polák, Jaroslav; Obrtlík, Karel; Man, Jiří

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 54, č. 13 (2006), s. 3429-3443 ISSN 1359-6454. [Micromechanics and Microstructure Evolution : Modeling Simulation and Experiments. Madrid, 11.09.2005-16.09.2006] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GP106/05/P521 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20410507 Keywords : Transmission electron microscopy * Ferritic steel * Fatigue Subject RIV: JL - Materials Fatigue, Friction Mechanics Impact factor: 3.549, year: 2006

  8. Design and screening of nanoprecipitates-strengthened advanced ferritic alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tan, Lizhen [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Yang, Ying [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Chen, Tianyi [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Sridharan, K. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); He, Li [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

    2016-12-30

    Advanced nuclear reactors as well as the life extension of light water reactors require advanced alloys capable of satisfactory operation up to neutron damage levels approaching 200 displacements per atom (dpa). Extensive studies, including fundamental theories, have demonstrated the superior resistance to radiation-induced swelling in ferritic steels, primarily inherited from their body-centered cubic (bcc) structure. This study aims at developing nanoprecipitates strengthened advanced ferritic alloys for advanced nuclear reactor applications. To be more specific, this study aims at enhancing the amorphization ability of some precipitates, such as Laves phase and other types of intermetallic phases, through smart alloying strategy, and thereby promote the crystalline®amorphous transformation of these precipitates under irradiation.

  9. Recent results of the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jitsukawa, S. E-mail: jitsukawa@ifmif.tokai.jaeri.go.jp; Kimura, A.; Kohyama, A.; Klueh, R.L.; Tavassoli, A.A.; Schaaf, B. van der; Odette, G.R.; Rensman, J.W.; Victoria, M.; Petersen, C

    2004-08-01

    Significant progress has been achieved in the international research effort on reduced-activation steels. Extensive tensile, fracture toughness, fatigue, and creep properties in unirradiated and irradiated conditions have been performed and evaluated. Since it is not possible to include all work in this limited review, selected areas will be presented to indicate the scope and progress of recent international efforts. These include (1) results from mechanical properties studies that have been combined in databases to determine materials design limits for the preliminary design of an ITER blanket module. (2) Results indicate that the effect of transmutation-produced helium on fracture toughness is smaller than indicated previously. (3) Further efforts to reduce irradiation-induced degradation of fracture toughness. (4) The introduction of a post-irradiation constitutive equation for plastic deformation. (5) The production of ODS steels that have been used to improve high-temperature strength. (6) The method developed to improve fracture toughness of ODS steels.

  10. Synergistic effects on dislocation loops in reduced-activation martensitic steel investigated by single and sequential hydrogen/helium ion irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Weiping [Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Luo, Fengfeng [Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Institute of Applied Physics, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330029 (China); Yu, Yanxia; Zheng, Zhongcheng; Shen, Zhenyu [Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Guo, Liping, E-mail: guolp@whu.edu.cn [Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Ren, Yaoyao [Center for Electron Microscopy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Suo, Jinping [State Key Laboratory of Mould Technology, Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

    2016-10-15

    Single-beam and sequential-beam irradiations were performed to investigate the H/He synergistic effect on dislocation loops in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels. The irradiations were carried out with 10 keV H{sup +}, 18 keV He{sup +} and 160 keV Ar{sup +}, alone and in combination at 723 K. He{sup +} single-beam irradiation induced much larger dislocation loops than that induced by both H{sup +} and Ar{sup +} single-beam irradiation. H{sup +} post-irradiation after He{sup +} irradiation further increased the size of dislocation loops, whilst He{sup +} post-irradiation or Ar{sup +} post-irradiation following H{sup +} irradiation only slightly increased the size of dislocation loops. The experiment results indicate that pre-implanted H{sup +} can drastically inhibit the growth while post-implanted H{sup +} can significantly enhance the growth of dislocation loops induced by He{sup +} irradiation. The mechanisms behind the complex synergistic phenomena between H and He and the different roles that H and He played in the growth of dislocation loops are discussed.

  11. Irradiation response of ODS Eurofer97 steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luzginova, N.V., E-mail: luzginova@nrg.eu [Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, Petten (Netherlands); Nolles, H.S.; Pierick, P. ten; Bakker, T.; Mutnuru, R.K.; Jong, M.; Blagoeva, D.T. [Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, Petten (Netherlands)

    2012-09-15

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) Eurofer97 steel (EU batch, 0.3 wt.% of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles), produced by mechanical alloying followed by hot rolling, is irradiated in the High Flux Reactor in Petten, The Netherlands at three different irradiation temperatures (300, 450 and 550 Degree-Sign C) up to nominal doses of 1 dpa and 3 dpa. The effect of neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties of ODS Eurofer97 material is investigated. It is shown that the irradiation hardening of ODS Eurofer97 steel occurs at 300 Degree-Sign C, whereas during irradiation at 450 and 550 Degree-Sign C no changes in mechanical properties are observed compared to the unirradiated material. This effect is possibly a result of the annealing of the irradiation damage at temperatures higher than 300 Degree-Sign C. The observed shifts in the Ductile to Brittle Transition Temperatures due to irradiation at different temperatures are discussed and compared with non-ODS Eurofer97 steel.

  12. Microstructure and properties of pipeline steel with a ferrite/martensite dual-phase microstructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Rutao; Zuo Xiurong; Hu Yueyue; Wang Zhenwei; Hu, Dingxu

    2011-01-01

    In order to satisfy the transportation of the crude oil and gas in severe environmental conditions, a ferrite/martensite dual-phase pipeline steel has been developed. After a forming process and double submerged arc welding, the microstructure of the base metal, heat affected zone and weld metal was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The pipe showed good deformability and an excellent combination of high strength and toughness, which is suitable for a pipeline subjected to the progressive and abrupt ground movement. The base metal having a ferrite/martensite dual-phase microstructure exhibited excellent mechanical properties in terms of uniform elongation of 7.5%, yield ratio of 0.78, strain hardening exponent of 0.145, an impact energy of 286 J at - 10 deg. C and a shear area of 98% at 0 deg. C in the drop weight tear test. The tensile strength and impact energy of the weld metal didn't significantly reduce, because of the intragranularly nucleated acicular ferrites microstructure, leading to high strength and toughness in weld metal. The heat affected zone contained complete quenching zone and incomplete quenching zone, which exhibited excellent low temperature toughness of 239 J at - 10 deg. C. - Research Highlights: →The pipe with ferrite/martensite microstructure shows high deformability. →The base metal of the pipe consists of ferrite and martensite. →Heat affected zone shows excellent low temperature toughness. →Weld metal mainly consists of intragranularly nucleated acicular ferrites. →Weld metal shows excellent low temperature toughness and high strength.

  13. Characteristics of Laser Beam and Friction Stir Welded AISI 409M Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakshminarayanan, A. K.; Balasubramanian, V.

    2012-04-01

    This article presents the comparative evaluation of microstructural features and mechanical properties of friction stir welded (solid-state) and laser beam welded (high energy density fusion welding) AISI 409M grade ferritic stainless steel joints. Optical microscopy, microhardness testing, transverse tensile, and impact tests were performed. The coarse ferrite grains in the base material were changed to fine grains consisting duplex structure of ferrite and martensite due to the rapid cooling rate and high strain induced by severe plastic deformation caused by frictional stirring. On the other hand, columnar dendritic grain structure was observed in fusion zone of laser beam welded joints. Tensile testing indicates overmatching of the weld metal relative to the base metal irrespective of the welding processes used. The LBW joint exhibited superior impact toughness compared to the FSW joint.

  14. Microstructural Evolution of Thor™ 115 Creep-Strength Enhanced Ferritic Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortolani, Matteo; D'Incau, Mirco; Ciancio, Regina; Scardi, Paolo

    2017-12-01

    A new ferritic steel branded as Thor™ 115 has been developed to enhance high-temperature resistance. The steel design combines an improved oxidation resistance with long-term microstructural stability. The new alloy, cast to different product forms such as plates and tubes, was extensively tested to assess the high-temperature time-dependent mechanical behavior (creep). The main strengthening mechanism is precipitation hardening by finely dispersed carbide and nitride phases. Information on the evolution of secondary phases and time-temperature-precipitation behavior of the alloy, essential to ensure long-term property stability, was obtained by scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and by X-ray Powder Diffraction on specimens aged up to 50,000 hours. A thermodynamic modeling supports presentation and evaluation of the experimental results. The evolution of precipitates in the new alloy confirms the retention of the strengthening by secondary phases, even after long-term exposure at high temperature. The deleterious conversion of nitrides into Z phase is shown to be in line with, or even slower than that of the comparable ASME grade 91 steel.

  15. Sensitization Behavior of Type 409 Ferritic Stainless Steel: Confronting DL-EPR Test and Practice W of ASTM A763

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scalise, Taís Campos; de Oliveira, Mara Cristina Lopes; Sayeg, Isaac Jamil; Antunes, Renato Altobelli

    2014-06-01

    Stainless steels employed for manufacturing automotive exhaust systems must withstand severe thermal cycles, corrosive environment due to urea decomposition, and welding operations. AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel can be considered a low-cost alternative for this application. However, depending on the manufacturing conditions during welding cycles, this material can be sensitized due to the precipitation of chromium carbides at grain boundaries. In this work, the intergranular corrosion resistances of the AISI 409 ferritic stainless steel were evaluated after annealing at 300, 500, and 700 °C for 2, 4, and 6 h. Solution-annealed samples were also tested for comparison purposes. Two methodologies were used to assess the sensitization behavior of the 409 stainless steel samples: the first one was based on the ASTM A763 (practice W), while the second one was based on the double-loop electrochemical potentiodynamic reactivation test. It was possible to identify that the annealing treatment performed at 500 °C was more critical to the occurrence of intergranular corrosion.

  16. Development of filler wires for welding of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel for India's test blanket module of ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srinivasan, G.; Arivazhagan, B.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.

    2010-01-01

    Indigenous development of reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel has become necessary for India as a participant in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme. Optimisation of RAFM steel is in an advanced stage for the fabrication of test blanket module (TBM) components. Simultaneously, development of RAFM steel filler wires has been undertaken since there is no commercial filler wires are available for fabrication of components using RAFM steel. The purpose of this study is to develop filler wires that can be directly used for both gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and for narrow-gap gas tungsten arc welding (NG-GTAW) that reduces the deposited weld metal volume and heat affected zone (HAZ) width. Further, the filler wires would also be used for hybrid laser-MIG welding for thick section joints. In view of meeting all the requirements, a detailed specification was prepared for the development of filler wires for welding of RAFM steel. Meanwhile, welding trials have been carried out on 2.5 mm thick plates of the RAFM steel using GTAW process at various heat inputs with a preheat temperature of 250 C followed by various post weld heat treatments (PWHT). The microstructure of the weld metal in most of the cases showed the presence of some amount of delta-ferrite. Filler wires as per specifications have also been developed with minor variations on the chemistry against the specified values. Welding parameters and PWHT parameters were optimized to qualify the filler wires without the presence of delta-ferrite in the weld metal and with optimized mechanical properties. Results showed that the weld metals are free from delta-ferrite. Tensile properties at ambient temperature and at 500 C are well above the specified values, and are much higher than the base metal values. Ductile Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT) has been evaluated as -81 C based on the 68 J criteria. The present study highlights the basis and methodology

  17. Post irradiation examination of RAF/M steels after fast reactor irradiation up to 33 dpa and < 340 C (ARBOR1). RAFM steels. Metallurgical and mechanical characterisation. Final report for TW2-TTMS-001b, D9

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petersen, C. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH Technik und Umwelt (Germany). EURATOM, Inst. fuer Materialforschung, Programm Kernfusion

    2010-07-01

    In an energy generating fusion reactor structural materials will be exposed to very high dpa-levels of about 100 dpa. Due to this fact and because fast reactor irradiation facilities in Europe are not available anymore, a reactor irradiation at the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation with its Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (SSC RIAR), Dimitrovgrad, had been performed in the fast reactor BOR 60 with an instrumented test rig. This test rig contained tensile, impact and Low Cycle Fatigue type specimens used at FZK since many years. Samples of actual Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAF/M) -steels (e.g. EUROFER 97) had been irradiated in this reactor at a lower temperature (< 340 C) up to a damage of 33 dpa. This irradiation campaign was called ARBOR 1. Starting in 2003 one half of these irradiated samples were post irradiation examined (PIE) by tensile testing, low cycle fatigue testing and impact testing under the ISTC Partner Contract 2781p in the hot cells of SSC RIAR. In the post irradiation instrumented impact tests a significant increase in the Ductile to Brittle Transition Temperature as an effect of irradiation has been detected. During tensile testing the strength values are increasing and the strain values reduced due to substantial irradiation hardening. The hardening rate is decreasing with increasing damage level, but it does not show saturation. The low cycle fatigue behaviour of all examined RAF/M - steels show at total strain amplitudes below 1 % an increase of number of cycles to failure, due to irradiation hardening. From these post irradiation experiments, like tensile, low cycle fatigue and impact tests, radiation induced design data, e.g. for verification of design codes, can be generated.

