Fracture toughness curve shift in low upper-shelf welds (series 8)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskander, S.K.; Nanstad, R.K.; Manneschmidt, E.T.

1995-01-01

This task examines the fracture toughness curve shifts and changes in shape for irradiated welds with low CVN upper-shelf energy (USE). The information developed under this task will augment information obtained from other HSSI tasks performed on two high-USE weldments under the Fifth and Sixth Irradiation Series and on a commercial, low USE under the Tenth Irradiation Series. The results will provide an expanded basis for accounting for irradiation-induced embrittlement in RPV materials. Three low-USE welds have been ordered from ABB-Combustion Engineering (ABB-CE), Chattanooga, Tennessee, and two of them have been delivered to ORNL. ABB-CE fabricated the welds for the Fifth and Sixth Series. Preliminary results of mechanical and chemical tests from these two welds are presented below. The Linde 80 flux was used for all three welds. One weld, Weld 1, was made with the 73W weld wire. Weld wire 73W had copper added to the melt to reduce the variations that are associated with copper-coated weld wire. The other two welds were fabricated with a commercially available copper-coated weld wire, L-TEC 44 heat 44112. One of these two welds, Weld 2, has a target copper level of 0.31 %. This copper level could not be attained using the copper-coated wire, and the coating will be stripped from the wire, which contains 0.07 % Cu. To attain the target copper level, supplemental copper will be added to the weld puddle using an ABB-CE proprietary process. This will slightly delay the delivery of weld 2, the expected delivery date is now the end of April 1995. Weld 3 was fabricated with the same heat of the L-TEC 44 copper-coated weld wire as weld 2, but with supplemental copper added to the weld puddle, which resulted in a weldment containing an average of 0.424 % Cu. The semiannual report for October 1993 through March 1994 discusses the reasons for the above choices of copper content and welding wire

Solid state impact welding of BMG and copper by vaporizing foil actuator welding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vivek, Anupam, E-mail: vivek.4@osu.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2041 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Presley, Michael [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2041 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Flores, Katharine M. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2041 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States); Hutchinson, Nicholas H.; Daehn, Glenn S. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2041 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)

2015-05-14

The objective of this study was to create impact welds between a Zr-based Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) and copper at a laboratory scale and subsequently investigate the relationship between interfacial structure and mechanical properties. Vaporizing Foil Actuator (VFA) has recently been demonstrated as a versatile tool for metalworking applications: impact welding of dissimilar materials being one of them. Its implementation for welding is termed as VFA Welding or VFAW. With 8 kJ input energy into an aluminum foil actuator, a 0.5 mm thick Cu110 alloy sheet was launched toward a BMG target resulting in an impact at a velocity of nearly 600 m/s. For this experiment, the welded interface was straight with a few BMG fragments embedded in the copper sheet in some regions. Hardness tests across the interface showed increase in strength on the copper side. Instrumented peel test resulted in failure in the parent copper sheet. A slower impact velocity during a separate experiment resulted in a weld, which had wavy regions along the interface and in peel failure again happened in the parent copper sheet. Some through-thickness cracks were observed in the BMG plate and there was some spall damage in the copper flyers. TEM electron diffraction on a sample, cut out from the wavy weld interface region using a focused ion beam, showed that devitrification of the BMG was completely avoided in this welding process.

Irradiation damage behavior of low alloy steel wrought and weld materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stofanak, R.J.; Poskie, T.J.; Li, Y.Y.; Wire, G.L.

1993-01-01

A study was undertaken to evaluate the irradiation damage response of several different types of low alloy steel: vintage type ASTM A302 Grade B (A302B) plates and welds containing different Ni and Cu concentrations, 3.5% Ni steels similar to ASTM A508 Class 4, welds containing about 1% Ni (similar to type 105S), and 3.5% Ni steels with ''superclean'' composition. All materials were irradiated at several different irradiation damage levels ranging from 0.0003 to 0.06 dpa at 232C (450F). Complete Charpy V-notch impact energy transition temperature curves were generated for all materials before and after irradiation to determine transition temperature at 4IJ (30 ft-lb) or 47J (35 ft-lb) and the upper shelf energy. Irradiation damage behavior was measured by shift in Charpy 41J or 47J transition temperature (ΔTT4 41J or ΔTT 47J ) and lowering of upper shelf Charpy energy at a given irradiation damage level. It was found that chemical composition greatly influenced irradiation damage behavior; highest irradiation damage (greatest ΔTT) was found in an A302B type weld containing 1.28% Ni and 0.20% Cu while the least damage was found in 3.5% Ni, 0.05% Cu, superclean wrought materials. Combination of Ni and Cu was found to affect irradiation damage behavior at higher irradiation damage levels in the A302B welds where the 1.28% Ni, 0.20% Cu weld showed more damage than a 0.60% Ni, 0.31% Cu weld. For the 3.5% Ni steels, fabrication influenced irradiation behavior in that a silicon (Si) killed material showed greater irradiation damage than a low silicon material. In general, the 3.5% Ni materials with low copper showed less irradiation damage than the A302B materials

Atom Probe Tomography Characterization of the Solute Distributions in a Neutron-Irradiated and Annealed Pressure Vessel Steel Weld

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, M.K.

2001-01-30

A combined atom probe tomography and atom probe field ion microscopy study has been performed on a submerged arc weld irradiated to high fluence in the Heavy-Section Steel irradiation (HSSI) fifth irradiation series (Weld 73W). The composition of this weld is Fe - 0.27 at. % Cu, 1.58% Mn, 0.57% Ni, 0.34% MO, 0.27% Cr, 0.58% Si, 0.003% V, 0.45% C, 0.009% P, and 0.009% S. The material was examined after five conditions: after a typical stress relief treatment of 40 h at 607 C, after neutron irradiation to a fluence of 2 x 10{sup 23} n m{sup {minus}2} (E > 1 MeV), and after irradiation and isothermal anneals of 0.5, 1, and 168 h at 454 C. This report describes the matrix composition and the size, composition, and number density of the ultrafine copper-enriched precipitates that formed under neutron irradiation and the change in these parameters with post-irradiation annealing treatments.

Interfacial microstructure and properties of copper clad steel produced using friction stir welding versus gas metal arc welding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Z.; Chen, Y. [Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo (Canada); Haghshenas, M., E-mail: mhaghshe@uwaterloo.ca [Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo (Canada); Nguyen, T. [Mechanical Systems Engineering, Conestoga College, Kitchener (Canada); Galloway, J. [Welding Engineering Technology, Conestoga College, Kitchener (Canada); Gerlich, A.P. [Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo (Canada)

2015-06-15

A preliminary study compares the feasibility and microstructures of pure copper claddings produced on a pressure vessel A516 Gr. 70 steel plate, using friction stir welding versus gas metal arc welding. A combination of optical and scanning electron microscopy is used to characterize the grain structures in both the copper cladding and heat affected zone in the steel near the fusion line. The friction stir welding technique produces copper cladding with a grain size of around 25 μm, and no evidence of liquid copper penetration into the steel. The gas metal arc welding of copper cladding exhibits grain sizes over 1 mm, and with surface microcracks as well as penetration of liquid copper up to 50 μm into the steel substrate. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that metallurgical bonding is produced in both processes. Increased diffusion of Mn and Si into the copper cladding occurs when using gas metal arc welding, although some nano-pores were detected in the FSW joint interface. - Highlights: • Cladding of steel with pure copper is possible using either FSW or GMAW. • The FSW yielded a finer grain structure in the copper, with no evidence of cracking. • The FSW joint contains some evidence of nano-pores at the interface of the steel/copper. • Copper cladding by GMAW contained surface cracks attributed to high thermal stresses. • The steel adjacent to the fusion line maintained a hardness value below 248 HV.

High-power CW and long-pulse lasers in the green wavelength regime for copper welding

Science.gov (United States)

Pricking, Sebastian; Huber, Rudolf; Klausmann, Konrad; Kaiser, Elke; Stolzenburg, Christian; Killi, Alexander

2016-03-01

We report on industrial high-power lasers in the green wavelength regime. By means of a thin disk oscillator and a resonator-internal nonlinear crystal for second harmonic generation we are able to extract up to 8 kW pulse power in the few-millisecond range at a wavelength of 515 nm with a duty cycle of 10%. Careful shaping and stabilization of the polarization and spectral properties leads to a high optical-to-optical efficiency larger than 55%. The beam parameter product is designed and measured to be below 5 mm·mrad which allows the transport by a fiber with a 100 μm core diameter. The fiber and beam guidance optics are adapted to the green wavelength, enabling low transmission losses and stable operation. Application tests show that this laser is perfectly suited for copper welding due to the superior absorption of the green wavelength compared to IR, which allows us to produce weld spots with an unprecedented reproducibility in diameter and welding depth. With an optimized set of parameters we could achieve a splatter-free welding process of copper, which is crucial for welding electronic components. Furthermore, the surface condition does not influence the welding process when the green wavelength is used, which allows to skip any expensive preprocessing steps like tin-coating. With minor changes we could operate the laser in cw mode and achieved up to 1.7 kW of cw power at 515 nm with a beam parameter product of 2.5 mm·mrad. These parameters make the laser perfectly suitable for additional applications such as selective laser melting of copper.

Weldability of AISI 304 to copper by friction welding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirik, Ihsan [Batman Univ. (Turkey); Balalan, Zulkuf [Firat Univ., Elazig (Turkey)

2013-06-01

Friction welding is a solid-state welding method, which can join different materials smoothly and is excessively used in manufacturing industry. Friction welding method is commonly used in welding applications of especially cylindrical components, pipes and materials with different properties, for which other welding methods remain incapable. AISI 304 stainless steel and a copper alloy of 99.6 % purity were used in this study. This couple was welded in the friction welding machine. After the welding process, samples were analyzed macroscopically and microscopically, and their microhardness was measured. Tensile test was used to determine the bond strength of materials that were joined using the friction welding method. At the end of the study, it was observed that AISI 304 stainless steel and copper could be welded smoothly using the friction welding method and the bond strength is close to the tensile strength of copper. (orig.)

Fiber Laser Welding Properties of Copper Materials for Secondary Batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young-Tae YOU

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Secondary battery is composed of four main elements: cathodes, anodes, membranes and electrolyte. The cathodes and the anodes are connected to the poles that allow input and output of the current generated while the battery is being charged or discharged. In this study laser welding is conducted for 40 sheets of pure copper material with thickness of 38μm, which are used in currently manufactured lithium-ion batteries, using pulse-wave fiber laser to compare welded joint to standard bolt joint and to determine optimum process parameters. The parameters, which has significant impact on penetration of the pulse waveform laser to the overlapped thin sheets, is the peak power while the size of the weld zone is mainly affected by the pulse irradiation time and the focal position. It is confirmed that overlapping rate is affected by the pulse repetition rate rather than by the pulse irradiation time. At the cross-section of the weld zone, even with the increased peak power, the width of the front bead weld size does not change significantly, but the cross-sectional area becomes larger. This is because the energy density per pulse increases as the peak power increases.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.4.16316

Corrosion resistance of copper canister weld material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gubner, Rolf; Andersson, Urban

2007-03-01

The proposed design for a final repository for spent fuel and other long-lived residues is based on the multi-barrier principle. The waste will be encapsulated in sealed cylindrical canisters, which will be placed in granite bedrock and surrounded by compacted bentonite clay. The canister design is based on a thick cast iron insert fitted inside a copper canister. SKB has since several years developed manufacturing processes for the canister components using a network of manufacturers. For the encapsulation process SKB has built the Canister Laboratory to demonstrate and develop the encapsulation technique in full scale. The critical part of the encapsulation of spent fuel is the sealing of the canister which is done by welding the copper lid to the cylindrical part of the canister. Two welding techniques have been developed in parallel, Electron Beam Welding (EBW) and Friction Stir Welding (FSW). During the past two decades, SKB has developed the technology EBW at The Welding Institute (TWI) in Cambridge, UK. The development work at the Canister Laboratory began in 1999. In electron beam welding, a gun is used to generate the electron beam which is aimed at the joint. The beam heats up the material to the melting point allowing a fusion weld to be formed. The gun was developed by TWI and has a unique design for use at reduced pressure. The system has gone through a number of improvements under the last couple of years including implementation of a beam oscillation system. However, during fabrication of the outer copper canisters there will be some unavoidable grain growth in the welded areas. As grains grow they will tend to concentrate impurities at the new grain boundaries that might pose adverse effects on the corrosion resistance of welds. As a new method for joining, SKB has been developing friction stir welding (FSW) for sealing copper canisters for spent nuclear fuel in cooperation with TWI since 1997. FSW was invented in 1991 at TWI and is a thermo

Corrosion resistance of copper canister weld material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gubner, Rolf; Andersson, Urban [Corrosion and Metals Research Institute, Sto ckholm (Sweden)

2007-03-15

The proposed design for a final repository for spent fuel and other long-lived residues is based on the multi-barrier principle. The waste will be encapsulated in sealed cylindrical canisters, which will be placed in granite bedrock and surrounded by compacted bentonite clay. The canister design is based on a thick cast iron insert fitted inside a copper canister. SKB has since several years developed manufacturing processes for the canister components using a network of manufacturers. For the encapsulation process SKB has built the Canister Laboratory to demonstrate and develop the encapsulation technique in full scale. The critical part of the encapsulation of spent fuel is the sealing of the canister which is done by welding the copper lid to the cylindrical part of the canister. Two welding techniques have been developed in parallel, Electron Beam Welding (EBW) and Friction Stir Welding (FSW). During the past two decades, SKB has developed the technology EBW at The Welding Institute (TWI) in Cambridge, UK. The development work at the Canister Laboratory began in 1999. In electron beam welding, a gun is used to generate the electron beam which is aimed at the joint. The beam heats up the material to the melting point allowing a fusion weld to be formed. The gun was developed by TWI and has a unique design for use at reduced pressure. The system has gone through a number of improvements under the last couple of years including implementation of a beam oscillation system. However, during fabrication of the outer copper canisters there will be some unavoidable grain growth in the welded areas. As grains grow they will tend to concentrate impurities at the new grain boundaries that might pose adverse effects on the corrosion resistance of welds. As a new method for joining, SKB has been developing friction stir welding (FSW) for sealing copper canisters for spent nuclear fuel in cooperation with TWI since 1997. FSW was invented in 1991 at TWI and is a thermo

Tensile Strength and Hardness Correlations with Microscopy in Friction welded Aluminium to Copper

Science.gov (United States)

Satish, Rengarajan; Seshagiri Rao, Vaddi; Ananthapadmanaban, Dattaguru; Ravi, Balappa

2016-01-01

Aluminium and copper are good conductors of heat and electricity, copper being the better conductor, is a costly metal indeed. On the other hand, aluminium is cheap, easily available and also has a lower density than copper. Hence, worldwide efforts are being made to partially replace copper wire. Solid state welding should be used to join aluminium to copper. This is because the use of fusion welding results in brittle phases formed in the weld interface. One of the solid state welding techniques used for joining aluminium to copper is friction welding. In this paper, an attempt has been made to join aluminium to copper by friction welding by varying the friction welding parameters, namely friction pressure, upset pressure, burn-off length and speed of rotation of the workpiece. Nine different friction welding parameter combinations were used during welding in accordance with ASTM standards and results have been reported. Tensile strength and hardness tests were carried out for each parameter combination. Optimum friction welding parameter combination was identified with respect to tensile strength. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Electron dispersive spectroanalysis were obtained to identify modes of fracture and presence of intermetallic phases for each friction welding combination with the aim to narrow down friction welding parameters that give good properties on the whole.

EB-welding of the copper canister for the nuclear waste disposal. Final report of the development programme 1994-1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aalto, H.

1998-10-01

During 1994-1997 Posiva Oy and Outokumpu Poricopper Oy had a joint project Development of EB-welding method for massive copper canister manufacturing. The project was part of the national technology program 'Weld 2000' and it was supported financially by Technology Development Centre (TEKES). The spent fuel from Finnish nuclear reactors is planned to be encapsulated in thick-walled copper canisters and placed deep into the bedrock. The thick copper layer of the canister provides a long time corrosion resistance and prevents deposited nuclear fuel from contact with water. The quality requirements of the copper components are high because of the designed long lifetime of the canister. The EB-welding technology has proved to be applicable method for the production of the copper canisters and the EB-welding technique is needed at least when the lids of the copper canister will be closed. There are a number of parameters in EB-welding which affect weldability. However, the effect of the welding parameters and their optimization has not been extensively studied in welding of thick copper sections using conventional high vacuum EB-welding. One aim of this development work was to extensively study effect of welding parameters on weld quality. The final objective was to minimise welding defects in the main weld and optimize slope out procedure in thick copper EB-welding. Welding of 50 mm thick copper sections was optimized using vertical and horizontal EB-welding techniques. As a result two full scale copper lids were welded to a short cylinder successfully. The resulting weld quality with optimised welding parameters was reasonable good. The optimised welding parameters for horizontal and vertical beam can be applied to the longitudinal body welds of the canister. The optimal slope out procedure for the lid closure needs some additional development work. In addition of extensive EB-welding program ultrasonic inspection and creep strength of the weld were studied. According

EB-welding of the copper canister for the nuclear waste disposal. Final report of the development programme 1994-1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aalto, H. [Outokumpu Oy Poricopper, Pori (Finland)

1998-10-01

During 1994-1997 Posiva Oy and Outokumpu Poricopper Oy had a joint project Development of EB-welding method for massive copper canister manufacturing. The project was part of the national technology program `Weld 2000` and it was supported financially by Technology Development Centre (TEKES). The spent fuel from Finnish nuclear reactors is planned to be encapsulated in thick-walled copper canisters and placed deep into the bedrock. The thick copper layer of the canister provides a long time corrosion resistance and prevents deposited nuclear fuel from contact with water. The quality requirements of the copper components are high because of the designed long lifetime of the canister. The EB-welding technology has proved to be applicable method for the production of the copper canisters and the EB-welding technique is needed at least when the lids of the copper canister will be closed. There are a number of parameters in EB-welding which affect weldability. However, the effect of the welding parameters and their optimization has not been extensively studied in welding of thick copper sections using conventional high vacuum EB-welding. One aim of this development work was to extensively study effect of welding parameters on weld quality. The final objective was to minimise welding defects in the main weld and optimize slope out procedure in thick copper EB-welding. Welding of 50 mm thick copper sections was optimized using vertical and horizontal EB-welding techniques. As a result two full scale copper lids were welded to a short cylinder successfully. The resulting weld quality with optimised welding parameters was reasonable good. The optimised welding parameters for horizontal and vertical beam can be applied to the longitudinal body welds of the canister. The optimal slope out procedure for the lid closure needs some additional development work. In addition of extensive EB-welding program ultrasonic inspection and creep strength of the weld were studied. According

Grain boundary corrosion of copper canister weld material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gubner, Rolf; Andersson, Urban; Linder, Mats; Nazarov, Andrej; Taxen, Claes

2006-01-01

The proposed design for a final repository for spent fuel and other long-lived residues in Sweden is based on the multi-barrier principle. The waste will be encapsulated in sealed cylindrical canisters, which will then be placed in granite bedrock and surrounded by compacted bentonite clay. The canister design is based on a thick cast inner container fitted inside a corrosion-resistant copper canister. During fabrication of the outer copper canisters there will be some unavoidable grain growth in the welded areas. As grains grow, they will tend to concentrate impurities within the copper at the new grain boundaries. The work described in this report was undertaken to determine whether there is any possibility of enhanced corrosion at grain boundaries within the copper canister, based on the recommendations of the report SKB-TR--01-09 (INIS ref. 32025363). Grain boundary corrosion of copper is not expected to be a problem for the copper canisters in a repository. However, as one step in the experimental verification it is necessary to study grain boundary corrosion of copper in an environment where it may occur. A literature study aimed to find one or several solutions that are aggressive with respect to grain boundary corrosion of copper. Copper specimens cut from welds of real copper canisters where exposed to aerated ammonium hydroxide solution for a period of 14 days at 80 degrees C and 10 bar pressure. The samples were investigated prior to exposure using the scanning Kelvin probe technique to characterize anodic and cathodic areas on the samples. The degree of corrosion was determined by optical microscopy. No grain boundary corrosion could be observed in the autoclave experiments, however, a higher rate of corrosion was observed for the weld material compared to the base material. The work suggests that grain boundary corrosion of copper weld material is most unlikely to adversely affect SKB's copper canisters under the conditions in the repository

Grain boundary corrosion of copper canister weld material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gubner, Rolf; Andersson, Urban; Linder, Mats; Nazarov, Andrej; Taxen, Claes [Corrosion and Metals Research Inst. (KIMAB), Stockholm (Sweden)

2006-01-15

The proposed design for a final repository for spent fuel and other long-lived residues in Sweden is based on the multi-barrier principle. The waste will be encapsulated in sealed cylindrical canisters, which will then be placed in granite bedrock and surrounded by compacted bentonite clay. The canister design is based on a thick cast inner container fitted inside a corrosion-resistant copper canister. During fabrication of the outer copper canisters there will be some unavoidable grain growth in the welded areas. As grains grow, they will tend to concentrate impurities within the copper at the new grain boundaries. The work described in this report was undertaken to determine whether there is any possibility of enhanced corrosion at grain boundaries within the copper canister, based on the recommendations of the report SKB-TR--01-09 (INIS ref. 32025363). Grain boundary corrosion of copper is not expected to be a problem for the copper canisters in a repository. However, as one step in the experimental verification it is necessary to study grain boundary corrosion of copper in an environment where it may occur. A literature study aimed to find one or several solutions that are aggressive with respect to grain boundary corrosion of copper. Copper specimens cut from welds of real copper canisters where exposed to aerated ammonium hydroxide solution for a period of 14 days at 80 degrees C and 10 bar pressure. The samples were investigated prior to exposure using the scanning Kelvin probe technique to characterize anodic and cathodic areas on the samples. The degree of corrosion was determined by optical microscopy. No grain boundary corrosion could be observed in the autoclave experiments, however, a higher rate of corrosion was observed for the weld material compared to the base material. The work suggests that grain boundary corrosion of copper weld material is most unlikely to adversely affect SKB's copper canisters under the conditions in the repository.

Radiation damage in a high Ni weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brumovsky, M.; Kytka, M.; Kopriva, R.

2015-01-01

WWER-1000 RPV weld metals are characterized by a high content of nickel, mostly about 1.7 mass % with content of manganese around 0.8 mass % with a very low copper content - about 0.05 mass %. In such material some late blooming phase effect should be observed during irradiation. Such typical weld material was irradiated in the experimental reactor LVR-15 in N RI Rez at the irradiation temperature 290 C degrees and at five neutron fluences from 1.5 to 9.5 *10 23 m -2 (E>1 MeV). Charpy V-notch impact tests, static fracture toughness tests, tensile and hardness measurement were performed to obtain effect of neutron fluence on radiation hardening as well as embrittlement. Neutron fluence dependences of all these property changes have monotonic character but with a high neutron embrittlement exponent around 0.8. Scanning electron microscope of fracture surfaces showed no or very small portion of intercrystalline fracture. Transmission electron microscopy was performed on specimens from all neutron fluences. Only low density of black-dot damage has been observed. It is assumed that most of defect are dislocation loops. The late blooming phase which may be observed from results of mechanical properties are probably below the resolution of the used JEM-2010, i.e. 1.5 nm. (authors)

Copper welding in solid phase; Svarka medi v tverdoj faze

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Avagyan, V Sh

1993-12-31

An analysis of the publications on the technology of diffusion welding of copper in solid phase is carried out. The aspects of diffusion welding of copper with silver, aluminium, nickels, chromium, titanium, stainless steel and refractory metals are considered 35 refs.

Process Studies on Laser Welding of Copper with Brilliant Green and Infrared Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Engler, Sebastian; Ramsayer, Reiner; Poprawe, Reinhart

Copper materials are classified as difficult to weld with state-of-the-art lasers. High thermal conductivity in combination with low absorption at room temperature require high intensities for reaching a deep penetration welding process. The low absorption also causes high sensitivity to variations in surface conditions. Green laser radiation shows a considerable higher absorption at room temperature. This reduces the threshold intensity for deep penetration welding significantly. The influence of the green wavelength on energy coupling during heat conduction welding and deep penetration welding as well as the influence on the weld shape has been investigated.

Process Studies on Laser Welding of Copper with Brilliant Green and Infrared Lasers

OpenAIRE

Engler, Sebastian; Ramsayer, Reiner; Poprawe, Reinhart

2011-01-01

Copper materials are classified as difficult to weld with state-of-the-art lasers. High thermal conductivity in combination with low absorption at room temperature require high intensities for reaching a deep penetration welding process. The low absorption also causes high sensitivity to variations in surface conditions. Green laser radiation shows a considerable higher absorption at room temperature. This reduces the threshold intensity for deep penetration welding significantly. The influen...

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

Micro-Welding of Copper Plate by Frequency Doubled Diode Pumped Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Nakashiba, Shin-Ichi; Okamoto, Yasuhiro; Sakagawa, Tomokazu; Takai, Sunao; Okada, Akira

A pulsed laser of 532 nm wavelength with ms range pulse duration was newly developed by second harmonic generation of diode pumped pulsed Nd:YAG laser. High electro-optical conversion efficiency more than 13% could be achieved, and 1.5 kW peak power green laser pulse was put in optical fiber of 100 μm in diameter. In micro- welding of 1.0 mm thickness copper plate, a keyhole welding was successfully performed by 1.0 kW peak power at spot diameter less than 200 μm. The frequency doubled pulsed laser improved the processing efficiency of copper welding, and narrow and deep weld bead was stably obtained.

Post-irradiation mechanical tests on F82H EB and TIG welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rensman, J.; Osch, E.V. van; Horsten, M.G.; D'Hulst, D.S.

2000-01-01

The irradiation behaviour of electron beam (EB) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welded joints of the reduced-activation martensitic steel IEA heat F82H-mod. was investigated by neutron irradiation experiments in the high flux reactor (HFR) in Petten. Mechanical test specimens, such as tensile specimens and KLST-type Charpy impact specimens, were neutron irradiated up to a dose level of 2-3 dpa at a temperature of 300 deg. C in the HFR reactor in Petten. The tensile results for TIG and EB welds are as expected with practically no strain hardening capacity left. Considering impact properties, there is a large variation in impact properties for the TIG weld. The irradiation tends to shift the DBTT of particularly the EB welds to very high values, some cases even above +250 deg. C. PWHT of EB-welded material gives a significant improvement of the DBTT and USE compared to the as-welded condition

Development of endplug welding technology for irradiation testing capsule

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, J. W.; Shin, Y. T.; Kim, S. S.; Kim, B. K.; Kang, Y. H. [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2001-10-01

To evaluate the performance of newly developed nuclear fuel, it is necessary to irradiate the fuel at a research reactor and examine the irradiated fuel. For the irradiation test in a reasearch reactor, a fuel assembly which is generally called a capsule should be fabricated, considering the fuel irradiation plan and the characteristics of the reactor to be used. And also the fuel elements containing the developed fuel pellets should be made and assembled into a capsule. In this study, the welding method, welding equipment, welding conditions and parameters were developed to make fuel elements for the irradiation test at the HANARO research reactor. The TIG welding method using automatic orbital tube welding system was adopted and the welding joint design was developed for the fabrication of various kinds of irradiation fuel elements. And the optimal welding conditions and parameters were also established for the endplug welding of Zircaloy-4 cladding tube.

Technical assistance to AECL: electron beam welding of thick-walled copper containers for nuclear fuel waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maak, P.Y.Y.

1984-01-01

This report describes the results of Phase Two of the copper electron beam welding project for the final closure of copper containers for nuclear fuel waste disposal. It has been demonstrated that single pass, electron beam square butt welds (depth of weld penetration > 25 mm) can be made without preheat in both electrolytic tough-pitch copper and oxygen-free copper plates. The present results show that oxygen-free copper exhibits better weldability than the electrolytic tough-pitch copper in terms of weld penetration and vulnerability to weld defects such as gas porosity, erratic metal overflow and blow holes. The results of ultrasonic inspection studies of the welds are also discussed

Molten pool characterization of laser lap welded copper and aluminum

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Zhiqing; Hu, Shengsun; Zuo, Di; Cai, Wayne; Lee, Dongkyun; Elijah, Kannatey-Asibu, Jr.

2013-12-01

A 3D finite volume simulation model for laser welding of a Cu-Al lap joint was developed using ANSYS FLUENT to predict the weld pool temperature distribution, velocity field, geometry, alloying element distribution and transition layer thickness—all key attributes and performance characteristics for a laser-welded joint. Melting and solidification of the weld pool was simulated with an enthalpy-porosity formulation. Laser welding experiments and metallographic examination by SEM and EDX were performed to investigate the weld pool features and validate the simulated results. A bowl-shaped temperature field and molten pool, and a unique maximum fusion zone width were observed near the Cu-Al interface. Both the numerical simulation and experimental results indicate an arch-shaped intermediate layer of Cu and Al, and a gradual transition of Cu concentration from the aluminum plate to the copper plate with high composition gradient. For the conditions used, welding with Cu on top was found to result in a better weld joint.

Molten pool characterization of laser lap welded copper and aluminum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, Zhiqing; Hu, Shengsun; Zuo, Di; Cai, Wayne; Lee, Dongkyun; Elijah, Kannatey-Asibu Jr

2013-01-01

A 3D finite volume simulation model for laser welding of a Cu–Al lap joint was developed using ANSYS FLUENT to predict the weld pool temperature distribution, velocity field, geometry, alloying element distribution and transition layer thickness—all key attributes and performance characteristics for a laser-welded joint. Melting and solidification of the weld pool was simulated with an enthalpy-porosity formulation. Laser welding experiments and metallographic examination by SEM and EDX were performed to investigate the weld pool features and validate the simulated results. A bowl-shaped temperature field and molten pool, and a unique maximum fusion zone width were observed near the Cu–Al interface. Both the numerical simulation and experimental results indicate an arch-shaped intermediate layer of Cu and Al, and a gradual transition of Cu concentration from the aluminum plate to the copper plate with high composition gradient. For the conditions used, welding with Cu on top was found to result in a better weld joint. (paper)

Prediction of mechanical properties in friction stir welds of pure copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heidarzadeh, A.; Saeid, T.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Range of parameters for defect-free friction stir welded pure copper was reached. • Models were developed for predicting UTS, TE and hardness of pure copper joints. • Analysis of variance was used to validate the developed models. • Effect of welding parameters on mechanical behavior of welded joints was explored. • The microstructure and fracture surface of welded joints were investigated. - Abstract: This research was carried out to predict the mechanical properties of friction stir welded pure copper joints. Response surface methodology based on a central composite rotatable design with three parameters, five levels, and 20 runs, was used to conduct the experiments and to develop the mathematical regression model by using of Design-Expert software. The three welding parameters considered were rotational speed, welding speed, and axial force. Analysis of variance was applied to validate the predicted models. Microstructural characterization and fractography of joints were examined using optical and scanning electron microscopes. Also, the effects of the welding parameters on mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints were analyzed in detail. The results showed that the developed models were reasonably accurate. The increase in welding parameters resulted in increasing of tensile strength of the joints up to a maximum value. Elongation percent of the joints increased with increase of rotational speed and axial force, but decreased by increasing of welding speed, continuously. In addition, hardness of the joints decreased with increase of rotational speed and axial force, but increased by increasing of welding speed. The joints welded at higher heat input conditions revealed more ductility fracture mode

Effects of alloying element on weld characterization of laser-arc hybrid welding of pure copper

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Kangda; Gong, Mengcheng; Xie, Yong; Gao, Ming; Zeng, Xiaoyan

2018-06-01

Effects of alloying elements of Si and Sn on weld characterizations of laser-arc hybrid welded pure copper (Cu) with thickness of 2 mm was studied in detail by using different wires. The weld microstructure was analyzed, and the mechanical properties (micro-hardness and tensile property), conductivity and corrosion resistance were tested. The results showed that the alloying elements benefit the growth of column grains within weld fusion zone (FZ), increase the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the FZ and weld corrosion resistance, and decrease weld conductivity. The mechanisms were discussed according to the results.

Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program. Volume 2, No. 2: Semiannual progress report, April--September 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1994-10-01

Goal is 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 stools as they relate to light-water reactor pressure-vessel integrity. Effects of specimen size, material chemistry, product form and microstructure, irradiation fluence, flux, temperature and spectrum, and post-irradiation annealing are being examined on a wide range of fracture properties. The HSSI Program is into 10 tasks: (1) program management, (2) K Ic curve shift in high-copper welds, (3) K Ia curve shift in high-copper welds, (4) irradiation effects on cladding, (5) K Ic and K Ia curve shifts in low upper-shelf welds, (6) irradiation effects in a commercial low upper-sheer weld, (7) microstructural analysis of irradiation effects, (8) in-service aged material evaluations, (9) correlation monitor materials, and (10) special technical assistance. This report provides an overview of the activities within each of these tasks from April to September 1991

Characterization of phosphorus segregation in neutron-irradiated Russian pressure vessel steel weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, M.K.; Jayaram, R.; Russell, K.F.

1995-01-01

An atom probe field ion microscopy characterization of three Russian pressure vessel steels has been performed. Field ion micrographs of several lath boundaries have indicated that they are decorated with a semicontinuous film of discrete brightly-imaging precipitates that were identified as molybdenum carbonitrides. In addition, extremely high phosphorus levels were measured at the lath boundaries. The phosphorus was found to be confined to an extremely narrow region indicative of monolayer type segregation. The phosphorus coverage determined from the atom probe results of the unirradiated materials agree with predictions based on McLean's equilibrium model of grain boundary segregation. The boundary phosphorus coverage of a neutron-irradiated weld material was significantly higher than in the unirradiated material. Ultrafine darkly-imaging copper- and phosphorus-enriched precipitates were also observed in the matrix of the neutron-irradiated material. (orig.)

Assessment of repair welding technologies of irradiated materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-08-15

Damages of reactor internals of stainless steels caused by SCC and fatigue were identified in aged BWR plants. Repair-welding is one of the practical countermeasure candidates to restore the soundness of components and structures. The project of 'Assessment of Repair welding Technologies of Irradiated Materials' is being carried out to develop the technical guideline regarding the repair-welding of reactor internals. In fiscal 2011, we investigated the weldability of stainless steel 316L irradiated by welding (TIG) tungsten inert gas. Furthermore, the tensile properties and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of the welds were investigated. Cross-sectional observation of heat affected zone (HAZ) of the bead on plate TIG weldments (heat input 4 kJ/cm) of irradiated SUS316L stainless steel containing 0.026 ~ 0.12appm helium showed degradation of grain boundaries due to helium accumulation. Degree of the degradation depended on the amount of helium. No deterioration of grain boundaries was observed by bead on plate welding with one pass one layer when helium content was 0.039appm. The tensile strengths of welds in non-irradiated and irradiated material were similar. However, the elongation of a weldment by irradiated SUS316L containing 0.124appm Helium was lower than non-irradiated. It was estimated to cause the effects of helium bubbles. The SCC susceptibility of the HAZ was no significant difference compared with other locations. (author)

Simulation of the welding of irradiated materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Hua Tay

1989-07-01

Helium was uniformly implanted using the ''tritium trick'' technique to levels of 0.18, 2.5, 27, 105 and 256 atomic part per million (appm) for type 316 stainless steel, and 0.3 and 1 appm for Sandvik HT-9 (12 Cr-1MoVW). Both full penetration as well as partial penetration welds were then produced on control and helium-containing materials using the autogenous gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding process under full constraint conditions. For full penetration welds, both materials were successfully welded when they contained less than 0.3 appm helium. However, welds of both materials, when containing greater than 1 appm helium, were found to develop cracks during cooling of the weld. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the HAZ cracking was caused by the growth and coalescence of grain boundary (GB) helium bubbles. This cracking occurred as a result of the combination of high temperatures and high shrinkage tensile stresses. The cracking in the fusion zone was found to result from the precipitation of helium along dendrite interfaces. A model based on the kinetics of diffusive cavity growth is presented to explain the observed results. The model proposes a helium bubble growth mechanism which leads to final intergranular rupture in the heat-affected zone. Results of the present study demonstrate that the use of conventional fusion welding techniques to repair materials degraded by exposure to irradiation environments may be difficult if the irradiation results in the generation of helium equal to or greater than 1 appm

Re-weldability tests of irradiated Inconel 625 by TIG welding method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, K.; Shimizu, M.; Kawamura, H.; Matsuda, F.; Kalinin, G.

1998-01-01

Inconel 625 is one of the possible materials for the vacuum vessel (VV) and for the in-vessel components of fusion reactors where high strength and high electrical resistance are required. In particular, Inconel 625 is used for the VV of JET and for flexible branch pipe lines in the ITER design. One of the most important issues for their applications is its re-weldability between un-irradiated and irradiated materials. This has a large impact on the design of in-vessel components. In this study, re-weldability of un-irradiated and/or irradiated Inconel 625 that has been welded by the tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding process has been examined, and effect of helium generation amount on mechanical properties of the weld joint has been discussed. (authors)

Braze welding of cobalt with a silver–copper filler

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Everett M. Criss

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A new method of joining cobalt by braze-welding it with a silver–copper filler was developed in order to better understand the residual stresses in beryllium–aluminum/silicon weldments which are problematic to investigate because of the high toxicity of Be. The base and filler metals of this new welding system were selected to replicate the physical properties, crystal structures, and chemical behavior of the Be–AlSi welds. Welding parameters of this surrogate Co–AgCu system were determined by experimentation combining 4-point bending tests and microscopy. Final welds are 5 pass manual TIG (tungsten inert gas, with He top gas and Ar back gas. Control of the welding process produces welds with full penetration melting of the cobalt base. Microscopy indicates that cracking is minimal, and not through thickness, whereas 4-point bending shows failure is not by base-filler delamination. These welds improve upon the original Be–AlSi welds, which do not possess full penetration, and have considerable porosity. We propose that utilization of our welding methods will increase the strength of the Be–AlSi weldments. The specialized welding techniques developed for this study may be applicable not only for the parent Be–AlSi welds, but to braze welds and welds utilizing brittle materials in general. This concept of surrogacy may prove useful in the study of many different types of exotic welds.

Experimental investigations of tungsten inert gas assisted friction stir welding of pure copper plates

Science.gov (United States)

Constantin, M. A.; Boșneag, A.; Nitu, E.; Iordache, M.

2017-10-01

Welding copper and its alloys is usually difficult to join by conventional fusion welding processes because of high thermal diffusivity of the copper, alloying elements, necessity of using a shielding gas and a clean surface. To overcome this inconvenience, Friction Stir Welding (FSW), a solid state joining process that relies on frictional heating and plastic deformation, is used as a feasible welding process. In order to achieve an increased welding speed and a reduction in tool wear, this process is assisted by another one (WIG) which generates and adds heat to the process. The aim of this paper is to identify the influence of the additional heat on the process parameters and on the welding joint properties (distribution of the temperature, hardness and roughness). The research includes two experiments for the FSW process and one experiment for tungsten inert gas assisted FSW process. The outcomes of the investigation are compared and analysed for both welding variants. Adding a supplementary heat source, the plates are preheated and are obtain some advantages such as reduced forces used in process and FSW tool wear, faster and better plasticization of the material, increased welding speed and a proper weld quality.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of friction stir welded dissimilar steel-copper joints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jafari, M.; Abbasi, M.; Poursina, D.; Gheysarian, A. [University of Kashan, Kashan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Bagheri, B. [Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-03-15

Welding dissimilar metals by fusion welding is challenging. It results in welding defects. Friction stir welding (FSW) as a solid-state joining method can overcome these problems. In this study, 304L stainless steel was joined to copper by FSW. The optimal values of the welding parameters traverse speed, rotational speed, and tilt angle were obtained through Response surface methodology (RSM). Under optimal welding conditions, the effects of welding pass number on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. Results indicated that appropriate values of FSW parameters could be obtained by RSM and grain size refinement during FSW mainly affected the hardness in the weld regions. Furthermore, the heat from the FSW tool increased the grain size in the Heat-affected zones (HAZs), especially on the copper side. Therefore, the strength and ductility decreased as the welding pass number increased because of grain size enhancement in the HAZs as the welding pass number increased.

Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program: Volume 3, Progress report, October 1991--September 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1995-02-01

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, and in particular the fracture toughness properties, of typical pressure vessel steels as they relate to light-water reactor pressure-vessel integrity. 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. The HSSI Program is arranged into 10 tasks: (1) program management, (2) K Ic curve shift in high-copper welds, (3) K Ia curve shift in high-copper welds, (4) irradiation effects on cladding, (5) K Ic and K Ia curve shifts in low upper-shelf welds, (6) irradiation effects in a commercial low upper-shelf weld, (7) microstructural analysis of irradiation effects, (8) in-service aged material evaluations, (9) correlation monitor materials, and (10) special technical assistance. This report provides an overview of the activities within each of these tasks from October 1991 to September 1992

Feasibility of underwater welding of highly irradiated in-vessel components of boiling-water reactors: A literature review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lund, A.L.

1997-11-01

In February 1997, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), initiated a literature review to assess the state of underwater welding technology. In particular, the objective of this literature review was to evaluate the viability of underwater welding in-vessel components of boiling water reactor (BWR) in-vessel components, especially those components fabricated from stainless steels that are subjected to high neutron fluences. This assessment was requested because of the recent increased level of activity in the commercial nuclear industry to address generic issues concerning the reactor vessel and internals, especially those issues related to repair options. This literature review revealed a preponderance of general information about underwater welding technology, as a result of the active research in this field sponsored by the U.S. Navy and offshore oil and gas industry concerns. However, the literature search yielded only a limited amount of information about underwater welding of components in low-fluence areas of BWR in-vessel environments, and no information at all concerning underwater welding experiences in high-fluence environments. Research reported by the staff of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Site and researchers from the DOE fusion reactor program proved more fruitful. This research documented relevant experience concerning welding of stainless steel materials in air environments exposed to high neutron fluences. It also addressed problems with welding highly irradiated materials, and primarily attributed those problems to helium-induced cracking in the material. (Helium is produced from the neutron irradiation of boron, an impurity, and nickel.) The researchers found that the amount of helium-induced cracking could be controlled, or even eliminated, by reducing the heat input into the weld and applying a compressive stress perpendicular to the weld path

Eutectic structures in friction spot welding joint of aluminum alloy to copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Junjun; Suhuddin, Uceu F. H.; Cardillo, Maria E. B.; Santos, Jorge F. dos

2014-01-01

A dissimilar joint of AA5083 Al alloy and copper was produced by friction spot welding. The Al-MgCuAl 2 eutectic in both coupled and divorced manners were found in the weld. At a relatively high temperature, mass transport of Cu due to plastic deformation, material flow, and atomic diffusion, combined with the alloy system of AA5083 are responsible for the ternary eutectic melting

Repair-welding technology of irradiated materials - WIM project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakata, K.; Oishi, M.

1998-01-01

A new project on the development of repair-welding technology for core internals and reactor (pressure) vessel, consigned by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), has been started from October 1997. The objective of the project is classified into three points as follows: (1) to develop repair-welding techniques for neutron irradiated materials, (2) to prove the availability of the techniques for core internals and reactor (pressure) vessel, and (3) to recommend the updated repair-welding for the Technical Rules and Standards. Total planning, neutron irradiation, preparation of welding equipment are now in progress. The materials are austenitic stainless steels and a low alloy steel. Neutron irradiation is performed using test reactors. In order to suppress the helium aggregation along grain boundaries, low heat input welding techniques, such as laser, low heat input TIG and friction weldings, will be applied. (author)

Evaluation of copper, aluminum bronze, and copper-nickel container material for the Yucca mountain project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kass, J.

1990-01-01

Copper, 70 percent aluminum bronze, and 70/30 copper-nickel were evaluated as potential waste-packaging materials as part of the Yucca Mountain Project. The proposed waste repository site is under a desert mountain in southern Nevada. The expected temperatures at the container surface are higher than at other sites, about 250C at the beginning of the containment period; they could fall below the boiling point of water during this period, but will be exposed to very little water, probably less than 5 l/a. Initial gamma flux will be 10 4 rad/h, and no significant hydrostatic or lithostatic pressure is expected. Packages will contain PWR or BWR fuel, or processed-glass waste. Three copper alloys are being considered for containers: oxygen-free copper (CDA 102); 7 percent aluminum bronze (CDA 613); and 70/30 copper-nickel (CDA 715). Phase separation due to prolonged thermal exposure could be a problem for the two alloys, causing embrittlement. The reduction of internal oxides present in pure copper by hydrogen could cause mechanical degradation. Corrosion and oxidation rates measured for the three materials in well water with and without gamma irradiation at flux rates about ten times higher than those expected were all quite small. The corrosion/oxidation rates for CDA715 show a marked increase under irradiation, but are still acceptable. In the presence of ammonia and other nitrogen-bearing species stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a concern. Welded U-bend specimens of all three materials have been tested for up to 10000 h in highly irradiated environments, showing no SCC. There was some alloy segregation in the Al bronze specimens. The investigators believe that corrosion and mechanical properties will not present problems for these materials at this site. Further work is needed in the areas of weld inspection, welding techniques, embrittlement of weld metal, the effects of dropping the containers during emplacement, and stress corrosion cracking. Other materials

Experimental Investigations on Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser Welding of C17300 Copper-Beryllium and 49Ni-Fe Soft Magnetic Alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mousavi, S. A. A. Akbari; Ebrahimzadeh, H.

2011-01-01

Copper-beryllium and soft magnetic alloys must be joined in electrical and electro-mechanical applications. There is a high difference in melting temperatures of these alloys which cause to make the joining process very difficult. In addition, copper-beryllium alloys are of age hardenable alloys and precipitations can brittle the weld. 49Ni-Fe alloy is very hot crack sensitive. Moreover, these alloys have different heat transfer coefficients and reflection of laser beam in laser welding process. Therefore, the control of welding parameters on the formation of adequate weld puddle composition is very difficult. Laser welding is an advanced technique for joining of dissimilar materials since it can precisely control and adjust the welding parameters. In this study, a 100W Nd:YAG pulsed laser machine was used for joining 49Ni-Fe soft magnetic to C17300 copper-beryllium alloys. Welding of samples was carried out autogenously by changing the pulse duration, diameter of beam, welding speed, voltage and frequency. The spacing between samples was set to almost zero. The ample were butt welded. It was required to apply high voltage in this study due to high reflection coefficient of copper alloys. Metallography, SEM analysis, XRD and microhardness measurement was used for survey of results. The results show that the weld strength depends upon the chemical composition of the joints. To change the wells composition and heat input of the welds, it was attempted to deviate the laser focus away from the weld centerline. The best strength was achieved by deviation of the laser beam away about 0.1mm from the weld centerline. The result shows no intermetallic compounds if the laser beam is deviated away from the joint.

Optimizing friction stir weld parameters of aluminum and copper using conventional milling machine

Science.gov (United States)

Manisegaran, Lohappriya V.; Ahmad, Nurainaa Ayuni; Nazri, Nurnadhirah; Noor, Amirul Syafiq Mohd; Ramachandran, Vignesh; Ismail, Muhammad Tarmizizulfika; Ahmad, Ku Zarina Ku; Daruis, Dian Darina Indah

2018-05-01

The joining of two of any particular materials through friction stir welding (FSW) are done by a rotating tool and the work piece material that generates heat which causes the region near the FSW tool to soften. This in return will mechanically intermix the work pieces. The first objective of this study is to join aluminum plates and copper plates by means of friction stir welding process using self-fabricated tools and conventional milling machine. This study also aims to investigate the optimum process parameters to produce the optimum mechanical properties of the welding joints for Aluminum plates and Copper plates. A suitable tool bit and a fixture is to be fabricated for the welding process. A conventional milling machine will be used to weld the aluminum and copper. The most important parameters to enable the process are speed and pressure of the tool (or tool design and alignment of the tool onto the work piece). The study showed that the best surface finish was produced from speed of 1150 rpm and tool bit tilted to 3°. For a 200mm × 100mm Aluminum 6061 with plate thickness of 2 mm at a speed of 1 mm/s, the time taken to complete the welding is only 200 seconds or equivalent to 3 minutes and 20 seconds. The Copper plates was successfully welded using FSW with tool rotation speed of 500 rpm, 700 rpm, 900 rpm, 1150 rpm and 1440 rpm and with welding traverse rate of 30 mm/min, 60 mm/min and 90 mm/min. As the conclusion, FSW using milling machine can be done on both Aluminum and Copper plates, however the weld parameters are different for the two types of plates.

Residual stress investigation of copper plate and canister EB-Welds Complementary Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gripenberg, H.

2009-03-01

The residual stresses in copper as induced by EB-welding were studied by specimens where the weld had two configurations: either a linear or a circumferential weld. This report contains the residual stress measurements of two plates, containing linear welds, and the full-scale copper lid specimen to which a hollow cylinder section had been joined by a circumferential EB-weld. The residual stress state of the EB-welded copper specimens was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), hole drilling (HD) ring core (RC) and contour method (CM). Three specimens, canister XK010 and plates X251 and X252, were subjected to a thorough study aiming at quantitative determination of the residual stress state in and around the EB-welds using XRD for surface and HD and RC for spatial stress analysis. The CM maps one stress component over a whole cross section. The surface residual stresses measured by XRD represent the machined condition of the copper material. The XRD study showed that the stress changes towards compression close to the weld in the hollow cylinder, which indicates shrinkage in the hoop direction. According to the same analogy, the shrinkage in the axial direction is much smaller. The HD measurements showed that the stress state in the base material is bi-axial and, in terms of von Mises stress, 50 MPa for the plates and 20 MPa for the cylinder part of the canister. The stress state in the EB-welds of all specimens differs clearly from the stress state in the base material being more tensile, with higher magnitudes of von Mises stress in the plate than in the canister welds. The HD and RC results were obtained using linear elastic theory. The RC measurements showed that the maximum principal stress in the BM is close to zero near the surface and it becomes slightly tensile, 10 MPa, deeper under the surface. Welding pushed the general stress state towards tension with the maximum principal stress reaching 50 MPa, deeper than 5 mm below the surface in the weld. The

Evolution of precipitation in reactor pressure vessel steel welds under neutron irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindgren, Kristina, E-mail: kristina.lindgren@chalmers.se [Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg (Sweden); Boåsen, Magnus [Department of Solid Mechanics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Stiller, Krystyna [Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg (Sweden); Efsing, Pål [Department of Solid Mechanics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Vattenfall Ringhals AB, SE-430 22 Väröbacka (Sweden); Thuvander, Mattias [Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg (Sweden)

2017-05-15

Reactor pressure vessel steel welds are affected by irradiation during operation. The irradiation results in nanometre cluster formation, which in turn affects the mechanical properties of the material, e.g. the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature is shifted to higher levels. In this study, cluster formation is characterised in high Ni (1.58%) low Cu (0.04%) steel welds identical to Ringhals R4 welds, using atom probe tomography in both surveillance material and in material irradiated at accelerated dose rates. Clusters containing mainly Ni and Mn, but also some Si and Cu were observed in all of the irradiated materials. Their evolution did not change drastically during irradiation; the clusters grew and new clusters were nucleated. Hence, both the cluster number density and the average size increased with irradiation time. Some flux effects were observed when comparing the high flux material and the surveillance material. The surveillance material has a lower cluster number density, but larger clusters. The resulting impact on the mechanical properties of these two effects cancel out, resulting in a measured hardness that seems to be on the same trend as the high flux material. The dispersed barrier hardening model with an obstacle strength factor of 0.15 was found to reproduce the increase in hardness. In the investigated high flux materials, the clusters' Cu content was higher. - Highlights: •Clustering in a low Cu, high Ni reactor pressure vessel steel weld is studied. •The clusters nucleate and grow during irradiation, and consist of Ni, Mn, Si, and Cu. •High flux neutron irradiated material is compared to surveillance material. •High flux was found to result in smaller clusters with a larger number density. •Hardness follows the same dependence on fluence, independent of flux.

Complete Report on the Development of Welding Parameters for Irradiated Materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frederick, Greg [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knoxville, TN (United States); Sutton, Benjamin J. [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knoxville, TN (United States); Tatman, Jonathan K. [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knoxville, TN (United States); Vance, Mark Christopher [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Clark, Scarlett R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Feng, Zhili [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Miller, Roger G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Chen, Jian [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Tang, Wei [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gibson, Brian T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-11-01

The advanced welding facility at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was conceived to enable research and development of weld repair techniques for nuclear power plant life extension, is now operational. The development of the facility and its advanced welding capabilities, along with the model materials for initial welding trials, were funded jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program, the Electric Power Research Institute, Long Term Operations Program and the Welding and Repair Technology Center, with additional support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Welding of irradiated materials was initiated on November 17, 2017, which marked a significant step in the development of the facility and the beginning of extensive welding research and development campaigns on irradiated materials that will eventually produce validated techniques and guidelines for weld repair activities carried out to extend the operational lifetimes of nuclear power plants beyond 60 years. This report summarizes the final steps that were required to complete weld process development, initial irradiated materials welding activities, near-term plans for irradiated materials welding, and plans for post-weld analyses that will be carried out to assess the ability of the advanced welding processes to make repairs on irradiated materials.

Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program: Progress report for April--September 1995. Volume 6, Number 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1996-08-01

The goal of the Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program is to provide a thorough, quantitative assessment of effects of neutron irradiation on material behavior, and in particular the fracture toughness properties, of typical pressure vessel steels as they relate to light-water reactor pressure-vessel integrity. Effects of specimen size, material chemistry, product form and microstructure, irradiation fluence, flux, temperature and spectrum, and post-irradiation annealing are being examined on a wide range of fracture properties. The HSSI Program is arranged into 14 tasks: (1) program management, (2) fracture toughness (K Ic ) curve shift in high-copper welds, (3) crack-arrest toughness (K Ia ) curve shift in high-copper welds, (4) irradiation effects on cladding, (5) K Ic and K Ia curve shifts in low upper-shelf welds, (6) annealing effects in low upper-shelf welds, (7) irradiation effects in a commercial low upper-shelf weld, (8) microstructural analysis of irradiation effects, (9) in-service aged material evaluations, (10) correlation monitor materials, (11) special technical assistance, (12) JPDR steel examination, (13) technical assistance for JCCCNRS Working Groups 3 and 12, and (14) additional requirements for materials. This report provides an overview of the activities within each of these task from April through September 1995

Report Summarizing the Effort Required to Initiate Welding of Irradiated Materials within the Welding Cubicle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frederick, Greg [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Sutton, Benjamin J. [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Tatman, Jonathan K. [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Vance, Mark Christopher [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Smith, Allen W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Clark, Scarlett R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Feng, Zhili [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Miller, Roger G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Chen, Jian [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Tang, Wei [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hu, Xunxiang [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gibson, Brian T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-06-01

The advanced welding facility within a hot cell at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which has been jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy, Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program and the Electric Power Research Institute, Long Term Operations Program and the Welding and Repair Technology Center, is in the final phase of development. Research and development activities in this facility will involve direct testing of advanced welding technologies on irradiated materials in order to address the primary technical challenge of helium induced cracking that can arise when conventional fusion welding techniques are utilized on neutron irradiated stainless steels and nickel-base alloys. This report details the effort that has been required since the beginning of fiscal year 2017 to initiate welding research and development activities on irradiated materials within the hot cell cubicle, which houses welding sub-systems that include laser beam welding (LBW) and friction stir welding (FSW) and provides material containment within the hot cell.

The Effect of Welding Energy on the Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Ultrasonic-Welded Copper Joints

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jingwei; Cao, Biao; Lu, Qinghua

2017-01-01

The effects of welding energy on the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of ultrasonic-welded pure copper plates were investigated. Complex dynamic recrystallization and grain growth occurred inside the weld zone during ultrasonic welding. At a low welding energy, a thin band of straight weld interfaces was observed and had an ultra-fine grain structure. With an increase in welding energy, the weld interface progressively changed from flat to sinusoidal, and eventually turned into a convoluted wavy pattern, bearing similarities to shear instabilities, as observed in fluid dynamics. The lap shear load of the joints initially increased and then remained stable as the welding energy increased. The tensile characteristics of the joints significantly depended on the development of plastic deformation at the interface. The influence of the microstructure on the hardness was also discussed. PMID:28772553

Creep properties of welded joints in OFHC copper for nuclear waste containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivarsson, B.; Oesterberg, J.O.

1988-08-01

In Sweden it has been suggested that copper canisters are used for containment of spent nuclear fuel. These canisters will be subjected to temperatures up to 100 degrees C and external pressures up to 15 MPa. Since the material is pure (OFHC) copper, creep properties must be considered when the canisters are dimensioned. The canisters are sealed by electron beam welding which will affect the creep properties. Literature data for copper - especially welded joints - at the temperatures of interest is very scare. Therefore uniaxial creep tests of parent metal, weld metal, and simulated HAZ structures have been performed at 110 degrees C. These tests revealed considerable differences in creep deformation and rupture strength. The weld metal showed creep rates and rupture times ten times higher and ten times shorter, respectively, than those of the parent metal. The simulated HAZ was equally strongen than the parent metal. These differences were to some extent verified by results from creep tests of cross-welded specimens which, however, showed even shorter rupture times. Constitutive equations were derived from the uniaxial test results. To check the applicability of these equations to multiaxial conditions, a few internal pressure creep tests of butt-welded tubes were performed. Attemps were made to simulate their creep behaviour by constitutive equations were used. These calculations failed due to too great differences in creep deformation behaviour across the welded joint. (authors)

Assessment of repair welding technologies of irradiated materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

Damages on reactor internals of stainless steels caused by stress corrosion cracking and fatigue were identified in aged BWR plants. Repair-welding is one of the practical countermeasure candidates to restore the soundness of components and structures. The project of 'Assessment of Repair welding Technologies of Irradiated Materials' has been carried out to develop the technical guideline regarding the repair-welding of reactor internals. In FY 2011, we investigated the fatigue strength of stainless steel SUS316L irradiated by YAG laser welding. Furthermore, revision of the technical guideline regarding the repair-welding of reactor internals was discussed. Diagram of tungsten inert gas (TIG) weld cracking caused by entrapped Helium was modified. Helium concentration for evaluation-free of TIG weld cracking caused by entrapped Helium was revised to 0.007appm from 0.01appm. (author)

Friction stir welding (FSW process of copper alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Miličić

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper analyzes the structure of the weld joint of technically pure copper, which is realized using friction stir welding (FSW. The mechanism of thermo-mechanical processes of the FSW method has been identified and a correlation between the weld zone and its microstructure established. Parameters of the FSW welding technology influencing the zone of the seam material and the mechanical properties of the resulting joint were analyzed. The physical joining consists of intense mixing the base material along the joint line in the “doughy” phase. Substantial plastic deformations immediately beneath the frontal surface of tool provide fine-grained structure and a good quality joint. The optimum shape of the tool and the optimum welding regime (pressure force, rotation speed and the traverse speed of the tool in the heat affected zone enable the achievement of the same mechanical properties as those of the basic material, which justifies its use in welding reliable structures.

Electron Beam Welding of Thick Copper Material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broemssen, Bernt von [IVF Industriforskning och utveckling AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2002-08-01

The purpose of this study was to review the two variants of the Electron Beam Welding (EBW) processes developed (or used) by 1- SKB, Sweden with assistance from TWI, England and 2 - POSIVA, Finland with assistance from Outokumpu, Finland. The aim was also to explain the principle properties of the EBW method: how it works, the parameters controlling the welding result but also giving rise to benefits, and differences between the EBW variants. The main conclusions are that both SKB and POSIVA will within a few years succeed to qualify their respective EBW method for welding of copper canisters. The Reduced Pressure EBW that SKB use today seems to be very promising in order to avoid root defects. If POSIVA does not succeed to avoid root defects with the high vacuum method and the beam oscillation technique it should be possible for POSIVA to incorporate the Reduced Pressure technique albeit with significant changes to the EBW equipment. POSIVA has possibly an advantage over SKB with the beam oscillation technique used, which gives an extra degree of freedom to affect the weld quality. The beam oscillation could be of importance for closing of the keyhole. Before EBW of lids, the material certification showing the alloy content (specifying min and max impurity percentages) and the mechanical properties should be checked. The welded material needs also to be tested for mechanical properties. If possible the weld should have a toughness level equal to that of the unwelded parent material. Specifically some conclusions are reported regarding the SKB equipment. Suggestions for further development are also given in the conclusion chapter.

Electron Beam Welding of Thick Copper Material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broemssen, Bernt von

2002-08-01

The purpose of this study was to review the two variants of the Electron Beam Welding (EBW) processes developed (or used) by 1- SKB, Sweden with assistance from TWI, England and 2 - POSIVA, Finland with assistance from Outokumpu, Finland. The aim was also to explain the principle properties of the EBW method: how it works, the parameters controlling the welding result but also giving rise to benefits, and differences between the EBW variants. The main conclusions are that both SKB and POSIVA will within a few years succeed to qualify their respective EBW method for welding of copper canisters. The Reduced Pressure EBW that SKB use today seems to be very promising in order to avoid root defects. If POSIVA does not succeed to avoid root defects with the high vacuum method and the beam oscillation technique it should be possible for POSIVA to incorporate the Reduced Pressure technique albeit with significant changes to the EBW equipment. POSIVA has possibly an advantage over SKB with the beam oscillation technique used, which gives an extra degree of freedom to affect the weld quality. The beam oscillation could be of importance for closing of the keyhole. Before EBW of lids, the material certification showing the alloy content (specifying min and max impurity percentages) and the mechanical properties should be checked. The welded material needs also to be tested for mechanical properties. If possible the weld should have a toughness level equal to that of the unwelded parent material. Specifically some conclusions are reported regarding the SKB equipment. Suggestions for further development are also given in the conclusion chapter

Fatigue performance of copper and copper alloys before and after irradiation with fission neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.N.; Toft, P.; Stubbins, J.F.

1997-05-01

The fatigue performance of pure copper of the oxygen free, high conductivity (OFHC) grade and two copper alloys (CuCrZr and CuAl-25) was investigated. Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis were carried out to establish the fatigue life of these materials in the unirradiated and irradiated states. The present report provides the first information on the ability of these copper alloys to perform under cyclic loading conditions when they have undergone significant irradiation exposure. Fatigue specimens of OFHC-Cu, CuCrZr and CuAl-25 were irradiated with fission neutrons in the DR-3 reactor at Risoe with a flux of ∼2.5 x 10 17 n/m 2 s (E > 1 MeV) to fluence levels of 1.5 - 2.5 x 10 24 n/m 2 s (E > 1 MeV) at ∼47 and 100 deg. C. Specimens irradiated at 47 deg. C were fatigue tested at 22 deg. C, whereas those irradiated at 100 deg. C were tested at the irradiation temperature. The major conclusion of the present work is that although irradiation causes significant hardening of copper and copper alloys, it does not appear to be a problem for the fatigue life of these materials. In fact, the present experimental results clearly demonstrate that the fatigue performance of the irradiated CuAl-25 alloy is considerably better in the irradiated than that in the unirradiated state tested both at 22 and 100 deg. C. This improvement, however, is not so significant in the case of the irradiated OFHC-copper and CuCrZr alloy tested at 22 deg. C. These conclusions are supported by the microstructural observations and cyclic hardening experiments. (au) 4 tabs., 26 ills., 10 refs

Micro friction stir welding of copper electrical contacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Klobčar

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an analysis of micro friction stir welding (μFSW of electrolytic tough pitch copper (CuETP in a lap and butt joint. Experimental plan was done in order to investigate the influence of tool design and welding parameters on the formation of defect free joints. The experiments were done using universal milling machine where the tool rotation speed varied between 600 and 1 900 rpm, welding speed between 14 and 93 mm/min and tilt angle between 3° and 5°. From the welds samples for analysis of microstructure and samples for tensile tests were prepared. The grain size in the nugget zone was greatly reduced compared to the base metal and the joint tensile strength exceeded the strength of the base metal.