  18. Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded 18Cr–2Mo ferritic stainless steel thick plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Jian; Li, Huijun; Zhu, Zhixiong; Barbaro, Frank; Jiang, Laizhu; Xu, Haigang; Ma, Li

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We focus on friction stir welding of 18Cr–2Mo ferritic stainless steel thick plate. • We produce high-quality joints with special tool and optimised welding parameters. • We compare microstructure and mechanical properties of steel and joint. • Friction stir welding is a method that can maintain the properties of joint. - Abstract: In this study, microstructure and mechanical properties of a friction stir welded 18Cr–2Mo ferritic stainless steel thick plate were investigated. The 5.4 mm thick plates with excellent properties were welded at a constant rotational speed and a changeable welding speed using a composite tool featuring a chosen volume fraction of cubic boron nitride (cBN) in a W–Re matrix. The high-quality welds were successfully produced with optimised welding parameters, and studied by means of optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) and standard hardness and impact toughness testing. The results show that microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints are affected greatly, which is mainly related to the remarkably fine-grained microstructure of equiaxed ferrite that is observed in the friction stir welded joint. Meanwhile, the ratios of low-angle grain boundary in the stir zone regions significantly increase, and the texture turns strong. Compared with the base material, mechanical properties of the joint are maintained in a comparatively high level

  19. Formation of alumina-aluminide coatings on ferritic-martensitic T91 steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Choudhary R.K.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, alumina-aluminide coatings were formed on ferritic-martensitic T91 steel substrate. First, coatings of aluminum were deposited electrochemically on T91 steel in a room temperature AlCl3-1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ionic liquid, then the obtained coating was subjected to a two stage heat treatment procedure consisting of prolonged heat treatment of the sample in vacuum at 300 ○C followed by oxidative heat treatment in air at 650 ○C for 16 hours. X-ray diffraction measurement of the oxidatively heat treated samples indicated formation of Fe-Al and Cr-Al intermetallics and presence of amorphous alumina. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurement confirmed 50 wt- % O in the oxidized coating. Microscratch adhesion test conducted on alumina-aluminide coating formed on T91 steel substrate showed no major adhesive detachment up to 20 N loads. However, adhesive failure was observed at a few discrete points on the coating along the scratch track.

  20. Structure of Oxide Nanoparticles in Fe-16Cr MA/ODS Ferritic Steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hsiung, L; Fluss, M; Kimura, A

    2010-04-06

    Oxide nanoparticles in Fe-16Cr ODS ferritic steel fabricated by mechanical alloying (MA) method have been examined using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. A partial crystallization of oxide nanoparticles was frequently observed in as-fabricated ODS steel. The crystal structure of crystalline oxide particles is identified to be mainly Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9} (YAM) with a monoclinic structure. Large nanoparticles with a diameter larger than 20 nm tend to be incoherent and have a nearly spherical shape, whereas small nanoparticles with a diameter smaller than 10 nm tend to be coherent or semi-coherent and have faceted boundaries. The oxide nanoparticles become fully crystallized after prolonged annealing at 900 C. These results lead us to propose a three-stage formation mechanism of oxide nanoparticles in MA/ODS steels.

  1. Character evaluation of strength in dispersion strengthened ferritic steel. 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Fuyuki; Nakashima, Hideharu

    1997-03-01

    In order to clarify the high-temperature deformation behaviour and the origin of threshold stress of ODS martensite steel with Y 2 O 3 particles, the stress-strain curves were measured by compression test at 600 to 700degC and at strain rates from 2x10 -5 to 2x10 -3 s -1 , and the threshold stress was measured by stress abruptly loading test (SAL test) at 650degC. Further, the possibility of temperature dependence of threshold stress was discussed by estimating the activation energy for dislocations to detach the Y 2 O 3 particles. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The stress exponents of ODS martensite steel were 22-35. And the activation energy of high-temperature deformation was 742 kJ/mol. Those deformation behaviour of ODS martensite steel agrees with the deformation behaviour of ODS ferritic steel. 2) The Orowan stress and the void-hardening stress calculated from dispersion parameters approximately agreed with the threshold stress obtained by SAL test. It is concluded that the originating mechanism of the threshold stress in ODS martensite steel is the Srolovitz's one. 3) The calculated activation energy for a dislocation to detach the particles was very high compared to the thermal energy. Therefor, the threshold stress is almost independent of temperature. (author)

  2. Irradiation enhanced diffusion and irradiation creep tests in stainless steel alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loelgen, R.H.; Cundy, M.R.; Schuele, W.

    1977-01-01

    A review is given of investigations on the rate of phase changes during neutron and electron irradiation in many different fcc alloys showing either precipitation or ordering. The diffusion rate was determined as a function of the irradiation flux, the irradiation temperature and the irradiation dose. It was found that the radiation enhanced diffusion in all the investigated alloys is nearly temperature independent and linearly dependent on the flux. From these results conclusions were drawn concerning the properties of point defects and diffusion mechanisms rate determining during irradiation, which appears to be of a common nature for fcc alloys having a similar structure to those investigated. It has been recognized that the same dependencies which are found for the diffusion rate were also observed for the irradiation creep rate in stainless steels, as reported in literature. On the basis of this obervation a combination of measurements is suggested, of radiation enhanced diffusion and radiation enhanced creep in stainless steel alloys. Measurements of radiation enhanced diffusion are less time consuming and expensive than irradiation creep tests and information on this property can be obtained rather quickly, prior to the selection of stainless steel alloys for creep tests. In order to investigate irradiation creep on many samples at a time two special rigs were developed which are distinguished only by the mode of stress applied to the steel specimens. Finally, a few uniaxial tensile creep tests will be performed in fully instrumented rigs. (Auth.)

  3. Simulation and experimental approach to CVD-FBR aluminide coatings on ferritic steels under steam oxidation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leal, J.; Alcala, G.; Bolivar, F.J.; Sanchez, L.; Hierro, M.P.; Perez, F.J.

    2008-01-01

    The ferritic steels used to produce structural components for steam turbines are susceptible to strong corrosion and creep damage due to the extreme working conditions pushed to increase the process efficiency and to reduce pollutants release. The response of aluminide coatings on the P-92 ferritic steel, deposited by CVD-FBR, during oxidation in a simulated steam environment was studied. The analyses were performed at 650 deg. C in order to simulate the working conditions of a steam turbine, and 800 deg. C in order to produce a critical accelerated oxidation test. The Thermo-Calc software was used to predict the different solid phases that could be generated during the oxidation process, in both, coated and uncoated samples. In order to validate the thermodynamic results, the oxides scales produced during steam tests were characterized by different techniques such as XRD, SEM and EDS. The preliminary results obtained are discussed in the present work

  4. Void formation and helium effects in 9Cr-1MoVNb and 12Cr-1MoVW steels irradiated in HFIR and FFTF at 400/degree/C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maziasz, P.J.; Klueh, R.L.

    1988-01-01

    Martensitic/ferritic 9Cr-1MoVNb and 12Cr-1MoVW steels doped with up to 2 wt% Ni have up to 450 appm He after HFIR irradiation to /approximately/38 dpa, but only 5 appm He after 47 dpa in FFTF. No fine He bubbles and few or no larger voids were observable in any of these steels after FFTF irradiation at 407/degree/C. By contrast, many voids were found in the undoped steels (30-90 appm He) irradiated in HFIR at 400/degree/C, while voids plus many more fine He bubbles were found in the Ni-doped steels (400-450 appm He). Irradiation in both reactors at /approximately/400/degree/C produced significant changes in the as-tempered lath/subgrain boundary, dislocation, and precipitation structures that were sensitive to alloy composition, including doping with Ni. However, for each specific alloy the irradiation-produced changes were exactly the same comparing samples irradiated in FFTF and HFIR, particularly the Ni-doped steels. Therefore, the increased void formation appears solely due to the increased helium generation found in HFIR. While the levels of void swelling are relatively low after 37-39 dpa in HFIR (0.1-0.4%), details of the microstructural evolution suggest that void nucleation is still progressing, and swelling could increase with dose. The effect of helium on void swelling remains a valid concern for fusion application that requires higher dose experiments. 15 refs., 14 figs., 8 tabs

  5. Effects of accelerated electron beam irradiation on surface hardening and fatigue properties in an AISI 4140 steel used for automotive crankshaft

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choo, S.-H.; Lee, S. [Pohang Univ. of Sci. and Technol. (Korea). Center for Adv. Aerospace Mater.; Golkovski, M.G. [Rossijskaya Akademiya Nauk, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation). Inst. Yadernoj Fiziki

    2000-11-30

    This study is concerned with the effects of high-energy accelerated electron beam irradiation on surface hardening and improvement of fatigue properties in an AISI 4140 steel currently used for automotive crankshaft. The 4140 steel specimens were irradiated in air by using a high-energy electron beam accelerator, and then microstructure, hardness, and fatigue properties were examined. Beam power was varied in the range of 5.2{proportional_to}7.7 kW by changing beam current. Upon irradiation, the unirradiated microstructure containing band structure was changed to martensite and bainite in the carbon-rich zone or ferrite, bainite, and martensite in the carbon-depleted zone. This microstructural modification improved greatly surface hardness and fatigue properties due to transformation of martensite whose amount and type were determined by heat input during irradiation. Thus, high-energy electron beam irradiation can be effectively applied to the surface hardening process of automotive parts. In order to investigate the thermal cycle during electron beam irradiation of quickly rotating specimens, the thermal analysis was also carried out using an analytical computer simulation. Analytical solutions gave information about the peak temperature, heating and cooling rate, and hardened depth to correlate with the overall microstructural modification. (orig.)

  6. FFTF irradiation of fracture mechanics specimens for out-of-core structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, D.C.

    1978-09-01

    The National Program Plan has established data requirements for out-of-core structures for FBRs. Significant FFTF irradiation space with moderate gamma heating levels is required to irradiate relatively large fracture mechanics specimens to total neutron fluences ranging between 5 x 10 21 and 5 x 10 22 n/cm 2 and temperatures which range between 400 0 C (750 0 F) and 650 0 C (1200 0 F). Priority 1 data on stainless steel welds requires a test volume of 7443 cm 3 (454 in 3 ). Priority 2 data on 304 and 316 SS and Inconel 718 materials and Inconel 718 welds requires 2760 cm 3 (168 in 3 ). Priority 3 data on stainless steels, other nickel-base alloys, and ferritics requires 33,118 cm 3 (2021 in 3 ). Priority 4 data at elevated temperatures on stainless steels, other nickel-base alloys and ferritics requires 69,182 cm 3

  7. Compatibility Behavior of the Ferritic-Martensitic Steel Cladding under the Liquid Sodium Environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jun Hwan; Baek, Jong Hyuk; Kim, Sung Ho; Lee, Chan Bock [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-05-15

    Fuel cladding is a component which confines uranium fuel to transport energy into the coolant as well as protect radioactive species from releasing outside. Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) has been considered as one of the most probable next generation reactors in Korea because it can maximize uranium resource as well as reduce the amount of PWR spent fuel in conjunction with pyroprocessing. Sodium has been selected as the coolant of the SFR because of its superior fast neutron efficiency as well as thermal conductivity, which enables high power core design. However, it is reported that the fuel cladding materials like austenitic and ferritic stainless steel react sodium coolant so that the loss of the thickness, intergranular attack, and carburization or decarburization process may happen to induce the change of the mechanical property of the cladding. This study aimed to evaluate material property of the cladding material under the liquid sodium environment. Ferritic-martensitic steel (FMS) coupon and cladding tube were exposed at the flowing sodium then the microstructural and mechanical property were evaluated. mechanical property of the cladding was evaluated using the ring tension test

  8. Hydrogen-Induced Delayed Cracking in TRIP-Aided Lean-Alloyed Ferritic-Austenitic Stainless Steels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suvi Papula

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Susceptibility of three lean-alloyed ferritic-austenitic stainless steels to hydrogen-induced delayed cracking was examined, concentrating on internal hydrogen contained in the materials after production operations. The aim was to study the role of strain-induced austenite to martensite transformation in the delayed cracking susceptibility. According to the conducted deep drawing tests and constant load tensile testing, the studied materials seem not to be particularly susceptible to delayed cracking. Delayed cracks were only occasionally initiated in two of the materials at high local stress levels. However, if a delayed crack initiated in a highly stressed location, strain-induced martensite transformation decreased the crack arrest tendency of the austenite phase in a duplex microstructure. According to electron microscopy examination and electron backscattering diffraction analysis, the fracture mode was predominantly cleavage, and cracks propagated along the body-centered cubic (BCC phases ferrite and α’-martensite. The BCC crystal structure enables fast diffusion of hydrogen to the crack tip area. No delayed cracking was observed in the stainless steel that had high austenite stability. Thus, it can be concluded that the presence of α’-martensite increases the hydrogen-induced cracking susceptibility.

  9. Irradiation creep lifetime analysis on first wall structure materials for CFETR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Bing; Peng, Lei, E-mail: penglei@ustc.edu.cn; Zhang, Xiansheng; Shi, Jingyi; Zhan, Jie

    2017-05-15

    Fusion reactor first wall services on the conditions of high surface heat flux and intense neutron irradiation. For China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) with high duty time factor, it is important to analyze the irradiation effect on the creep lifetime of the main candidate structure materials for first wall, i.e. ferritic/martensitic steel, austenite steel and oxide dispersion strengthened steel. The allowable irradiation creep lifetime was evaluated with Larson-Miller Parameter (LMP) model and finite element method. The results show that the allowable irradiation creep lifetime decreases with increasing of surface heat flux, first wall thickness and inlet coolant temperature. For the current CFETR conceptual design, the lifetime is not limited by thermal creep or irradiation creep, which indicated the room for design parameters optimization.

  10. Effect of Co deposition on oxidation behavior and electrical properties of ferritic steel for solid oxide fuel cell interconnects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kruk, A.; Adamczyk, A.; Gil, A. [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Kąc, S. [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Dąbek, J.; Ziąbka, M. [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Brylewski, T., E-mail: brylew@agh.edu.pl [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland)

    2015-09-01

    In this work, a Co layer deposited on DIN 50049 steel by means of pulsed laser deposition was applied for the protection of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) interconnects operating on the cathode side. The coated and uncoated steel samples were oxidized in air at 1073 K for 500 h, and their microstructures as well as electrical resistances were evaluated using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and the 2-probe 4-point direct current method. It was demonstrated that the Co coating had reduced the oxidation rate of the steel by nearly a half. The area-specific resistance value of the coated steel was 5 × 10{sup −6} Ω·m{sup 2}, which was significantly lower than that of bare steel after 350 h of oxidation at 1073 K. Cr vaporization tests showed that the Co coating was efficient at blocking the outward diffusion of Cr. The obtained results prove that steel coated with a thin film of cobalt was suitable for use as metallic interconnect material in SOFCs operating at intermediate temperatures. - Highlights: • Co layer was deposited on ferritic steel by means of pulsed laser deposition. • Coated and bare ferritic steel samples were exposed to air at 1073 K for 500 h. • Scale growth rate on bare steel is higher than that on coated steel. • Electrical resistance for oxidized coated steel was lower than for bare steel. • Co-coated steel effectively reduced the formation of volatile Cr species.

  11. Studies on oxidation and deuterium permeation behavior of a low temperature α-Al_2O_3-forming Fe−Cr−Al ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Yu-Ping; Zhao, Si-Xiang; Liu, Feng; Li, Xiao-Chun; Zhao, Ming-Zhong; Wang, Jing; Lu, Tao; Hong, Suk-Ho; Zhou, Hai-Shan; Luo, Guang-Nan

    2016-01-01

    To evaluate the capability of Fe−Cr−Al ferritic steels as tritium permeation barrier in fusion systems, the oxidation behavior together with the permeation behavior of a Fe−Cr−Al steel was investigated. Gas driven permeation experiments were performed. The permeability of the oxidized Fe−Cr−Al steel was obtained and a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel CLF-1 was used as a comparison. In order to characterize the oxide layer, SEM, XPS, TEM, HRTEM were used. Al_2O_3 was detected in the oxide film by XPS, and HRTEM showed that Al_2O_3 in the α phase was found. The formation of α-Al_2O_3 layer at a relatively low temperature may result from the formation of Cr_2O_3 nuclei.

  12. Cracking behavior of thermally aged and irradiated CF-8 cast austenitic stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Y., E-mail: Yiren_Chen@anl.gov [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Alexandreanu, B.; Chen, W.-Y.; Natesan, K. [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Li, Z.; Yang, Y. [University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Rao, A.S. [US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 (United States)

    2015-11-15

    To assess the combined effect of thermal aging and neutron irradiation on the cracking behavior of CF-8 cast austenitic stainless steel, crack growth rate (CGR) and fracture toughness J-R curve tests were carried out on compact-tension specimens in high-purity water with low dissolved oxygen. Both unaged and thermally aged specimens were irradiated at ∼320 °C to 0.08 dpa. Thermal aging at 400 °C for 10,000 h apparently had no effect on the corrosion fatigue and stress corrosion cracking behavior in the test environment. The cracking susceptibility of CF-8 was not elevated significantly by neutron irradiation at 0.08 dpa. Transgranular cleavage-like cracking was the main fracture mode during the CGR tests, and a brittle morphology of delta ferrite was often seen on the fracture surfaces at the end of CGR tests. The fracture toughness J-R curve tests showed that both thermal aging and neutron irradiation can induce significant embrittlement. The loss of fracture toughness due to neutron irradiation was more pronounced in the unaged than aged specimens. After neutron irradiation, the fracture toughness values of the unaged and aged specimens were reduced to a similar level. G-phase precipitates were observed in the aged and irradiated specimens with or without prior aging. The similar microstructural changes resulting from thermal aging and irradiation suggest a common microstructural mechanism of inducing embrittlement in CF-8.

  13. Enhancement of low temperature toughness of nanoprecipitates strengthened ferritic steel by delamination structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Yu; Xu, Songsong; Li, Junpeng; Zhang, Jian [Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, P R China (China); Sun, Liangwei; Chen, Liang; Sun, Guangai; Peng, Shuming [Key Laboratory of Neutron Physics and Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP), Mianyang 621999 (China); Zhang, Zhongwu, E-mail: zwzhang@hrbeu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, P R China (China)

    2017-04-13

    This study investigated the effects of aging and thermomechanical treatments on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of a nanoprecipitates strengthened ferritic steel. The toughness of steel at various temperatures was measured carefully and correlated with microstructural features. Tensile tests show that aging can improve the mechanical strength without scarifying the ductility. With high yield strength of ~1000 MPa, excellent low temperature Charpy impact energy more than 300 J at −80 °C can be obtained. The ductile brittle transition temperature (DBTT) is lower than −80 °C. The high strength can be contributed by the nanocluster precipitation as determined by small angle neutron scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The excellent low temperature toughness is attributed to the delamination structure of the steel, which blunts the cracks and restrains the crack propagation.

  14. Thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of the austenite-to-ferrite transformation under high magnetic field in medium carbon steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yudong; He Changshu; Zhao Xiang; Zuo Liang; Esling, Claude

    2005-01-01

    The thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of austenite-to-ferrite phase transformation in medium carbon steel in the high magnetic fields were investigated. Results showed that the magnetic field could obviously change the γ/α+γ phase equilibrium-by increasing the amount of ferrite obtained during cooling-and greatly accelerate the transformation. Thus the microstructure obtained under fast cooling with high magnetic field was still ferritic and pearlitic, while that obtained without the magnetic field under the same cooling conditions was bainitic. Exploration in this area contributes both to enriching the new theory on electromagnetic processing of materials (EPM) and in establishing new techniques for materials processing

  15. Studies on A-TIG welding of Low Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (LAFM) steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasantharaja, P.; Vasudevan, M.

    2012-02-01

    Low Activation Ferritic-Martensitic steels (LAFM) are chosen as the candidate material for structural components in fusion reactors. The structural components are generally fabricated by welding processes. Activated Tungsten Inert Gas (A-TIG) welding is an emerging process for welding of thicker components. In the present work, attempt was made to develop A-TIG welding technology for LAFM steel plates of 10 mm thick. Activated flux was developed for LAFM steel by carrying out various bead-on-plate TIG welds without flux and with flux. The optimum flux was identified as one which gave maximum depth of penetration at minimum heat input values. With the optimized flux composition, LAFM steel plate of 10 mm thickness was welded in square butt weld joint configuration using double side welding technique. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy was used for characterizing the microstructures. Microhardness measurements were made across the weld cross section for as welded and post weld heat treated samples. Tensile and impact toughness properties were determined. The mechanical properties values obtained in A-TIG weld joint were comparable to that obtained in weld joints of LAFM steel made by Electron beam welding process.

  16. Analyzing the effects of geometrical discontinuity on dynamic strain aging behavior of ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sa Yong; Kim, Jin Weon

    2012-01-01

    Low carbon ferritic steels, such as A106 Gr.B and A508 Gr.1a, are commonly used as piping material in nuclear power plants (NPPs). These ferritic steels are known to exhibit dynamic strain aging (DSA) when exposed to a certain range of elevated temperatures, including operating temperatures of NPPs, during deformation. DSA in low carbon steels is related to the interactions between free carbon and nitrogen atoms and dislocations during plastic deformation, and it leads to abnormal increase in strength and decrease in ductility and fracture toughness. Also, the DSA behavior is sensitive to the deformation rate. Therefore, DSA phenomenon has been considered to be a cause of uncertainty in the integrity evaluation of carbon steel components in NPPs, and a number of studies have been investigated the behavior of DSA under uni-axial tensile deformation. However, the behavior has not been clearly investigated under nonuniform stress and strain states induced by geometrical discontinuity. Our previous study only experimentally evaluated the effect of geometrical discontinuity on the DSA behavior via a series of tensile tests on the notched-bar and standard specimens. Thus, the present study performed finite element (FE) simulations on tensile data given by our previous study and evaluated the stress and strain states for each type of specimen during deformation. A relationship between DSA behavior and stress and strain states was obtained by comparing the results of experiment and FE simulation, and it was confirmed by crack propagation tests using compact tension (CT) specimens with electro discharge machining (EDM) notch

  17. Effect of Mechanical Alloying Atmospheres and Oxygen Concentration on Mechanical Properties of ODS Ferritic Steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noh, Sanghoon; Choi, Byoungkwon; Han, Changhee; Kim, Kibaik; Kang, Sukhoon; Chun, Youngbum; Kim, Taekyu

    2013-01-01

    Finely dispersed nano-oxide particles with a high number density in the homogeneous grain matrix are essential to achieve superior mechanical properties at high temperatures, and these unique microstructures can be obtained through the mechanical alloying (MA) and hot consolidation process. The microstructure and mechanical property of ODS steel significantly depends on its powder property and the purity after the MA process. These contents should be carefully controlled to improve the mechanical property at elevated temperature. In particular, appropriate the control of oxygen concentration improves the mechanical property of ODS steel at high temperature. An effective method is to control the mechanical alloying atmosphere by high purity inert gas. In the present study, the effects of mechanical alloying atmospheres and oxygen concentration on the mechanical property of ODS steel were investigated. ODS ferritic alloys were fabricated in various atmospheres, and the HIP process was used to investigate the effects of MA atmospheres and oxygen concentration on the microstructure and mechanical property. ODS ferritic alloys milled in an Ar-H 2 mixture, and He is effective to reduce the excess oxygen concentration. The YH 2 addition made an extremely reduced oxygen concentration by the internal oxygen reduction reaction and resulted in a homogeneous microstructure and superior creep strength

  18. Effect of Yttrium Addition on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cu-Rich Nano-phase Strengthened Ferritic Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hongyu; He, Jibai; Luan, Guoqing; Ke, Mingpeng; Fang, Haoyan; Lu, Jianduo

    2018-03-01

    Due to the brittle problem of Cu-rich nano-phase strengthened ferritic steel (CNSFS) after air aging, the effect of Y addition in CNSFS was systemically investigated in the present work. The microstructure, tensile fracture morphology and oxide layer of the steels were surveyed by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. Transmission electron microscope with the combination of energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and selected area electron diffraction was used to analyze the morphology, size, number density, chemical compositions and crystal structure for nano-crystalline precipitates. Microstructural examinations of the nano-crystalline precipitates show that Cu-rich precipitates and Y compounds in the range of 2-10 and 50-100 nm, respectively, form in the Y-containing steel; meanwhile, the average size of nano-crystalline precipitates in Y-containing steel is larger, but the number density is lower, and the ferritic grains are refined. Furthermore, the tensile strength and ductility of Y-containing steel after air aging are improved, whereas the tensile strength is enhanced and the ductility decreased after vacuum aging. The drag effect of Y makes the oxide layer thinner and be compacted. Tensile properties of CNSFS after air aging are improved due to the refined grains, antioxidation and purification by the addition of Y.

  19. Localized corrosion and stress corrosion cracking behavior of austenitic stainless steel weldments containing retained ferrite. Annual progress report, June 1, 1978--March 31, 1979

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savage, W.F.; Duquette, D.J.

    1979-03-01

    Localized corrosion and stress corrosion cracking experiments have been performed on single phase 304 stainless steel alloys and autogeneous weldments containing retained delta ferrite as a second phase. The results of the pitting experiments show that the pressure of delta ferrite decreases localized corrosion resistance with pits initiating preferentially at delta ferrite--gamma austenite interphase boundaries. This increased susceptibility is reversible with elevated temperature heat treatments which revert the metastable ferrite phase to the equilibrium austenite phase

  20. Modeling irradiation embrittlement in reactor pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Odette, G.R.

    1998-01-01

    As a result of the popularity of the Agencies report 'Neutron Irradiation Embrittlement of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels' of 1975, it was decided that another report on this broad subject would be of use. In this report, background and contemporary views on specially identified areas of the subject are considered as self-contained chapters, written by experts. In chapter 10, numerical modeling of irradiation embrittlement in reactor vessel steels are introduced. Physically-based models are developed and their role in advancing the state-of-the-art of predicting irradiation embrittlement of RPV steels is stressed

  1. Synergistic effects of interstitial impurities and radiation defects on mechanical characteristics of ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charit, I.; Seok, C.S.; Murty, K.L.

    2007-01-01

    Ferritic steels are generally used in pressure vessels and various reactor support structures in light water reactors. They are known to exhibit radiation embrittlement in terms of decreased toughness and increased ductile-brittle transition temperature as a result of exposure to neutron radiation. The superimposed effects of strain aging due to interstitial impurity atoms on radiation embrittlement were considered first by Wechsler, Hall and others. Here we summarize some of our efforts on the investigation of synergistic effects between interstitial impurity atoms (IIAs) and radiation-induced point defects, which result in interesting effects at appropriate temperature and strain rate conditions. Two materials, a mild steel and a pressure vessel steel (A516 Gr.70), are evaluated using tensile and three-point bend tests

  2. Irradiation Microstructure of Austenitic Steels and Cast Steels Irradiated in the BOR-60 Reactor at 320°C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yong; Chen, Yiren; Huang, Yina; Allen, Todd; Rao, Appajosula

    Reactor internal components are subjected to neutron irradiation in light water reactors, and with the aging of nuclear power plants around the world, irradiation-induced material degradations are of concern for reactor internals. Irradiation-induced defects resulting from displacement damage are critical for understanding degradation in structural materials. In the present work, microstructural changes due to irradiation in austenitic stainless steels and cast steels were characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The specimens were irradiated in the BOR-60 reactor, a fast breeder reactor, up to 40 dpa at 320°C. The dose rate was approximately 9.4x10-7 dpa/s. Void swelling and irradiation defects were analyzed for these specimens. A high density of faulted loops dominated the irradiated-altered microstructures. Along with previous TEM results, a dose dependence of the defect structure was established at 320°C.