Effect of Post Weld Heat Treatment on Corrosion Behavior of AA2014 Aluminum – Copper Alloy Electron Beam Welds

Science.gov (United States)

Venkata Ramana, V. S. N.; Mohammed, Raffi; Madhusudhan Reddy, G.; Srinivasa Rao, K.

2018-03-01

The present work pertains to the study of corrosion behavior of aluminum alloy electron beam welds. The aluminium alloy used in the present study is copper containing AA2014 alloy. Electron Beam Welding (EBW) was used to weld the alloys in annealed (O) condition. Microstructural changes across the welds were recorded and the effect of post weld heat treatment (PWHT) in T4 (Solutionized and naturally aged) condition on pitting corrosion resistance was studied. A software based PAR basic electrochemical system was used for potentio-dynamic polarization tests. From the study it is observed that weld in O condition is prone to more liquation than that of PWHT condition. This may be attributed to re-melting and solidification of excess eutectic present in the O condition of the base metal. It was also observed that slightly higher hardness values are recorded in O condition than that of PWHT condition. The pitting corrosion resistance of the PMZ/HAZ in PWHT condition is better than that of O condition. This is attributed to copper segregation at the grain boundaries of PMZ in O condition.

Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program. Volume 2, No. 1: Semiannual progress report, October 1990--March 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1994-07-01

Maintaining the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in a light-water-cooled nuclear power plant is crucial in preventing and controlling severe accidents that have the potential for major contamination release. The RPV is the only key safety-related component of the plant for which a duplicate or redundant backup system does not exist. It is therefore imperative to understand and be able to predict the capabilities and limitations of the integrity inherent in the RPV. 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 reactor pressure-vessel integrity. The HSSI Program is arranged into nine tasks: (1) program management, (2) K ic curve shift in high-copper welds, (3) K ia curve shift in high-copper welds, (4) irradiation effects on cladding, (5) K ic and K ia curve shifts in low upper-shelf (LUS) weld, (6) irradiation effects in a commercial LUS weld, (7) microstructural analysis of irradiation, (8) in-service aged material evaluations, and (9) correlation monitor materials. During this period, additional analyses on the effects of precleavage stable ductile tearing on the toughness of high-copper welds 72W and 73W demonstrated that the size effects observed in the transition region are not due to substantial differences in ductile tearing behavior. Possible modifications to irradiated duplex crack-arrest specimens were examined to increase the likelihood of their successful testing. Characterization of a second batch of 72W and 73W welds was begun and results of the Charpy V-notch testing is provided. A review of literature on the annealing response of reactor pressure vessel steels was initiated

Reliability of copper based alloys for electric resistance spot welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jovanovicj, M.; Mihajlovicj, A.; Sherbedzhija, B.

1977-01-01

Durability of copper based alloys (B-5 and B-6) for electric resistance spot-welding was examined. The total amount of Be, Ni and Zr was up to 2 and 1 wt.% respectively. Good durability and satisfactory quality of welded spots were obtained in previous laboratory experiments carried out on the fixed spot-welding machine of an industrial type (only B-5 alloy was examined). Electrodes made of both B-5 and B-6 alloy were tested on spot-welding grips and fixed spot-welding machines in Tvornica automobila Sarajevo (TAS). The obtained results suggest that the durability of electrodes made of B-5 and B-6 alloys is more than twice better than of that used in TAS

The Mechanism of Ultrasonic Vibration on Grain Refining and Degassing in GTA Spot Welding of Copper Joints.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Ezzi, Salih; Quan, Gaofeng; Elrayah, Adil

2018-05-07

This paper examines the effect of ultrasonic vibration (USV) on grain size and interrupted porosity in Gas Tungsten Arc (GTA) spot-welded copper. Grain size was refined by perpendicularly attaching a transducer to the welded sheet and applying USV to the weld pool for a short time (0, 2, 4, and 6 s) in addition improvements to the degassing process. Results illustrate a significant reduction of grain size (57%). Notably, USV provided interaction between reformations (fragmentation) and provided nucleation points (detaching particles from the fusion line) for grains in the nugget zone and the elimination of porosity in the nugget zone. The GTA spot welding process, in conjunction with USV, demonstrated an improvement in the corrosion potential for a copper spot-welded joint in comparison to the joint welded without assistance of USV. Finally, welding of copper by GTA spot welding in conjunction with ultrasound for 2 s presented significant mechanical properties.

Experimental tests of irradiation-anneal-reirradiation effects on mechanical properties of RPV plate and weld materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawthorne, J.R.

1996-01-01

The Charpy-V (C V ) notch ductility and tension test properties of three reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel materials were determined for the 288 degree C (550 degree F) irradiated (I), 288 degree C (550 degree F) irradiated + 454 degree C (850 degree F)-168 h postirradiation annealed (IA), and 288 degree C (550 degree F) reirradiated (IAR) conditions. Total fluences of the I condition and the IAR condition were, respectively, 3.33 x 10 19 n/cm 2 and 4.18 x 10 19 n/cm 2 , E > 1 MeV. The irradiation portion of the IAR condition represents an incremental fluence increase of 1. 05 x 10 19 n/cm 2 , E > 1 MeV, over the I-condition fluence. The materials (specimens) were supplied by the Yankee Atomic Electric Company and represented high and low nickel content plates and a high nickel, high copper content weld deposit prototypical of the Yankee-Rowe reactor vessel. The promise of the IAR method for extending the fluence tolerance of radiation-sensitive steels and welds is clearly shown by the results. The annealing treatment produced full C V upper shelf recovery and full or nearly full recovery in the C V 41 J (30 ft-lb) transition temperature. The C V transition temperature increases produced by the reirradiation exposure were 22% to 43% of the increase produced by the first cycle irradiation exposure. A somewhat greater radiation embrittlement sensitivity and a somewhat greater reirradiation embrittlement sensitivity was exhibited by the low nickel content plate than the high nickel content plate. Its high phosphorus content is believed to be responsible. The IAR-condition properties of the surface vs. interior regions of the low nickel content plate are also compared

Effects of filler wire on residual stress in electron beam welded QCr0.8 copper alloy to 304 stainless steel joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Bing-Gang; Zhao, Jian; Li, Xiao-Peng; Chen, Guo-Qing

2015-01-01

The electron beam welding (EBW) of 304 stainless steel to QCr0.8 copper alloy with or without copper filler wire was studied in detail. The temperature fields and magnitude and distribution of stress fields in the joints during the welding process were numerically simulated using finite element method. The temperature cycles and residual stresses were also experimentally measured by thermometric and hole-drilling methods, respectively. The accuracy of the modeling procedure was verified by the good agreement between the calculated results and experimental data. The temperature distribution in the joint was found to be asymmetric along the center of weld. In particular, the temperature in the copper alloy plate is much higher than that in the 304 SS plate owing to the great difference in thermal conductivity between the two materials. The peak three-dimensional residual stresses all appeared at the interface between the copper and steel in the two different joints. Furthermore, the weld was subjected to tensile stress. The longitudinal residual stress, generally the most harmful to the integrity of the structure among the stress components in EBW with filler wire (EBFW), was 53 MPa lower than that of autogenous EBW (AEBW), and the through-thickness residual stress was 12 MPa lower. The transverse residual stress of EBFW was 44 MPa higher than that of AEBW. However, analysis of the von Mises stress showed that the EBFW process effectively reduced the extent of the high residual stress region in the weld location and the magnitude of the residual stresses in the copper side compared with those of the AEBW joint. - Highlights: • Copper and steel was welded by electron beam welding with copper filler wire. • The copper wire fed into gap can reduce the peak value of residual stress. • The peak value of longitudinal stress can be reduced 53 MPa by the filler wire. • The range of nov Mises stress in the weld could be reduced by the wire

Investigation and modelling of friction stir welded copper canisters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaellgren, Therese

2010-02-15

This work has been focused on characterisation of FSW joints, and modelling of the process, both analytically and numerically. The Swedish model for final deposit of nuclear fuel waste is based on copper canisters as a corrosion barrier with an inner pressure holding insert of cast iron. Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is the method to seal the copper canister, a technique invented by The Welding Institute (TWI). The first simulations were based on Rosenthal's analytical medium plate model. The model is simple to use, but has limitations. Finite element models (FEM) were developed, initially with a two-dimensional geometry. Due to the requirements of describing both the heat flow and the tool movement, three-dimensional models were developed. These models take into account heat transfer, material flow, and continuum mechanics. The geometries of the models are based on the simulation experiments carried out at TWI and at Swedish Nuclear Fuel Waste and Management Co (SKB). Temperature distribution, material flow and their effects on the thermal expansion were predicted for a full-scale canister and lid. The steady state solutions have been compared with temperature measurements, showing good agreement. In order to understand the material flow during welding a marker technique is used, which involves inserting dissimilar material into the weld zone before joining. Different materials are tested showing that brass rods are the most suitable material in these welds. After welding, the weld line is sliced, etched and examined by optical microscope. To understand the material flow further, and in the future predict the flow, a FEM is developed. This model and the etched samples are compared showing similar features. Furthermore, by using this model the area that is recrystallised can be predicted. The predicted area and the grain size and hardness profile agree well

Modification of polycrystalline copper by proton irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia S, F.; Cabral P, A.; Saniger B, J.M.; Banuelos, J.G.; Barragan V, A.

1997-01-01

Polished copper samples were irradiated with proton beams of 300 and 700 keV at room temperature and at -150 Centigrade. In this work the obtained results are reported when such copper irradiated samples are analysed with Sem, Tem, AFM. The Sem micrographs showed evident changes in surface of these copper samples, therefore an EDAX microanalysis was done for its characterization. additionally, the Tem micrographs showed heaps formation until 200 nm. Its electron diffraction spectra indicated that these heaps consist of a copper compound. Finally with AFM were observed changes in coloration of the irradiated sample surface, as well as changes in texture and rugosity of them. These results show in general that irradiation process with protons which is known as an innocuo process produces changes in the copper properties. (Author)

Temper-bead repair-welding of neutron-irradiated reactor (pressure) vessel by low-heat-input TIG and YAG laser welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakata, Kiyotomo; Ozawa, Masayoshi; Kamo, Kazuhiko

2006-01-01

Weldability in neutron-irradiated low alloy steel for reactor (pressure) vessel has been studied by temper-bead repair-welding of low-heat-input TIG and YAG laser welding. A low alloy steel and its weld, and stainless steel clad and nickel (Ni)-based alloy clad were irradiated in a materials test reactor (LVR-15, Czech Republic) up to 1.4 x 10 24 n/m 2 (>1 MeV) at 290degC, which approximately corresponds to the maximum neutron fluence of 60-year-operation plants' vessels. The He concentration in the irradiated specimens was estimated to be up to 12.9 appm. The repair-welding was carried out by TIG and YAG laser welding at a heat input from 0.06 to 0.86 MJ/m. The mechanical tests of tensile, impact, side bend and hardness were carried out after the repair-welding. Cracks were not observed in the irradiated low alloy steel and its weld by temper-bead repair-welding. Small porosities were formed in the first and second layers of the repair-welds of low alloy steel (base metal). However, only a few porosities were found in the repair-welds of the weld of low alloy steel. From the results of mechanical tests, the repair-welding could be done in the irradiated weld of low alloy steel containing a He concentration up to 12.9 appm, although repair-welding could be done in base metal of low alloy steel containing up to only 1.7 appmHe. On the other hand, cracks occurred in the heat affected zones of stainless steel and Ni-based alloy clads by repair-welding, except by YAG laser repair-welding at a heat input of 0.06 MJ/m in stainless steel clad containing 1.7 appmHe. Based on these results, the determination processes were proposed for optimum parameters of repair-welding of low alloy steel and clad used for reactor (pressure) vessel. (author)

Hardness distribution and tensile properties in an electron-beam-welded F82H irradiated in HFIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, N.; Oka, H.; Muroga, T.; Kimura, A.; Sokolov, M.A.; Yamamoto, T.

2014-01-01

F82H-IEA and its EB-weld joint were irradiated at 573 and 773 K up to 9.6 dpa in the HFIR and the irradiation effect on its mechanical properties and microstructure were investigated. A hardness profile across the weld joint before irradiation showed the hardness in transformed region (TR) was high and especially that in the edge of TR was the highest (high hardness region: HHR) compared to base metal. This hardness distribution corresponds to grain size distribution. After irradiation, hardening in HHR was small compared to other region in the sample. In tensile test, the amount of hardening in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of F82H EB-weld joint was almost similar to that of F82H-1EA but the fracture position of EB-weld joint was at the boundary of TR and BM. Therefore, the TR/BM boundary is the structural weak point in F82H EB-weld joint after irradiation. As the plastic instability was observed, the dislocation channeling deformation can be expected though the dislocation channel was not observed in this study. (author)

A brief review of cavity swelling and hardening in irradiated copper and copper alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinkle, S.J.

1990-01-01

The literature on radiation-induced swelling and hardening in copper and its alloy is reviewed. Void formation does not occur during irradiation of copper unless suitable impurity atoms such as oxygen or helium are present. Void formation occurs for neutron irradiation temperatures of 180 to 550 degree C, with peak swelling occurring at ∼320 degree C for irradiation at a damage rate of 2 x 10 -7 dpa/s. The post-transient swelling rate has been measured to be ∼0.5%/dpa at temperatures near 400 degree C. Dispersion-strengthened copper has been found to be very resistant to void swelling due to the high sink density associated with the dispersion-stabilized dislocation structure. Irradiation of copper at temperatures below 400 degree C generally causes an increase in strength due to the formation of defect clusters which inhibit dislocation motion. The radiation hardening can be adequately described by Seeger's dispersed barrier model, with a barrier strength for small defect clusters of α ∼ 0.2. The radiation hardening apparently saturates for fluences greater than ∼10 24 n/m 2 during irradiation at room temperature due to a saturation of the defect cluster density. Grain boundaries can modify the hardening behavior by blocking the transmission of dislocation slip bands, leading to a radiation- modified Hall-Petch relation between yield strength and grain size. Radiation-enhanced recrystallization can lead to softening of cold-worked copper alloys at temperatures above 300 degree C

Heavy-section steel irradiation program. Progress report, October 1994--March 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1995-10-01

This document is the October 1994-March 1995 Progress Report for the Heavy Section Steel Irradiation Program. The report contains a summary of activities in each of the 14 tasks of the HSSI Program, including: (1) Program management, (2) Fracture toughness shifts in high-copper weldments, (3) Fracture toughness shifts in low upper-shelf welds, (4) Irradiation effects in a commercial low upper-shelf weld, (5) Irradiation effects on weld heat-affected zone and plate materials, (6) Annealing effects in low upper-shelf welds, (7) Microstructural analysis of radiation effects, (8) In-service irradiated and aged material evaluations, (9) Japanese power development reactor vessel steel examination, (10) fracture toughness curve shift method, (11) Special technical assistance, (12) Technical assistance for JCCCNRS, (13) Correlation monitor materials, and (14) Test reactor irradiation coordination. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database

A review on the welding technology for the sealing of irradiation test fuel element

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, J. W.; Kang, Y. H.; Kim, B. G.; Joo, K. N.; Oh, J. M.; Park, S. J.; Shin, Y. T

2000-02-01

For the irradiation test of nuclear fuel in a research reactor, the fuel manufacturing technology should be developed in advance. Highly radioactive fission products are produced and can be released from the fuel materials during irradiation. Therefore, The sealing of the test is one of the most important procedure among the test fuel manufacturing processes, considering its impacts on the safety of a reactor operation.many welding techniques such as TIG, EBW, LBW, upset butt welding and flash welding are applied in sealing the end of fuel elements. These welding techniques are adopted in conjunction with the weld material, weldability, weld joint design and cost effectiveness. For fuel irradiation test, the centerline temperature of fuel pellets is one of the important item to be measured. For this, a thermocouple is installed into the center of the fuel pellet. The sealing of the penetration hole of the thermocouple sheath should be conducted and the hole should be perfectly sealed using the dissimilar metal joining technique. For this purpose, the dissimilar metal welding between zircaloy-4 and Inconel or stainless steel is needed to be developed. This report describes the techniques sealing the end cap and the penetration of a thermocouple sheath by welding. (author)

Nano-structural changes in the RPV steels irradiated in MTR to high doses. 3D atom probe and positron annihilation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dohi, Kenji; Soneda, Naoki; Nomoto, Akiyoshi; Ishino, Shiori

2005-01-01

Reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels of life-extended light water reactors are to be exposed to higher neutron fluence. The understanding of radiation embrittlement of RPV steels is very important in order to improve prediction of the embrittlement. The radiation embrittlement is mainly cased by copper-enriched cluster (CEC) and matrix damage (MD) due to irradiation. The state-or-the art technique such as three dimensional atom probe (3DAP) and positron annihilation (PA) has enabled to observe these microstructural features. The effect of highly dose irradiation on the formation of clusters in a low copper base metal and a high copper weld metal is investigated by means of the 3DAP and PA observations in this paper. The materials were irradiated to a neutron fluence of 10 20 n/cm 2 at 290 degC in a test reactor. The 3DAP observation shows that high dense CRCs in size of about 2 nm are formed in the high Cu weld metal. The CRCs consist of Si in addition to Fe, Cu, Mn, and Ni. Solute atom clusters below 2 nm are also observed in low Cu base metal, but the clusters include a large amount of Si and free from Cu. These clusters may be peculiar to highly irradiated materials because of no literature reporting such the clusters in the similar steels irradiated at the lower fluence. The data of the positron annihilation coincidence Doppler broadening measurement for both materials also shows the formation of clusters containing Cu, Ni, Mn, and Si. This means the clusters observed by 3DAP are uniformly distributed in the materials. Hardness tests and PA measurement combined with isochronal annealing show that defects, e.g. dislocation loop etc., having a positron lifetime of about 140 psec influence on mechanical properties of the steels. (author)

Report on the Progress of Weld Development of Irradiated Materials at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Zhili [ORNL; Miller, Roger G. [ORNL; Chen, Jian [ORNL; Tang, Wei [ORNL; Clark, Scarlett R. [ORNL; Gibson, Brian T. [ORNL; Vance, Mark Christopher [ORNL; Frederick, Greg [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI); Tatman, Jonathan K. [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI); Sutton, Benjamin J. [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

2018-04-01

This report summarizes recent welding activities on irradiated alloys in the advanced welding facility at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the development of post-weld characterization capabilities and procedures that will be critical for assessing the ability of the advanced welding processes housed within the facility to make successful repairs on irradiated alloys. This facility and its capabilities were developed jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program and the Electric Power Research Institute, Long Term Operations Program (and the Welding and Repair Technology Center), with additional support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The significant, on-going effort to weld irradiated alloys with high Helium concentrations and comprehensively analyze the results will eventually yield validated repair techniques and guidelines for use by the nuclear industry in extending the operational lifetimes of nuclear power plants.

NDE of explosion welded copper stainless steel first wall mock-up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taehtinen, S.; Kauppinen, P.; Jeskanen, H.; Lahdenperae, K.; Ehrnsten, U.

1997-04-01

The study showed that reflection type C-mode scanning acoustic microscope (C-SAM) and internal ultrasonic inspection (IRIS) equipment can be applied for ultrasonic examination of copper stainless steel compound structures of ITER first wall mock-ups. Explosive welding can be applied to manufacture fully bonded copper stainless steel compound plates. However, explosives can be applied only for mechanical tightening of stainless steel cooling tubes within copper plate. If metallurgical bonding between stainless steel tubes and copper plate is required Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) method can be applied. (orig.)

Irradiation effects in tungsten-copper laminate composite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garrison, L.M., E-mail: garrisonlm@ornl.gov [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Katoh, Y. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Snead, L.L. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Byun, T.S. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Reiser, J.; Rieth, M. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2016-12-01

Tungsten-copper laminate composite has shown promise as a structural plasma-facing component as compared to tungsten rod or plate. The present study evaluated the tungsten-copper composite after irradiation in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at temperatures of 410–780 °C and fast neutron fluences of 0.02–9.0 × 10{sup 25} n/m{sup 2}, E > 0.1 MeV, 0.0039–1.76 displacements per atom (dpa) in tungsten. Tensile tests were performed on the composites, and the fracture surfaces were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy. Before irradiation, the tungsten layers had brittle cleavage failure, but the overall composite had 15.5% elongation at 22 °C. After only 0.0039 dpa this was reduced to 7.7% elongation, and no ductility was observed after 0.2 dpa at all irradiation temperatures when tensile tested at 22 °C. For elevated temperature tensile tests after irradiation, the composite only had ductile failure at temperatures where the tungsten was delaminating or ductile. - Highlights: • Fusion reactors need a tough, ductile tungsten plasma-facing material. • The unirradiated tungsten-copper laminate is more ductile than tungsten alone. • After neutron irradiation, the composite has significantly less ductility. • The tungsten behavior appears to dominate the overall composite behavior.

Development of an End-plug Welding Technology for an Instrumented Fuel Irradiation Test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Soo Sung; Lee, Chul Yong; Shin, Yoon Taek; Choo, Kee Nam

2010-01-01

The irradiation test of end-plug specimens was planned for the evaluation of nuclear fuels performance. To establish the fabrication process, and for satisfying the requirements of the irradiation test, an orbital-GTA weld machine for the specimens of the dual rods was developed, and the preliminary welding experiments for optimizing the process conditions of the specimens of the dual rods were performed. Dual rods with a 9.5mm diameter and a 0.6mm wall thickness of the cladding tubes and end-plugs have been used and the optimum conditions of the pin-hole welding have also been selected. This paper describes the experimental results of the GTA welds of the specimens of the dual rods and the metallography examinations of the GTA welded specimens for various welding conditions for the instrumented fuel irradiation test. These investigations satisfied the requirements of the instrumented irradiation test and the GTA welds for the specimens of the dual rods at the HANARO research reactor

Fission neutron irradiation of copper containing implanted and transmutation produced helium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, B.N.; Horsewell, A.; Eldrup, Morten Mostgaard

1992-01-01

High purity copper containing approximately 100 appm helium was produced in two ways. In the first, helium was implanted by cyclotron at Harwell at 323 K. In the second method, helium was produced as a transmutation product in 800 MeV proton irradiation at Los Alamos, also at 323 K. The distribut......High purity copper containing approximately 100 appm helium was produced in two ways. In the first, helium was implanted by cyclotron at Harwell at 323 K. In the second method, helium was produced as a transmutation product in 800 MeV proton irradiation at Los Alamos, also at 323 K...... as well as the effect of the presence of other transmutation produced impurity atoms in the 800 MeV proton irradiated copper will be discussed....

The microstructure and microhardness of friction stir welded dissimilar copper/Al-5% Mg alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Kalashnikova, T. A.; Shvedov, M. A.; Vasilyev, P. A.

2017-12-01

A friction stir welded joint between copper and aluminum alloy has been investigated and characterized for the microstructure and microhardness number distribution. The microstructural evolution of the joint is studied using optical microscopy and microhardness. The mechanical characteristics in structural zones of FSW joints are determined by Vickers microhardness measurements. Samples were cut across the cross section. It is shown that intermetallic Cu/Al particles are formed at interfaces. The intermetallics microhardness in the dissimilar aluminum/cooper FSW joint differs from that of the joint produced by fusion welding. The grain structures obtained in different dissimilar joint zones are examined.

Swelling of pure copper and copper alloys after high fluence irradiation in FFTF [Fast Flux Test Facility] at approximately 4500C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garner, F.A.; Brager, H.R.

1986-03-01

The swelling of pure copper and various copper-base alloys has been determined at 47.2 dpa after irradiation in FFTF-MOTA at ∼450 0 C. Data are also becoming available at 63.3 dpa. The alloys tend to fall into two broad categories, those that swell appreciably, sometimes with an S-shaped behavior, and those that resist swelling to very high neutron exposures. It appears that copper may have an intrinsic swelling rate of ∼1%/dpa that is often not reached due to its tendency toward saturation of swelling. The most swelling-resistant alloys examined to date are CuAl25, MZC and Cu-2.0Be

Friction Stir Welding of Copper Canisters for Nuclear Waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaellgren, Therese

2005-07-01

The Swedish model for final disposal of nuclear fuel waste is based on copper canisters as a corrosion barrier with an inner pressure holding insert of cast iron. One of the methods to seal the copper canister is to use the Friction Stir Welding (FSW), a method invented by The Welding Institute (TWI). This work has been focused on characterisation of the FSW joints, and modelling of the process, both analytically and numerically. The first simulations were based on Rosenthal's analytical medium plate model. The model is simple to use, but has limitations. Finite element models were developed, initially with a two-dimensional geometry. Due to the requirements of describing both the heat flow and the tool movement, three-dimensional models were developed. These models take into account heat transfer, material flow, and continuum mechanics. The geometries of the models are based on the simulation experiments carried out at TWI and at Swedish Nuclear Fuel Waste and Management Co (SKB). Temperature distribution, material flow and their effects on the thermal expansion were predicted for a full-scale canister and lid. The steady state solutions have been compared with temperature measurements, showing good agreement. Microstructure and hardness profiles have been investigated by optical microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) and Rockwell hardness measurements. EBSD visualisation has been used to determine the grain size distribution and the appearance of twins and misorientation within grains. The orientation maps show a fine uniform equiaxed grain structure. The root of the weld exhibits the smallest grains and many annealing twins. This may be due to deformation after recrystallisation. The appearance of the nugget and the grain size depends on the position of the weld. A large difference can be seen both in hardness and grain size between the start of the weld and when the steady state is reached.

Plug-welding of ODS cladding tube for BOR-60 irradiation. Welding condition setting. Device remodeling and welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seki, Masayuki; Ishibashi, Fujio; Kono, Syusaku; Hirako, Kazuhito; Tsukada, Tatsuya

2003-04-01

Irradiation test in BOR-60 at RIAR to judge practical use prospect of ODS cladding tube at early stage is planned as Japan-Russia a joint research. RIAR does fuel design of fuel pin used for this joint research. JNC manufactures ODS cladding tube and bar materials (two steel kind of martensite and ferrite), upper endplug production. They are welded by pressurized resistance welding, and are inspected in JNC Tokai, transported to RIAR. And RIAR manufactures vibration packing fuel pin. On the upper endplug welding by pressurized resistance welding method, we worded on the problems such as decision of welding condition by changing the size and crystallization of cladding tube and the design of endplug, and the chucking device remodeling to correspond to the long scale cladding tube welding system (included handling) and of quality assurance method. Especially, use of long scale cladding tube caused problem that bending transformation occurred in cladding tube by welding pressure. However, we solved this problem by shortening the distance of cladding tube colette chuck and pressure receiving, and by putting the sleeve in an internal space of welding machine, losing the bending of cladding tube. Moreover, welding defects were occurred by the difference of an inside state, an inside defect and recrystallization of cladding tube. We solved the problem by inside grinding for the edge of tube, angle beam method by ultrasonic wave, and ultrasonic wave form confirmation. Manufacturing process with long scale cladding tube including heat-treatment to remove combustion return and remaining stress was established besides, Afterwards, welding of ODS cladding tube and upper endplug. As the quality assurance system, we constructed [Documented procedure (referred to JOYO)] based on [Document of the QA plan] by OEC. Welding and inspection were executed by the document procedure. It is thought that the quality assurance method become references for the irradiation test in JOYO in the

Material Characterization of Dissimilar Friction Stir Spot Welded Aluminium and Copper Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Sanusi, K. O.; Akinlabi, E. T.

2017-08-01

In this research study, material characterization of dissimilar friction stir spot welded Aluminium and Copper was evaluated. Rotational speeds of 800 rpm and transverse speeds of 50 mm/min, 150 mm/min and 250 mm/min were used. The total numbers of samples evaluated were nine altogether. The spot welds were characterised by microstructure characterization using optical microscope (OEM) and scanning electron microscopy technique (SEM) by observing the evolution of the microstructure across the weld’s cross-section. lap-shear test of the of the spot weld specimens were also done. From the results, it shows that welding of metals and alloys using Friction stir spot welding is appropriate and can be use in industrial applications.

Electron beam welding of copper lids. Status report up to 2001-12-31

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Claesson, Soeren; Ronneteg, Ulf

2003-10-01

The report describes a summary of achieved results from 21 lid welds and numerous test block welds, performed at SKB Canister Laboratory in Oskarshamn for the period 1999-02-12 to 2001-12-31. Good weld quality has been achieved and some welds fulfilled the preliminary interpretation criteria, but the weld process need to be further developed before process qualification. Many different parameter settings have been tested and the influence on the weld profile has been mapped and documented. Deformations of the canister after welding have been measured and found to be very small. The preliminary inspection methods of the weld quality works satisfactory for the need of the development of the weld process. The welding machine is a new design developed for welding of thick copper in reduced pressure and performs well, but suffers from teething problems, which has delayed the work with development of the weld process. The welding system needs to be further developed and improved to work more reliably in a production plant

Feasibility study of electron beam welding of spent nuclear fuel canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanderson, A.; Szluha, T.F.; Turner, J.L.; Leggatt, R.H.

1983-04-01

A thick walled copper container is presently the prime Swedish alternative for encapsulation of spent nuclear fuel. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of encapsulating high-level nuclear waste in copper containers, a study of electron beam welding of thick copper has been performed. Two copper qualities have been investigated, oxygen free high conductivity (OFHC) copper and phosphorous desoxydized high conductivity copper (PDO). The findings in this study are summarized below. In 100 mm thick copper penetration can be achived at power level of about 75 kW (typically 150 kV x 500 mA) at welding speed of 100 mm/min. The welds in OFHC copper made under these conditions are free from major defects during constant welding conditions. The welds in PDO copper show a microporosity level considerably higher than those in OFHC copper, but no major defects are produced in the welds in PDO copper. In the ending of the weld (ie the fade out) it is still not possible to completely eliminate root and cold-shut defects. A semi-full-scale lid weld has been performed successfully. Automatic ultrasonic C-scan has been shown to be useful in detecting and displaying defects, but some problems still remain with defect sizing. The different speciments of OFHS copper had different attenuation of the ultrasonic signal, forged copper showing a far lower attenuation than hot extruded copper, indicating that attention must be paid in choosing copper that allows accurate ultrasonic testing. Resiudal stresses in the welded zone has been measured and are found to lie in the range -32N/mm 2 to +36N/mm 2 . The peak stress was less than half the assumed value of the proof stress of the fused metal. (authors)

The effect of neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties of welded zircaloy-2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, D G

1962-07-15

Zircaloy-2 tensile specimens, subsize impact bars and representative spigot welds were subjected to three NRX cycles in the X-5 loop. Average loop temperature was 260{sup o}C over the three cycles. One group of tensile specimens was heat-treated in vacuum at 900{sup o}C for 40 minutes, another group contained welded areas in the centre of the gauge length and a third group was hydrided after welding. Notches of the impact specimens were located in the fusion zone of the weld, Spigot welds were made on autoclaved and unautoclaved simulated production assemblies. The transition temperature of Zircaloy-2 increased appreciably upon welding. This was accompanied by a decrease in absorbed energy values for all temperatures between 0{sup o} and 300{sup o}C. Neutron irradiation had no effect on the impact properties of welded. Zircaloy-2. Welding decreased the uniform and total elongation at room temperature and at 260{sup o}C, and increased the 260{sup o}C PL, YS and UTS. Hydriding to a nominal 100 ppm hydrogen had no effect on the unirradiated tensile properties at either test temperature. The heat treatment decreased the strength properties but did not affect the ductility. Neutron irradiation increased the YS of the welded and hydrided material by 20% and the heat treated YS by 40%. Irradiation also increased the 260{sup o}C strength properties of the as-welded material. It was found that the unautoclaved spigot welds had a generally higher tensile strength than the autoclaved and welded specimens. For specimens welded in either condition, the outer welds of the 19-element bundle had a lower average breaking load than the inner welds. Neutron irradiation had no effect on the tensile strength of these welds. It was also demonstrated that a cup-and-cone type of fracture could be produced in a bend test. These fractures were similar to those observed in irradiated fuel bundles which had been damaged during transfer operations. A large amount of scatter rendered some

Microstructure evolution in dissimilar AA6060/copper friction stir welded joints

Science.gov (United States)

Kalashnikova, T. A.; Shvedov, M. A.; Vasilyev, P. A.