  3. Microstructural characterization and formation mechanism of abnormal segregation band of hot rolled ferrite/pearlite steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng, Rui [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Engineering Research Center of Large Size Alloy Structural Steel Bars of Shandong Province, Jinan 250061 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049 (China); Li, Shengli, E-mail: lishengli@sdu.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Engineering Research Center of Large Size Alloy Structural Steel Bars of Shandong Province, Jinan 250061 (China); Zhu, Xinde [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Ao, Qing [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Engineering Research Center of Large Size Alloy Structural Steel Bars of Shandong Province, Jinan 250061 (China)

    2015-10-15

    In order to further reveal the microstructural characterization and formation mechanism of abnormal segregation band of hot rolled ferrite/pearlite steel, the microstructure of this type steel was intensively studied with Scanning Auger Microprobe (SAM), etc. The results show that severe C–Mn segregation exists in the abnormal segregation band region at the center of hot rolled ferrite/pearlite steel, which results from the Mn segregation during solidification process of the continuous casting slab. The C–Mn segregation causes relative displacement of pearlite transformation curve and bainite transformation curve of C curve in the corresponding region, leading to bay-like shaped C curve. The bay-like shaped C curve creates conditions for the transformation from supercooling austenite to bainite at relatively lower cooling rate in this region. The Fe–Mn–C Atomic Segregation Zone (FASZ) caused by C–Mn segregation can powerfully retard the atomic motion, and increase the lattice reconstruction resistance of austenite transformation. These two factors provide thermodynamic and kinetic conditions for the bainite transformation, and result in the emergence of granular bainitic abnormal segregation band at the center of steel plate, which leads to lower plasticity and toughness of this region, and induces the layered fracture. - Highlights: • Scanning Auger Microprobe (SAM) is applied in the fracture analysis. • The abnormal segregation band region appears obvious C–Mn segregation. • The C–Mn segregation leads to bay-like shaped C curve. • The C–Mn segregation leads to Fe–Mn–C Atomic Segregation Zone.

  4. Identification of Age, Temperature and Radiation Effect on Ferritic Steel Microstructure Based on Artificial Intelligence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mike Susmikanti; Entin Hartini; Antonius Sitompul

    2008-01-01

    In the construction of nuclear installation, it is important to know the material condition used on it. Considering mechanical properties of these materials, there are some material change affected by ageing, temperature and radiation. For some years, austenitic stainless steel are used as a fuel cladding in fast breeder reactor. However this material will not sufficiently competitive from economic point of view for the next year. Experiment result on ferritic steel gave information of stronger structural properties compared to austenitic stainless steel. Modeling and simulation will support further identification of this material changing caused by such effects. Pattern recognition of these changes base on artificial intelligence is expected to support the research and development activities on nuclear structure materials. Material structure pattern of these materials, observed by SEM, are converted using image processing system. Its characteristic is then analyzed with principal component using perception method, which usually used on identifying and learning neural network system based on artificial intelligence. Specific design and input are needed to identify the change of material structure pattern before and after any applied effect. In this paper, simulation of changing identification on three types ferritic steel F17(17 Cr), EM 12 (9 CR-2 MoNbV), and EMI 0 (9 Cr-I Mo) were done. The microstructure data before and after effect are taken from some references. The whole pattern recognition process are done using MATLAB software package. (author)

  5. Viscoplastic equations incorporated into a finite element model to predict deformation behavior of irradiated reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Yuanyuan, E-mail: 630wyy@163.com [Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Zhao, Jijun, E-mail: zhaojj@dlut.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Zhang, Chi [Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2017-05-15

    Highlights: • The initial internal variable in the Anand model is modified by considering both temperature and irradiation dose. • The tensile stress-strain response is examined and analyzed under different temperatures and irradiation doses. • Yield strengths are predicted as functions of strain rate, temperature and irradiation dose. - Abstract: The viscoplastic equations with a modified initial internal variable are implemented into the finite element code to investigate stress-strain response and irradiation hardening of the materials under increased temperature and at different levels of irradiated dose. We applied this model to Mod 9Cr-1Mo steel. The predicted results are validated by the experimentally measured data. Furthermore, they show good agreement with the previous data from a constitutive crystal plasticity model in account of dislocation and interstitial loops. Three previous hardening models for predicting the yield strength of the material are discussed and compared with our simulation results.

  6. Influence of the interface on the magnetic properties of NiZn ferrite thin films treated by proton irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, X.D. [Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Guo, D.W. [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Zhang, C.H., E-mail: c.h.zhang@impcas.ac.cn [Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Fan, X.L.; Chai, G.Z. [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Xue, D.S., E-mail: xueds@lzu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

    2015-09-01

    In order to systematically investigate the influence of the interface on the magnetic properties, polycrystalline NiZn ferrite thin films were irradiated with 60 keV proton in the dose range from 5 × 10{sup 12} to 5 × 10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2}. A non-destructive approach by proton irradiation was found to finely adjust the magnetic properties of polycrystalline NiZn ferrite thin films such as coercivity, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as well as the effective g value. The coercivity is about 725 Oe for high proton dose ferrite, which is twice larger than the unirradiated one. The ferromagnetic resonance measurements indicated that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and the effective g value increase with the irradiation dose. Our finding indicates that all modifications of these magnetic properties were associated with the change of interface due to the diffusion and the stress induced by proton irradiation. The change of the effective g value is a result of lattice expansion and the decrease of the magnetic dipole interaction between the columnar grains. This work provides a feasible way to tailor the magnetic properties of thin films by ion irradiation and promotes investigations for the stability of magnetic thin film devices in space or unclear radiation environments.

  7. Standard test method for drop-weight tear tests of ferritic steels

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2003-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers drop-weight tear tests (DWTT) on ferritic steels with thicknesses between 3.18 and 19.1 mm. 1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard. 1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

  8. Corrosion of carbon steel and low-alloy steel in diluted seawater containing hydrazine under gamma-rays irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakano, Junichi; Yamamoto, Masahiro; Tsukada, Takashi

    2014-01-01

    Seawater was injected into reactor cores of Units 1, 2, and 3 in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station as an urgent coolant. It is considered that the injected seawater causes corrosion of steels of the reactor pressure vessel and primary containment vessel. To investigate the effects of gamma-rays irradiation on weight loss in carbon steel and low-alloy steel, corrosion tests were performed in diluted seawater at 50°C under gamma-rays irradiation. Specimens were irradiated with dose rates of 4.4 kGy/h and 0.2 kGy/h. To evaluate the effects of hydrazine (N 2 H 4 ) on the reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, N 2 H 4 was added to the diluted seawater. In the diluted seawater without N 2 H 4 , weight loss in the steels irradiated with 0.2 kGy/h was similar to that in the unirradiated steels, and weight loss in the steels irradiated with 4.4 kGy/h increased to approximate 1.7 times of those in the unirradiated steels. Weight loss in the steels irradiated in the diluted seawater containing N 2 H 4 was similar to that in the diluted seawater without N 2 H 4 . When N 2 was introduced into the gas phase in the flasks during gamma-rays irradiation, weight loss in the steels decreased. (author)

  9. Microstructural evolution of ferritic steel powder during mechanical alloying with iron oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wen, Yuren; Liu, Yong; Liu, Donghua; Tang, Bei [Central South Univ., State Key Lab. of Powder Metallurgy, Changsha (China); Liu, C.T. [The Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Hong Kong (China)

    2011-02-15

    Mechanical alloying of mixed powders is of great importance for preparing oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels. In this study, the microstructural evolution of ferritic steel powder mixed with TiH{sub x}, YH{sub 2} and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} in the process of mechanical alloying is systematically investigated by using X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and microhardness tests. It is found that titanium, yttrium hydrides and iron oxide are completely dissolved during milling, and homogeneous element distribution can be achieved after milling for 12 h. The disintegration of the composite powder particles occurs at 24 h and reaches the balance of welding and fracturing after 36 h. The oxygen content increases sharply with the disintegration of powder particles due to the absorption of oxygen at the solid/gas interface from the milling atmosphere, which is the main source of extra oxygen in the milled powder. Grain refinement down to nanometer level occurs due to the severe plastic deformation of particles; however, the grain size does not change much with further disintegration of particles. The hardness increases with milling time and then becomes stable during further milling. The study indicates that the addition of iron oxide and hydrides may be more beneficial for the dispersion and homogenization of chemical compositions in the powder mixture, thus shortening the mechanical alloying process. (orig.)

  10. Effect of microstructural evolution by isothermal aging on the mechanical properties of 9Cr-1WVTa reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Min-Gu [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Chang-Hoon, E-mail: lee1626@kims.re.kr [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Joonoh; Park, Jun Young; Lee, Tae-Ho [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Namhyun [Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Chan Kim, Hyoung [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon 305-806 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    The influence of microstructural changes caused by aging condition on tensile and Charpy impact properties was investigated for reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) 9Cr-1WVTa steels having single martensite and a mixed microstructure of martensite and ferrite. For the mixed microstructure of martensite and ferrite, the Charpy impact properties deteriorated in both as-normalized and tempered conditions due to the ferrite and the accompanying M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides at the ferrite grain boundaries which act as path and initiation sites for cleavage cracks, respectively. However, aging at 550 °C for 20–100 h recovered gradually the Charpy impact toughness without any distinct drop in strength, as a result of the spheroidization of the coarse M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides at the ferrite grain boundaries, which makes crack initiation more difficult.

  11. A correlative approach to segmenting phases and ferrite morphologies in transformation-induced plasticity steel using electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gazder, Azdiar A; Al-Harbi, Fayez; Spanke, Hendrik Th; Mitchell, David R G; Pereloma, Elena V

    2014-12-01

    Using a combination of electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data, a segmentation procedure was developed to comprehensively distinguish austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite, ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths in a thermo-mechanically processed low-Si, high-Al transformation-induced plasticity steel. The efficacy of the ferrite morphologies segmentation procedure was verified by transmission electron microscopy. The variation in carbon content between the ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths was explained on the basis of carbon partitioning during their growth. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. The Influence of Vanadium on Ferrite and Bainite Formation in a Medium Carbon Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sourmail, T.; Garcia-Mateo, C.; Caballero, F. G.; Cazottes, S.; Epicier, T.; Danoix, F.; Milbourn, D.

    2017-09-01

    The influence of vanadium additions on transformation kinetics has been investigated in a medium carbon forging steel. Using dilatometry to track transformation during continuous cooling or isothermal transformation, the impact of vanadium on both ferrite-pearlite and bainite has been quantified. Transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography have been used to establish whether vanadium was present in solid solution, or as clusters and precipitates. The results show that vanadium in solid solution has a pronounced retarding influence on ferrite-pearlite formation and that, unlike in the case of niobium, this effect can be exploited even during relatively slow cooling. The influence on bainite transformation was found to depend on temperature; an explanation in terms of the effect of vanadium on heterogeneous nucleation is tentatively proposed.

  13. Forming limit and fracture mechanism of ferritic stainless steel sheets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Le; Barlat, Frederic; Ahn, Deok Chan; Bressan, Jose Divo

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Forming limit curves of two ferritic stainless steel sheets were well predicted. → Failure occurs by necking in uniaxial and plane strain tension for both materials. → Failure occurs by shearing in balanced biaxial tension for both materials. → Strain rate sensitivity does not affect the limit strains a lot for both materials. → Strain rate sensitivity likely influences the failure mode for both materials. - Abstract: In this work, the forming limit curves (FLCs) of two ferritic stainless steel sheets, AISI409L and AISI430, were predicted with the Marciniak-Kuczynski (MK) and Bressan-William-Hill (BWH) models, combined with the Yld2000-2d yield function and the Swift hardening law. Uniaxial tension, disk compression and hydraulic bulge tests were performed to determine the yield loci and hardening curves of both materials. Meanwhile, the strain rate sensitivity (SRS) coefficient was measured through uniaxial tension tests carried out at different strain rates. Out-of-plane stretching tests were conducted in sheet specimens to obtain the surface limit strains under different linear strain paths. Micrographs of the specimens fractured in different stress states were obtained by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The overall results show that the BWH model can predict the FLC better than the MK model, and that the SRS does not have much effect on the limit strains for both materials. The predicted FLCs and micrograph analysis both indicate that failure occurs by surface localized necking in uniaxial and plane strain tension states, whereas it occurs by localized shearing in the through thickness direction in balanced biaxial tension state.

  14. Helium influence on the microstructure and swelling of 9%Cr ferritic steel after neutron irradiation to 16.3 dpa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klimenkov, M.; Möslang, A.; Materna-Morris, E.

    2014-01-01

    Specially fabricated samples of the European reference 9Cr-WTaV steel EUROFER 97 alloyed with 0.081 mass% natural B and 0.081 and 0.114 mass% pure isotope 10 B were neutron-irradiated with about 16.3 dpa at temperatures in the range from 523 K to 723 K to study the influence of helium produced by 10 B(n,α) 7 Li transmutation reaction on microstructure, swelling and hardness. The spatial and size distributions of helium bubbles or cavities after irradiation at different temperatures were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Vickers microhardness HV0.1 tests were performed on the as received specimens and specimens after irradiation. The influence of irradiation temperature and helium concentration on the size and density of the bubbles or cavities was analyzed and correlations with the hardness, tensile properties, and the fracture surface were discussed

  15. Fe-Cr-V ternary alloy-based ferritic steels for high- and low-temperature applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rieth, M.; Materna-Morris, E.; Dudarev, S.L.; Boutard, J.-L.; Keppler, H.; Mayor, J.

    2009-01-01

    The phase stability of alloys and steels developed for application in nuclear fission and fusion technology is one of the decisive factors determining the potential range of operating temperatures and radiation conditions that the core elements of a power plant can tolerate. In the case of ferritic and ferritic-martensitic steels, the choice of the chemical composition is dictated by the phase diagram for binary FeCr alloys where in the 0-9% range of Cr composition the alloy remains in the solid solution phase at and below the room temperature. For Cr concentrations exceeding 9% the steels operating at relatively low temperatures are therefore expected to exhibit the formation of α' Cr-rich precipitates. These precipitates form obstacles for the propagation of dislocations, impeding plastic deformation and embrittling the material. This sets the low temperature limit for the use of of high (14% to 20%) Cr steels, which for the 20% Cr steels is at approximately 600 deg. C. On the other hand, steels containing 12% or less Cr cannot be used at temperatures exceeding ∼600 deg. C due to the occurrence of the α-γ transition (912 deg. C in pure iron and 830 deg. C in 7% Cr alloy), which weakens the steel in the high temperature limit. In this study, we investigate the physical properties of a concentrated ternary alloy system that attracted relatively little attention so far. The phase diagram of ternary Fe-Cr-V alloy shows no phase boundaries within a certain broad range of Cr and V concentrations. This makes the alloy sufficiently resistant to corrosion and suggests that steels and dispersion strengthened materials based on this alloy composition may have better strength and stability at high temperatures. Experimental heats were produced on a laboratory scale by arc melting the material components to pellets, then by melting the pellets in an induction furnace and casting the melt into copper moulds. The compositions in weight percent (iron base) are 10Cr5V, 10Cr

  16. Fretting and wear of stainless and ferritic steels in LMFBR steam generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, M.W.J.; Campbell, C.S.

    1981-01-01

    Steam generators for LMFBR's may be subject to both fretting wear as a result of flow-induced vibrations and to wear from larger amplitude sliding movements from thermal changes. Results of tests simulating the latter are given for stainless and ferritic steels. For the assessment of fretting wear damage, vibration assessments must be combined with data on specific wear rates. Test mechanisms used to study fretting in sodium covering impact, impact-slide and pure rubbing are described and results presented. (author)

  17. Development of filler wires for welding of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel for India's test blanket module of ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Srinivasan, G.; Arivazhagan, B.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K. [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam (India)

    2010-07-01

    Indigenous development of reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel has become necessary for India as a participant in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme. Optimisation of RAFM steel is in an advanced stage for the fabrication of test blanket module (TBM) components. Simultaneously, development of RAFM steel filler wires has been undertaken since there is no commercial filler wires are available for fabrication of components using RAFM steel. The purpose of this study is to develop filler wires that can be directly used for both gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and for narrow-gap gas tungsten arc welding (NG-GTAW) that reduces the deposited weld metal volume and heat affected zone (HAZ) width. Further, the filler wires would also be used for hybrid laser-MIG welding for thick section joints. In view of meeting all the requirements, a detailed specification was prepared for the development of filler wires for welding of RAFM steel. Meanwhile, welding trials have been carried out on 2.5 mm thick plates of the RAFM steel using GTAW process at various heat inputs with a preheat temperature of 250 C followed by various post weld heat treatments (PWHT). The microstructure of the weld metal in most of the cases showed the presence of some amount of delta-ferrite. Filler wires as per specifications have also been developed with minor variations on the chemistry against the specified values. Welding parameters and PWHT parameters were optimized to qualify the filler wires without the presence of delta-ferrite in the weld metal and with optimized mechanical properties. Results showed that the weld metals are free from delta-ferrite. Tensile properties at ambient temperature and at 500 C are well above the specified values, and are much higher than the base metal values. Ductile Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT) has been evaluated as -81 C based on the 68 J criteria. The present study highlights the basis and methodology

  18. Some considerations on the toughness properties of ferritic stainless steels - A brief review

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Van Zwieten, ACTM

    1993-02-01

    Full Text Available . H. Bulloch* Head Office, Electricity Supply Board, Lower Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland (Received 14 February 1992; accepted 25 February 1992) A BS TRA C T The present paper has attempted... of molybdenum, niobium or titanium. Recently, very low (C + N) content have been specified; the super-ferritic steels. The higher alloy compositions can also include up to 4% Ni, provided this does not alter their fully...

  19. Development of ultrafine ferritic sheaves/plates in SAE 52100 steel for enhancement of strength by controlled thermomechanical processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chakraborty, J. [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, W.B. 721 302 (India); Scientific Services and Research and Development, Tata Steel, Jamshedpur 831 001, Jharkhand (India); Manna, I., E-mail: imanna@metal.iitkgp.ernet.in [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, W.B. 721 302 (India); Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), 196 Raja S C Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032 (India)

    2012-06-30

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ultrafine bainite + martensite duplex microstructure developed in SAE 52100 steel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermomechanical processing modifies size + morphology of bainitic ferrite. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Processing involves hot deformation prior to/during/after austenitizing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Significant improvement in mechanical strength achieved. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Similar study on high carbon, low alloy steel not reported in the literature. - Abstract: The present study attempts to tailor the size, morphology and distribution of the ferrite needles/sheaves by thermomechanical processing and develop an ultrafine ferrite + martensite duplex microstructure for enhancement of strength and toughness in SAE 52100 steel. The thermo-mechanical routine included 5% hot deformation before, during or after austenitizing at 950 Degree-Sign C for 15 min followed by austempering at 270 Degree-Sign C for 30 min and subsequent water quenching to room temperature. Optical/electron microscopy along with X-ray diffraction was used to quantitatively monitor the size, morphology and distribution of the phase or phase aggregate. Significant improvement in nanohardness, wear resistance and elastic modulus and was observed in samples subjected to thermomechanical processing, as compared to that following the same austenitizing and austempering routine without hot deformation at any stage. However, improvement in the bulk mechanical property due to the present thermo-mechanical is lower than that obtained in our earlier study comprising cold deformation prior to austenitizing and austempering.

  20. Microstructure examination of Fe–14Cr ODS ferritic steels produced through different processing routes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oksiuta, Z., E-mail: z.oksiuta@pb.edu.pl [Bialystok University of Technology, Mechanical Department (Poland); Hosemann, P. [University of California Berkeley, Nuclear Engineering, 4169 Etcheverry Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Vogel, S.C. [Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, PO Box 1663, NM (United States); Baluc, N. [Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Association Euratom-Confédération Suisse, Villigen PSI 5232 (Switzerland)

    2014-08-01

    Various thermo-mechanical treatments were applied to refine and homogenise grain size and improve mechanical properties of hot-isostatically pressed (HIP) 14%Cr ODS ferritic steel. The grain size was reduced, improving mechanical properties, tensile strength and Charpy impact, however bimodal-like distribution was also observed. As a result, larger, frequently elongated grains with size above 1 μm and refined, equiaxed grains with a diameter ranging from 250 to 500 nm. Neutron diffraction measurements revealed that for HIP followed by hydrostatic extrusion material the strongest fiber texture was observed oriented parallel to the extrusion direction. In comparison with hot rolling and hot pressing methods, this material exhibited promising mechanical properties: the ultimate tensile strength of 1350 MPa, yield strength of 1280 MPa, total elongation of 21.7% and Charpy impact energy of 5.8 J. Inferior Charpy impact energy of ∼3.0 J was measured for HIP and hot rolled material, emphasising that parameters of this manufacturing process still have to be optimised. As an alternative manufacturing route, due to the uniform microstructure and simplicity of the process, hot pressing might be a promising method for production of smaller parts of ODS ferritic steels. Besides, the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of all thermo-mechanically treated materials, in comparison with as-HIPped ODS steel, was improved by more than 50%, the transition temperature ranging from 50 to 70 °C (323 and 343 K) remains still unsatisfactory.

  1. Strain rate dependent environmental cracking of ferritic steels in high temperature water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tice, D.R.

    1989-01-01

    Corrosion fatigue crack growth testing demonstrates that a pre-existing defect which might be inadvertently present in the wall of a thick walled component such as the main reactor pressure vessel would not grow in service under transient loading to reach a critical size which would threaten vessel integrity. Steady load stress corrosion has received renewed attention following publication of data showing that stress corrosion cracking can occur in high temperature aqueous environments. Evidence shows that stress corrosion cracking cannot occur in normal pressurized water reactor (PWR) operating conditions. Environmental cracking of ferritic steels in high temperature aqueous environments is influenced by a range of material and environmental variables, amongst the most important being dissolved oxygen (or other oxidants) in the water, water purity and the sulphur content of the steel

  2. Three-dimensional characterization of ODS ferritic steel using by FIB-SEM serial sectioning method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endo, T; Sugino, Y; Ohono, N; Ukai, S; Miyazaki, N; Wang, Y; Ohnuki, S

    2014-11-01

    Considerable attention has been paid to the research of the electron tomography due to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of materials [1]. One of the electron tomography techniques, focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) imaging has advantages of high resolutions (10 nm), large area observation (μm order) and simultaneous energy dispersive x- ray microanalysis (EDS)/ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. The purpose of this study, three-dimensional EBSD analysis of ODS ferritic steel which carried out cold work using FIB-SEM equipment was conducted, and it aimed at analyzing the microstructure obtained there. The zone annealing tests were conducted for ferritic steel [2,3], which were produced through mechanical alloying and hot-extrusion. After zone annealing, specimens were mechanically polished with #400∼4000 emery paper, 1 µm diamond paste and alumina colloidal silica. The serial sectioning and the 3D-electron backscattering diffraction (3D-EBSD) analysis were carried out. We made the micro pillar (30 x 30 x 15 µm). The EBSD measurements were carried out in each layer after serial sectioning at a step size and milling depth was 80 nm with 30 slices. After EBSD analysis, the series of cross-sectional images were aligned according to arbitrarily specified areas and then stacked up to form a volume. Consequently, we obtained the 3D-IPF maps for ODS ferritic steel. In this specimen, the {111} and {001} grains are layered by turns. In addition, the volume fraction value of both plane are similar. The aspect ratio increases with specimen depth. The 3D-EBSD mapping is useful to analysis of the bulk material since this method obtain many microstructure information, such a shape, volume and orientation of the crystal, grain boundary. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Thermal and mechanical behaviour of the reduced-activation-ferritic-martensitic steel EUROFER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindau, R.; Moeslang, A.; Schirra, M.

    2002-01-01

    Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are being considered for structural application in potential fusion energy systems. Based on the substantial experience with RAFM developmental steels of OPTIFER type, an industrial 3.5 tons batch of a 9CrWVTa-RAFM steel, called EUROFER 97 had been specified and ordered. A characterisation programme has been launched to determine the relevant mechanical and physical-metallurgical properties in order to qualify the steel for fusion application. The hardening, tempering and transformation behaviour of EUROFER is in good agreement with that of other RAFM-steels like OPTIFER and the Japanese industrial scale heat F82H mod. Tensile tests, performed between RT and 750 deg. C, show comparable strength and ductility values that are not strongly affected by different heat treatments and ageing at 580 and 600 deg. C up to 3300 h. Impact bending tests indicate a superior ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of EUROFER in the as-received condition compared with that of F82H mod. Creep tests between 450 and 650 deg. C up to test times of 15000 h reveal a creep strength similar to other RAFM steels like OPTIFER and F82H mod. EUROFER shows a good low-cycle fatigue behaviour with longer lifetimes than F82H mod. The deformation and softening behaviour is similar

  4. Study of corrosion resistance of AISI 444 ferritic stainless steel for application as a biomaterial

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marques, Rogerio Albuquerque

    2014-01-01

    Ferritic stainless steels are ferromagnetic materials. This property does not allow their use in orthopedic prosthesis. Nevertheless, in some specific applications, this characteristic is very useful, such as, for fixing dental and facial prostheses by using magnetic attachments. In this study, the corrosion resistance and cytotoxicity of the AISI 444 ferritic stainless steel, with low nickel content, extra-low interstitial levels (C and N) and Ti and Nb stabilizers, were investigated for magnetic dental attachments application. The ISO 5832-1 (ASTM F-139) austenitic stainless steel and a commercial universal keeper for dental attachment (Neo-magnet System) were evaluated for comparison reasons. The first stainless steel is the most used metallic material for prostheses, and the second one, is a ferromagnetic keeper for dental prostheses (NeoM). In vitro cytotoxicity analysis was performed by the red neutral incorporation method. The results showed that the AISI 444 stainless steel is non cytotoxic. The corrosion resistance was studied by anodic polarization methods and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), in a saline phosphate buffered solution (PBS) at 37 °C. The electronic properties of the passive film formed on AISI 444 SS were evaluated by the Mott-Schottky approach. All tested materials showed passivity in the PBS medium and the passive oxide film presented a duplex nature. The highest susceptibility to pitting corrosion was associated to the NeoM SS. This steel was also associated to the highest dopant concentration. The comparatively low levels of chromium (nearly 12.5%) and molybdenum (0.3%) of NeoM relatively to the other studied stainless steels are the probable cause of its lower corrosion resistance. The NeoM chemical composition does not match that of the SUS444 standards. The AISI 444 SS pitting resistance was equivalent to the ISO 5832-1 pointing out that it is a potential candidate for replacement of commercial ferromagnetic alloys used

  5. Optimum alloy compositions in reduced-activation martensitic 9Cr steels for fusion reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, F.; Noda, T.; Okada, M.

    1992-01-01

    In order to obtain potential reduced-activation ferritic steels suitable for fusion reactor structures, the effect of alloying elements W and V on the microstructural evolution, toughness, high-temperature creep and irradiation hardening behavior was investigated for simple 9Cr-W and 9Cr-V steels. The creep strength of the 9Cr-W steels increased but their toughness decreased with increasing W concentration. The 9Cr-V steels exhibited poor creep rupture strength, far below that of a conventional 9Cr-1MoVNb steel and poor toughness after aging at 873 K. It was also found that the Δ-ferrite should be avoided, because it degraded both the roughness and high-temperature creep strength. Based on the results on the simple steels, optimized martensitic 9Cr steels were alloy-designed from a standpoint of enough thoughness and high-temperature creep strength. Two kinds of optimized 9Cr steels with low and high levels of W were obtained; 9Cr-1WVTa and 9Cr-3WVTa. These steels indeed exhibited excellent toughness and creep strength, respectively. The 9Cr-1WVTa steel exhibiting an excellent roughness was shown to be the most promising for relatively low-temperature application below 500deg C, where irradiation embrittlement is significant. The 9Cr-3WVTa steel was the most promising for high temperature application above 500deg C from the standpoint of enough high-temperature strength. (orig.)