2017-12-01

Friction stir welding process has been applied for making a dissimilar copper/aluminum alloy joint. The grain microstructure and mechanical properties of the obtained joint were studied. The structure of the cross-section of the FSW compound was analyzed. The microstructural evolution of the joint was examined using optical microscopy. The mechanical properties of the intermetallic particles were evaluated by measuring the microhardness according to the Vickers method. The microhardness of the intermetallic particles was by a factor of 4 lower than that of the particles obtained by fusion welding. The results of the investigations enable using friction stir welding for making dissimilar joints.

Enhancing the Ductility of Laser-Welded Copper-Aluminum Connections by using Adapted Filler Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Weigl, M.; Albert, F.; Schmidt, M.

Laser micro welding of direct copper-aluminum connections typically leads to the formation of intermetallic phases and an embrittlement of the metal joints. By means of adapted filler materials it is possible to reduce the brittle phases and thereby enhance the ductility of these dissimilar connections. As the element silicon features quite a well compatibility with copper and aluminum, filler materials based on Al-Si and Cu-Si alloys are used in the current research studies. In contrast to direct Cu-Al welds, the aluminum filler alloy AlSi12 effectuates a more uniform element mixture and a significantly enhanced ductility.

Use of pre-pulse in laser spot welding of materials with high optical reflection

Science.gov (United States)

Mys, Ihor; Geiger, Manfred

2003-11-01

Laser micro welding has become a standard manufacturing technique, particularly in industry sectors, such as automotive and aerospace electronics or medical devices, where the requirements for strength, miniaturization and temperature resistance are constantly rising. So far the use of laser micro welding is limited due to the fluctuation of the quality of the welded joints, because the welding results for material with high optical reflection and thermal conductivity, such as copper and copper alloys, depend very strongly on the condition of the material surface. This paper presents investigations on the use of a laser pre-pulse in spot welding of electronic materials with Nd:YAG laser. In order to achieve reproducible joining results two strategies are followed-up. The first one utilizes a reflection-based process control for measuring the reflection during the short pre-pulse. The intensity of the reflected light is used to calculate an appropriated welding pulse power, which corresponds to the measured relative absorption. Adjustment of laser parameters according to the condition of the surface is done in real time before laser main pulse. A second possibility for the stabilization of copper welding is the employment of a short and powerful laser pre-pulse before laser main pulse. This pre-pulse affects the workpiece surface and creates more reproducible absorption conditions for the main pulse, independent from the initial situation on material surface.

Formation And Distribution of Brittle Structures in Friction Stir Welding of AA 6061 To Copper. Influence of Preheat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Vahid Safi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, apart from introducing brand – new warm friction stir welding (WFSW method, the effect of preheating on friction stir welded of copper and aluminum alloys sheets and its influence on improving the mechanical properties of the weld were investigated. Sheets of aluminum alloy 6061 and copper with thickness of 5mm were used. The tool was made of tool steel of grade H13 with a threaded cone shape. Rotational speeds (w of 1200-1400 rpm and traverse speeds (v of 50-100 mm/min were used for better understanding the behavior of the tools during the heat input. The sheets were kept in furnace with temperature of 75 ˚C and 125˚C and welding was done afterwards. At last, tensile and micro hardness tests were done to compare the mechanical properties of the welds. Considering to the high thermal conductivity of both copper and aluminum, the reason of increase in strength of the joints could be related to the low temperature gradient between the weld zone and base metal because the heat gets out of the stir zone with lower steep. A significant increase in hardness is observed in the SZ for the following reasons: (i the presence of concentric grains with intensely refined recrystallization and (ii the presence of intermetallic compounds. The tensile test results showed 85% increase in the strength of preheated joints. The maximum strength occurs for preheating of 75˚C, rotational speed of 1200 rpm and traverse speed of 50 mm/min. In the present study, intermetallic compounds and the precipitates are moved to the grain boundaries during the welding process. These precipitates act as strong obstacles to the movements of dislocations and increase the deformation resistance of material. This phenomenon may result in locking of grain boundaries and consequently decrease of grain size. This grain refinement can improve the mechanical properties of welds. Accordingly, hardness and strength of the material will be increased.

First results of laser welding of neutron irradiated stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osch, E.V. van; Hulst, D.S. d'; Laan, J.G. van der.

1994-10-01

First results of experimental investigations on the laser reweldability of neutron irradiated material are reported. These experiments include the manufacture of 'heterogeneous' joints, which means joining of irradiated stainless steel of type AISI 316L-SPH to 'fresh' unirradiated material. The newly developed laser welding facility in the ECN Hot Cell Laboratory and experimental procedures are described. Visual inspections of welded joints are reported as well as results of electron microscopy and preliminary metallographic examinations. (orig.)

INTRACELLULAR COPPER ACCUMULATION ENHANCES THE GROWTH OF KINEOCOCCUS RADIOTOLERANS DURING CHRONIC IRRADIATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagwell, C; Charles Milliken, C

2007-01-01

The actinobacteria Kineococcus radiotolerans is highly resistant to ionizing radiation, desiccation, and oxidative stress; though the underlying biochemical mechanisms are unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore a possible linkage between the uptake of transition metals and extreme resistance to ionizing radiation and oxidative stress. The effects of 6 different divalent cationic metals on growth were examined in the absence of ionizing radiation. None of the metals tested were stimulatory, though cobalt was inhibitory to growth. In contrast, copper supplementation dramatically increased cell growth during chronic irradiation. K. radiotolerans exhibited specific uptake and intracellular accumulation of copper compared to only a weak response to both iron and manganese supplementation. Copper accumulation sensitized cells to hydrogen peroxide. Acute irradiation induced DNA damage was similar between the copper-loaded culture as the age-synchronized no copper control culture, though low molecular weight DNA was more persistent during post-irradiation recovery in the Cu-loaded culture. Still, the estimated times for genome restoration differed by only 1 hr between treatments. While we cannot discount the possibility that copper fulfills an unexpectedly important biochemical role in a radioactive environment; K. radiotolerans has a high capacity for intracellular copper sequestration, and presumably efficiently coordinated oxidative stress defenses and detoxification systems, which confers cross-protection from the damaging affects ionizing radiation

Heavy-section steel irradiation program. Volume 4, No. 2. Semiannual progress report, April 1993--September 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1995-03-01

Maintaining the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in a light-water-cooled nuclear power plant is crucial in preventing and controlling severe accidents which have the potential for major contamination release. The RPV is the only key safety-related component of the plant for which a duplicate or redundant backup system does not exist. In particular, it is vital to fully understand the degree of irradiation-induced degradation of the RPV's fracture resistance which occurs during service, since without that radiation damage, it is virtually impossible to postulate a realistic scenario that would result in RPV failure. For this reason, the Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program has been established to provide a quantitative assessment of the effects of neutron irradiation on the material behavior and, in particular, the fracture toughness properties of typical pressure-vessel steels. 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. The HSSI Program is arranged into 14 tasks: (1) program management, (2) fracture toughness (K lc ) curve shift in high-copper welds, (3) crack-arrest toughness (K la ) curve shift in high-copper welds, (4) irradiation effects on cladding, (5) K lc and K la curve shifts in low upper-shelf (LUS) welds, (6) annealing effects in LUS welds, (7) irradiation effects in a commercial LUS weld, (8) microstructural analysis of irradiation effects, (9) in-service aged material evaluations, (10) correlation monitor materials, (11) special technical assistance, (12) Japan Power Development Reactor steel examination, (13) technical assistance for Joint Coordinating Committee on Civilian Nuclear Reactor Safety (JCCCNRS) Working Groups 3 and 12, and (14) additional requirements for materials

Parametric Investigation on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ultrasonic spot welded Aluminium to Copper sheets

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad Satpathy, Mantra; Das Mohapatra, Kasinath; Sahoo, Ananda Kumar; Sahoo, Susanta Kumar

2018-03-01

Ultrasonic welding is one of the promising solid state welding methods which have been widely used to join highly conductive materials like aluminum and copper. Despite these applications in the automotive field, other industries also have a strong interest to adopt this process for joining of various advanced alloys. In some of its applications, poor weld strength and sticking of the workpiece to the tool are issues. Thus, an attempt has been taken in the present study to overcome these issues by performing experiments with a suitable range of weld parameters. The major objectives of this study are to obtain a good joint strength with a reduced sticking phenomenon and microstructure of Al-Cu weld coupons. The results uncovered the mechanical strength of the joint increased up to 0.34 sec of weld time and afterward, it gradually decreased. Meantime, the plastic deformation in the weld zone enhanced the formation of an intermetallic layer of 1.5 μm thick, and it is composed of mainly Al2Cu compound. The temperature evolved during the welding process is also measured by thermocouples to show its relationship with the plastic deformation. The present work exemplifies a finer understanding of the failure behavior of joints and provides an insight of ultrasonic welding towards the improvement in the quality of weld.

Investigation of TIG welding characteristics with a dual cooled rod for the fuel irradiation test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Soo Sung; Kim, Hyung Kyu

2008-01-01

To establish the fabrication process, and for satisfying the requirements of the irradiation test, an TIG(Tungsten Inert Gas) welding machine for the dual cooled rods specimens was developed, and the preliminary welding experiments were performed to optimize the welding process conditions. Cladding tubes of 15.9 and 9 mm for the outer and inner diameters, respectively with a 0.57 mm thickness and end caps were used for the specimens. This paper describes the experimental results of the TIG welds and the micrograph examinations of the TIG welded specimens corresponding to various welding conditions for the dual cooled fuel irradiation test. The investigations revealed that the present TIG process satisfied the requirements for the fuel irradiation test in the HANARO research reactor

Blue laser diode (450 nm) systems for welding copper

Science.gov (United States)

Silva Sa, M.; Finuf, M.; Fritz, R.; Tucker, J.; Pelaprat, J.-M.; Zediker, M. S.

2018-02-01

This paper will discuss the development of high power blue laser systems for industrial applications. The key development enabling high power blue laser systems is the emergence of high power, high brightness laser diodes at 450 nm. These devices have a high individual brightness rivaling their IR counterparts and they have the potential to exceed their performance and price barriers. They also have a very high To resulting in a 0.04 nm/°C wavelength shift. They have a very stable lateral far-field profile which can be combined with other diodes to achieve a superior brightness. This paper will report on the characteristics of the blue laser diodes, their integration into a modular laser system suitable for scaling the output power to the 1 kW level and beyond. Test results will be presented for welding of copper with power levels ranging from 150 Watts to 600 Watts

Tensile properties of a titanium modified austenitic stainless steel and the weld joints after neutron irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiba, K.; Ioka, I.; Jitsukawa, S.; Hamada, A.; Hishinuma, A. [and others

1996-10-01

Tensile specimens of a titanium modified austenitic stainless steel and its weldments fabricated with Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) and Electron Beam (EB) welding techniques were irradiated to a peak dose of 19 dpa and a peak helium level of 250 appm in the temperature range between 200 and 400{degrees}C in spectrally tailored capsules in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). The He/dpa ratio of about 13 appm/dpa is similar to the typical helium/dpa ratio of a fusion reactor environment. The tensile tests were carried out at the irradiation temperature in vacuum. The irradiation caused an increase in yield stress to levels between 670 and 800 MPa depending on the irradiation temperature. Total elongation was reduced to less than 10%, however the specimens failed in a ductile manner. The results were compared with those of the specimens irradiated using irradiation capsules producing larger amount of He. Although the He/dpa ratio affected the microstructural change, the impact on the post irradiation tensile behavior was rather small for not only base metal specimens but also for the weld joint and the weld metal specimens.

Re-weldability tests of irradiated 316L(N) stainless steel using laser welding technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Hirokazu; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kalinin, George; Kohno, Wataru; Morishima, Yasuo

2002-01-01

SS316L(N)-IG is the candidate material for the in-vessel and ex-vessel components of fusion reactors such as ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). This paper describes a study on re-weldability of un-irradiated and/or irradiated SS316L(N)-IG and the effect of helium generation on the mechanical properties of the weld joint. The laser welding process is used for re-welding of the water cooling branch pipeline repairs. It is clarified that re-welding of SS316L(N)-IG irradiated up to about 0.2 dpa (3.3 appm He) can be carried out without a serious deterioration of tensile properties due to helium accumulation. Therefore, repair of the ITER blanket cooling pipes can be performed by the laser welding process

Re-weldability tests of irradiated 316L(N) stainless steel using laser welding technique

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Hirokazu; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kalinin, George; Kohno, Wataru; Morishima, Yasuo

2002-12-01

SS316L(N)-IG is the candidate material for the in-vessel and ex-vessel components of fusion reactors such as ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). This paper describes a study on re-weldability of un-irradiated and/or irradiated SS316L(N)-IG and the effect of helium generation on the mechanical properties of the weld joint. The laser welding process is used for re-welding of the water cooling branch pipeline repairs. It is clarified that re-welding of SS316L(N)-IG irradiated up to about 0.2 dpa (3.3 appm He) can be carried out without a serious deterioration of tensile properties due to helium accumulation. Therefore, repair of the ITER blanket cooling pipes can be performed by the laser welding process.

Void formation and growth in copper-nickel alloys during irradiation in the high voltage electron microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leffers, T.; Singh, B.N.; Barlow, P.

1977-05-01

The formation and growth of voids during irradiation in a high-voltage electron microscope were studied in copper and Cu-Ni alloys. For each composition, the range of irradiation temperatures from 250 deg C to 550 deg C was covered. The development of the irradiation-induced dislocation structure was also studied. At irradiation temperatures up to 450 deg C, the void swelling decreased rapidly with increasing Ni content and became practically zero for Cu-10%Ni. The decrease in swelling was produced mainly by decreased void growth (and not by decreased void number density). At 550 deg C the void swelling increased with increasing Ni content up to 5%, whereas for Cu-10%Ni the swelling became practically zero; again the changes in swelling with Ni content were mainly determined by changes in void growth. The reduction in void swelling and growth due to alloying is ascribed to vacancy or interstitial trapping at submicroscopic Ni precipitates, i.e. to the precipitates acting as recombination centres. The increase in void swelling and growth with increasing Ni content, on the other hand, is ascribed to dislocation climb sources that emit loops, and hence produce a fairly high dislocation density at a temperature where there are only few dislocations in pure copper or Cu-Ni with lower Ni content. (author)

Structural stability of super duplex stainless weld metals and its dependence on tungsten and copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, J.O.; Wilson, A.; Huhtala, T.; Karlsson, L.; Jonsson, P.

1996-01-01

Three different superduplex stainless weld metals have been produced using manual metal arc welding under identical welding conditions. The concentration of the alloying elements tungsten and copper corresponded to the concentrations in commercial superduplex stainless steels (SDSS). Aging experiments in the temperature range 700 C to 1,110 C showed that the formation of intermetallic phase was enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal and also dissolved at higher temperatures compared with tungsten-poor and tungsten-free weld metals. It could be inferred from time-temperature-transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams produced in the present investigation that the critical cooling rate to avoid 1 wt pct of intermetallic phase was 2 times faster for tungsten-rich weld metal. Microanalysis in combination with thermodynamic calculations showed that tungsten was accommodated in χ phase, thereby decreasing the free energy. Experimental evidence supports the view that the formation of intermetallic phase is enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal, owing to easier nucleation of nonequilibrium χ phase compared with σ phase. The formation of secondary austenite (γ 2 ) during welding was modeled using the thermodynamic computer program Thermo-Calc. Satisfactory agreement between theory and practice was obtained. Thermo-Calc was capable of predicting observed lower concentrations of chromium and nitrogen in γ 2 compared with primary austenite. The volume fraction of γ 2 was found to be significantly higher in tungsten-rich and tungsten + copper containing weld metal. The results could be explained by a higher driving force for precipitation of γ 2 in these

Structural stability of super duplex stainless weld metals and its dependence on tungsten and copper

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, J.-O.; Huhtala, T.; Jonsson, P.; Karlsson, L.; Wilson, A.

1996-08-01

Three different superduplex stainless weld metals have been produced using manual metal arc welding under identical welding conditions. The concentration of the alloying elements tungsten and copper corresponded to the concentrations in commercial superduplex stainless steels (SDSS). Aging experiments in the temperature range 700 °C to 1110 °C showed that the formation of intermetallic phase was enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal and also dissolved at higher temperatures compared with tungsten-poor and tungsten-free weld metals. It could be inferred from time-temperature-transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams produced in the present investigation that the critical cooling rate to avoid 1 wt pct of intermetallic phase was 2 times faster for tungsten-rich weld metal. Microanalysis in combination with thermodynamic calculations showed that tungsten was accommodated in χ phase, thereby decreasing the free energy. Experimental evidence supports the view that the formation of intermetallic phase is enhanced in tungsten-rich weld metal, owing to easier nucleation of nonequilibrium χ phase compared with σ phase. The formation of secondary austenite (γ2) during welding was modeled using the thermodynamic computer program Thermo-Calc. Satisfactory agreement between theory and practice was obtained. Thermo-Calc was capable of predicting observed lower concentrations of chromium and nitrogen in γ2 compared with primary austenite. The volume fraction of γ2 was found to be significantly higher in tungsten-rich and tungsten + copper containing weld metal. The results could be explained by a higher driving force for precipitation of γ2 in these.

Corrosion processes of austenitic stainless steels and copper-based materials in gamma-irradiated aqueous environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glass, R.S.

1985-09-01

The US Department of Energy is evaluating a site located at Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nevada, as a potential high-level nuclear waste repository. The rock at the proposed repository horizon (above the water table) is densely welded, devitrified tuff, and the fluid environment in the repository is expected to be primarily air-steam. A more severe environment would be present in the unlikely case of intrusion of vadose groundwater into the repository site. For this repository location, austenitic stainless steels and copper-based materials are under consideration for waste container fabrication. This study focuses on the effects of gamma irradiation on the electrochemical mechanisms of corrosion for the prospective waste container materials. The radiolytic production of such species as hydrogen peroxide and nitric acid are shown to exert an influence on corrosion mechanisms and kinetics

Microstructures of a welded joint using an irradiated wrapper tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamada, S.; Watanabe, K.; Hishinuma, A.; Takahashi, I.; Kikuchi, T.

1993-01-01

The behavior of helium in welded joint fabricated using tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding process for a type 316 stainless steel wrapper tube irradiated in a fast reactor was investigated. The wrapper tube was irradiated to (1.5 - 4.2) x 10 26 n/m 2 (helium level of 3 to 9 appm) at 395 - 410 degrees C. All welded joints fractured in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). The microstructures of each portion of the base metal, the HAZ and the fusion zone in a welded joint were examined through a transmission electron microscope. Small helium bubbles were observed in number density of 2 x 10 20 m -3 in the matrix and rarely found on the grain boundaries of the base metal. In the HAZ, small and large helium bubbles mixed and lined up along the grain boundaries. In particular, some of them elongated along the grain boundary. In the matrix of the fusion zone, delta-ferrite phases and unresolved carbides were scattered. Large cavities were attached to these precipitates and also occurred along grain boundaries. These results suggest that the failure in the HAZ of welded joints is attributed to the preferential growth and coalescence of helium bubbles in the grain boundaries of the HAZ caused by weld heat input and stress during welding

Development of Micro-welding Technology of Cladding Tube with Temperature Sensor for Nuclear Fuel Irradiation Test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Soo Sung; Lee, C. Y.; Kim, W. K.; Lee, J. W.; Lee, D. Y

2006-01-15

Laser welding technology is widely used to fabricate some products of nuclear fuel in the nuclear industry. Especially, micro-laser welding is one of the key technology to be developed to fabricate precise products of fuel irradiation test. We have to secure laser welding technology to perform various instrumentations for fuel irradiation test. The instrumented fuel irradiation test at a research reactor is needed to evaluate the performance of the developed nuclear fuel. The fuel elements can be designed to measure the center line temperature of fuel pellets during the irradiation test by using temperature sensor. The thermal sensor was composed of thermocouple and sensor sheath. Micro-laser welding technology was adopted to seal between seal tube and sensor sheath with thickness of 0.15mm. The soundness of weld area has to be confirmed to prevent fission gas of the fuel from leaking out of the element during the fuel irradiation test. In this study, fundamental data for micro-laser welding technology was proposed to seal temperature sensor sheath of the instrumented fuel element. And, micro-laser welding for dissimilar metals between sensor sheath and seal tube was characterized by investigating welding conditions. Moreover, the micro-laser welding technology is closely related to advanced industry. It is expected that the laser material processing technology will be adopted to various applications in the industry.

APT characterization of high nickel RPV steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, M.K.; Russell, K.F

2004-01-01

Full text: The microstructures of several high nickel content pressure vessel steels have been characterized by atom probe tomography. The purposes of this study were to investigate the influence of high nickel levels on the response to neutron irradiation of high and low copper pressure vessel steels and to establish whether any additional phases were present after neutron irradiation. The nickel levels in these steels were at least twice that typically found in Western pressure vessel steels. Two different types of pressure vessel steels with low and high copper contents were selected for this study. The first set of alloys was low copper (∼0.05% Cu) base (15Ch2NMFAA) and weld (12Ch2N2MAA) materials used in a VVER-1000 reactor. The composition of the lower nickel VVER-1000 base material was Fe- 0.17 wt% C, 0.30% Si, 0.46% Mn, 2.2% Cr, 1.26% Ni, 0.05% Cu, 0.01% S, 0.008% P, 0.10% V and 0.50% Mo. The composition of the higher nickel VVER-1000 weld material was Fe- 0.06 wt % C, 0.33% Si, 0.80% Mn, 1.8% Cr, 1.78% Ni, 0.07% Cu, 0.009% S, 0.005% P, and 0.63% Mo. The VVER-1000 steels were irradiated in the HSSI Program's irradiation facilities at the University of Michigan, Ford Nuclear Reactor at a temperature of 288 o C for 2,137 h at an average flux of 7.08 x 10 11 cm 2 s -1 for a fluence of 5.45 x 10 18 n cm -2 (E >1 MeV) and for 5,340 h at an average flux of 4.33 x 10 11 cm -2 s -1 for a fluence of 8.32 x 10 1 28 n cm -2 (E >1 MeV). Therefore, the total fluence was 1.38 x 10 19 n cm -2 (E >1 MeV). The second type of pressure vessel steel was a high copper (0.20% Cu) weld from the Palisades reactor. The average composition of the Palisades weld was Fe- 0.11 wt% C, 0.18% Si, 1.27% Mn, 0.04% Cr, 1.20% Ni, 0.20% Cu, 0.017% S, 0.014% P, 0.003% V and 0.55% Mn. The Palisades weld, designated weldment 'B' from weld heat 34B009, was irradiated at a temperature of 288 o C and a flux of ∼7 x 10 11 cm -2 s -1 to a fast fluence of 1.4 x 10 19 n cm -2 (E >1 MeV). These three

An investigation of fusion zone microstructures in electron beam welding of copper-stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnabosco, I.; Ferro, P.; Bonollo, F.; Arnberg, L.

2006-01-01

The article presents a study of three different welded joints produced by electron beam welding dissimilar materials. The junctions were obtained between copper plates and three different austenitic stainless steel plates. Different welding parameters were used according to the different thicknesses of the samples. Morphological, microstructural and mechanical (micro-hardness test) analyses of the weld bead were carried out. The results showed complex heterogeneous fusion zone microstructures characterized both by rapid cooling and poor mixing of the materials which contain main elements which are mutually insoluble. Some defects such as porosity and microfissures were also found. They are mainly due to the process and geometry parameters

Defect structure in proton-irradiated copper and nickel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsukuda, Noboru; Ehrhart, P.; Jaeger, W.; Schilling, W.; Dworschak, F.; Gadalla, A.A.

1987-01-01

This single crystals of copper or nickel with a thickness of about 10 μm are irradiated with 3 MeV protons at room temperature and the structures of resultant defects are investigated based on measurements of the effects of irradiation on the electrical resistivity, length, lattice constants, x-ray diffraction line profile and electron microscopic observations. The measurements show that the electrical resistivity increases with irradiation dose, while leveling off at high dose due to overlapping of irradiation cascades. The lattice constants decreases, indicating that many vacancies still remain while most of the interstitial stoms are eliminated, absorbed or consumed for dislocation loop formation. The x-ray line profile undergoes broadening, which is the result of dislocation loops, dislocation networks and SFT's introduced by the proton irradiation. Various defects have different effects though they cannot be identified separately from the profile alone. A satellite peak appears at a low angle, which seems to arise from periodic defect structures that are found in electron microscopic observations. In both copper and nickel, such periodic defect structures are seen over a wide range from high to low dose. Defect-free and defect-rich domains (defect walls), 0.5 to several μm in size, are alingned parallel to the {001} plane at intervals of 60 nm. The defect walls, which consist of dislocations, dislocation loops and SFT's, is 20 - 40 nm thick. (Nogami, K.)

State of the art of the welding method for sealing spent nuclear fuel canister made of copper. Part 1 - FSW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Purhonen, T.

2014-05-15

The purpose of this report is to gather together comprehensive information concerning FSW as an optional welding method for welding the nuclear waste copper canister at the disposal facility. This report discusses the current situation, knowledge of the process and information concerning results of the development and research work related to welding thick copper and the special needs of the disposal environment. Most of the research work and development work has been done by Posiva's Swedish partner SKB, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co. SKB chose FSW as their reference welding method in 2005. FSW (friction stir welding) is a solid-state welding method, invented in 1991, in which frictional heat is generated between the tool and the weld metal, causing the metal to soften, normally without reaching the melting point, and allowing the tool to traverse the joint line. Friction stir welding can be used for joining many types of materials and material combinations, if the tool materials and designs can be found which operate at the forging temperature of the workpiece. The general requirements for the copper canister weld and base material are presented in Posiva's VAHA-system, which sets the most critical values or demands concerning the short- and long-term properties or other needs. The sections in this report are set out in a similar way as in the VAHA-system. Concerning the results from the research and development work, it can be said that FS weld material fulfils the values set by VAHA. The quality of the welds fulfils the set demands for intact weld material and the welding process is robust using an automatic control system. There still remains work concerning the acceptance procedure for the welding process and other open issues which are described in this report. (orig.)

State of the art of the welding method for sealing spent nuclear fuel canister made of copper. Part 1 - FSW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purhonen, T.

2014-05-01

The purpose of this report is to gather together comprehensive information concerning FSW as an optional welding method for welding the nuclear waste copper canister at the disposal facility. This report discusses the current situation, knowledge of the process and information concerning results of the development and research work related to welding thick copper and the special needs of the disposal environment. Most of the research work and development work has been done by Posiva's Swedish partner SKB, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co. SKB chose FSW as their reference welding method in 2005. FSW (friction stir welding) is a solid-state welding method, invented in 1991, in which frictional heat is generated between the tool and the weld metal, causing the metal to soften, normally without reaching the melting point, and allowing the tool to traverse the joint line. Friction stir welding can be used for joining many types of materials and material combinations, if the tool materials and designs can be found which operate at the forging temperature of the workpiece. The general requirements for the copper canister weld and base material are presented in Posiva's VAHA-system, which sets the most critical values or demands concerning the short- and long-term properties or other needs. The sections in this report are set out in a similar way as in the VAHA-system. Concerning the results from the research and development work, it can be said that FS weld material fulfils the values set by VAHA. The quality of the welds fulfils the set demands for intact weld material and the welding process is robust using an automatic control system. There still remains work concerning the acceptance procedure for the welding process and other open issues which are described in this report. (orig.)

The influence of low dose irradiation on the creep properties of type 316 welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, P.; Steeds, J.W.; Lin, Y.P.; Finlan, G.T.

1987-01-01

Fully instrumented creep and stress rupture tests have been performed at 873K for times up to 20,000h on a series of type 316 steel/17Cr 8Ni 2Mo weld metal specimens in the unirradiated and thermal neutron irradiated conditions. The specimens tested included all weld metal longitudinal and transverse composites in the as-welded condition and following a stress relief heat treatment of 10h at 1075K. Simulated heat affected zone (HAZ) specimens were also tested. Analysis of the creep results combined with metallography, autoradiography and TEM established that the decrease in properties of irradiated samples is caused by an increasing secondary strain rate due to enhanced helium induced grain boundary fracture of the simulated HAZ and enhanced interdendritic fracture in the weld metal. Implications of strength reductions on the design of welded structures subjected to thermal irradiation are briefly assessed. (author)

Laser Spot Welding of Copper-aluminum Joints Using a Pulsed Dual Wavelength Laser at 532 and 1064 nm

Science.gov (United States)

Stritt, Peter; Hagenlocher, Christian; Kizler, Christine; Weber, Rudolf; Rüttimann, Christoph; Graf, Thomas

A modulated pulsed laser source emitting green and infrared laser light is used to join the dissimilar metals copper and aluminum. The resultant dynamic welding process is analyzed using the back reflected laser light and high speed video observations of the interaction zone. Different pulse shapes are applied to influence the melt pool dynamics and thereby the forming grain structure and intermetallic phases. The results of high-speed images and back-reflections prove that a modulation of the pulse shape is transferred to oscillations of the melt pool at the applied frequency. The outcome of the melt pool oscillation is shown by the metallurgically prepared cross-section, which indicates different solidification lines and grain shapes. An energy-dispersivex-ray analysis shows the mixture and the resultant distribution of the two metals, copper and aluminum, within the spot weld. It can be seen that the mixture is homogenized the observed melt pool oscillations.

A review of the effect of neutron irradiation on the deformation behaviour of copper and copper alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higgy, H.R.

1976-08-01

The basic mechanisms of irradiation hardening are described. The effects of neutron dose, alloying and pre-irradiation deformation on the deformation behaviour of neutron-irradiatied copper and its alloys are considered. The discrepancy in the reported data is discussed. Substitutional and interstitial additions are found to influence the rate of irradiation hardening, while pre-irradiation deformation has no influence. The deformation behaviour of copper is found to alter as a result of irradiation and alloying. (author)

Effects of neutron irradiation to 63 dpa on the properties of various commercial copper alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brager, H.R.

1985-04-01

High purity copper and six commercial copper alloys were neutron irradiated to 47 and 63 dpa at about 450 0 C in the FFTF. Immersion density measurements showed a wide range of swelling behavior after irradiation to 63 dpa. At one extreme was CuBe in the aged and tempered (AT) condition which had densified slightly. At the other extreme was 20% CW Cu-0.1% Ag which swelled over 45%. Electrical resistivity measurements followed trends similar to previously published results for the same alloys irradiated to 16 dpa: a continued change in conductivity with fluence which appears to relate to void formation, transmutation products and coarsening of second phase precipitates. These results were compared with electrical conductivity of unirradiated alloys examined after aging for 10,000 hours. The most irradiation resistant high-conductivity copper alloys examined after 63 dpa are A125 and MZC. Cu-2.0Be, only a moderate-conductivity alloy, exhibits very consistent irradiation resistant properties

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.

Effects of irradiation on the fracture properties of stainless steel weld overlay cladding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haggag, F.M.; Corwin, W.R.; Nanstad, R.K.