  6. Comparison of high temperature steam oxidation behavior of Zircaloy-4 versus austenitic and ferritic steels under light water reactor safety aspects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leistikow, S.; Schanz, G.; Zurek, Z.

    1985-12-01

    A comparative study of the oxidation behavior of Zy-4 versus steel No. 1.4914 and steel No. 1.4970 was performed in high temperature steam. Reactor typical tube sections of all three materials were exposed on both sides to superheated steam at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1300 0 C for up to 6 h. The specimens were evaluated by gravimetry, metallography, and other methods. The results are presented in terms of weight gain, corresponding metal (wall) penetration and consumption as function of time and temperature. Concerning the corrosion resistance the ranking position of Zy-4 was between the austenitic and the ferritic steel. Because of the chosen wall dimensions Zy-4 and the austenitic steel behaved similarly in that the faster oxidation of the thicker Zy-4 cladding consumed the total wall thickness in a time equivalent to the slower oxidation of the thinner austenitic steel cladding. The ferritic steel cladding however was faster consumed because of the lower oxidation resistance and the thinner wall thickness compared to the austenitic steel. So besides oxide scale formation, oxygen diffusion into the bulk of the metal forming various oxygen-containing phases were evaluated - also in respect to their influence on mechanical cladding properties and the dimensional changes. (orig./HP) [de

  7. Proceedings of the international conference on irradiation behaviour of metallic materials for fast reactor core components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poirier, J.; Dupouy, J.M.

    In this conference are presented papers dealing with swelling of metals and alloys, (and specially ferritic steels), structural evolution and stability under irradiation, modifications of mechanical properties, consequences on the behaviour of fuel elements and the optimization of materials selection, and irradiation creep [fr

  8. Development of filler wires for welding of reduced activation ferritic martenstic steel for India's test blanket module of ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srinivasan, G.; Arivazhagan, B.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Weld microstructure produced by RAFMS filler wires are free from delta ferrite. → Cooling rates of by weld thermal cycles influences the presence of delta ferrite. → Weld parameters modified with higher pre heat temperature and high heat input. → PWHT optimized based on correlation of hardness between base and weld metals. → Optimised mechanical properties achieved by proper tempering of the martensite. - Abstract: Indigenous development of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel (RAFMS) has become mandatory to India to participate in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme. Optimisation of RAFMS is in an advanced stage for the fabrication of test blanket module (TBM) components. Simultaneously, development of RAFMS filler wires has been undertaken since there is no commercial filler wires are available for fabrication of components using RAFMS. Purpose of this study is to develop filler wires that can be directly used for both tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) and narrow gap tungsten inert gas welding (NG-TIG), which reduces the deposited weld metal volume and heat affected zone (HAZ) width. Further, the filler wires would also be used for hybrid laser welding for thick section joints. In view of meeting all the requirements, a detailed specification was prepared for the development of filler wires for welding of RAFM steel. Meanwhile, autogenous welding trials have been carried out on 2.5 mm thick plates of the RAFM steel using TIG process at various heat inputs with a preheat temperature of 250 deg. C followed by various post weld heat treatments (PWHT). The microstructure of the weld metal in most of the cases showed the presence of some delta-ferrite. Filler wires as per specifications have also been developed with minor variations on the chemistry against the specified values. Welding parameters and PWHT parameters were optimised to qualify the filler wires without the presence of delta-ferrite in

  9. Effect of Austenitic and Austeno-Ferritic Electrodes on 2205 Duplex and 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel Dissimilar Welds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Jagesvar; Taiwade, Ravindra V.

    2016-11-01

    This study addresses the effect of different types of austenitic and austeno-ferritic electrodes (E309L, E309LMo and E2209) on the relationship between weldability, microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of shielded metal arc welded duplex/austenitic (2205/316L) stainless steel dissimilar joints using the combined techniques of optical, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectrometer and electrochemical. The results indicated that the change in electrode composition led to microstructural variations in the welds with the development of different complex phases such as vermicular ferrite, lathy ferrite, widmanstatten and intragranular austenite. Mechanical properties of welded joints were diverged based on compositions and solidification modes; it was observed that ferritic mode solidified weld dominated property wise. However, the pitting corrosion resistance of all welds showed different behavior in chloride solution; moreover, weld with E2209 was superior, whereas E309L exhibited lower resistance. Higher degree of sensitization was observed in E2209 weld, while lesser in E309L weld. Optimum ferrite content was achieved in all welds.

  10. Plasma spot welding of ferritic stainless steels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lešnjak, A.

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available Plasma spot welding of ferritic stainless steels is studied. The study was focused on welding parameters, plasma and shielding gases and the optimum welding equipment. Plasma-spot welded overlap joints on a 0.8 mm thick ferritic stainless steel sheet were subjected to a visual examination and mechanical testing in terms of tension-shear strength. Several macro specimens were prepared. Plasma spot welding is suitable to use the same gas as shielding gas and as plasma gas, i.e., a 98 % Ar/2 % H 2 gas mixture. Tension-shear strength of plasma-spot welded joints was compared to that of resistance-spot welded joints. It was found that the resistance welded joints withstand a somewhat stronger load than the plasma welded joints due to a larger weld spot diameter of the former. Strength of both types of welded joints is approximately the same.

    El artículo describe el proceso de soldeo de aceros inoxidables ferríticos por puntos con plasma. La investigación se centró en el establecimiento de los parámetros óptimos de la soldadura, la definición del gas de plasma y de protección más adecuado, así como del equipo óptimo para la realización de la soldadura. Las uniones de láminas de aceros inoxidables ferríticos de 0,8 mm de espesor, soldadas a solape por puntos con plasma, se inspeccionaron visualmente y se ensayaron mecánicamente mediante el ensayo de cizalladura por tracción. Se realizaron macro pulidos. Los resultados de la investigación demostraron que la solución más adecuada para el soldeo por puntos con plasma es elegir el mismo gas de plasma que de protección. Es decir, una mezcla de 98 % de argón y 2 % de hidrógeno. La resistencia a la cizalladura por tracción de las uniones soldadas por puntos con plasma fue comparada con la resistencia de las uniones soldadas por resistencia por puntos. Se llegó a la conclusión de que las uniones soldadas por resistencia soportan una carga algo mayor que la uniones

  11. Quantitative analysis of tensile deformation behavior by in-situ neutron diffraction for ferrite-martensite type dual-phase steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morooka, Satoshi; Umezawa, Osamu; Harjo, Stefanus; Hasegawa, Kohei; Toji, Yuki

    2012-01-01

    The yielding and work-hardening behavior of ferrite-martensite type dual-phase (DP) alloys were clearly analyzed using the in-situ neutron diffraction technique. We successfully established a new method to estimate the stress and strain partitioning between ferrite and martensite phase during loading. Although these phases exhibit the same lattice structure with similar lattice parameters, their lattice strains on (110), (200) and (211) are obviously different from each other under an applied stress. The misfit strains between those phases were clearly accompanied with the phase-scaled internal stream (phase stress). Thus, the martensite phase yielded by higher applied stress than macro-yield stress, which resulted in high work-hardening rate of the DP steel. We also demonstrated that ferrite phase fraction influenced work-hardening behavior. (author)

  12. Microstructural characterization of weld joints of 9Cr reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel fabricated by different joining methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas Paul, V.; Saroja, S.; Albert, S.K.; Jayakumar, T.; Rajendra Kumar, E., E-mail: vtp@igcar.gov.in

    2014-10-15

    This paper presents a detailed electron microscopy study on the microstructure of various regions of weldment fabricated by three welding methods namely tungsten inert gas welding, electron beam welding and laser beam welding in an indigenously developed 9Cr reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel. Electron back scatter diffraction studies showed a random micro-texture in all the three welds. Microstructural changes during thermal exposures were studied and corroborated with hardness and optimized conditions for the post weld heat treatment have been identified for this steel. Hollomon–Jaffe parameter has been used to estimate the extent of tempering. The activation energy for the tempering process has been evaluated and found to be corresponding to interstitial diffusion of carbon in ferrite matrix. The type and microchemistry of secondary phases in different regions of the weldment have been identified by analytical transmission electron microscopy. - Highlights: • Comparison of microstructural parameters in TIG, electron beam and laser welds of RAFM steel • EBSD studies to illustrate the absence of preferred orientation and identification of prior austenite grain size using phase identification map • Optimization of PWHT conditions for indigenous RAFM steel • Study of kinetics of tempering and estimation of apparent activation energy of the process.

  13. The Influence of the Induced Ferrite and Precipitates of Ti-bearing Steel on the Ductility of Continuous Casting Slab

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Guoyu; Cheng, Guoguang; Hou, Zibing

    2015-11-01

    In order to investigate the loss of the ductility of Ti-bearing ship plate steel under 1000 °C, where the ductility begins to reduce rapidly, so the hot ductility of Ti-bearing ship plate steel has been obtained using the Gleeble 1500 thermal-mechanical simulator and also the studies about the effect of grain boundary ferrite films and precipitates containing Ti on the ductility has been carried out. The result showed that the TiN particles precipitating at 950 °C with a larger size and smaller volume fraction cannot effectively suppress the occurrence of recrystallization and the ductility still retains at a high level, although R.A. value presents a certain degree of decline compared with 1000 °C. A large number of smaller Ti(C,N) particles precipitate at 900 °C and can induce the formation of a very small amount of fine grain boundary ferrite, which deteriorates the adhesion strength of the grain boundary, so the R.A. value rapidly reduces to less than 50%. When the temperature falls to close Ae3 (827 °C), the amount of the grain boundary ferrite films increase due to the ferrite phase transformation, but the ferrite film thickness becomes more uneven at the same time, which results in the increase of strain concentration and plays a leading role in causing the decrease of ductility, so the R.A. value has been kept less than 40% as the temperature cooling to 800 °C from 850 °C. When the temperature further decreases, the ductility starts to recover due to the increase of average ferrite film thickness to a greater degree which greatly reduces the strain concentration of the grain boundary.

  14. Defects investigation in neutron irradiated reactor steels by positron annihilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slugen, V.

    2003-01-01

    Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) based on positron lifetime measurements using the Pulsed Low Energy Positron System (PLEPS) was applied to the investigation of defects of irradiated and thermally treated reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. PLEPS results showed that the changes in microstructure of the RPV-steel properties caused by neutron irradiation and post-irradiation heat treatment can be well detected. From the lifetime measurements in the near-surface region (20-550 nm) the defect density in Russian types of RPV-steels was calculated using the diffusion trapping model. The post-irradiation heat treatment studies performed on non-irradiated specimens are also presented. (author)

  15. Technical issues of fabrication technologies of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Sakasegawa, Hideo; Hirose, Takanori

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The key technical issues of RAFM steel fabrication are the control of Ta, and deoxidation of the steel with a limited amount of Al addition. • Addition of Ta with poor deoxidation might results in the agglomeration of inclusions at 1/2t position. • ESR was proved to be effective removing Ta oxide inclusions and avoiding agglomeration of inclusions at 1/2t position, and achieving low oxygen concentration. -- Abstract: The key issue for DEMO application is that Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels fabrication technologies has to be highly assured, especially with respect to high availability, reliability and reduced activation capability on the DEMO level fabrication, which requires not a few tons but thousand tons RAFM fabrication. One of the key technical issues of RAFM fabrication is the control of Ta, and deoxidation of the steel with a limited amount of Al addition. The series of F82H (Fe–8Cr–2W–V, Ta) melting revealed that Ta have tendency to form oxide on melting process, and this will have large impact on reliability of the steels. Al is also the key elements, as it is commonly used for deoxidation of steels, and achieving lower oxygen level is essential to obtain good mechanical properties, but the maximum concentration of Al is limited in view of reduced activation capability. These tendency and limitation resulted in the Ta oxide agglomeration in the middle of plate, but the remelting process, ESR (electro slag remelting), was found to be successful on removing those Ta oxides

  16. Irradiation enhanced diffusion and irradiation creep tests in stainless steel alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loelgen, R.H.; Cundy, M.R.; Schuele, W.

    1977-01-01

    A review is given of investigations on the rate of phase changes during neutron and electron irradiation in many different fcc alloys showing either precipitation or ordering. The diffusion rate was determined as a function of the irradiation flux, the irradiation temperature and the irradiation dose. It was found that the radiation enhanced diffusion in all the investigated alloys is nearly temperature independent and linearly dependent on the flux. From these results conclusions were drawn concerning the properties of point defects and diffusion mechanisms rate determining during irradiation, which appears to be of a common nature for fcc alloys having a similar structure to those investigated. It has been recognized that the same dependencies which are found for the diffusion rate were also observed for the irradiation creep rate in stainless steels, as reported in literature. On the basis of this observation a combination of measurements is suggested, of radiation enhanced diffusion and radiation enhanced creep in stainless steel alloys. The diffusion tests will be performed at the Euratom Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, and the irradiation creep tests will be carried out in the High Flux Reactor /9/ of the Euratom Joint Research Centre in Petten, The Netherlands. In order to investigate irradiation creep on many samples at a time two special rigs were developed which are distinguished only by the mode of stress applied to the steel specimens. In the first type of rig about 50 samples can be tested uniaxially under tension with various combinations of irradiation temperature and stress. The second type of rig holds up to 70 samples which are tested in bending, again with various combinations of irradiation temperature and stress

  17. Deformation-Induced Dissolution and Precipitation of Nitrides in Austenite and Ferrite of a High-Nitrogen Stainless Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabashov, V. A.; Makarov, A. V.; Kozlov, K. A.; Sagaradze, V. V.; Zamatovskii, A. E.; Volkova, E. G.; Luchko, S. N.