1989-01-01

Stainless steel weld overlay cladding was fabricated using the submerged arc, single-wire, oscillating-electrode, and the three-wire, series-arc methods. Three layers of cladding were applied to a pressure vessel plate to provide adequate thickness for fabrication of test specimens, and irradiations were conducted at temperatures and to fluences relevant to power reactor operation. For the first single-wire method, the first layer was type 309, and the upper two layers were type 308 stainless steel. The type 309 was diluted considerably by excessive melting of the base plate. The three-wire method used various combinations of types 308, 309, and 304 stainless steel weld wires, and produced a highly controlled weld chemistry, microstructure, and fracture properties in all three layers of the weld. 14 refs., 15 figs., 4 tabs

Advanced Process Possibilities in Friction Crush Welding of Aluminum, Steel, and Copper by Using an Additional Wire

Science.gov (United States)

Besler, Florian A.; Grant, Richard J.; Schindele, Paul; Stegmüller, Michael J. R.

2017-12-01

Joining sheet metal can be problematic using traditional friction welding techniques. Friction crush welding (FCW) offers a high speed process which requires a simple edge preparation and can be applied to out-of-plane geometries. In this work, an implementation of FCW was employed using an additional wire to weld sheets of EN AW5754 H22, DC01, and Cu-DHP. The joint is formed by bringing together two sheet metal parts, introducing a wire into the weld zone and employing a rotating disk which is subject to an external force. The requirements of the welding preparation and the fundamental process variables are shown. Thermal measurements were taken which give evidence about the maximum temperature in the welding center and the temperature in the periphery of the sheet metals being joined. The high welding speed along with a relatively low heat input results in a minimal distortion of the sheet metal and marginal metallurgical changes in the parent material. In the steel specimens, this FCW implementation produces a fine grain microstructure, enhancing mechanical properties in the region of the weld. Aluminum and copper produced mean bond strengths of 77 and 69 pct to that of the parent material, respectively, whilst the steel demonstrated a strength of 98 pct. Using a wire offers the opportunity to use a higher-alloyed additional material and to precisely adjust the additional material volume appropriate for a given material alignment and thickness.

Experimental and theoretical investigations on temperature distribution at the joint interface for copper joints using ultrasonic welding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elangovan Sooriya

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic welding is a solid-state joining process that produces joints by the application of high frequency vibratory energy in the work pieces held together under pressure without melting. Copper and its alloys are extensively used in electrical and electronic industry because of its excellent electrical and thermal properties. This paper mainly focused on temperature distribution and the influence of process parameters at the joint interface while joining copper sheets using ultrasonic welding process. Experiments are carried out using Cu sheets (0.2 mm and 0.3 mm thickness and the interface temperature is measured using Data Acquisition (DAQ System (thermocouple and thermal imager. Numerical and finite element based model for temperature distribution at the interface are developed and solved the same using Finite Difference Method (FDM and Finite Element Analysis (FEA. The results obtained from FDM and FEA model shows similar trend with experimental results and are found to be in good agreement.

Fluence-rate effects on irradiation embrittlement and composition and temperature effects on annealing/reirradiation sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawthorne, J.R.; Hiser, A.L.

1988-01-01

Recent MEA investigation on the effect of neutron fluence rate on radiation-induced embrittlement accrual and the contributions of metallurgical variables to postirradiation annealing and re-irradiation behavior are reviewed. Studies of fluence-rate effects involved experiments in the UBR test reactor and separately, radiation sensitivity determinations for the decommissioned Gundremmingen (KRB-A) vessel material. Annealing-reirradiation studies employed 399 0 C and 454 0 C heat treatments. Material composition is shown to play a major role in postirradiation annealing recovery. Results illustrate effects of variable copper and variable nickel contents on recoveray of steel plate having low phosphorus levels. Composition effects on recovery were also observed for prototypic welds depicting high/low copper and high/low nickel contents and three flux types. The welds, in addition, indicate major differences in re-irradiation sensitivity. The UBR investigations revealed a significant difference in fluence rate sensitivity between the ASTM A 302-B reference plate and a submerged-arc (S/A) Linde 80 weld. Studies of the Gundremmingen reactor vessel, representing a joint USA-FRG-UK undertaking revealed an anomaly in strong vs. weak test orientation radiation sensitivity. (orig./HP)

Properties of Friction Welding of Dissimilar Metals WCu-Cu Weld for Electrical Contact Device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An, Y. H.; Yoon, G. G. [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (Korea); Min, T. K. [Chungnam National University (Korea); Han, B. S. [Chonbuk National University (Korea)

2000-04-01

A copper-tungsten sintered alloy(WCu) has been friction-welded to a tough pitch copper (Cu) in order to investigate friction weldability. The maximum tensile strength of the WCu-Cu friction welded joints had up to 96% of those of the Cu base metal under the condition of friction time 0.6sec, friction pressure 45MPa, upset pressure 125MPa and upset time 5.0sec. And it is confirmed that the tensile strength of friction welded joints are influenced highly by upset pressure rather than friction time. And it is considered that mixed layer was formed in the Cu adjacent side to the weld interface, W particles included in mixed layer induced fracture in the Cu adjacent side to the weld interface and also, thickness of mixed layer was reduced as upset pressure increase. (author). refs., figs., tabs.

LVDT Development for High Temperature Irradiation Test and Application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Chul Yong; Ban, Chae Min; Choo, Kee Nam; Jun, Byung Hyuk [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The LVDT (Linear Variable Differential Transformer) is used to measure the elongation and pressure of a nuclear fuel rod, or the creep and fatigue of the material during a reactor irradiation test. This device must be a radiation-resistant LVDT for use in a research reactor. Norway Halden has LVDTs for an irradiation test by the own development and commercialized. But Halden's LVDTs have limited the temperature of the use until to 350 .deg. C. So, KAERI has been developing a new LVDT for high temperature irradiation test. This paper describes the design of a LVDT, the fabrication process of a LVDT, and the result of the performance test. The designed LVDT uses thermocouple cable for coil wire material and one MI cable as signal cable. This LVDT for a high temperature irradiation test can be used until a maximum of 900 .deg. C. Welding is a very important factor for the fabrication of an LVDT. We are using a 150W fiber laser welding system that consists of a welding head, monitoring vision system and rotary index.

Nano-Welding of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Silicon and Silica Surface by Laser Irradiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanping Yuan

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this study, a continuous fiber laser (1064 nm wavelength, 30 W/cm2 is used to irradiate multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs on different substrate surfaces. Effects of substrates on nano-welding of MWCNTs are investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM. For MWCNTs on silica, after 3 s irradiation, nanoscale welding with good quality can be achieved due to breaking C–C bonds and formation of new graphene layers. While welding junctions can be formed until 10 s for the MWCNTs on silicon, the difference of irradiation time to achieve welding is attributed to the difference of thermal conductivity for silica and silicon. As the irradiation time is prolonged up to 12.5 s, most of the MWCNTs are welded to a silicon substrate, which leads to their frameworks of tube walls on the silicon surface. This is because the accumulation of absorbed energy makes the temperature rise. Then chemical reactions among silicon, carbon and nitrogen occur. New chemical bonds of Si–N and Si–C achieve the welding between the MWCNTs and silicon. Vibration modes of Si3N4 appear at peaks of 363 cm−1 and 663 cm−1. There are vibration modes of SiC at peaks of 618 cm−1, 779 cm−1 and 973 cm−1. The experimental observation proves chemical reactions and the formation of Si3N4 and SiC by laser irradiation.

Nano-Welding of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Silicon and Silica Surface by Laser Irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Yanping; Chen, Jimin

2016-01-01

In this study, a continuous fiber laser (1064 nm wavelength, 30 W/cm2) is used to irradiate multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on different substrate surfaces. Effects of substrates on nano-welding of MWCNTs are investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). For MWCNTs on silica, after 3 s irradiation, nanoscale welding with good quality can be achieved due to breaking C–C bonds and formation of new graphene layers. While welding junctions can be formed until 10 s for the MWCNTs on silicon, the difference of irradiation time to achieve welding is attributed to the difference of thermal conductivity for silica and silicon. As the irradiation time is prolonged up to 12.5 s, most of the MWCNTs are welded to a silicon substrate, which leads to their frameworks of tube walls on the silicon surface. This is because the accumulation of absorbed energy makes the temperature rise. Then chemical reactions among silicon, carbon and nitrogen occur. New chemical bonds of Si–N and Si–C achieve the welding between the MWCNTs and silicon. Vibration modes of Si3N4 appear at peaks of 363 cm−1 and 663 cm−1. There are vibration modes of SiC at peaks of 618 cm−1, 779 cm−1 and 973 cm−1. The experimental observation proves chemical reactions and the formation of Si3N4 and SiC by laser irradiation. PMID:28344293

Copper alloys for high heat flux structure applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinkle, S.J.; Fabritsiev, S.A.

1994-01-01

The mechanical and physical properties of copper alloys are reviewed and compared with the requirements for high heat flux structural applications in fusion reactors. High heat flux structural materials must possess a combination of high thermal conductivity and high mechanical strength. The three most promising copper alloys at the present time are oxide dispersion-strengthened copper (Cu-Al 2 O 3 ) and two precipitation-hardened copper alloys (Cu-Cr-Zr and Cu-Ni-Be). These three alloys are capable of room temperature yield strengths >400 MPa and thermal conductivities up to 350 W/m-K. All of these alloys require extensive cold working to achieve their optimum strength. Precipitation-hardened copper alloys such Cu-Cr-Zr are susceptible to softening due to precipitate overaging and recrystallization during brazing, whereas the dislocation structure in Cu-Al 2 O 3 remains stabilized during typical high temperature brazing cycles. All three alloys exhibit good resistance to irradiation-induced softening and void swelling at temperatures below 300 degrees C. The precipitation-strengthened allows typically soften during neutron irradiation at temperatures above about 300 degrees C and therefore should only be considered for applications operating at temperatures 2 O 3 ) is considered to be the best candidate for high heat flux structural applications

Friction stir welding - an alternative method for sealing nuclear waste storage canisters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrews, R.E. [TWI Ltd, Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2004-12-01

When welding 50 mm thick copper a very high heat input is required to combat the high thermal diffusivity and only the Electron Beam Welding (EBW) process had this capability when this copper canister concept was conceived. Despite the encouraging results achieved using EBW with thick section copper, SKB felt that it would be prudent to assess other joining methods. This assessment concluded that friction welding, could also provide very high quality welds to satisfy the service life requirements of the SKB canister design. A friction welding variant called Friction Stir Welding (FSW) was shown to have the capability of welding 3 mm thick copper sheet with excellent integrity and reproducibility. This later provided sufficient encouragement for SKB to consider the potential of FSW as a method for joining thick section copper, using relatively simple machine tool based technology. It was thought that FSW might provide an alternative or complementary method for welding lids, or bases to canisters. In 1997 an FSW development programme started at TWI, focussed on the feasibility of welding 10 mm thick copper plate. Once this task was successfully completed, work continued to demonstrate that progressively thicker plate, up to 50 mm thick, could be joined. At this stage, with process viability established, a full size experimental FSW canister machine was designed and built. Work with this machine finished in January 2003, when it had been shown that FSW could definitely be used to weld lids to full size canisters. This report summarises the TWI development of FSW for SKB from 1997 to January 2003. It also highlights the important aspects of the process and the project milestones that will help to ensure that SKB has a welding technology that can be used with confidence for production fabrication of copper waste storage canisters in the future. The overall conclusion to this FSW development is that there is no doubt that the FSW process could be used to produce full

Friction stir welding - an alternative method for sealing nuclear waste storage canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrews, R.E.

2004-12-01

When welding 50 mm thick copper a very high heat input is required to combat the high thermal diffusivity and only the Electron Beam Welding (EBW) process had this capability when this copper canister concept was conceived. Despite the encouraging results achieved using EBW with thick section copper, SKB felt that it would be prudent to assess other joining methods. This assessment concluded that friction welding, could also provide very high quality welds to satisfy the service life requirements of the SKB canister design. A friction welding variant called Friction Stir Welding (FSW) was shown to have the capability of welding 3 mm thick copper sheet with excellent integrity and reproducibility. This later provided sufficient encouragement for SKB to consider the potential of FSW as a method for joining thick section copper, using relatively simple machine tool based technology. It was thought that FSW might provide an alternative or complementary method for welding lids, or bases to canisters. In 1997 an FSW development programme started at TWI, focussed on the feasibility of welding 10 mm thick copper plate. Once this task was successfully completed, work continued to demonstrate that progressively thicker plate, up to 50 mm thick, could be joined. At this stage, with process viability established, a full size experimental FSW canister machine was designed and built. Work with this machine finished in January 2003, when it had been shown that FSW could definitely be used to weld lids to full size canisters. This report summarises the TWI development of FSW for SKB from 1997 to January 2003. It also highlights the important aspects of the process and the project milestones that will help to ensure that SKB has a welding technology that can be used with confidence for production fabrication of copper waste storage canisters in the future. The overall conclusion to this FSW development is that there is no doubt that the FSW process could be used to produce full

Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program. Volume 5, No. 2, Progress report, April 1994--September 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1995-07-01

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 the fracture toughness properties of typical pressure-vessel steels as they relate to light-water RPV integrity. 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. The HSSI Program is arranged into 14 tasks: (1) program management, (2) fracture toughness curve shift in high-copper weldments (Series 5 and 6), (3) K lc and K la curve shifts in low upper-shelf (LUS) welds (Series 8), (4) irradiation effects in a commercial LUS weld (Series 10), (5) irradiation effects on weld heat-affected zone and plate materials (Series 11), (6) annealing effects in LUS welds (Series 9), (7) microstructural and microfracture analysis of irradiation effects, (8) in-service irradiated and aged material evaluations, (9) Japan Power Development Reactor (JPDR) steel examination, (10) fracture toughness curve shift method, (11) special technical assistance, (12) technical assistance for Joint Coordinating Committee on Civilian Nuclear Reactor Safety (JCCCNRS) Working Groups 3 and 12, (13) correlation monitor materials, and (14) test reactor coordination. Progress on each task is reported

Cu-Fe welding techniques by electromagnetic and electron beam welding processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Satendra; Saroj, P.C.; Kulkarni, M.R.; Sharma, A.; Rajawat, R.K.; Saha, T.K.

2015-01-01

Electromagnetic welding being a solid state welding process has been found suitable for welding Copper and Iron which are conventionally very tricky. Owing to good electrical conductivity of both copper and iron, they are best suited combination for EM welding. For the experimental conditions presented above, 1.0 mm wall thickness of Cu tube was lap welded to Fe disc. A heavy duty four disc stainless steel coil was used for electromagnetic welding of samples. MSLD of the welded samples indicated leak proof joints. Metallographic examination of the welds also revealed defect free interfaces. Electron beam welding is also a non-conventional welding process used for joining dissimilar materials. Autogenous welding of the above specimen was carried out by EBW method for the sake of comparison. A characterization analysis of the above mentioned joining processes will be discussed in the paper. (author)

Synthesis of copper polyacrylate nanocomposites by gamma irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casalme, Loida Olores

2005-04-01

This research involves the synthesis of copper nanoparticles with controlled size by the application of gamma radiation with varying polyacrylic acid (PAA) and CuSO 4 concentration. An alternative and convenient method was done which employs Co 60 irradiation of solutions of copper salt and PAA with irradiation dose of 1.6, 3.6, 6.4, and 9.2 MRad. The effect of polymer and copper sulfate's initial concentrations as well as the effect of the presence of alcohol as radical scavenger and the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid as stabilizer were evaluated. Characterization of nanocomposite properties such as plasmon resonance band, fluorescence, and particle morphology and size were determined. Layer-by-layer assembly of Cu-PAA nanocomposites and polydiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (PDDA) was also constructed. Stability of the synthesized copper-PAA nanocomposites in terms of the disappearance of plasmon band with time was evaluated. (Author)

Metallurgical and mechanical examinations of steel–copper joints arc welded using bronze and nickel-base superalloy filler materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velu, M.; Bhat, Sunil

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Optical and scanning electron microscopy show defect free weld interfaces. ► Energy dispersive spectroscopy shows low dilution level of the weld by Fe. ► XRD studies show no brittle intermetallic phases in the weld interfaces. ► Weld interfaces did not fail during tensile, transverse bending and impact tests. ► The joint exhibits superior strength properties than that of bronze filler. - Abstract: The paper presents metallurgical and mechanical examinations of joints between dissimilar metals viz. copper (UNSC11000) and alloy steel (En31) obtained by Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) using two different filler materials, bronze and nickel-base super alloy. The weld bead of the joint with bronze-filler displayed porosity, while that with nickel-filler did not. In tension tests, the weldments with bronze-filler fractured in the centre of the weld, while those with nickel-filler fractured in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of copper. Since the latter exhibited higher strength than the former, all the major tests were undertaken over the joints with nickel-filler alone. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) indicated corrugated weld interfaces and favorable elemental diffusions across them. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies around the weld interfaces did not reveal any detrimental intermetallic compounds. Transverse bending tests showed that flexural strengths of the weldments were higher than the tensile strengths. Transverse side bend tests confirmed good ductility of the joints. Shear strength of the weld-interface (Cu–Ni or Ni–steel) was higher than the yield strength of weaker metal. Microhardness and Charpy impact values were measured at all the important zones across the weldment

A welding system for spent fuel canister lid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suikki, M.; Wendelin, T.

2008-06-01

located in an adjacent auxiliary system room for facilitating maintenance and repair measures. The lid welding chamber has a low contamination risk but, during the presence of a canister in the welding chamber, the welding room must be kept restricted because of a high radiation level. The system is controlled from a fuel handling cell operation control room. Attached to this report is a separate research report, disclosing various heating calculations for the canister's copper overpack. Calculations have been conducted with regard to the effects on the copper overpack from preheating necessary for installing the lid, as well as with regard to the heating of a canister's shell during the actual encapsulation welding. The total cost estimate, without a value added tax, for manufacturing the apparatus amounted 1 551 000 euros, including 242 000 euros for designing costs and 151 000 euros for installation costs. (orig.)

Proton irradiation effects on tensile and bend-fatigue properties of welded F82H specimens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saito, S., E-mail: saito.shigeru@jaea.go.j [JAEA Tokai, J-PARC Center, 2-4 Shirakata-shirane, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken 319-1195 (Japan); Kikuchi, K.; Hamaguchi, D. [JAEA Tokai, J-PARC Center, 2-4 Shirakata-shirane, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken 319-1195 (Japan); Usami, K.; Ishikawa, A.; Nishino, Y.; Endo, S. [JAEA Tokai, Department of Hot Laboratories, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki-ken 319-1195 (Japan); Kawai, M. [KEK, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken 305-0801 (Japan); Dai, Y. [PSI, Spallation Source Division, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

2010-03-15

In several institutes, research and development for an accelerator-driven transmutation system (ADS) have been progressed. Ferritic/martensitic (FM) steels are the candidate materials for the beam window of ADS. To evaluate of the mechanical properties of the irradiated materials, the post irradiation examination (PIE) work of the SINQ (Swiss spallation neutron source) target irradiation program (STIP) specimens was carried out at JAEA. In present study, the results of PIE on FM steel F82H and its welded joint have been reported. The present irradiation conditions of the specimens were as follows: proton energy was 580 MeV. Irradiation temperatures were ranged from 130 to 380 deg. C, and displacement damage level was ranged from 5.7 to 11.8 dpa. The results of tensile tests performed at 22 deg. C indicated that the irradiation hardening occurred with increasing the displacement damage up to 10.1 dpa at 320 deg. C irradiation. At higher dose (11.8 dpa) and higher temperature (380 deg. C), irradiation hardening was observed, but degradation of ductility was relaxed in F82H welded joint. In present study, all specimens kept its ductility after irradiation and fractured in ductile manner. The results on bend-fatigue tests showed that the fatigue life (N{sub f}) of F82H base metal irradiated up to 6.3 dpa was almost the same with that of unirradiated specimens. The N{sub f} of the specimens irradiated up to 9.1 dpa was smaller than that of unirradiated specimens. Though the number of specimen was limited, the N{sub f} of F82H EB (15 mm) and EB (3.3 mm) welded joints seemed to increase after irradiation and the fracture surfaces of the specimens showed transgranular morphology. While F82H TIG welded specimens were not fractured by 10{sup 7} cycles.

Thermal recovery characteristics of Kori-unit 1 linde 80 weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chi, S. H.; Hong, J. H.; Kuk, I. H.; Kim, I. S.

1997-01-01

The recovery activation energy, the order of reaction and the characteristic recovery rate constant were determined by isochronal (573K -823K) and isothermal (723K - 775K) annealing experiments on specimens made from a broken half of a Kori-Unit 1 surveillance weld specimen (fluence: 1.21 x 10 23 n/m 2 , E (1MeV, Cu: 0.29 wt%) to investigate the recovery characteristics of a high copper weld of neutron-irradiated reactor pressure vessel (RPV). Vickers microhardness tests were conducted to trace the recovery behavior after heat treatments. The results were analyzed in terms of recovery stages, behavior of responsible defects and recovery kinetics. It was shown that recovery occurred through two annealing stages (stage I: 673K - 753K, stage II: 753K - 823K) with recovery activation energies of 2.68 eV and 2.83 eV for stage I and II, respectively. The isothermal hardness recovery at 723 K and 775 K coincided with the ratio of the characteristic rate constant for each recovery stage. The order of reaction was 2 for both recovery stages. The recovery activation energies of present specimens are approximately equal to that of copper diffusion in α-iron in the presence of vacancies, suggesting that recovery may occur through the diffusion of copper atoms. The present results strongly support the copper precipitate coarsening model. (author)

Changes in Serum Zinc, Copper and Ceruloplasmin Levels of Whole Body Gamma Irradiated Rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdou, M.I.; Shaban, H.A.; El Gohary, M.I.

2011-01-01

Rats are whole body irradiated with different Gamma radiation doses. Zinc and Copper, two important trace elements in the biological processes and Ceruloplasmin, a protein which carries more than 95% of serum Cu and has important roles in many vital processes are followed up in the irradiated rat sera. This work aimed to determine the changes in the serum levels of the three parameters (Zinc, Copper and Ceruloplasmin) through eight weeks follow up period (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th week) post whole body gamma irradiation with three sub-lethal doses (2, 3.5 and 5 Gy) of rats. All the experimental animals did not receive any medical treatment. Zinc and Copper were measured using discrete nebulization flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Ceruloplasmin was measured using a colorimetric method. The statistical analyses of the results show that the Zinc levels of the irradiated groups decreased significantly post irradiation and then were recovered at the 6th week post irradiation. The Copper levels of the irradiated groups increased significantly and then were recovered at 6th week post irradiation. The levels of Ceruloplasmin in the same groups increased significantly throughout the whole follow up period. The conclusion is that, Zinc, Copper and Ceruloplasmin levels changed significantly in the irradiated groups compared to the control group with a maximum effect noted in the groups irradiated with the higher doses and that the lower dose irradiated groups recover earlier than the higher ones. Also the correlation between Copper and Zinc is reversible at different doses and that between Copper and Ceruloplasmin is direct

High-voltage electron-microscope investigation of point-defect agglomerates in irradiated copper during in-situ annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaeger, W.; Urban, K.; Frank, W.

1980-01-01

Thin copper foils were irradiated with 650 keV electrons at 10 K in a high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM) to doses phi in the range 2 x 10 23 electrons/m 2 approximately 25 electrons /m 2 and then annealed in situ up to room temperature and outside the HVEM between room temperature and 470 K. During irradiation visible defect clusters were formed only at phi >= 2.5 x 10 24 electrons/m 2 . At smaller doses defect clusters became visible after annealing at 50 K. Between 50 K and 120 K further clusters, mainly dislocation loops on brace111 planes, appeared. Above 120 K, particularly between 160 K and 300 K, some of the dislocation loops became glissile. They glided out of the specimens or agglomerated to larger clusters of frequently complex shapes. As a consequence between 160 K and 300 K the cluster density decreased strongly, whereas the mean cluster size increased monotonously through the entire range of annealing temperatures covered. Contrast analyses between 180 K and 400 K revealed that the great majority of the dislocation loops were of interstitial type. At 470 K a new type of small clusters emerged, presumably of vacancy type. These observations are compared with other studies on electron-irradiated copper and with the current models of radiation damage in metals. (author)

The response of dispersion-strengthened copper alloys to high fluence neutron irradiation at 415 degrees C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, D.J.; Newkirk, J.W.; Garner, F.A.; Hamilton, M.L.; Nadkarni, A.; Samal, P.

1993-01-01

Various oxide-dispersion-strengthened copper alloys have been irradiated to 150 dpa at 415 degrees C in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). The Al 2 O 3 -strengthened GlidCop TM alloys, followed closely by a HfO 2 -strengthened alloy, displayed the best swelling resistance, electrical conductivity, and tensile properties. The conductivity of the HfO 2 -strengthened alloy reached a plateau at the higher levels of irradiation, instead of exhibiting the steady decrease in conductivity observed in the other alloys. A high initial oxygen content results in significantly higher swelling for a series of castable oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloys, while a Cr 2 O 3 -strengthened alloy showed poor resistance to radiation

The Role of Grain Size on Neutron Irradiation Response of Nanocrystalline Copper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walid Mohamed

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The role of grain size on the developed microstructure and mechanical properties of neutron irradiated nanocrystalline copper was investigated by comparing the radiation response of material to the conventional micrograined counterpart. Nanocrystalline (nc and micrograined (MG copper samples were subjected to a range of neutron exposure levels from 0.0034 to 2 dpa. At all damage levels, the response of MG-copper was governed by radiation hardening manifested by an increase in strength with accompanying ductility loss. Conversely, the response of nc-copper to neutron irradiation exhibited a dependence on the damage level. At low damage levels, grain growth was the primary response, with radiation hardening and embrittlement becoming the dominant responses with increasing damage levels. Annealing experiments revealed that grain growth in nc-copper is composed of both thermally-activated and irradiation-induced components. Tensile tests revealed minimal change in the source hardening component of the yield stress in MG-copper, while the source hardening component was found to decrease with increasing radiation exposure in nc-copper.

Corneal tissue welding with infrared laser irradiation after clear corneal incision.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasier, Rfat; Ozeren, Mediha; Artunay, Ozgür; Bahçecioğlu, Halil; Seçkin, Ismail; Kalaycoğlu, Hamit; Kurt, Adnan; Sennaroğlu, Alphan; Gülsoy, Murat

2010-09-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of infrared lasers for corneal welding to seal corneal cuts done in an experimental animal model. Full-thickness corneal cuts on freshly enucleated bovine eyes were irradiated with infrared (809-nm diode, 980-nm diode, 1070-nm YLF, and 1980-nm Tm:YAP) lasers to get immediate laser welding. An 809-nm laser was used with the topical application of indocyanine green to enhance the photothermal interaction at the weld site. In total, 60 bovine eyes were used in this study; 40 eyes were used in the first part of the study for the determination of optimal welding parameters (15 eyes were excluded because of macroscopic carbonization, opacification, or corneal shrinkage; 2 eyes were used for control), and 20 eyes were used for further investigation of more promising lasers (YLF and Tm:YAP). Laser wavelength, irradiating power, exposure time, and spot size were the dose parameters, and optimal dose for immediate closure with minimal thermal damage was estimated through histological examination of welded samples. In the first part of the study, results showed that none of the applications was satisfactory. Full-thickness success rates were 28% (2 of 7) for 809-nm and for 980-nm diode lasers and 67% (2 of 3) for 1070-nm YLF and (4 of 6) for 1980-nm Tm:YAP lasers. In the second part of the study, YLF and Tm:YAP lasers were investigated with bigger sample size. Results were not conclusive but promising again. Five corneal incisions were full-thickness welded out of 10 corneas with 1070-nm laser, and 4 corneal incisions were partially welded out of 10 corneas with 1980-nm laser in the second part of the study. Results showed that noteworthy corneal welding could be obtained with 1070-nm YLF laser and 1980-nm Tm:YAP laser wavelengths. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo studies will shed light on the potential usage of corneal laser welding technique.

Subthreshold displacement damage in copper--aluminum alloys during electron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drosd, R.; Kosel, T.; Washburn, J.

1976-12-01

During electron irradiation at low energies which results in a negligible damage rate in a pure material, lighter solute atoms are displaced, which may in turn indirectly displace solvent atoms by a focussed replacement collision or an interstitial diffusion jump. The extent to which lighter solute atoms contribute to the subthreshold damage rate has been examined by irradiating copper--aluminum alloys at high temperatures in a high voltage electron microscope. The damage rate, as measured by monitoring the growth rate of dislocation loops, at 300 kV was found to increase linearly with the aluminum concentration

Positron lifetime studies of electron irradiated copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadnagy, T.D.

1976-01-01

Single-crystal copper was irradiated with 4.5-MeV electrons producing simple Frenkel defects as well as a significant concentration of divacancies. Mean positron lifetime characteristics, which are sensitive to the presence of vacancies and multivacancies in copper, was monitored after isochronal anneals between 80 and 800 0 K to determine the relative change of characteristic mean lifetimes and their associated intensities. Also a study of the dependence of the mean positron lifetime on the total electron fluence was made and compared with existing theories relating these lifetimes to vacancy or multivacancy concentrations. Numerical data from curve fitting procedures using a conventional trapping model for defect-induced changes in positron lifetimes indicate that upon irradiation with 4.5-MeV electrons at 80 0 K, about 8 percent of the defects produced are divacancy units. Divacancy units appear to be several times more effective in trapping positrons than are monovacancies. Further, the experimental data suggest that the stage III annealing processes in electron-irradiated copper most probably involve the motion and removal of both monovacancies and divacancies. A conglomerate (multivacancy) unit appears to exist as a stable entity even after annealing procedures are carried out at temperatures slightly above the stage III region. Such a stable unit could serve as a nucleation center for the appearance of voids

High power X-ray welding of metal-matrix composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosenberg, Richard A.; Goeppner, George A.; Noonan, John R.; Farrell, William J.; Ma, Qing

1997-12-01

A method for joining metal-matrix composites (MMCs) by using high power x-rays as a volumetric heat source is provided. The method involves directing an x-ray to the weld line between two adjacent MMCs materials to create an irradiated region or melt zone. The x-rays have a power density greater than about 10{sup 4} watts/cm{sup 2} and provide the volumetric heat required to join the MMC materials. Importantly, the reinforcing material of the metal-matrix composites remains uniformly distributed in the melt zone, and the strength of the MMCs are not diminished. In an alternate embodiment, high power x-rays are used to provide the volumetric heat required to weld metal elements, including metal elements comprised of metal alloys. In an alternate embodiment, high power x-rays are used to provide the volumetric heat required to weld metal elements, including metal elements comprised of metal alloys.

Irradiation of copper alloys in FFTF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brager, H.R.; Garner, F.A.

1984-01-01

Nine copper-base alloys in thirteen material conditions have been inserted into the MOTA-18 experiment for irradiation in FFTF at approx.450 0 C. The alloy Ni-1.9Be is also included in this experiment, which includes both TEM disks and miniature tensile specimens

Welding of metallic fuel elements for the irradiation test in JOYO. Preliminary tests and welding execution tests (Joint research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikuchi, Hironobu; Nakamura, Kinya; Iwai, Takashi; Arai, Yasuo

2009-10-01

Irradiation tests of metallic fuels elements in fast test reactor JOYO are planned under the joint research of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). Six U-Pu-Zr fuel elements clad with ferritic martensitic steel are fabricated in Plutonium Fuel Research Facility (PFRF) of JAEA-Oarai for the first time in Japan. In PFRF, the procedures of fabrication of the fuel elements were determined and the test runs of the equipments were carried out before the welding execution tests for the fuel elements. Test samples for confirming the welding condition between the cladding tube and top and bottom endplugs were prepared, and various test runs were carried out before the welding execution tests. As a result, the welding conditions were finalized by passing the welding execution tests. (author)

Progress in Effect of Nano-modified Coatings and Welding Process Parameters on Wear of Contact Tube for Non-copper Coated Solid Wires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LI Zhuo-xin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Environment-friendly non-copper coated solid wire is the main developing trend for gas shielded solid wires, whereas wear of contact tube limits their wide application. The effect of nano-modified coatings and welding process parameters on wear of contact tube for non-copper coated solid wires was reviewed. It was found that the wear of contact tube can be reduced due to the formation of tribo-films on the rubbing surfaces of welding wires against contact tube; it is feasible to decrease contact tube wear when non-copper coated solid wires are coated with nano-modified lubricants, thereby displaying excellent lubricating and thermal or electrical conduction characteristics. The wear of contact tube increases with the increase of welding current. The wear of contact tube is worse in direct-current electrode positive (DCEP than in direct-current electrode negative (DCEN. Arc ablation and electrical erosion are the dominant wear mechanisms of contact tube.

Deep level centers in electron-irradiated silicon crystals doped with copper at different temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarykin, Nikolai [Institute of Microelectronics Technology, RAS, Chernogolovka (Russian Federation); Weber, Joerg [Technische Universitaet Dresden (Germany)

2017-07-15

The effect of bombardment with energetic particles on the deep-level spectrum of copper-contaminated silicon wafers is studied by space charge spectroscopy methods. The p-type FZ-Si wafers were doped with copper in the temperature range of 645-750 C and then irradiated with the 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} fluence of 5 MeV electrons at room temperature. Only the mobile Cu{sub i} species and the Cu{sub PL} centers are detected in significant concentrations in the non-irradiated Cu-doped wafers. The properties of the irradiated samples are found to qualitatively depend on the copper in-diffusion temperature T{sub diff}. For T{sub diff} > 700 C, the irradiation partially reduces the Cu{sub i} concentration and introduces additional Cu{sub PL} centers while no standard radiation defects are detected. If T{sub diff} was below ∝700 C, the irradiation totally removes the mobile Cu{sub i} species. Instead, the standard radiation defects and their complexes with copper appear in the deep-level spectrum. A model for the defects reaction scheme during the irradiation is derived and discussed. DLTS spectrum of the Cu-contaminated and then irradiated silicon qualitatively depends on the copper in-diffusion temperature. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Effect of Brass Interlayer Sheet on Microstructure and Joint Performance of Ultrasonic Spot-Welded Copper-Steel Joints

Science.gov (United States)

Satpathy, Mantra Prasad; Kumar, Abhishek; Sahoo, Susanta Kumar

2017-07-01

Solid-state ultrasonic spot welding (USW) inevitably offers a potential solution for joining dissimilar metal combination like copper (Cu) and steel (SS). In this study, the USW has been performed on Cu (UNS C10100) and SS (AISI 304) with brass interlayer by varying various welding parameters, aiming to identify the interfacial reaction, changes in microstructure and weld strength. The highest tensile shear and T-peel failure loads of 1277 and 174 N are achieved at the optimum conditions like 68 µm of vibration amplitude, 0.42 MPa of weld pressure and 1 s of weld time. The fractured surface analysis of brass interlayer and AISI 304 stainless steel samples reveals the features like swirls, voids and intermetallic compounds (IMCs). These IMCs are composed of CuZn and FeZn composite-like structures with 1.0 μm thickness. This confirms that the weld quality is specifically sensitive to the levels of input parameter combinations as well as the type of material present on the sonotrode side.

The grain boundary segregation of phosphorus in thermally aged and irradiated C-Mn submerged-are weld metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes, C.M.

1999-01-01

The segregation of free phosphorus atoms to grain boundaries in C-Mn steels has been identified as an embrittlement mechanism. A change in the brittle fracture mechanism from transgranular to intergranular has been observed for materials with higher phosphorus grain boundary coverage. The grain boundary segregation of phosphorus in various steels used in the nuclear power industry has been thermodynamically and kinetically modelled mostly with the Langmuir-McLean model. Recent publications have also suggested that neutron irradiation can affect segregation and various attempts at modelling this are currently under way. The present paper describes a data base assembled on phosphorus grain boundary coverage measured by Auger electron spectroscopy on thermally aged and irradiated C-Mn submerged-arc weld specimens. Software tools were developed to evaluate the changes in phosphorus grain boundary coverage associated with instantaneous temperature changes and temperature gradients. The phosphorus free energy change associated with grain boundary segregation was modelled from the thermally aged data and used with the software to determine the phosphorus segregation in submerged-arc weld metals following the post weld stress relief heat treatments received prior to plant operation. The phosphorus grain boundary coverage changes arising from the thermal history of submerged-arc weld materials during irradiation were also modelled and found to compare well with data obtained on irradiated materials. It was concluded that under the irradiation conditions sampled, phosphorus grain boundary segregation in submerged-arc weld materials can be modelled successfully using only the thermal term without appealing to an irradiation induced segregation process. (author)

Investigation of the interaction of copper(II) oxide and electron beam irradiation crosslinkable polyethylene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bee, Soo-Tueen; Sin, Lee Tin; Ratnam, C.T.; Haraveen, K.J.S.; Tee, Tiam-Ting; Rahmat, A.R.

2015-01-01

In this study, the effects of electron beam irradiation on the properties of copper(II) oxide when added to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) blends were investigated. It was found that the addition of low loading level of copper(II) oxide (⩽2 phr) to LDPE results in significantly poorer gel content and hot set results. However, the incorporation of higher loading level of copper(II) oxide (⩾3 phr) could slightly increase the degree of crosslinking in all irradiated LDPE composites. This is due to the fact that higher amounts of copper(II) oxide could slightly induce the formation of free radicals in LDPE matrix. Besides, increasing irradiation doses was also found to gradually increase the gel content of LDPE composites by generating higher amounts of free radicals. As a consequence, these higher amounts of free radicals released in the LDPE matrix could significantly increase the degree of crosslinking. The addition of copper(II) oxide could reduce the tensile strength and fracture strain (elongation at break) of LDPE composites because of poorer interfacial adhesion effect between copper(II) oxide particles and LDPE matrix. Meanwhile, increasing irradiation doses on all copper(II) oxide added LDPE composites could marginally increase the tensile strength. In addition, increasing irradiation dose could enhance the thermal stability of LDPE composites by increasing the decomposition temperature. The oxidation induction time (OIT) analysis showed that, because of the crosslinking network in the copper(II) oxide added LDPE composites, oxidation reaction is much delayed.

Investigation of the interaction of copper(II) oxide and electron beam irradiation crosslinkable polyethylene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bee, Soo-Tueen, E-mail: direct.beest@gmail.com [Department of Chemical Engineering, Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, Cheras, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Sin, Lee Tin, E-mail: direct.tinsin@gmail.com [Department of Chemical Engineering, Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, Cheras, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Ratnam, C.T. [Radiation Processing Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Haraveen, K.J.S.; Tee, Tiam-Ting [Department of Chemical Engineering, Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, Cheras, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Rahmat, A.R. [Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Skudai, Johor (Malaysia)

2015-10-01

In this study, the effects of electron beam irradiation on the properties of copper(II) oxide when added to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) blends were investigated. It was found that the addition of low loading level of copper(II) oxide (⩽2 phr) to LDPE results in significantly poorer gel content and hot set results. However, the incorporation of higher loading level of copper(II) oxide (⩾3 phr) could slightly increase the degree of crosslinking in all irradiated LDPE composites. This is due to the fact that higher amounts of copper(II) oxide could slightly induce the formation of free radicals in LDPE matrix. Besides, increasing irradiation doses was also found to gradually increase the gel content of LDPE composites by generating higher amounts of free radicals. As a consequence, these higher amounts of free radicals released in the LDPE matrix could significantly increase the degree of crosslinking. The addition of copper(II) oxide could reduce the tensile strength and fracture strain (elongation at break) of LDPE composites because of poorer interfacial adhesion effect between copper(II) oxide particles and LDPE matrix. Meanwhile, increasing irradiation doses on all copper(II) oxide added LDPE composites could marginally increase the tensile strength. In addition, increasing irradiation dose could enhance the thermal stability of LDPE composites by increasing the decomposition temperature. The oxidation induction time (OIT) analysis showed that, because of the crosslinking network in the copper(II) oxide added LDPE composites, oxidation reaction is much delayed.

Modification of polycrystalline copper by proton irradiation; Modificacion de cobre policristalino por irradiacion con protones

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia S, F.; Cabral P, A. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Hipodromo Condesa, 06100 Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Saniger B, J.M.; Banuelos, J.G. [UNAM Centro de Instrumentos, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Barragan V, A. [UNAM Instituto de Fisica, Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

1997-07-01

Polished copper samples were irradiated with proton beams of 300 and 700 keV at room temperature and at -150 Centigrade. In this work the obtained results are reported when such copper irradiated samples are analysed with Sem, Tem, AFM. The Sem micrographs showed evident changes in surface of these copper samples, therefore an EDAX microanalysis was done for its characterization. additionally, the Tem micrographs showed heaps formation until 200 nm. Its electron diffraction spectra indicated that these heaps consist of a copper compound. Finally with AFM were observed changes in coloration of the irradiated sample surface, as well as changes in texture and rugosity of them. These results show in general that irradiation process with protons which is known as an innocuo process produces changes in the copper properties. (Author)

Enabling high speed friction stir welding of aluminum tailor welded blanks

Science.gov (United States)

Hovanski, Yuri

Current welding technologies for production of aluminum tailor-welded blanks (TWBs) are utilized in low-volume and niche applications, and have yet to be scaled for the high-volume vehicle market. This study targeted further weight reduction, part reduction, and cost savings by enabling tailor-welded blank technology for aluminum alloys at high-volumes. While friction stir welding (FSW) has traditionally been applied at linear velocities less than one meter per minute, high volume production applications demand the process be extended to higher velocities more amenable to cost sensitive production environments. Unfortunately, weld parameters and performance developed and characterized at low to moderate welding velocities do not directly translate to high speed linear friction stir welding. Therefore, in order to facilitate production of high volume aluminum FSW components, parameters were developed with a minimum welding velocity of three meters per minute. With an emphasis on weld quality, welded blanks were evaluated for post-weld formability using a combination of numerical and experimental methods. Evaluation across scales was ultimately validated by stamping full-size production door inner panels made from dissimilar thickness aluminum tailor-welded blanks, which provided validation of the numerical and experimental analysis of laboratory scale tests.

Flash light sintered copper precursor/nanoparticle pattern with high electrical conductivity and low porosity for printed electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Wan-Ho; Hwang, Hyun-Jun; Kim, Hak-Sung

2015-01-01

In this work, the hybrid copper inks with precursor and nanoparticles were fabricated and sintered via flash light irradiation to achieve highly conductive electrode pattern with low porosity. The hybrid copper ink was made of copper nanoparticles and various copper precursors (e.g., copper(II) chloride, copper(II) nitrate trihydrate, copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate and copper(II) trifluoroacetylacetonate). The printed hybrid copper inks were sintered at room temperature and under ambient conditions using an in-house flash light sintering system. The effects of copper precursor weight fraction and the flash light irradiation conditions (light energy and pulse duration) were investigated. Surfaces of the sintered hybrid copper patterns were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. Also, spectroscopic characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the crystal phases of the flash light sintered copper precursors. High conductivity hybrid copper patterns (27.3 μΩ cm), which is comparable to the resistivity of bulk copper (1.68 μΩ cm) were obtained through flash light sintering at room temperature and under ambient conditions. - Highlights: • The hybrid copper inks with precursor and nanoparticles were fabricated. • The hybrid copper ink was sintered via flash light irradiation. • The resistivity of sintered hybrid copper ink was 27.3 μΩ cm. • Highly conductive copper film with low porosity could be achieved

Flash light sintered copper precursor/nanoparticle pattern with high electrical conductivity and low porosity for printed electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Wan-Ho; Hwang, Hyun-Jun [Department of Mechanical Convergence Engineering, Hanyang University, 17 Haendang-Dong, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hak-Sung, E-mail: kima@hanyang.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical Convergence Engineering, Hanyang University, 17 Haendang-Dong, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-04-01

In this work, the hybrid copper inks with precursor and nanoparticles were fabricated and sintered via flash light irradiation to achieve highly conductive electrode pattern with low porosity. The hybrid copper ink was made of copper nanoparticles and various copper precursors (e.g., copper(II) chloride, copper(II) nitrate trihydrate, copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate and copper(II) trifluoroacetylacetonate). The printed hybrid copper inks were sintered at room temperature and under ambient conditions using an in-house flash light sintering system. The effects of copper precursor weight fraction and the flash light irradiation conditions (light energy and pulse duration) were investigated. Surfaces of the sintered hybrid copper patterns were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. Also, spectroscopic characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the crystal phases of the flash light sintered copper precursors. High conductivity hybrid copper patterns (27.3 μΩ cm), which is comparable to the resistivity of bulk copper (1.68 μΩ cm) were obtained through flash light sintering at room temperature and under ambient conditions. - Highlights: • The hybrid copper inks with precursor and nanoparticles were fabricated. • The hybrid copper ink was sintered via flash light irradiation. • The resistivity of sintered hybrid copper ink was 27.3 μΩ cm. • Highly conductive copper film with low porosity could be achieved.

Surface and near surface defect detection in thick copper EB-welds using eddy current testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitkaenen, J.; Lipponen, A.

2010-01-01

The surface inspection of thick copper electron beam (EB) welds plays an important role in the acceptance of nuclear fuel disposal. The main reasons to inspect these components are related to potential manufacturing and handling defects. In this work the data acquisition software, visualising tools for eddy current (EC) measurements and eddy current sensors were developed for detection of unwanted defects. The eddy current equipment was manufactured by IZFP and the visualising software in active co-operation with Posiva and IZFP for the inspections. The inspection procedure was produced during the development of the inspection techniques. The inspection method development aims to qualify the method for surface and near surface defect detection and sizing according to ENIQ. The study includes technical justification to be carried out, and compilation of a defect catalogue and experience from measurements within the Posiva's research on issues related to manufacturing. The depth of penetration in copper components in eddy current testing is rather small. To detect surface breaking defects the eddy current inspection is a good solution. A simple approach was adopted using two techniques: higher frequency was used to detect surface defects and to determine the dimensions of the defects except depth, lower frequency was used to detect defects having a ligament and for sizing of deeper surface breaking defects. The higher frequency was 30 kHz and the lower frequency was 200 Hz. The higher frequency probes were absolute bobbing coils and lower frequency probes combined transmitter - several receiver coils. To evaluate both methods, calibration blocks were manufactured by FNS for weld inspections. These calibration specimens mainly consisted of electron discharge machined notches and holes of varying shapes, lengths and diameters in the range of 1 mm to 20 mm of depth. Also one copper lid specimen with 152 defects was manufactured and used for evaluation of weld inspection

Friction Stir Welding of Copper Canisters Using Power and Temperature Control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cederqvist, Lars

2011-01-01

This thesis presents the development to reliably seal 50 mm thick copper canisters containing the Swedish nuclear waste using friction stir welding. To avoid defects and welding tool fractures, it is important to control the tool temperature within a process window of approximately 790 to 910 deg C. The welding procedure requires variable power input throughout the 45 minute long weld cycle to keep the tool temperature within its process window. This is due to variable thermal boundary conditions throughout the weld cycle. The tool rotation rate is the input parameter used to control the power input and tool temperature, since studies have shown that it is the most influential parameter, which makes sense since the product of tool rotation rate and spindle torque is power input. In addition to the derived control method, the reliability of the welding procedure was optimized by other improvements. The weld cycle starts in the lid above the joint line between the lid and the canister to be able to abort a weld during the initial phase without rejecting the canister. The tool shoulder geometry was modified to a convex scroll design that has shown a self-stabilizing effect on the power input. The use of argon shielding gas reduced power input fluctuations i.e. process disturbances, and the tool probe was strengthened against fracture by adding surface treatment and reducing stress concentrations through geometry adjustments. In the study, a clear relationship was shown between power input and tool temperature. This relationship can be used to more accurately control the process within the process window, not only for this application but for other applications where a slow responding tool temperature needs to be kept within a specified range. Similarly, the potential of the convex scroll shoulder geometry in force-controlled welding mode for use in applications with other metals and thicknesses is evident. The variable thermal boundary conditions throughout the weld

Latest MIG, TIG arc-YAG laser hybrid welding systems for various welding products

Science.gov (United States)

Ishide, Takashi; Tsubota, Shuho; Watanabe, Masao

2003-03-01

Laser welding is capable of high-efficiency low-strain welding, and so its applications are started to various products. We have also put the high-power YAG laser of up to 10 kW to practical welding use for various products. On the other hand the weakest point of this laser welding is considered to be strict in the welding gap aiming allowance. In order to solve this problem, we have developed hybrid welding of TIG, MIG arc and YAG laser, taking the most advantages of both the laser and arc welding. Since the electrode is coaxial to the optical axis of the YAG laser in this process, it can be applied to welding of various objects. In the coaxial MIG, TIG-YAG welding, in order to make irradiation positions of the YAG laser beams having been guided in a wire or an electrode focused to the same position, the beam transmitted in fibers is separated to form a space between the separated beams, in which the laser is guided. With this method the beam-irradiating area can be brought near or to the arc-generating point. This enables welding of all directions even for the member of a three-dimensional shape. This time we carried out welding for various materials and have made their welding of up to 1 mm or more in welding groove gap possible. We have realized high-speed 1-pass butt welding of 4m/min in welding speed with the laser power of 3 kW for an aluminum alloy plate of approximately 4 mm thick. For a mild steel plate also we have realized butt welding of 1m/min with 5 kW for 6 mm thick. Further, in welding of stainless steel we have shown its welding possibility, by stabilizing the arc with the YAG laser in the welding atmosphere of pure argon, and shown that this welding is effective in high-efficiency welding of various materials. Here we will report the fundamental welding performances and applications to various objects for the coaxial MIG, TIG-YAG welding we have developed.

3-dimensional numerical analysis of friction stir welding of copper and aluminum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleagha, M. E. Aalami; Hadi, Behzad; Shahbazi, Mohammad Ali [Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-08-15

A time dependent Eulerian thermal/material flow model of friction stir welding was developed and applied to the dissimilar joining of pure copper and aluminum 1050-H16 alloy to investigate the maximum penetration of base metals. Thermal and material flow analysis was done with the assumed velocity field in the stir zone and considering a thermal source of energy obtained from the both Coulomb type of friction and the loss of shear stress in a non-Newtonian viscous behavior of metal flow. The developed model was used to estimate temperature gradient and penetration of material under three different conditions of tool offset and compared with the experimental results. The model shows that the penetration of the base metals is closely related to tool offset. In all of the cases, the metal fixed in the advancing side is copper. Nevertheless, when considering tool offset in the copper side and also when considering tool offset in the aluminum side, penetrating metals are copper and aluminum, respectively. Also, the model shows that the maximum temperature achieved in the base metals significantly depends on the tool offset.

INTERWELD - European project to determine irradiation induced material changes in the heat affected zones of austenitic stainless steel welds that influence the stress corrosion behaviour in high-temperature water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roth, A.; Schaaf, Bob van der; Castano, M.L.; Ohms, C.; Gavillet, D.; Dyck, S. van

2003-01-01

PWR and BWR RPV internals have experienced stress corrosion cracking in service. The objective of the INTERWELD project is to determine the radiation induced material changes that promote stress corrosion cracking in the heat affected zone of austenitic stainless steel welds. To achieve this goal, welds in austenitic stainless steel types AISI 304/347 have been fabricated, respectively. Stress-relief annealing was applied optionally. The pre-characterisation of both the as-welded and stress relieved material conditions comprises the examination of the weld residual stresses by the ring-core-technique and neutron diffraction, the degree of sensitisation by EPR, and the stress corrosion behaviour by SSRT testing in high-temperature water. The weldments will be irratiated to 2 neutron fluence levels and a postirradiation examination will determine micromechanical, microchemical and microstructural changes in the materials. In detail, the evolution of the residual stress levels and the stress corrosion behaviour after irradiation will be determined. Neutron diffraction will be utilized for the first time with respect to neutron irradiated material. In this paper, the current state of the project will be described and discussed. (orig.)

Effect of neutron irradiation and post-irradiation annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of OFHC-copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.N.; Edwards, D.J.; Toft, P.

2001-01-01

Specimens of oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper were irradiated in the DR-3 reactor at Risoe at 100 deg. C to doses in the range 0.01-0.3 dpa (NRT). Some of the specimens were tensile tested in the as-irradiated condition at 100 deg. C whereas others were given a post-irradiation annealing treatment at 300 deg. C for 50 h and subsequently tested at 100 deg. C. The microstructure of specimens was characterized in the as-irradiated as well as irradiated and annealed conditions both before and after tensile deformation. While the interstitial loop microstructure coarsens with irradiation dose, no significant changes were observed in the population of stacking fault tetrahedra (SFT). The post-irradiation annealing leads to only a partial recovery and the level of recovery depends on the irradiation dose level. However, the post-irradiation annealing eliminates the yield drop and reinstates enough uniform elongation to render the material useful again. These results are discussed in terms of the cascade-induced source hardening (CISH) model

Effect of neutron irradiation and post-irradiation annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of OFHC-copper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, B.N. E-mail: bachu.singh@risoe.dk; Edwards, D.J.; Toft, P

2001-12-01

Specimens of oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper were irradiated in the DR-3 reactor at Risoe at 100 deg. C to doses in the range 0.01-0.3 dpa (NRT). Some of the specimens were tensile tested in the as-irradiated condition at 100 deg. C whereas others were given a post-irradiation annealing treatment at 300 deg. C for 50 h and subsequently tested at 100 deg. C. The microstructure of specimens was characterized in the as-irradiated as well as irradiated and annealed conditions both before and after tensile deformation. While the interstitial loop microstructure coarsens with irradiation dose, no significant changes were observed in the population of stacking fault tetrahedra (SFT). The post-irradiation annealing leads to only a partial recovery and the level of recovery depends on the irradiation dose level. However, the post-irradiation annealing eliminates the yield drop and reinstates enough uniform elongation to render the material useful again. These results are discussed in terms of the cascade-induced source hardening (CISH) model.

Effect of neutron irradiation and post-irradiation annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of OFHC-copper

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, B. N.; Edwards, D. J.; Toft, P.

2001-12-01

Specimens of oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper were irradiated in the DR-3 reactor at Risø at 100 °C to doses in the range 0.01-0.3 dpa (NRT). Some of the specimens were tensile tested in the as-irradiated condition at 100 °C whereas others were given a post-irradiation annealing treatment at 300 °C for 50 h and subsequently tested at 100 °C. The microstructure of specimens was characterized in the as-irradiated as well as irradiated and annealed conditions both before and after tensile deformation. While the interstitial loop microstructure coarsens with irradiation dose, no significant changes were observed in the population of stacking fault tetrahedra (SFT). The post-irradiation annealing leads to only a partial recovery and the level of recovery depends on the irradiation dose level. However, the post-irradiation annealing eliminates the yield drop and reinstates enough uniform elongation to render the material useful again. These results are discussed in terms of the cascade-induced source hardening (CISH) model.

Residual stress measurement of electron beam welded copper plates using prism hole drilling method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laakkonen, M.

2013-12-01

Eleven electron beam (EB) welded copper plates were measured in this investigation with Prism hole drilling equipment made by Stresstech Oy. All samples contained a linear weld in their center. Two different sets of plates were measured in this investigation. The first set included five samples (X436, X437, X438, X439 and X440) which were welded using four different welding speeds. Samples X439 and X440 were welded with the same speed but X440 is the only sample of the set that received a cosmetic pass. The second set received heat treatments at four different temperatures. Samples X456 and X458 were annealed at the same temperature but sample X456 received a cosmetic pass while X458 did not. Samples X455 and X457 were both annealed at a different temperature, with (X455) or without (X457) the cosmetic pass. Two areas were machined from the samples. About five millimeters was machined from the surfaces on the both of areas. Machined surfaces located on the top surfaces. The measurement points on the top surface are located on the weld and 20 mm and 120 mm from the weld on machined areas. Lower surface measurements are located -20 mm, 20 mm and 120 mm from the weld. All measurements were about 122 mm from the edges perpendicular to the weld. The top surfaces of all samples were machined in two areas across the weld. About 5 mm were removed. Stress measurements on the top surfaces were performed in these two areas, on the weld and 20 mm and 120 mm away from the weld. Stresses were also measured on the back sides, at -20 mm, 20 mm and 120 mm distance from the weld. All measurement locations were about 122mm from the sample edges. Most of the measurements give tensile strengths from 0 MPa to 30 MPa. Stresses parallel to the weld were slightly higher than weld stresses in transverse direction. The machined surfaces have residual stress values above 30 MPa near the surface. (orig.)

Residual stress measurement of electron beam welded copper plates using prism hole drilling method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laakkonen, M. [Stresstech Oy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

2013-12-15

Eleven electron beam (EB) welded copper plates were measured in this investigation with Prism hole drilling equipment made by Stresstech Oy. All samples contained a linear weld in their center. Two different sets of plates were measured in this investigation. The first set included five samples (X436, X437, X438, X439 and X440) which were welded using four different welding speeds. Samples X439 and X440 were welded with the same speed but X440 is the only sample of the set that received a cosmetic pass. The second set received heat treatments at four different temperatures. Samples X456 and X458 were annealed at the same temperature but sample X456 received a cosmetic pass while X458 did not. Samples X455 and X457 were both annealed at a different temperature, with (X455) or without (X457) the cosmetic pass. Two areas were machined from the samples. About five millimeters was machined from the surfaces on the both of areas. Machined surfaces located on the top surfaces. The measurement points on the top surface are located on the weld and 20 mm and 120 mm from the weld on machined areas. Lower surface measurements are located -20 mm, 20 mm and 120 mm from the weld. All measurements were about 122 mm from the edges perpendicular to the weld. The top surfaces of all samples were machined in two areas across the weld. About 5 mm were removed. Stress measurements on the top surfaces were performed in these two areas, on the weld and 20 mm and 120 mm away from the weld. Stresses were also measured on the back sides, at -20 mm, 20 mm and 120 mm distance from the weld. All measurement locations were about 122mm from the sample edges. Most of the measurements give tensile strengths from 0 MPa to 30 MPa. Stresses parallel to the weld were slightly higher than weld stresses in transverse direction. The machined surfaces have residual stress values above 30 MPa near the surface. (orig.)

Development of Environment and Irradiation Effects of High Temperature Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Woo Seog; Kim, D. W.; Kim, S. H.

2009-11-01

Proposed materials, Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel (32 mm thickness) and 9Cr-1Mo-1W (100 mm thickness), for the reactor vessel were procured, and welded by the qualified welding technologies. Welding soundness was conformed by NDT, and mechanical testings were done along to weld depth. Two new irradiation capsules for use in the OR test hole of HANARO were designed and fabricated. specimens was irradiated in the OR5 test hole of HANARO with a 30MW thermal power at 390±10 .deg. C up to a fast neutron fluence of 4.4x10 19 (n/cm 2 ) (E>1.0 MeV). The dpa was evaluated to be 0.034∼0.07. Base metals and weldments of both Mod.9Cr-1Mo and 9Cr-1Mo-1W steels were tested tensile and impact properties in order to evaluate the irradiation hardening effects due to neutron irradiation. DBTT of base metal and weldment of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel were -16 .deg. C and 1 .deg. C, respectively. After neutron irradiation, DBTT of weldment of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel increased to 25 . deg. C. Alloy 617 and several nickel-base superalloys were studied to evaluate high temperature degradation mechanisms. Helium loop was developed to evaluate the oxidation behaviors of materials in the VHTR environments. In addition, creep behaviors in air and He environments were compared, and oxidation layers formed outer surfaces were measured as a function of applied stress and these results were investigated to the creep life

Temperature and dose dependencies of microstructure and hardness of neutron irradiated OFHC copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.N.; Horsewell, A.; Toft, P.; Edwards, D.J.

1995-01-01

Tensile specimens of pure oxygen free high conductivity (OFHC) copper were irradiated with fission neutrons between 320 and 723 K to fluences in the range 5x10 21 to 1.5x10 24 n/m 2 (E>1 MeV) with a flux of 2.5x10 17 n/m 2 s. Irradiated specimens were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and quantitative determinations were made of defect clusters and cavities. The dose dependence of tensile properties of specimens irradiated at 320 K was determined at 295 K. Hardness measurements were made at 295 K on specimens irradiated at different temperatures and doses. Microstructures of tensile tested specimens were also investigated by TEM. Results show that the increase in cluster density and hardening nearly saturate at a dose of similar 0.3 dpa. Irradiations at 320 K cause a drastic decrease in the uniform elongation already at ∼ =0.1 dpa. It is suggested that the irradiation-induced increase in the initial yield stress and a drastic decrease in the ability of copper to deform plastically in a homogeneous fashion are caused by a substantial reduction in the ability of grown-in dislocations to act as efficient dislocation sources. ((orig.))

High-Speed Friction-Stir Welding to Enable Aluminum Tailor-Welded Blanks

Science.gov (United States)

Hovanski, Yuri; Upadhyay, Piyush; Carsley, John; Luzanski, Tom; Carlson, Blair; Eisenmenger, Mark; Soulami, Ayoub; Marshall, Dustin; Landino, Brandon; Hartfield-Wunsch, Susan

2015-05-01

Current welding technologies for production of aluminum tailor-welded blanks (TWBs) are utilized in low-volume and niche applications, and they have yet to be scaled for the high-volume vehicle market. This study targeted further weight reduction, part reduction, and cost savings by enabling tailor-welded blank technology for aluminum alloys at high volumes. While friction-stir welding (FSW) has been traditionally applied at linear velocities less than 1 m/min, high-volume production applications demand the process be extended to higher velocities more amenable to cost-sensitive production environments. Unfortunately, weld parameters and performance developed and characterized at low-to-moderate welding velocities do not directly translate to high-speed linear FSW. Therefore, to facilitate production of high-volume aluminum FSW components, parameters were developed with a minimum welding velocity of 3 m/min. With an emphasis on weld quality, welded blanks were evaluated for postweld formability using a combination of numerical and experimental methods. An evaluation across scales was ultimately validated by stamping full-size production door inner panels made from dissimilar thickness aluminum TWBs, which provided validation of the numerical and experimental analysis of laboratory-scale tests.

Creep testing and creep loading experiments on friction stir welds in copper at 75 deg C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Henrik C.M.; Seitisleam, Facredin; Sandstroem, Rolf

2007-08-01

Specimens cut from friction stir welds in copper canisters for nuclear waste have been used for creep experiments at 75 deg C. The specimens were taken from a cross-weld position as well as heat affected zone and weld metal. The parent metal specimens exhibited longer creep lives than the weld specimens by a factor of three in time. They in turn were longer than those for the crossweld and HAZ specimens by an order of magnitude. The creep exponent was in the interval 50 to 69 implying that the material was well inside the power-law breakdown regime. The ductility properties expressed as reduction in area were not significantly different and all the rupture specimens demonstrated values exceeding 80%. Experiments were also carried out on the loading procedure of a creep test. Similar parent metal specimens and test conditions were used and the results show that the loading method has a large influence on the strain response of the specimen

Creep testing and creep loading experiments on friction stir welds in copper at 75 deg C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Henrik C.M.; Seitisleam, Facredin; Sandstroem, Rolf [Corrosion an d Metals Research Institute, Stockholm (Sweden)

2007-08-15

Specimens cut from friction stir welds in copper canisters for nuclear waste have been used for creep experiments at 75 deg C. The specimens were taken from a cross-weld position as well as heat affected zone and weld metal. The parent metal specimens exhibited longer creep lives than the weld specimens by a factor of three in time. They in turn were longer than those for the crossweld and HAZ specimens by an order of magnitude. The creep exponent was in the interval 50 to 69 implying that the material was well inside the power-law breakdown regime. The ductility properties expressed as reduction in area were not significantly different and all the rupture specimens demonstrated values exceeding 80%. Experiments were also carried out on the loading procedure of a creep test. Similar parent metal specimens and test conditions were used and the results show that the loading method has a large influence on the strain response of the specimen.