    2018-02-01

    Methods of Mössbauer spectroscopy and electron microscopy have been used to study the effect of the severe plastic deformation by high pressure torsion in Bridgman anvils on the dissolution and precipitation of chromium nitrides in the austenitic and ferritic structure of an Fe71.2Cr22.7Mn1.3N4.8 high-nitrogen steel. It has been found that an alternative process of dynamic aging with the formation of secondary nitrides affects the kinetics of the dissolution of chromium nitrides. The dynamic aging of ferrite is activated with an increase in the deformation temperature from 80 to 573 K.

  18. It was the demonstration of industrial steel production capacity ferritic-martensitic Spanish ASTURFER scale demand ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coto, R.; Serrano, M.; Moran, A.; Rodriguez, D.; Artimez, J. A.; Belzunce, J.; Sedano, L.

    2013-01-01

    Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) structural steels are considered as candidate materials with notable possibilities to be incorporated to fusion reactor ITER, nowadays under construction, and future fusion reactor DEMO, involving a notable forecasting of supply materials, with a considerable limitation due to the few number of furnishes currently on the market. The manufacture at an industrial scale of the ASTURFER steel, developed at laboratory scale by ITMA Materials Technology and the Structural Materials Division of the Technology Division of CIEMAT would be a significant business opportunity for steelwork companies.

  19. Changing in tool steels wear resistance under electron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braginskaya, A.E.; Manin, V.N.; Makedonskij, A.V.; Mel'nikova, N.A.; Pakchanin, L.M.; Petrenko, P.V.

    1983-01-01

    The tool steels and alloys wear resistance under dry friction after electron irradiation has been studied. Electron irradiation of a wide variety of steels is shown to increase wear resistance. In this case phase composition and lattice parameters changes are observed both in matrix and carbides. The conclusion is drawn that an appreciable increase of steel wear resistance under electron irradiation can be explained both by carbide phase volume gain and changes in it's composition and the formation of carbide phase submicroscopic heterogeneities and, possibly, complexes of defects

  20. Standard test method for determination of reference temperature, to, for ferritic steels in the transition range

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2011-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers the determination of a reference temperature, To, which characterizes the fracture toughness of ferritic steels that experience onset of cleavage cracking at elastic, or elastic-plastic KJc instabilities, or both. The specific types of ferritic steels (3.2.1) covered are those with yield strengths ranging from 275 to 825 MPa (40 to 120 ksi) and weld metals, after stress-relief annealing, that have 10 % or less strength mismatch relative to that of the base metal. 1.2 The specimens covered are fatigue precracked single-edge notched bend bars, SE(B), and standard or disk-shaped compact tension specimens, C(T) or DC(T). A range of specimen sizes with proportional dimensions is recommended. The dimension on which the proportionality is based is specimen thickness. 1.3 Median KJc values tend to vary with the specimen type at a given test temperature, presumably due to constraint differences among the allowable test specimens in 1.2. The degree of KJc variability among specimen types i...

  1. Effect of milling variables on powder character and sintering behaviour of 434L ferritic stainless steel-Al2O3 composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukherjee, S.K.; Upadhyaya, G.S.

    1985-01-01

    Ball milling of ferritic stainless steel-4 vol% Al 2 O 3 powder was carried out for the duration up to 222 ks. Attritor milling of ferritic stainless steel-6 vol% Al 2 O 3 were also carried out for the duration up to 32.4 ks. The characterization of the milled powders were performed. The sintering of ball milled powders was carried out at 1623 K for 10.8 ks in hydrogen. The premix of as received stainless steel powder and the attritor milled powder was also sintered at 1623 K for 3.6 ks in hydrogen. The results showed that an optimum ball milling period in between 58 and 173 ks was required to achieve better sintered properties. The attritor milling was more effective in grinding the powders as compared to ball milling, and the sinterability was also higher for such powders. (author)

  2. Alloy development for irradiation performance. Quarterly progress report for period ending December 31, 1980

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-04-01

    Progress is reported in eight sections: analysis and evaluation studies, test matrices and test methods development, Path A Alloy Development (austenitic stainless steels), Path C Alloy Development (Ti and V alloys), Path D Alloy Development (Fe alloys), Path E Alloy Development (ferritic steels), irradiation experiments and materials inventory, and materials compatibility and hydrogen permeation studies

  3. Effect of Ti content on grain size and mechanical properties of UNS S44100 ferritic stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Y. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Mao, W.M., E-mail: weiminmao@263.net [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Chen, Y.J. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Jing, J.; Cheng, M. [Taizhou Xinyu Precision Manufacture Company Limited, Jiangyan 225500, Jiangsu (China)

    2016-11-20

    The effect of Ti contents between 0.10 and 0.50 wt% on the grain size and mechanical properties of UNS S44100 ferritic stainless steel produced by investment casting was investigated. The mechanical properties were related to tensile strength and elongation. The average grain sizes of the as-cast specimens decreased obviously with increasing Ti content due to the increasing number of (Ti,Nb)(C,N) precipitates, with sizes of 2.0–4.0 µm, acting as the nuclei for heterogeneous nucleation. The average sizes of TiN clusters in steels 2 and 3 were 3.6 and 7.0 µm, respectively, whereas no TiN clusters were discovered in steel 1 with 0.13 wt% Ti. The experimental results were in good agreement with the thermodynamic analysis of TiN formation. The precipitation temperature of TiN showed a rising trend with increasing Ti content, which implies that larger TiN clusters are more likely to be induced with Ti contents greater than 0.30 wt%. Some as-cast specimens were normalized at 850 °C for 2 h in order to improve the mechanical properties. In addition, the morphology of the TiN clusters, which caused a sharply decline in the mechanical properties of the as-cast specimens with increasing Ti content, showed no change after normalizing. The tensile strengths of the normalized specimens in the three steels increased to different degrees and the improvement of elongation in steel 1 was remarkable. The comparatively rational Ti content of UNS S44100 ferritic stainless steel for meeting the requirements of investment casting production is between 0.10 and 0.20 wt%.

  4. Saturation behavior of irradiation hardening in F82H irradiated in the HFIR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirose, T. [Blanket Engineering Group, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka, Ibaraki (Japan); Shiba, K.; Tanigawa, H.; Ando, M. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Klueh, R.L. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN (United States); Stoller, R. [ORNL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Div., Oak Ridge, AK TN (United States)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Post irradiation tensile tests on reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel, F82H have been conducted over the past two decades using Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) of JAEA, and Fast Flux Testing Facility (FFTF) of PNNL and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) of ORNL, USA, under Japan/US collaboration programs. According to these results, F82H does not demonstrate irradiation hardening above 673 K up to 60 dpa. The current study has been concentrated on hardening behavior at temperature around 573 K. A series of low temperature irradiation experiment has been conducted at the HFIR under the international collaborative research between JAEA/US-DOE. In this collaboration, the irradiation condition is precisely controlled by the well matured capsule designing and instrumentation. This paper summarizes recent results of the irradiation experiments focused on F82H and its modified steels compared with the irradiation properties database on F82H. Post irradiation tensile tests have been conducted on the F82H and its modified steels irradiated at 573 K and the dose level was up to 25 dpa. According to these results, irradiation hardening of F82H is saturated by 9 dpa and the as-irradiated 0.2 % proof stress is less than 1 GPa at ambient temperature. The deterioration of total elongation was also saturated by 9 dpa irradiation. The ductility of some modified steels which showed larger total elongation than that of F82H before irradiation become the same level as that of standard F82H steel after irradiation, even though its magnitude of irradiation hardening is smaller than that of F82H. This suggests that the more ductile steel demonstrates the more ductility loss at this temperature, regardless to the hardening level. The difference in ductility loss behavior between various tensile specimens will be discussed as the ductility could depend on the specimen dimension. (authors)

  5. Fatigue properties of X80 pipeline steels with ferrite/bainite dual-phase microstructure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Zuo-peng [Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science & Technology and College of Materials Science & Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Qiao, Gui-ying [Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science & Technology and College of Materials Science & Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Key Lab of Applied Chemistry of Hebei Province and School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Tang, Lei [Key Lab of Applied Chemistry of Hebei Province and School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Zhu, Hong-wei; Liao, Bo [Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science & Technology and College of Materials Science & Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Xiao, Fu-ren, E-mail: frxiao@ysu.edu.cn [Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science & Technology and College of Materials Science & Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China)

    2016-03-07

    Fatigue properties are important parameters for the safety design and security evaluation of gas transmission pipelines. In this work, the fatigue life at different stresses of full-thickness X80 pipeline steel plates with a ferrite/bainite dual-phase microstructure was investigated using a MTS servo-hydraulic universal testing machine; the fatigue crack propagation rate was examined with CT specimens by using an INSTRON 8874 testing machine. Results indicate that fatigue life increases as maximum stress decreases; as the maximum stress decreases to the maximum operating stress (440 MPa), the fatigue life is approximately 4.2×10{sup 5} cycles. The fatigue crack of the full-thickness fatigue life specimens is generated at the surface of rolled steel plates and then the crack propagates and grows inward until a fracture is formed. During fatigue crack growth, a transitional turning point appears in the curve of da/dN with ΔK in the Paris region. The transitional turning point that divides the Paris region to two stages is approximately ΔK≅30 MPa m{sup 1/2}. The change in the growth rate (da/dN) is related to the variation of the crack path and in the fracture mode because of the possible microstructural sensitivity of fatigue crack propagation behavior. This study also discussed the effect of duple phase ferrite/bainite microstructure on fatigue crack initiation and propagation.

  6. Fatigue properties of X80 pipeline steels with ferrite/bainite dual-phase microstructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Zuo-peng; Qiao, Gui-ying; Tang, Lei; Zhu, Hong-wei; Liao, Bo; Xiao, Fu-ren

    2016-01-01

    Fatigue properties are important parameters for the safety design and security evaluation of gas transmission pipelines. In this work, the fatigue life at different stresses of full-thickness X80 pipeline steel plates with a ferrite/bainite dual-phase microstructure was investigated using a MTS servo-hydraulic universal testing machine; the fatigue crack propagation rate was examined with CT specimens by using an INSTRON 8874 testing machine. Results indicate that fatigue life increases as maximum stress decreases; as the maximum stress decreases to the maximum operating stress (440 MPa), the fatigue life is approximately 4.2×10"5 cycles. The fatigue crack of the full-thickness fatigue life specimens is generated at the surface of rolled steel plates and then the crack propagates and grows inward until a fracture is formed. During fatigue crack growth, a transitional turning point appears in the curve of da/dN with ΔK in the Paris region. The transitional turning point that divides the Paris region to two stages is approximately ΔK≅30 MPa m"1"/"2. The change in the growth rate (da/dN) is related to the variation of the crack path and in the fracture mode because of the possible microstructural sensitivity of fatigue crack propagation behavior. This study also discussed the effect of duple phase ferrite/bainite microstructure on fatigue crack initiation and propagation.

  7. Effects of Mn partitioning on nanoscale precipitation and mechanical properties of ferritic steels strengthened by NiAl nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiao, Z.B.; Luan, J.H.; Miller, M.K.; Yu, C.Y.; Liu, C.T.

    2015-01-01

    The critical role of Mn partitioning in the formation of ordered NiAl nanoparticles in ferritic steels has been examined through a combination of atom probe tomography (APT) and thermodynamic and first-principles calculations. Our APT study reveals that Mn partitions to the NiAl nanoparticles, and dramatically increases the particle number density by more than an order of magnitude, leading to a threefold enhancement in strengthening. Atomistic structural analyses reveal that Mn is energetically favored to partition to the NiAl nanoparticles by preferentially occupying the Al sublattice, which not only increases the driving force, but also reduces the strain energy for nucleation, thereby significantly decreasing the critical energy for formation of the NiAl nanoparticles in ferritic steels. In addition, the effects of Mn on the precipitation strengthening mechanisms were quantitatively evaluated in terms of chemical strengthening, coherency strengthening, modulus strengthening and order strengthening

  8. Deformation mechanisms in ferritic/martensitic steels and the impact on mechanical design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghoniem, Nasr M.; Po, Giacomo; Sharafat, Shahram

    2013-01-01

    Structural steels for nuclear applications have undergone rapid development during the past few decades, thanks to a combination of trial-and-error, mechanism-based optimization, and multiscale modeling approaches. Deformation mechanisms are shown to be intimately related to mechanical design via dominant plastic deformation modes. Because mechanical design rules are mostly based on failure modes associated with plastic strain damage accumulation, we present here the fundamental deformation mechanisms for Ferritic/Martensitic (F/M) steels, and delineate their operational range of temperature and stress. The connection between deformation mechanisms, failure modes, and mechanical design is shown through application of design rules. A specific example is given for the alloy F82H utilized in the design of a Test Blanket Module (TBM) in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), where several constitutive equations are developed for design-related mechanical properties

  9. Deformation mechanisms in ferritic/martensitic steels and the impact on mechanical design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghoniem, Nasr M., E-mail: ghoniem@seas.ucla.edu; Po, Giacomo; Sharafat, Shahram

    2013-10-15

    Structural steels for nuclear applications have undergone rapid development during the past few decades, thanks to a combination of trial-and-error, mechanism-based optimization, and multiscale modeling approaches. Deformation mechanisms are shown to be intimately related to mechanical design via dominant plastic deformation modes. Because mechanical design rules are mostly based on failure modes associated with plastic strain damage accumulation, we present here the fundamental deformation mechanisms for Ferritic/Martensitic (F/M) steels, and delineate their operational range of temperature and stress. The connection between deformation mechanisms, failure modes, and mechanical design is shown through application of design rules. A specific example is given for the alloy F82H utilized in the design of a Test Blanket Module (TBM) in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), where several constitutive equations are developed for design-related mechanical properties.