Welding of the lid and the bottom of the disposal canister

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meuronen, I.; Salonen, T.

2010-10-01

The seal welding of the lid and bottom of a copper disposal canister for spent nuclear fuel using ordinary electron beam welding (EBW) made in a vacuum and the results gained in the development work are presented in this report. As an alternative method, the friction stir welding (FSW) is also presented in an overview. Welding of copper is very challenging mainly due to the high thermal conductivity of the copper material. The EBW method is based on so-called deep penetration welding which does not use additional welding material. The convenience of the method is that the weld is the same material as the base material. When compared to other fusion welding methods, the material transitions in the material caused by EBW are slight. The EBW process typically has a high number of welding parameters but, in practice, only a few parameters are adjusted during copper welding to maintain weld quality and the stability of the process. The high vacuum required by the method prevents the material from oxidising but, on the other hand, it narrows the application of the method. The requirements presented for the weld and welding process can be divided in two classes. The first class contains the requirements intended to ensure the long-term safety of the canister. Corrosion resistance and adequate creep ductility are such requirements. The second class requirements correspond to welding process requirements for component manufacture, the components themselves and the other processes of the encapsulation plant. The welding process, including the personnel, equipment and process validation, shall also fulfil the special requirements concerning all nuclear plants in general. The quality assurance and control (QA/QC) for welding is presented as a separate section. The welding quality assurance contains the personnel, equipment and the welding process. For EBW process validation there are available norms and acceptation procedures. In these, the essential component is the

Creep properties of EB welded copper overpack at 125-175 deg C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmstroem, S.; Salonen, J.; Kinnunen, T.

2012-01-01

Electron Beam welds (EBW) chosen as primary sealing method by Posiva welding the over-pack canister lids of oxygen-free phosphorus micro-alloyed copper (OFP) have been tested for material properties relevant to long term creep life prediction. Creep rupture results are presented for the ruptured 175 deg C tests and for the ongoing long term tests at 150 deg C and 125 deg C. The current status (test time, creep strain and strain rate) of the ongoing tests are reported. The initial (175 deg C) results indicate that the EB welds are weaker than the parent material and that both round bar and spark eroded square test specimens produce weld strengths of about 0.75 at tests durations of 5000 h. The downward trend is however expected to continue for the longer test durations. The creep ductility shows decrease for the longer tests. Life estimates for the EB weld have been calculated at 100 deg C for both 50 and 80 MPa with the so far lowest measured EB weld strength factor (WSF=0.77). The state-of-the-art model on the available data give estimated lives of 21000 and 3000 years correspondingly. However, simulated to the expected temperature profile of the repository service the life fraction reached after 10000 years of service is 1 % and 7 % for the same stress levels. It is though important to remembered that the 80 MPa assumption is very conservative in nature and that the predictions do not take into account relaxation of stresses, further decline of the WSF or anisotropy of the weld and are therefore still to be considered indicative only. It is also to be remembered that there is only limited data in the long term regime for the weldments and that the estimates are based on the few EB data available in the public domain added with the Posiva data of this project. Improvement of the models and predictions are expected from the ongoing 125 deg C and 150 deg C long term tests. (orig.)

Low temperature fatigue crack propagation in neutron irradiated Type 316 steel and weld metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, G.J.; Walls, J.D.; Gravenor, J.

1981-02-01

The fast cycling fatigue crack propagation characteristics of Type 316 steel and weld metal have been investigated at 380 0 C after irradiation to 1.72-1.92x10 20 n/cm 2 (E>1MeV) and 2.03x10 21 n/cm 2 (E>1MeV) at the same temperature. With mill-annealed Type 316 steel, modest decreases in the rates of crack propagation were observed for both dose levels considered, whereas for cold-worked Type 316 steel irradiation to 2.03x10 21 n/cm 2 (E>1MeV) caused increases in the rate of crack propagation. For Type 316 weld metal, increases in the rate of crack propagation were observed for both dose levels considered. The diverse influences of irradiation upon fatigue crack propagation in these materials are explained by considering a simple continuum mechanics model of crack propagation together with the results of control tensile experiments made on similarly irradiated materials. (author)

Experimental investigation of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy and 304L stainless steel friction welded with copper interlayer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Kumar

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The basic principle of friction welding is intermetallic bonding at the stage of super plasticity attained with self-generating heat due to friction and finishing at upset pressure. Now the dissimilar metal joints are especially popular in defense, aerospace, automobile, bio-medical, refinery and nuclear engineerings. In friction welding, some special alloys with dual phase are not joined successfully due to poor bonding strength. The alloy surfaces after bonding also have metallurgical changes in the line of interfacing. The reported research work in this area is scanty. Although the sound weld zone of direct bonding between Ti–6Al–4V and SS304L was obtained though many trials, the joint was not successful. In this paper, the friction welding characteristics between Ti–6Al–4V and SS304L into which pure oxygen free copper (OFC was introduced as interlayer were investigated. Box–Behnken design was used to minimize the number of experiments to be performed. The weld joint was analyzed for its mechanical strength. The highest tensile strength between Ti–6Al–4V and SS304L between which pure copper was used as insert metal was acquired. Micro-structural analysis and elemental analysis were carried out by EDS, and the formation of intermetallic compound at the interface was identified by XRD analysis.

The modelling of irradiation-enhanced phosphorus segregation in neutron irradiated reactor pressure vessel submerged-arc welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Druce, S.G.; English, C.A.; Foreman, A.J.E.; McElroy, R.J.; Vatter, I.A. [AEA Technology, Didcot (United Kingdom). Harwell Lab.; Bolton, C.J.; Buswell, J.T.; Jones, R.B. [Nuclear Electric, Berkeley (United Kingdom). Berkeley Technology Centre

1996-12-31

Recent results on neutron-irradiated RPV submerged-arc welds have revealed grain boundary segregation of phosphorus during irradiation, which may lead to intergranular fracture. However, the experimental database is insufficient to define the dependence of the process on variables such ad dose, dose-rate and temperature. This paper describes work in which two existing models of phosphorus segregation, under thermal or irradiation conditions, have been developed to obtain predictions of these dependencies. The critical parameters in the models have been adjusted to give consistency with the available reference data, and predictions have been made of the dependence of segregation on a number of variables.

Radiation Tolerance of Controlled Fusion Welds in High Temperature Oxidation Resistant FeCrAl Alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gussev, Maxim N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Field, Kevin G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-08-01

High temperature oxidation resistant iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys are candidate alloys for nuclear applications due to their exceptional performance during off-normal conditions such as a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) compared to currently deployed zirconium-based claddings [1]. A series of studies have been completed to determine the weldability of the FeCrAl alloy class and investigate the weldment performance in the as-received (non-irradiated) state [2,3]. These initial studies have shown the general effects of composition and microstructure on the weldability of FeCrAl alloys. Given this, limited details on the radiation tolerance of FeCrAl alloys and their weldments exist. Here, the highest priority candidate FeCrAl alloys and their weldments have been investigated after irradiation to enable a better understanding of FeCrAl alloy weldment performance within a high-intensity neutron field. The alloys examined include C35M (Fe-13%Cr-5% Al) and variants with aluminum (+2%) or titanium carbide (+1%) additions. Two different sub-sized tensile geometries, SS-J type and SS-2E (or SS-mini), were neutron irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor to 1.8-1.9 displacements per atom (dpa) in the temperature range of 195°C to 559°C. Post irradiation examination of the candidate alloys was completed and included uniaxial tensile tests coupled with digital image correlation (DIC), scanning electron microscopy-electron back scattered diffraction analysis (SEM-EBSD), and SEM-based fractography. In addition to weldment testing, non-welded parent material was examined as a direct comparison between welded and non-welded specimen performance. Both welded and non-welded specimens showed a high degree of radiation-induced hardening near irradiation temperatures of 200°C, moderate radiation-induced hardening near temperatures of 360°C, and almost no radiation-induced hardening at elevated temperatures near 550°C. Additionally, low-temperature irradiations showed

Weld Metallurgy and Mechanical Properties of High Manganese Ultra-high Strength Steel Dissimilar Welds

Science.gov (United States)

Dahmen, Martin; Lindner, Stefan; Monfort, Damien; Petring, Dirk

The increasing demand for ultra-high strength steels in vehicle manufacturing leads to the application of new alloys. This poses a challenge on joining especially by fusion welding. A stainless high manganese steel sheet with excellent strength and deformation properties stands in the centre of the development. Similar and dissimilar welds with a metastable austenitic steel and a hot formed martensitic stainless steel were performed. An investigation of the mixing effects on the local microstructure and the hardness delivers the metallurgical features of the welds. Despite of carbon contents above 0.4 wt.% none of the welds have shown cracks. Mechanical properties drawn from tensile tests deliver high breaking forces enabling a high stiffness of the joints. The results show the potential for the application of laser beam welding for joining in assembly of structural parts.

Analysis of mechanical tensile properties of irradiated and annealed RPV weld overlay cladding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novak, J [Czech Nuclear Society, Prague (Czech Republic)

1994-12-31

Mechanical tensile properties of irradiated and annealed outer layer of reactor pressure vessel weld overlay cladding, composed of Cr19Ni10Nb alloy, have been experimentally determined by conventional tensile testing and indentation testing. The constitutive properties of weld overlay cladding are then modelled with two homogenization models of the constitutive properties of elastic-plastic matrix-inclusion composites; numerical and experimental results are then compared. 10 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.

Analysis of mechanical tensile properties of irradiated and annealed RPV weld overlay cladding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, J.

1993-01-01

Mechanical tensile properties of irradiated and annealed outer layer of reactor pressure vessel weld overlay cladding, composed of Cr19Ni10Nb alloy, have been experimentally determined by conventional tensile testing and indentation testing. The constitutive properties of weld overlay cladding are then modelled with two homogenization models of the constitutive properties of elastic-plastic matrix-inclusion composites; numerical and experimental results are then compared. 10 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

Copper contamination in thin stainless steel sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holbert, R.K. Jr.; Dobbins, A.G.; Bennett, R.K. Jr.

1986-01-01

The standard welding technique used at Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant for joining thin stainless sheet is the gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding process. One of the reoccurring problems with the sheet welds is surface cracking in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Metallography shows that the cracks are only about 0.05 mm (0.002 in.) deep which is significant in a 0.25 mm (0.01 in.) thick sheet. Thus, welding requirements do not permit any surfacing cracking as detected by a fluorescent dye penetrant test conducted on every part after welding. Surface cracks have been found in both of the two most common weld designs in the thin sheet fabricated at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. These butt joints are welded between two 0.25 mm thick stainless steel sheets and a tube with eyelet welded to a 25 mm (0.98 in.) thick sheet. The weld between the two sheets is made on a semiautomatic seam welding unit, whereas the tube-to-eyelet-to-sheet welds are done manually. The quality of both welds is very dependent on the welding procedure and the way the parts are placed in the weld fixturing. Metallographic examination has indicated that some welded parts with surface cracking in the weld region had copper particles on the surface, and the question of copper contamination has been raised. With the aid of a scanning electron microscope and an electron microprobe, the existence of copper in an around the surface cracks has been verified. The copper is on the surface of the parts prior to welding in the form of small dust particles

Investigation on dissimilar underwater friction stir lap welding of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy to pure copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jingqing; Shen, Yifu; Yao, Xin; Xu, Haisheng; Li, Bo

2014-01-01

Highlights: • 6061-T6 Al and pure Cu were successfully underwater friction stir lap welded. • The underwater weld was analyzed via comparing with the classical weld. • The oxidation of Cu was prevented via the external water. • The amount of Al–Cu intermetallic was decreased by the external water. • The thickness of Al–Cu diffusion interlayer was decreased by the external water. - Abstract: Friction stir welding (classical FSW) is considered to offer advantages over the traditional fusion welding techniques in terms of dissimilar welding. However, some challenges still exist in the dissimilar friction stir lap welding of the aluminum/copper (Al/Cu) metallic couple, among which the formation of the Al–Cu intermetallic compounds is the major problem. In the present research, due to the fact that the formation and growth of the intermetallic are significantly controlled by the thermal history, the underwater friction stir welding (underwater FSW) was employed for fabricating the weld, and the weld obtained by underwater FSW (underwater weld) was analyzed via comparing with the weld obtained under same parameters by classical FSW (classical weld). In order to investigate the effect of the external water on the thermal history, the K-type thermocouple was utilized to measure the weld temperature, and it is found that the water could decrease the peak temperature and shorten the thermal cycle time. The XRD results illustrate that the interface of the welds mainly consist of the Al–Cu intermetallic compounds such as CuAl 2 and Cu 9 Al 4 together with some amounts of Al and Cu, and it is also found that the amount of the intermetallic in the underwater weld is obvious less than in the classical weld. The SEM images and the EDS line scan results also illustrate that the Al–Cu diffusion interlayer at the Al–Cu interface of the underwater weld was obviously thinner than that of the classical weld

Irradiation effects in low-alloy reactor pressure vessel steels (Heavy-Section Steel Technology program series 4 and 5)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGowan, J.J.; Nanstad, R.K.; Thoms, K.R.; Menke, B.H.

1985-01-01

This report presents studies on the irradiation effects in low-alloy reactor pressure vessel steels. The Fourth Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Irradiation Series, almost completed, was aimed at elastic-plastic and fully plastic fracture toughness of low-copper weldments (''current practice welds''). A typical nuclear pressure vessel plate steel was included for statistical purposes. The Fifth HSST Irradiation Series, now in progress, is aimed at determining the shape of the K/sub IR/ curve after significant radiation-induced shift of the transition temperatures. This series includes irradiated test specimens of thicknesses up to 100 mm and weldment compositions typical of early nuclear power reactor pressure vessel welds. 27 refs., 22 figs

Design basis for the copper/steel canister

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowyer, W.H.

1996-02-01

The development of the copper/iron canister which has been proposed by SKB for the containment of high level nuclear waste has been studied from the point of view of choice of materials, manufacturing technology and quality assurance. This report describes the observations on progress which have been made between March 1995 and Feb 1996 and the result of further literature studies. A first trial canister has been produced using a fabricated steel liner and an extruded copper tubular, a second one using a fabricated tubular is at an advanced stage. A change from a fabricated steel inner canister to a proposed cast canister has been justified by a criticality argument but the technology for producing a cast canister is at present untried. The microstructure achieved in the extruded copper tubular for the first canister is unacceptable. Similar problems exist with plate used for the fabricated tubular, but some more favourable structures have been achieved already by this route. Seam welding of the first tubular failed through a suspected material problem. The second fabricated tubular welded without difficulty. Welding of lids and bottoms to the copper canister is problematical.There is as yet no satisfactory non destructive test procedures for the parent metal or the welds in the copper canister material, partly due to the coarse grain size which arise in the proposed material processed by the proposed routes. Further studies are also required on crevice corrosion, galvanic attack and stress corrosion cracking in the copper 50 ppm phosphorus alloy. 28 refs

Prediction of grain size and mechanical properties in friction stir welded pure copper joints using a thermal model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heidarzadeh, A.; Jabbaribehnam, Mirmasoud; Esmaily, M.

2015-01-01

In this study, a thermal model was developed and applied to simulate the friction stir welding of pure copper plates with the thickness of 2 mm. The different traverse speeds of 100, 200, 300, and 400 mm min−1 and rotational speeds of 400, 700, 900 rev min−1 were considered as welding parameters....... Microstructural characterization, hardness measurement, tensile test, and fractography were conducted experimentally. The comparison between the numerical and experimental results showed that the developed model was practically accurate. In addition, the results confirmed that the peak temperature...

Defect microstructure in copper alloys irradiated with 750 MeV protons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zinkle, S.J.; Horsewell, A.; Singh, B.N.

1994-01-01

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) disks of pure copper and solid solution copper alloys containing 5 at% of Al, Mn, or Ni were irradiated with 750 MeV protons to damage levels between 0.4 and 2 displacements per atom (dpa) at irradiation temperatures between 60 and 200 degrees C. The defect...... significant effect on the total density of small defect clusters, but they did cause a significant decrease in the fraction of defect clusters resolvable as SFT to similar to 20 to 25%. In addition, the dislocation loop density (> 5 nm diameter) was more than an order of magnitude higher in the alloys...

Analysis of WWER-440 and PWR RPV welds surveillance data to compare irradiation damage evolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Debarberis, L. [Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Energy, P.O. Box 2, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands)]. E-mail: luigi.debarberis@cec.eu.int; Acosta, B. [Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Energy, P.O. Box 2, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands)]. E-mail: beatriz.acosta-iborra@jrc.nl; Zeman, A. [Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Energy, P.O. Box 2, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Sevini, F. [Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Institute for Energy, P.O. Box 2, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Ballesteros, A. [Tecnatom, Avd. Montes de Oca 1, San Sebasitan de los Reyes, E-28709 Madrid (Spain); Kryukov, A. [Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Kurchatov Square 1, 123182 Moscow (Russian Federation); Gillemot, F. [AEKI Atomic Research Institute, Konkoly Thege M. ut 29-33, 1121 Budapest (Hungary); Brumovsky, M. [NRI, Nuclear Research Institute, Husinec-Rez 130, 25068 Rez (Czech Republic)

2006-04-15

It is known that for Russian-type and Western water reactor pressure vessel steels there is a similar degradation in mechanical properties during equivalent neutron irradiation. Available surveillance results from WWER and PWR vessels are used in this article to compare irradiation damage evolution for the different reactor pressure vessel welds. The analysis is done through the semi-mechanistic model for radiation embrittlement developed by JRC-IE. Consistency analysis with BWR vessel materials and model alloys has also been performed within this study. Globally the two families of studied materials follow similar trends regarding the evolution of irradiation damage. Moreover in the high fluence range typical of operation of WWER the radiation stability of these vessels is greater than the foreseen one for PWR.

A new paramagnetic center of copper ion γ-irradiated phosphate glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogomolova, L.D.; Fedorov, A.G.; Jachkin, V.A.; Lazukin, V.N.; Pavlushkina, T.K.

1981-01-01

In the present paper are shown the results of EPR and optical absorption investigations of copper ions in γ-irradiated sodium-phosphate glasses and in MO-P 2 O 5 glasses (M = MG,Ca, Sr, Zn, Ba) containing copper and comparisons are made with the data for sodium-silicate glasses. (orig./HOF)

Welding wires for high-tensile steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laz'ko, V.E.; Starova, L.L.; Koval'chuk, V.G.; Maksimovich, T.L.; Labzina, I.E.; Yadrov, V.M.

1993-01-01

Strength of welded joints in arc welding of high-tensile steels of mean and high thickness by welding wires is equal to approximately 1300 MPa in thermohardened state and approximately 600 MPa without heat treatment. Sv-15Kh2NMTsRA-VI (EhK44-VI) -Sv-30Kh2NMTsRA-VI (EkK47-VI) welding wires are suggested for welding of medium-carbon alloyed steels. These wires provide monotonous growth of ultimate strength of weld metal in 1250-1900 MPa range with increase of C content in heat-treated state

High quality, high efficiency welding technology for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Shigeyuki; Nagura, Yasumi

1996-01-01

For nuclear power plants, it is required to ensure the safety under the high reliability and to attain the high rate of operation. In the manufacture and installation of the machinery and equipment, the welding techniques which become the basis exert large influence to them. For the purpose of improving joint performance and excluding human errors, welding heat input and the number of passes have been reduced, the automation of welding has been advanced, and at present, narrow gap arc welding and high energy density welding such as electron beam welding and laser welding have been put to practical use. Also in the welding of pipings, automatic gas metal arc welding is employed. As for the welding of main machinery and equipment, there are the welding of the joints that constitute pressure boundaries, the build-up welding on the internal surfaces of pressure vessels for separating primary water from them, and the sealing welding of heating tubes and tube plates in steam generators. These weldings are explained. The welding of pipings and the state of development and application of new welding methods are reported. (K.I.)

Weld Repair of Thin Aluminum Sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Beuyukian, C. S.; Mitchell, M. J.

1986-01-01

Weld repairing of thin aluminum sheets now possible, using niobium shield and copper heat sinks. Refractory niobium shield protects aluminum adjacent to hole, while copper heat sinks help conduct heat away from repair site. Technique limits tungsten/inert-gas (TIG) welding bombardment zone to melt area, leaving surrounding areas around weld unaffected. Used successfully to repair aluminum cold plates on Space Shuttle, Commercial applications, especially in sealing fractures, dents, and holes in thin aluminum face sheets or clad brazing sheet in cold plates, heat exchangers, coolers, and Solar panels. While particularly suited to thin aluminum sheet, this process also used in thicker aluminum material to prevent surface damage near weld area.

Numerical analysis of weld pool oscillation in laser welding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Jung Ho [Chungbuk National University, Cheongju (Korea, Republic of); Farson, Dave F [The Ohio State University, Columbus (United States); Hollis, Kendall; Milewski, John O. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos (United States)

2015-04-15

Volume of fluid (VOF) numerical simulation was used to investigate melt flow and volumetric oscillation of conduction-mode pulsed laser weld pools. The result is compared to high speed video stream of titanium laser spot welding experiment. The total simulation time is 10ms with the first 5 ms being heating and melting under constant laser irradiation and the remaining 5 ms corresponding to resolidification of the weld pool. During the melting process, the liquid pool did not exhibit periodic oscillation but was continually depressed by the evaporation recoil pressure. After the laser pulse, the weld pool was excited into volumetric oscillation by the release of pressure on its surface and oscillation of the weld pool surface was analyzed. The simulation model suggested adjusting thermal diffusivity to match cooling rate and puddle diameter during solidification which is distinguishable from previous weld pool simulation. The frequency continuously increased from several thousand cycles per second to tens of thousands of cycles per second as the weld pool solidified and its diameter decreased. The result is the first trial of investigation of small weld pool oscillation in laser welding although there have been several reports about arc welding.

Mechanical property and conductivity changes in several copper alloys after 13.5 dpa neutron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ames, M.; Kohse, G.; Lee, T.S.; Grant, N.J.; Harling, O.K.

1986-01-01

A scoping experiment in which 25 different copper materials of 17 alloy compositions were irradiated to approx.13.5 dpa approx.400 0 C in a fast reactor is described. The materials include rapidly solidified (RS) alloys, with and without oxide dispersion strengthening, as well as conventionally processed alloys. Immersion density (swelling), electrical conductivity (which can be related to thermal conductivity), and yield stress and ductility by miniature disk bend testing have been measured before and after irradiation. It was found, in general, that the Rs alloys are stable under irradiation to 13.5 dpa, showing small conductivity changes and little or no swelling. Reduction of strength and ductility, in post-irradiation tests at the irradiation temperature, are not generally observed. Some conventionally processed alloys also performed well, although irradiation softening and swelling of several percent were observed in some cases, and pure copper swelled in excess of 5%. It is concluded that a number of copper alloys should receive further study, and that higher dose irradiations will be required to establish the limits of swelling suppression in these alloys

Electron beam welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, M.M.

1974-01-01

Electron-beam equipment is considered along with fixed and mobile electron-beam guns, questions of weld environment, medium and nonvacuum welding, weld-joint designs, tooling, the economics of electron-beam job shops, aspects of safety, quality assurance, and repair. The application of the process in the case of individual materials is discussed, giving attention to aluminum, beryllium, copper, niobium, magnesium, molybdenum, tantalum, titanium, metal alloys, superalloys, and various types of steel. Mechanical-property test results are examined along with the areas of application of electron-beam welding

Helium bubbles aggravated defects production in self-irradiated copper

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, FengChao; Zhu, YinBo; Wu, Qiang; Li, XinZhu; Wang, Pei; Wu, HengAn

2017-12-01

Under the environment of high radiation, materials used in fission and fusion reactors will internally accumulate numerous lattice defects and bubbles. With extensive studies focused on bubble resolution under irradiation, the mutually effects between helium bubbles and displacement cascades in irradiated materials remain unaddressed. Therefore, the defects production and microstructure evolution under self-irradiation events in vicinity of helium bubbles are investigated by preforming large scale molecular dynamics simulations in single-crystal copper. When subjected to displacement cascades, distinguished bubble resolution categories dependent on bubble size are observed. With the existence of bubbles, radiation damage is aggravated with the increasing bubble size, represented as the promotion of point defects and dislocations. The atomic mechanisms of heterogeneous dislocation structures are attributed to different helium-vacancy cluster modes, transforming from the resolved gas trapped with vacancies to the biased absorption of vacancies by the over-pressured bubble. In both cases, helium impedes the recombination of point defects, leading to the accelerated formation of interstitial loops. The results and insight obtained here might contribute to understand the underlying mechanism of transmutant solute on the long-term evolution of irradiated materials.

Studies performed on neutron-irradiated copper-doped iron specimens by means of neutron small-angle scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naraghi, M.

1978-01-01

By means of neutron small-angle scattering precipitation arising from heat-treatment and reactor irradiation in copper-alloyed iron specimens were studied. Copper content varried between 0 and 1.5%, irradiation temperature between 310 and 563K. The specimens had been cooled from the melt partly fast, partly slowely. By taking account of magnetic scattering and by investigating the azimuthal dependence of the total scattering it became possible to distinguish between copper precipitations and vacancy agglomerates. The most obvious effect in the slowly cooled specimens after irradiation with 2-10 19 fast neutrons per cm 2 at a temperature of 563 K is the existence of copper agglomerates with diameters of the order of magnitude of 5nm. Precipitation already occurs to a much lesser extent by the influence of temperature alone. Fast cooling from the melt or low irradiation temperature reduce precipitation during reactor irradiation. Moreover, there are indications on the formation of vacancy accumulations and dislocation rings, the latter especially in the fast cooled specimens. (orig.) [de

Effect of Fe content on the friction and abrasion properties of copper base overlay on steel substrate by TIG welding

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lü Shixiong; Song Jianling; Liu Lei; Yang Shiqin

2009-01-01

Copper base alloy was overlaid onto 35CrMnSiA steel plate by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding method. The heat transfer process was simulated, the microstructures of the copper base overlay were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and the friction and abrasion properties of the overlay were measured. The results show that the Fe content increases in the overlay with increasing the welding current. And with the increase of Fe content in the overlay, the friction coefficient increases and the wear mechanism changes from oxidation wear to abrasive wear and plough wear, which is related to the size and quantity of Fe grains in the overlay. While with the increase of Fe content in the overlay, the protection of oxidation layer against the oxidation wear on the melted metal decreases.

Effect of friction stir welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of DSS–Cu joints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shokri, V., E-mail: v.shokri@modares.ac.ir [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sadeghi, A. [School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sadeghi, M.H. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-05-02

Dissimilar joining of copper to duplex stainless steel (DSS) is challenging at high temperatures of fusion welding owing to the large difference in physical properties of the base metals. To reduce negative effects of welding at high temperatures, solid state welding at lower temperatures has been proposed. To study different effects of welding parameters (rotation speed, travel speed and tool offset) on weld zone microstructure and mechanical properties butt joints of a copper alloy and duplex stainless steel (DSS) were produced by friction stir welding (FSW). It has been found that heat input generated by the interaction of different welding conditions has a significant effect on the formation of a brittle intermetallic at the interface and eventually the final mechanical properties. At low heat inputs, mixing of the two sides is insufficient and metallurgical bonding is weak; while at high heat inputs, the thickness of the formed intermetallic is too thick which causes stress concentration at the interface and premature failure. An optimum welding condition was found (rotation speed of 1200 rpm, travel speed of 30 mm/min and tool offset of 0.5 mm) which almost reached the mechanical properties of the Cu-alloy monolayer.

'In situ' straining in the HVEM of neutron irradiated copper crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, E.; Hirsch, P.B.

1976-01-01

High energy neutron irradiated copper single crystals strained 'in situ' in the high voltage electron microscope are observed to yield in relatively few strongly developed slip bands. The deformation in the slip bands is caused by glide of inclined dislocations close to screw orientation belonging to the primary slip system. Radiation induced point defect clusters are swept up by the dislocations whereby superjogs are formed. Some of the jogs will be sessile and act as pinning points for the gliding dislocations, which bow out under the applied stress to form perfect dipoles mainly of edge nature, as well as faulted dipoles, which are finally pinched off. The effective stress measured from the radius of curvature of the bowed-out dislocations is in agreement with resolved flow stress measurements from irradiated bulk crystals. (Auth.)

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)

Initiation and propagation of cleared channels in neutron-irradiated pure copper and a precipitation hardened CuCrZr alloy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, B.N; Edwards, D.J.; Bilde-Sørensen, Jørgen

2004-01-01

The phenomenon of plastic flow localization in the form of "cleared" channels has been frequently observed in neutron irradiated metals and alloys for more than 40 years. So far, however, no experimental evidence as to how and where these channels areinitiated during post-irradiation deformation...... has emerged. Recently we have studied the problem of initiation and propagation of cleared channels during post-irradiation tensile tests of pure copper and a copper alloy irradiated with fission neutrons.Tensile specimens of pure copper and a precipitation hardened copper alloy (CuCrZr) were neutron...... irradiated at 323 and 373K to displacement doses in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 dpa (displacement per atom) and tensile tested at the irradiation temperature.The stress-strain curves clearly indicated the occurrence of a yield drop. The post-deformation microstructural examinations revealed that the channels...

Microstructural development in multi-pass TIG welded F82H steels under dual-ion irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogiwara, H.; Tanigawa, H. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Kishimoto, H.; Tomohiro, M.; Kohyama, A. [Kyoto Univ., Institute of Advanced Energy (Japan)

2007-07-01

Full text of publication follows: Reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are the first candidate materials for blanket structural component. On fabricating blanket components, various joining technologies will be required, and it could be anticipated that some parts of the weldments will suffer from high-dose 14 MeV neutron irradiation. For example, the current Japanese water cooled test blanket module design has the weldment of the first wall and side wall at 25 mm from the surface. This will not be the case for TIER-TBM, but could be the critical issue if the same design is applied for DEMO blanket system. In this study, the effects of displacement damage and helium production on mechanical properties and microstructures of the multi-pass tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding were investigated. The welded joint used in this study is a multi-pass TIG weldment on 15-mm thick plates of F82H-IEA. The post weld heat treatment was carried out at 720 deg. C for 1 h. To obtain systematic and accurate information of the microstructural response under fusion environment, dual-ion irradiation was performed. 15 mm x 20 mm pieces which cover the whole TIG weldment were irradiated at 470 deg. C up to 20 dpa using 6.4 MeV Fe{sup +3} and/or energy-degraded 1.0 MeV He{sup +}. The damage rate was 1.0 x 10{sup -3} dpa/s, and the helium injection rate was 15 x 10{sup -3} appm He/s. After the irradiations, thin film samples were made from various regions of the weldment by focused ion beam (FIB) processor, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation and hardness tests were performed. Microstructure and Vickers hardness profiles across base metal, heat affected zone (HAZ) and fusion zone (FZ) were examined before irradiation experiments. The hardness measurements revealed that the maximum hardness was observed at the last pass region of FZ, and the softest region was in the middle of the FZ and HAZ region near the transformation line. In the microstructure study

Effect of copper precipitates on the toughness of low alloy steels for pressure boundary components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foehl, J.; Willer, D.; Katerbau, K.H.

2004-01-01

The ferritic bainitic steel 15NiCuMoNb5 (WB 36)is widely used for pressure boundary components. Due to the high copper content which leads to precipitation hardening high strength and toughness are characteristic for this type of steel. However, in the initial state, there is still a high amount of dissolved copper in an oversaturated state which makes the steel susceptible to thermal ageing. Ageing and annealing experiments were performed, and the change in microstructure was investigated by small angle neutron scattering (SANS), measurements of the residual electric resistance and hardness measurements. A correlation between micro structural changes and changes in mechanical properties could be established. It could clearly be shown that significant effects on strength and toughness have to be considered when the size of the copper rich precipitates vary in the range from 1.2 to 2.2 nm in radius. The changes in microstructure affect both, the Carpy impact transition temperature and the fracture toughness qualitatively and quantitatively in a similar way. The investigations have contributed to a better understanding of precipitation hardening by copper not only for this type of steel but also for copper containing steels and weld subjected to neutron irradiation. (orig.)