  10. Applicability of the fracture toughness master curve to irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokolov, M.A.; McCabe, D.E.; Alexander, D.J.; Nanstad, R.K.

    1997-01-01

    The current methodology for determination of fracture toughness of irradiated reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels is based on the upward temperature shift of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) K Ic curve from either measurement of Charpy impact surveillance specimens or predictive calculations based on a database of Charpy impact tests from RPV surveillance programs. Currently, the provisions for determination of the upward temperature shift of the curve due to irradiation are based on the Charpy V-notch (CVN) 41-J shift, and the shape of the fracture toughness curve is assumed to not change as a consequence or irradiation. The ASME curve is a function of test temperature (T) normalized to a reference nit-ductility temperature, RT NDT , namely, T-RT NDT . That curve was constructed as the lower boundary to the available K Ic database and, therefore, does not consider probability matters. Moreover, to achieve valid fracture toughness data in the temperature range where the rate of fracture toughness increase with temperature is rapidly increasing, very large test specimens were needed to maintain plain-strain, linear-elastic conditions. Such large specimens are impractical for fracture toughness testing of each RPV steel, but the evolution of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics has led to the use of relatively small test specimens to achieve acceptable cleavage fracture toughness measurements, K Jc , in the transition temperature range. Accompanying this evolution is the employment of the Weibull distribution function to model the scatter of fracture toughness values in the transition range. Thus, a probabilistic-based bound for a given data population can be made. Further, it has been demonstrated by Wallin that the probabilistic-based estimates of median fracture toughness of ferritic steels tend to form transition curves of the same shape, the so-called ''master curve'', normalized to one common specimen size, namely the 1T [i.e., 1.0-in

  11. The development of EUROFER reduced activation steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schaaf, B. van der E-mail: vanderschaaf@nrg-nl.com; Tavassoli, F.; Fazio, C.; Rigal, E.; Diegele, E.; Lindau, R.; LeMarois, G

    2003-09-01

    Ferritic martensitic steels show limited swelling and susceptibility to helium effects and can be made with low activation chemical compositions. These properties make them the reference steel for the development of breeding blankets in fusion power plants. EUROFER97 is the European implementation of such a steel, where experience gained from an IEA co-operation with Japan and the US is also implemented. Results obtained so far show that EUROFER steel has attractive mechanical properties even after long ageing times. Compatibility tests in water and PbLi17 are in progress. Oxidised aluminium is the most effective protective layer in PbLi17. The displacement damage and helium formation strongly influence the hydrogen transport in the steel. Present experiments should be backed by tests in a more fusion relevant environment, e.g. IFMIF. The 2.5 dpa neutron irradiations at low temperatures result in a higher DBTT. High dose irradiations, up to 80 dpa, are underway. The early results of ODS grades with EUROFER steel composition show potential of these grades for increasing the operating temperature with 100-150 K.

  12. A correlative approach to segmenting phases and ferrite morphologies in transformation-induced plasticity steel using electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gazder, Azdiar A., E-mail: azdiar@uow.edu.au [Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); Al-Harbi, Fayez; Spanke, Hendrik Th. [School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522 (Australia); Mitchell, David R.G. [Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); Pereloma, Elena V. [Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522 (Australia)

    2014-12-15

    Using a combination of electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data, a segmentation procedure was developed to comprehensively distinguish austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite, ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths in a thermo-mechanically processed low-Si, high-Al transformation-induced plasticity steel. The efficacy of the ferrite morphologies segmentation procedure was verified by transmission electron microscopy. The variation in carbon content between the ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths was explained on the basis of carbon partitioning during their growth. - Highlights: • Multi-condition segmentation of austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite and ferrite in bainite. • Ferrites in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite segmented by variation in relative carbon counts. • Carbon partitioning during growth explains variation in carbon content of ferrites in bainites. • Developed EBSD image processing tools can be applied to the microstructures of a variety of alloys. • EBSD-based segmentation procedure verified by correlative TEM results.

  13. Heavy-section steel irradiation program summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corwin, W.R.; Nanstad, R.K.; Iskander, S.K.; Haggag, F.M.

    1992-01-01

    Since a failure of the RPV carries the potential of major contamination release and severe accident, it is imperative to safe reactor operation to understand and be able to accurately predict failure models of the vessel material. For this reason, the Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program has been established with its primary goal to provide a thorough, quantitative assessment of the effects of neutron irradiation on the material behavior, and in particular the fracture toughness properties, of typical pressure vessel steels as they relate to light-water RPVs. The program includes the direct continuation of irradiation studies previously conducted within the Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program augmented by enhanced examinations of the accompanying microstructural changes. Effects of specimen size, material chemistry, product form and microstructure, irradiation fluence, flux, temperature and spectrum, and postirradiation annealing are being examined on a wide range of fracture properties including fracture toughness (K Ic and J Ic ), crack-arrest toughness (K Ia ), ductile tearing resistance (dJ/da), Charpy V-notch impact energy, dropweight nil-ductility temperature (NDT), and tensile properties. Models based on observations of radiation-induced microstructural changes using field ion and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy provide a firmer basis for extrapolating the measured changes in fracture properties to wider ranges of irradiation conditions. The principal materials examined within the HSSI Program are highcopper welds since their postirradiation properties are most frequently limiting in the continued safe operation of commercial RPVs. In addition, a limited effort will focus on stainless steel weld overlay cladding, typical of that used on the inner surface of RPVs, since its postirradiation fracture properties have the potential for strongly affecting the extension of small surface flaws during overcooling transients. (orig./GL)

  14. Phase stability in thermally-aged CASS CF8 under heavy ion irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Meimei, E-mail: mli@anl.gov [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Miller, Michael K. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Chen, Wei-Ying [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)

    2015-07-15

    Highlights: • Thermally-aged CF8 was irradiated with 1 MeV Kr ions at 400 °C. • Atom probe tomography revealed a strong dose dependence of G-phase precipitates. • Phase separation of α and α′ in ferrite was reduced after irradiation. - Abstract: The stability of the microstructure of a cast austenitic stainless steel (CASS), before and after heavy ion irradiation, was investigated by atom probe tomography (APT). A CF8 ferrite–austenite duplex alloy was thermally aged at 400 °C for 10,000 h. After this treatment, APT revealed nanometer-sized G-phase precipitates and Fe-rich α and Cr-enriched α′ phase separated regions in the ferrite. The thermally-aged CF8 specimen was irradiated with 1 MeV Kr ions to a fluence of 1.88 × 10{sup 19} ions/m{sup 2} at 400 °C. After irradiation, APT analysis revealed a strong spatial/dose dependence of the G-phase precipitates and the α–α′ spinodal decomposition in the ferrite. For the G-phase precipitates, the number density increased and the mean size decreased with increasing dose, and the particle size distribution changed considerably under irradiation. The inverse coarsening process can be described by recoil resolution. The amplitude of the α–α′ spinodal decomposition in the ferrite was apparently reduced after heavy ion irradiation.

  15. Controlling the ductile to brittle transition in Fe–9%Cr ODS steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Di Martino, S.F., E-mail: s.f.di-martino@lboro.ac.uk; Riddle, N.B.; Faulkner, R.G.

    2013-11-15

    Probably the most important range of materials for consideration as the blanket material for the tokamak design for fusion reactors ITER and DEMO is the high alloy Fe–9Cr oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels. Ferritic steels possess exceptional thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion and are resistant to void swelling. Their main drawback is high ductile to brittle transition temperatures, particularly in the oxide dispersion strengthened versions. This paper describes attempts to reduce the DBTT in an un-irradiated ferritic steel by a novel heat treatment procedure. New batches of high alloy Fe–9Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (Eurofer) ferritic steel have been produced by a powder metallurgy route, and relatively homogeneous material has been produced by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). Mini-Charpy test specimens were made from materials which had been subjected to a matrix of heat treatments with varying solution treatment temperature (ST), cooling rate from the ST temperature, and tempering treatment. The initial DBTT was in the range of 150–200 °C (423–473 K). Downward shifts of up to approximately 200 °C (473 K) have been observed after solution treatment at 1300 °C (1573 K) followed by slow cooling. This paper describes the microstructure of this material, and discussion is made of the likely microstructural factors needed to produce these DBTT downward shifts.

  16. Effect of Zr addition on intergranular corrosion of low-chromium ferritic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jin Ho; Kim, Jeong Kil; Lee, Bong Ho; Seo, Hyung Suk; Kim, Kyoo Young

    2014-01-01

    Addition of Zr to low-Cr ferritic stainless steel forms a mixture of ZrC and Fe 23 Zr 6 precipitates that can prevent intergranular corrosion. Transmission electron microscopy and three-dimensional atom probe analysis suggest that the ZrC and Fe 23 Zr 6 mixture prevents intergranular corrosion in two ways: by acting as a strong carbide former to suppress the formation of Cr-carbide and by acting as a barrier against the diffusion of the solute Cr towards the grain boundary

  17. Mixed-mode I/III fracture toughness of a ferritic/martensitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Huaxin; Jones, R.H.; Gelles, D.S.; Hirth, J.P.

    1993-10-01

    The critical J-integrals of mode I (J IC ), mixed-mode I/III (J MC ), and mode III (J IIIC ) were examined for a ferritic stainless steel (F-82H) at ambient temperature. A determination of J MC was made using modified compact-tension specimens. Different ratios of tension/shear stress were achieved by varying the principal axis of the crack plane between 0 and 55 degrees from the load line. Results showed that J MC and tearing modulus (T M ) values varied with the crack angles and were lower than their mode I and mode III counterparts. Both the minimum J MC and T M values occurred at a crack angle between 40 and 50 degrees, where the load ratio of σ i /σ iii was 1.2 to 0.84. The J min was 240 Kj/M 2 , and ratios of J IC /J min and J IIIC /J min were 2.1 and 1.9, respectively. The morphology of fracture surfaces was consistent with the change of J MC and T M values. While the upper shelf-fracture toughness of F-82H depends on loading mode, the J min remains very high. Other important considerations include the effect of mixed-mode loading on the DBT temperature, and effects of hydrogen and irradiation on J min

  18. Previsions of the microstructural evolution of ferritic alloys under irradiation by numerical atomic scale simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ngayam Happy, R.

    2010-01-01

    In this work, we have improved a diffusion model for point defects (vacancies and self-interstitials) by introducing hetero-interstitials. The model has been used to simulate by Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) the formation of solute rich clusters that are observed experimentally in irradiated ferritic model alloys of type Fe - CuMnNiSiP - C.Electronic structure calculations have been used to characterize the interactions between self-interstitials and all solute atoms, and also carbon. P interacts with vacancies and strongly with self-interstitials. Mn also interacts with self-interstitials to form mixed dumbbells. C, with occupies octahedral sites, interacts strongly with vacancies and less with self-interstitials. Binding and migration energies, as well as others atomic scale properties, obtained by ab initio calculations, have been used as parameters for the KMC code. Firstly, these parameters have been optimized over isochronal annealing experiments, in the literature, of binary alloys that have been electron-irradiated. Isochronal annealing simulations, by reproducing experimental results, have allowed us to link each mechanism to a single evolution of the resistivity during annealing. Moreover, solubility limits of all the elements have been determined by Metropolis Monte Carlo. Secondly, we have simulated the evolution at 300 C of the microstructure under irradiation of different alloys of increasing complexity: pure Fe, binary alloys, ternaries, quaternaries, and finally complex alloys which compositions are close to those of pressure vessel steels. The results show that the model globally reproduces all the experimental tendencies, what has led us to propose mechanisms to explain the behaviours observed. (author)

  19. Alloy development for irradiation performance. Quarterly progress report for period ending December 31, 1980

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1981-04-01

    Progress is reported in eight sections: analysis and evaluation studies, test matrices and test methods development, Path A Alloy Development (austenitic stainless steels), Path C Alloy Development (Ti and V alloys), Path D Alloy Development (Fe alloys), Path E Alloy Development (ferritic steels), irradiation experiments and materials inventory, and materials compatibility and hydrogen permeation studies. (DLC)

  20. Irradiation and inhomogeneity effects on ductility and toughness of (ODS)-7 -13Cr steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preininger, D.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: The superimposed effect of irradiation defect and structural inhomogeneity formation on tensile ductility and dynamic toughness of ferritic-martensitic 7-13CrW(Mo)VTa(Nb) and oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS)-7-13CrWVTa(Ti)- RAFM steels has been examined by work hardening and local stress/strain-induced ductile fracture models. Structural inhomogeneities which strongly promoting plastic instability and localized flow might be formed by the applied fabrication process, high dose irradiation and additionally further during deformation by enhanced local dislocation generation around fine particles or due to slip band formation with localized heating at high impact strain rates ε'. The work hardening model takes into account superimposed dislocation multiplication from stored dislocations, dispersions and also grain boundaries as well as annihilation by cross-slip. Analytical relations have been deduced from the model describing uniform ductility and ductile upper shelf energy (USE) observed from Charpy-impact testes. Especially, the influence of different irradiation defects like atomic clusters, dislocation loops and coherent chromium-rich α'- precipitates have been considered together with effects from strain rate as well as irradiation (TI) and test temperature TT. Strengthening by clusters and more pronounced by dislocation loops formed at higher TI>250 deg. C reduces uniform ductility and also distinctly stronger dynamic toughness USE. A superimposed hardening by the α'- formation in higher Cr containing 9-13Cr steels strongly reduces toughness assisted by a combined grain-boundary embrittlement with reduction of the ductile fracture stress. But that improves work hardening and uniform ductility as observed particularly due to nano-scale Y 2 O 3 - dispersions in ODS-RAFM steels. For ODS- steels additionally the strength-induced reduction of toughness is diminished by a combined microstructural-induced increase of the ductile