Effect of chemical composition of copper alloys on their hot-brittleness and weldability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakharov, M.V.

1985-01-01

Effect of different alloying elements on the hot crack formation in argon-arc welding of M1 copper has been studied. It is shown that the effective crystallization interval has a determining influence on hot-brittleness of low-alloyed high-thermal- and electric conducting welded copper alloys. The narrow is this interval the lower is linear schrinkage and the alloys inclined to the formation of crystallization cracks in welding to a lesser degree. Alloying elements with low solubility in copper in solid state broadening the crystallization interval affect negatively the alloy hot-brittleness. Such additives as zirconium are useful at 0.02-0.O5% content and at > 0.1% content are intolerable. As to cadmium, tin, magnesium, cerium and antimony additives they don't practically strengthen copper and its alloys at 700-800 deg C and they should not be introduced

Radiation enhanced copper clustering processes in Fe-Cu alloys during electron and ion irradiations as measured by electrical resistivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishino, S.; Chimi, Y.; Bagiyono; Tobita, T.; Ishikawa, N.; Suzuki, M.; Iwase, A.

2003-01-01

To study the mechanism of radiation-enhanced clustering of copper atoms in Fe-Cu alloys, in situ electrical resistivity measurements are performed during irradiation with 100 MeV carbon ions and with 2 MeV electrons at 300 K. Two kinds of highly pure Fe-Cu alloys with Cu content of 0.02 and 0.6 wt% are used. The results are summarized as follows: - Although there is a steep initial resistivity increase below about 10 μdpa, the resistivity steadily decreases after this initial transient in Fe-0.6wt%Cu alloy, while in Fe-0.02wt%Cu alloy, the resistivity either decreases slowly or stays almost constant. The rate of change in resistivity depends on copper concentration. - The rate of change in resistivity per dpa is larger for electron irradiation than for ion irradiation. - Change in dose rate from 10 -8 to 10 -9 dpa/s slightly enhances the rate of resistivity change per dpa. The decrease in resistivity with dose is considered to be due to clustering or precipitation of copper atoms. The initial abrupt increase in resistivity is too large to be accounted for by initial introduction of point defects before copper clustering. Tentatively the phenomenon is explained as due to the formation of embryos of copper precipitates with a large strain field around them. Quantitative evaluation of the results using resistivity contribution of a unit concentration of Frenkel pairs and that of copper atoms gives an important conclusion that more than one copper atom are removed from solid solution by one Frenkel pair. The clustering efficiency is surprisingly high in the present case compared with the ordinary radiation-induced or radiation-enhanced precipitation processes

Separation of copper-64 from copper phthalocyanine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battaglin, R.I.M.

1979-01-01

The separation of copper-64 from irradiated copper phthalocyanine by Szilard-Chalmers effect is studied. Two methods of separation are used: one of them is based on the dissolution of the irradiated dry compound in concentrated sulfuric acid following its precipitation in water. In the other one the compound is irradiated with water in paste form following treatment with water and hydrochloric acid. The influence of the crystal form of the copper phthalocyanine on the separation yield of copper-64 is shown. Preliminary tests using the ionic exchange technique for purification and changing of copper-64 sulfate to chloride form are carried out. The specific activity using the spectrophotometric technique, after the determination of the copper concentration in solution of copper-64, is calculated. (Author) [pt

Comparison of microstructural and mechanical properties of joints developed by high temperature brazing, GTAW and laser welding methods on AISI 316 L stainless steel for specific applications in nuclear components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatesu, Sadu; Saxena, Rajesh; Ravi Kumar, R.; Chaurasia, P.K; Murugan, S.; Venugopal, S.

2016-01-01

Fabrication of instrumented irradiation capsule for evaluating the irradiation performance of fuel and structural materials in a nuclear reactor requires development of thin wall joints capable of withstanding high temperature and/or internal pressure. Thin wall joints for high temperature (∼550℃) applications can be made by laser beam welding (LBW), gas tungsten Arc welding (GTAW) and High Temperature Brazing (HLT) method

IASCC susceptibility under BWR conditions of welded 304 and 347 stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castano, M.L. [CIEMAT, Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Schaaf, B. van der [NRG, Petten (Netherlands); Roth, A. [Framatome ANP, Erlangen (Germany); Ohms, C. [JRC-IE, Petten (Netherlands); Gavillet, D. [PSI, Villigen (Switzerland); Dyck, S. van [SCK - CEN, Mol (Belgium)

2004-07-01

In-service cracking of Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) internal components has been attributed to Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking (IASCC), a high temperature degradation process that austenitic stainless steels exhibit, when subjected to stress and exposed to relatively high fast neutron flux. Most of the cracking incidents in BWRs were associated to the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of welds. Although the maximum end-of- life dose for this structure is about 3 x 10{sup 20} n/cm{sup 2}, below the threshold fluence of 5 x 10{sup 20} n/cm{sup 2} (equivalent to {approx} 1 dpa) for IASCC in BWR of annealed materials, the influence of neutron irradiation in the weld and HAZ is still an open question. As a consequence of the welding process, residual stresses, microstructural and microchemical modifications are expected. In addition, exposure to neutron irradiation can induce variations in the material's characteristics that can modify the stress corrosion resistance of the welded components. While the IASCC susceptibility of base materials is being widely studied in many international projects, the specific conditions of irradiated weldments are rarely assessed. The INTERWELD project, partially financed by the 5. Framework program of the European Commission, was defined to elucidate neutron radiation induced changes in the HAZ of austenitic stainless steel welds that may promote intergranular cracking. To achieve this goal the evolution of residual stresses, microstructure, micro-chemistry, mechanical properties and the stress corrosion behaviour of irradiated materials are being evaluated. Fabrication of appropriate welds of 304 and 347 stainless steels, representative of core components, was performed. These weld materials were irradiated in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten to two neutron dose levels, i.e. 0.3 and 1 dpa. Complete characterization of the HAZ of both materials, before and after irradiation is

Annealing of dislocation loops in neutron-irradiated copper investigated by positron annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauster, W.B.; Mantl, S.; Schober, T.; Triftshauser, W.

1975-01-01

Positron annihilation angular correlation measurements were carried out on neutron-irradiated copper as a function of annealing temperature. Two types of specimens were used: single crystals irradiated with fast neutrons, and 10 B-doped polycrystalline samples irradiated with thermal neutrons. All irradiations were at approximately 320 0 K. A structure in the annealing curve, not previously observed by other techniques, indicates that between 460 and 600 0 K the dislocation loops present after irradiation dissociate and more effective positron trapping sites are formed. (auth)

Low frequency internal friction behaviour of copper after electron-irradiation at 20 K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sokolowski, G.; Kabsch, Z.; Moser, P.

1978-01-01

High-purity ASARCO-copper has been irradiated with 3MeV-electrons at 20 K. Then the temperature dependence of modulus and decrement has been measured at 2 Hz and a strain amplitude of 10 -5 . The dislocation pinning in stage I can be seen in modulus and decrement. It is followed by a depinning process in the modulus between 130 and 190 K. This depinning corresponds to the temperature where the decrement begins to increase again after stage I-pinning. The effects are discussed and compared to 78K irradiations using the same sample material and similar pre-treatment

Study of the flux effect nature for VVER-1000 RPV welds with high nickel content

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuleshova, E.A., E-mail: evgenia-orm@yandex.ru [National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Kurchatov Sq.1, 123182, Moscow (Russian Federation); National Research Nuclear University, “MEPhI” (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Kashirskoe Highway 31, 115409, Moscow (Russian Federation); Gurovich, B.A.; Lavrukhina, Z.V.; Maltsev, D.A.; Fedotova, S.V.; Frolov, A.S.; Zhuchkov, G.M. [National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Kurchatov Sq.1, 123182, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2017-01-15

This work extends the research of the basic regularities of segregation processes in the grain boundaries (GB) of VVER-1000 reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. The paper considers the influence of irradiation with different fast neutron fluxes on the structure, yield strength and ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (T{sub K}) changes as well as on changes of the share of brittle intergranular fracture and development of segregation processes in the VVER-1000 RPV weld metal (WM). The obtained experimental results allow to separate the contribution of the hardening and non-hardening mechanisms to mechanical properties degradation of material irradiated at the operating temperature. It is shown that the difference in T{sub K} shift in WM irradiated to the same fluence with different fast neutron fluxes is mainly due to the difference in the GB accumulation kinetics of impurities and only to a small extent due to the material hardening. Phosphorus bulk diffusion coefficients were evaluated for the temperature exposure, accelerated irradiation and irradiation within surveillance specimens (SS) using a kinetic model of phosphorus GB accumulation in low-alloyed low-carbon steels under the influence of operational factors. The correlation between the GB segregation level of phosphorus and nickel, and the T{sub K} shift - in WM SS was obtained experimentally and indicates the non-hardening mechanism contribution to the total radiation embrittlement of VVER-1000 RPV steels throughout its extended lifetime. - Highlights: • Structural elements in high Ni welds are studied at different irradiation fluxes. • AES study demonstrated different P GB kinetics at different irradiation fluxes. • Hardening and non-hardening mechanism contributions to the flux effect are assessed. • Correlation between ΔT{sub K} and P and Ni GB content is shown for VVER-1000 RPV welds.

Automatic orbital GTAW welding: Highest quality welds for tomorrow's high-performance systems

Science.gov (United States)

Henon, B. K.

1985-01-01

Automatic orbital gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) or TIG welding is certain to play an increasingly prominent role in tomorrow's technology. The welds are of the highest quality and the repeatability of automatic weldings is vastly superior to that of manual welding. Since less heat is applied to the weld during automatic welding than manual welding, there is less change in the metallurgical properties of the parent material. The possibility of accurate control and the cleanliness of the automatic GTAW welding process make it highly suitable to the welding of the more exotic and expensive materials which are now widely used in the aerospace and hydrospace industries. Titanium, stainless steel, Inconel, and Incoloy, as well as, aluminum can all be welded to the highest quality specifications automatically. Automatic orbital GTAW equipment is available for the fusion butt welding of tube-to-tube, as well as, tube to autobuttweld fittings. The same equipment can also be used for the fusion butt welding of up to 6 inch pipe with a wall thickness of up to 0.154 inches.

Dose dependence of microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of neutron irradiated copper and copper alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, B N; Edwards, D J; Horsewell, A; Toft, P

1995-09-01

The present investigation of the effects of neutron irradiation on microstructures and mechanical properties of copper alloys is a part of the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) programme. Tensile specimens of the candidate alloys Cu-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, CuCrZr and CuNiBe were irradiated with fission neutrons in the DR-3 reactor at Risoe with a flux of 2.5 x 10{sup 17} n/m{sup 2}s (E > 1 MeV, i.e. a dose rate of {approx}5 x 10{sup -8} dpa/s) to fluences of 5 x 10{sup 22}, 5 x 10{sup 23} and 1 x 10{sup 24} n/m{sup 2} (E > 1 MeV, i.e. displacement doses of 0.01, 0.1 and 0.2 dpa) at 47 deg. C. The Cu-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (CuA125) specimens, were irradiated in the as-cold worked state. Tensile properties and Vickers hardness of both irradiated and unirradiated specimens were determined at 22 deg. C. Pre- and post-deformation microstructures of irradiated as well as unirradiated specimens were examined using a transmission electron microscope. The fractured surfaces of tensile tested specimens were investigated in a scanning electron microscope. The results show the following general trend: (a) that the CuNiBe alloy is stronger than CuCrZr as well as Cu Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, (b) that even relatively low dose irradiations cause significant increase in the yield strength, but rather drastic decreases in the uniform elongation of CuCrZr and CuNiBe alloys and that the low dose irradiation of the cold-worked Cu-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} alloy causes a decrease in the yield strength and an increase in the uniform elongation, at higher doses irradiation hardening occurs. The SEM examinations of the fractured surfaces demonstrate that both unirradiated and irradiated specimens fracture in a ductile manner. The lack of uniform elongation in the irradiated copper alloys may be understood in terms of difficulty in dislocation generation due to pinning of grown-in dislocation by defect clusters (loops) at or around them. (EG) 5 tabs., 18 ills., 13 refs.

Dose dependence of microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of neutron irradiated copper and copper alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.N.; Edwards, D.J.; Horsewell, A.; Toft, P.

1995-09-01

The present investigation of the effects of neutron irradiation on microstructures and mechanical properties of copper alloys is a part of the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) programme. Tensile specimens of the candidate alloys Cu-Al 2 O 3 , CuCrZr and CuNiBe were irradiated with fission neutrons in the DR-3 reactor at Risoe with a flux of 2.5 x 10 17 n/m 2 s (E > 1 MeV, i.e. a dose rate of ∼5 x 10 -8 dpa/s) to fluences of 5 x 10 22 , 5 x 10 23 and 1 x 10 24 n/m 2 (E > 1 MeV, i.e. displacement doses of 0.01, 0.1 and 0.2 dpa) at 47 deg. C. The Cu-Al 2 O 3 (CuA125) specimens, were irradiated in the as-cold worked state. Tensile properties and Vickers hardness of both irradiated and unirradiated specimens were determined at 22 deg. C. Pre- and post-deformation microstructures of irradiated as well as unirradiated specimens were examined using a transmission electron microscope. The fractured surfaces of tensile tested specimens were investigated in a scanning electron microscope. The results show the following general trend: (a) that the CuNiBe alloy is stronger than CuCrZr as well as Cu Al 2 O 3 , (b) that even relatively low dose irradiations cause significant increase in the yield strength, but rather drastic decreases in the uniform elongation of CuCrZr and CuNiBe alloys and that the low dose irradiation of the cold-worked Cu-Al 2 O 3 alloy causes a decrease in the yield strength and an increase in the uniform elongation, at higher doses irradiation hardening occurs. The SEM examinations of the fractured surfaces demonstrate that both unirradiated and irradiated specimens fracture in a ductile manner. The lack of uniform elongation in the irradiated copper alloys may be understood in terms of difficulty in dislocation generation due to pinning of grown-in dislocation by defect clusters (loops) at or around them. (EG) 5 tabs., 18 ills., 13 refs

Evaluation of the french test reactors irradiation embrittlement experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miannay, D.; Dussarte, D.; Soulat, P.

1988-07-01

The shifts of CV 41J energy index temperatures due to irradiation measured in France have been stored in a data bank and are analysed. According to a simple physically based model which is here-after verified, correlations are proposed for Base Metal (BM) and Weld Metal (WM). The achemical and phosphorus components of the chemical factor are equivalent. However, nickel and copper play a leading part in BM and WM respectively. The copper nickel interaction is not evident. These correlations are for cleavage fracture and not for intergranular fracture. This work is subject to revision and extension

HIGH FREQUENCY INDUCTION WELDING OF HIGH SILICON STEEL TUBES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Miranda Alé

2012-06-01

Full Text Available High-Si steel is a low cost alternative for the fabrication of tubular structures resistant to atmospheric corrosion. However, the literature has often pointed out that steels presenting a higher Si content and/or a lower Mn/Si ratio have higher susceptibility to defects at the weld bond line during HFIW (High Frequency Induction Welding process, which has been widely used for manufacturing small diameter tubes. In this study the effect of the HFIW conditions on the quality of steel tubes with high-Si content and low Mn/Si ratio is investigated. The quality of welded tubes was determined by flare test and the defects in the bond line were identified by SEM. It has been found that higher welding speeds, V-convergence angles and power input should be applied in welding of high-Si steel, when compared to similar strength C-Mn steel.

Absorbed Dose Distributions in Small Copper Wire Insulation due to Multiple-Sided Irradiations by 0.4 MeV Electrons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miller, Arne; McLaughlin, W. L.; Pedersen, Walther Batsberg

1979-01-01

When scanned electron beams are used to crosslink polymeric insulation of wire and cable, an important goal is to achieve optimum uniformity of absorbed dose distributions. Accurate measurements of dose distributions in a plastic dosimeter simulating a typical insulating material (polyethylene......) surrounding a copper wire core show that equal irradiations from as few as four sides give approximately isotropy and satisfactorily uniform energy depositions around the wire circumference. Electron beams of 0.4 MeV maximum energy were used to irradiate wires having a copper core of 1.0 mm dia....... and insulation thicknesses between 0.4 and 0.8 mm. The plastic dosimeter simulating polyethylene insulations was a thin radiochromic polyvinyl butyral film wrapped several times around the copper wire, such that when unwrapped and analyzed optically on a scanning microspectrophotometer, high-resolution radial...

Examination of structure and mechanical properties of hard-to-weld metal joints obtained with the laser method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czujko, T.; Przetakiewicz, W.; Jozwiak, S.; Hoffman, J.; Kalita, W.

1995-01-01

Metal joints of stainless of type X6CrNiMoTi1722 (according to DIN) and high conductivity (HC) copper, and joints of transformer steel containing about 3.5% of silicon were obtained using metal sheets 2 mm in thickness. The microstructure and the distribution of microhardness in the area of the joint, and the changes of the strength and elongation caused by the process of laser welding were examined with reference to the properties of the native metal; and, in the case of transformer steel-joints, the effects of welding by means of the TIG method were also analyzed. A probable mechanism of the formation of the steel-copper joint was presented, the strength of which is comparable with that of copper. The superiority of laser welding over TIG welding was also demonstrated. (author). 11 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

Dye-enhanced laser welding for skin closure.

Science.gov (United States)

DeCoste, S D; Farinelli, W; Flotte, T; Anderson, R R

1992-01-01

The use of a laser to weld tissue in combination with a topical photosensitizing dye permits selective delivery of energy to the target tissue. A combination of indocyanine green (IG), absorption peak 780 nm, and the near-infrared (IR) alexandrite laser was studied with albino guinea pig skin. IG was shown to bind to the outer 25 microns of guinea pig dermis and appeared to be bound to collagen. The optical transmittance of full-thickness guinea pig skin in the near IR was 40% indicating that the alexandrite laser should provide adequate tissue penetration. Laser "welding" of skin in vivo was achieved at various concentrations of IG from 0.03 to 3 mg/cc using the alexandrite at 780 nm, 250-microseconds pulse duration, 8 Hz, and a 4-mm spot size. A spectrum of welds was obtained from 1- to 20-W/cm2 average irradiance. Weak welds occurred with no thermal damage obtained at lower irradiances: stronger welds with thermal damage confined to the weld site occurred at higher irradiances. At still higher irradiances, local vaporization occurred with failure to "weld." Thus, there was an optimal range of irradiances for "welding," which varied inversely with dye concentration. Histology confirmed the thermal damage results that were evident clinically. IG dye-enhanced laser welding is possible in skin and with further optimization may have practical application.

Stored energy recovery of irradiated copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richard, R.T.; Chaplin, R.L.; Coltman, R.R. Jr.; Kerchner, H.R.; Klabunde, C.E.

1990-01-01

The stored energy released in Stage I recovery of reactor neutron irradiated copper was measured by differential thermal analysis calorimetry for three fluences up to a maximum of 3.5 x 10 18 n/cm 2 (E>0.1 MeV) after irradiation at temperatures of less than 10 K. The dependence of the stored energy upon fluence, and a tendency toward saturation, were observed. Theoretical reaction rate processes were compared directly with the experimental rates of stored energy release, and the parameters associated with the theory were compared with results from previous resistivity measurements. Good agreement was found for several parameters, but major differences with previous D + E substage results lead to the conclusion that the point defect model may not describe materials experiencing severe neutron damage. Computer studies of warmup rates were made for first and second order and for correlated recovery processes as a function of defect concentration and of external power input. First and second order processes show definite distortion in their recovery rate curves for high defect concentrations; the correlated recovery process shows a much less pronounced effect. This investigation of stored energy used several new approaches. The use of induced radioactivity within the sample as the heating source, and the use of computer generated theoretical stored energy release curves to analyze the data were unique. (author)

Development of high productivity pipeline girth welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yapp, David; Liratzis, Theocharis

2010-01-01

The trend for increased oil and gas consumption implies a growth of long-distance pipeline installations. Welding is a critical factor in the installation of pipelines, both onshore and offshore, and the rate at which the pipeline can be laid is generally determined by the speed of welding. This has resulted in substantial developments in pipeline welding techniques. Arc welding is still the dominant process used in practice, and forge welding processes have had limited successful application to date, in spite of large investments in process development. Power beam processes have also been investigated in detail and the latest laser systems now show promise for practical application. In recent years the use of high strength steels has substantially reduced the cost of pipeline installation, with X70 and X80 being commonly used. This use of high strength pipeline produced by thermomechanical processing has also been researched. They must all meet three requirments, high productivity, satisfactory weld properties, and weld quality

Remote-welding technique for assembling in-pile IASCC capsule in hot cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawamata, Kazuo; Ishii, Toshimitsu; Kanazawa, Yoshiharu; Iwamatsu, Shigemi; Ohmi, Masao; Shimizu, Michio; Matsui, Yoshinori; Saito, Jun-ichi; Ugachi, Hirokazu; Kaji, Yoshiyuki; Tsukada, Takashi

2006-01-01

In order to investigate behavior of the irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) caused by the simultaneous effects of neutron irradiation and high temperature water environment in such a light water reactor (LWR), it is necessary to perform crack growth tests in an in-pile IASCC capsule irradiated in the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR). The development of the remote-welding technique is essential for remotely assembling the in-pile IASCC capsule installing the pre-irradiated CT specimens. This report describes a new remote-welding machine developed for assembling the in-pile IASCC capsule. The remote-welding technique that the capsule tube is rotated light under the fixed torch was applied to the machine for the welding of thick and large-diameter tubes. The assembly work of four in-pile IASCC capsules having pre-irradiated CT specimens in the hot cell was succeeded for performing the crack growth test under the neutron irradiation in JMTR. The irradiation test of two capsules has been already finished in JMTR without problems. (author)

Effects of irradiation on the copper normal metal of a composite superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, J.M.; Klabunde, C.E.; Redman, J.K.; Coltman, R.R. Jr.; Chaplin, R.L.

1978-01-01

This report presents a new body of magnetoresistance data for copper that were obtained in neutron irradiation experiments at 4K and 330K. These data are combined with previously obtained results on initial damage rates and saturation effects to yield a projection of total resistivity vs neutron dose (expressed in displacements per atom) for copper in service at < 10 K in a magnetic field

Simulation of residual stresses and deformations in electron beam-welded copper canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aronen, A.; Leikko, J.; Taskinen, P.; Karvinen, R.

2013-07-01

This report presents the modelling of residual stresses and deformations of an EB-welded copper canister. Two different mock-up lengths are modelled with the Abaqus FEA program, and the similarity of those results is studied. Canister mock-ups of 450 mm and 915 mm were chosen for the test cases. The heat treatment results presented in Taskinen 2009 are used as input data for the mechanical model. For the mechanical analysis some simplifications were made to the model. The contact surface between pipe and lid is assumed to be tied and support from the bottom surface is provided with four support points. Results show that, due to the similarity of 450 mm and 915 mm canisters, the short mock-up can be used to predict the stresses and deformation on a full-length canister (5000 mm). The similarity of the temperature fields has already been shown in the previous reports (Taskinen 2009). The main result in the deformation is the shape of the canister in the residual state. The top of the canister tries to shrink, resulting in the lid buckling inwards. The deformation of the lid of the canister is about 2.2 mm at the centre of the lid. The main results in the stresses are the stress level on the surface, the deviation of stresses over the circle and the stresses near the welding. On the surface there are areas where the circumferential stress is at tension. However, radial and axial stresses are usually in compression on the surface. The deviation of the stress level over the circle is quite small, except in the overlap area and near it. The residual stresses from 0 deg C to 45 deg C change remarkably, but over the rest of the area the stresses are more constant. Near the welding the stresses on the top surface are in compression, but in the centre of the welding the stresses are in tension. In the modelling, the possibility of calculating a mechanical model with the contact surface between pipe and lid, so that they could be separated during the welding, was also tested

Simulation of residual stresses and deformations in electron beam-welded copper canisters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aronen, A.; Leikko, J.; Taskinen, P.; Karvinen, R. [Tampere Univ. of Technology (Finland)

2013-07-15

This report presents the modelling of residual stresses and deformations of an EB-welded copper canister. Two different mock-up lengths are modelled with the Abaqus FEA program, and the similarity of those results is studied. Canister mock-ups of 450 mm and 915 mm were chosen for the test cases. The heat treatment results presented in Taskinen 2009 are used as input data for the mechanical model. For the mechanical analysis some simplifications were made to the model. The contact surface between pipe and lid is assumed to be tied and support from the bottom surface is provided with four support points. Results show that, due to the similarity of 450 mm and 915 mm canisters, the short mock-up can be used to predict the stresses and deformation on a full-length canister (5000 mm). The similarity of the temperature fields has already been shown in the previous reports (Taskinen 2009). The main result in the deformation is the shape of the canister in the residual state. The top of the canister tries to shrink, resulting in the lid buckling inwards. The deformation of the lid of the canister is about 2.2 mm at the centre of the lid. The main results in the stresses are the stress level on the surface, the deviation of stresses over the circle and the stresses near the welding. On the surface there are areas where the circumferential stress is at tension. However, radial and axial stresses are usually in compression on the surface. The deviation of the stress level over the circle is quite small, except in the overlap area and near it. The residual stresses from 0 deg C to 45 deg C change remarkably, but over the rest of the area the stresses are more constant. Near the welding the stresses on the top surface are in compression, but in the centre of the welding the stresses are in tension. In the modelling, the possibility of calculating a mechanical model with the contact surface between pipe and lid, so that they could be separated during the welding, was also tested

Positron lifetime study of copper irradiated by energetic protons or energetic neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howell, R.H.

1979-03-01

Positron lifetime measurements of pure copper damaged by irradiation with energetic protons and neutrons are presented. Lifetime determinations of the bulk material and various traps were made, and the dependence of the trapping rate on dose and irradiation energy were investigated. The results from the neutron- and proton-irradiated samples point to the existence of traps with similar but distinct lifetime parameters, not varying greatly from values reported in deformation studies. Also, a trap with long lifetime is seen for some proton irradiations, but is never seen for the neutron irradiations. The trapping rate of the short-lifetime trap is a linear function of dose for proton-irradiated samples and nearly so for the neutron irradiation. 1 figure

Thermal release behavior of helium from copper irradiated by He+ ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamauchi, T.; Tokura, S.; Yamanaka, S.; Miyake, M.

1988-01-01

Thermal release behavior of helium from copper irradiated by 20 keV He + ions with a dose of 2x10 15 to 3x10 17 ions/cm 2 has been studied. The shape of the thermal release curves and thew number of helium release peaks strongly depend on the irradiation dose. Results from SEM surface observastion after post-irradiation heating suggested that helium release caused various surface damages such as blistering, flaking, and hole formation. Helium release resulting in small holes was analyzed and helium bubble growth mechanisms are discussed. (orig.)

Steels and welding nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sessa, M.; Milella, P.P.

1987-01-01

This ENEA Data-Base regards mechanical properties, chemical composition and heat treatments of nuclear pressure vessel materials: type A533-B, A302-B, A508 steel plates and forgings, submerged arc welds and HAZ before and after nuclear irradiation. Irradiation experiments were generally performed in high flux material test reactors. Data were collected from international available literature about water nuclear reactors pressure vessel materials embrittlement

All-photonic drying and sintering process via flash white light combined with deep-UV and near-infrared irradiation for highly conductive copper nano-ink

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Hyun-Jun; Oh, Kyung-Hwan; Kim, Hak-Sung

2016-01-01

We developed an ultra-high speed photonic sintering method involving flash white light (FWL) combined with near infrared (NIR) and deep UV light irradiation to produce highly conductive copper nano-ink film. Flash white light irradiation energy and the power of NIR/deep UV were optimized to obtain high conductivity Cu films. Several microscopic and spectroscopic characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were employed to characterize the Cu nano-films. Optimally sintered Cu nano-ink films produced using a deep UV-assisted flash white light sintering technique had the lowest resistivity (7.62 μΩ·cm), which was only 4.5-fold higher than that of bulk Cu film (1.68 μΩ•cm). PMID:26806215

Effect of solute atoms on collision cascades in copper and molybdenum irradiated with self-ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

English, C.A.; Eyre, B.L.; Wadley, H.; Stathopoulos, A.Y.

1975-01-01

An examination of the effect material purity has on the numbers and sizes of the vacancy loops formed in collision cascades produced by self-ion irradiation of copper and molybdenum is reported. It is shown that substitutional and interstitial impurities both markedly reduce the damage generated in molybdenum by 60 keV Mo + ions but little effect is seen in copper irradiated by 30 keV Cu + ions. These results are compared with recent observations of vacancy defects in type 316 stainless steel following irradiation with 40-200 keV Cr + . The comparison highlights the much lower vacancy concentration retained in visible clusters in the complex alloy

Influence of composition, heat treatment and neutron irradiation on the electrical conductivity of copper alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Eldrup, M.; Singh, B. N.

1998-10-01

The electrical conductivity of three different types of copper alloys, viz. CuNiBe, CuCrZr and Cu-Al 2O 3 as well as of pure copper are reported. The alloys have undergone different pre-irradiation heat treatments and have been fission-neutron irradiated up to 0.3 dpa. In some cases post-irradiation annealing has been carried out. The results are discussed with reference to equivalent Transmission Electron Microscopy results on the microstructure of the materials. The CuNiBe has the lowest conductivity (⩽55% of that of pure Cu), and Cu-Al 2O 3 the highest (75-90% of pure Cu).

Control of Porosity and Spatter in Laser Welding of Thick AlMg5 Parts Using High-Speed Imaging and Optical Microscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrei C. Popescu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We report on a feedback mechanism for rapid identification of optimal laser parameters during welding of AlMg5 coupons using real-time monitoring by high-speed imaging. The purpose was to constrain the liquid movement in the groove in order to obtain pore-free welds in this otherwise difficult-to-weld alloy. High-speed imaging of the welding process via an optical microscope allowed for recording at millimeter level, providing new information on liquid-metal dynamics during laser irradiation as well as plausible explanations for spatter occurrence and pores formation. The pore formation and especially the position of these pores had to be controlled in order to weld 3 mm thick samples. By tuning both laser power and pulse duration, pores were aligned on a single line, at the bottom of the weld. A laser pass of reduced power on that side was then sufficient for removing all pores and providing a suitable weld.

Fusion welding of thin metal foils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casey, H.

1975-01-01

Aspects of fusion welding of thin metal foils are reviewed and the current techniques employed at LASL to join foils are described. Techniques for fusion welding approximately 0.025-mm-thick foils of copper, aluminum, and stainless steels have been developed using both electron beam and laser welding equipment. These techniques, together with the related aspects of joint design, tooling and fixturing, joint preparation, and modifications to the commercially available welding equipment, are included in the review. (auth)

Effects of welding parameters on friction stir spot welding of high density polyethylene sheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilici, Mustafa Kemal; Yukler, Ahmet Irfan

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: (a) Schematic illustration of the cross section of a friction stir spot weld and (b) Geometry of the weld bonded area, x: nugget thickness and y: the thickness of the upper sheet. Highlights: → Welding parameters affect the FSSW nugget formation and the strength of the joint. → Melting of polyethylene occurred in the vicinity of the tool pin. → The joint that fractures with a pull nugget failure mode has a higher strength. -- Abstract: Friction stir spot welding parameters affect the weld strength of thermoplastics, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) sheets. The effects of the welding parameters on static strength of friction stir spot welds of high density polyethylene sheets were investigated. For maximizing the weld strength, the selection of welding parameters is very important. In lap-shear tests two fracture modes were observed; cross nugget failure and pull nugget failure. The tool rotational speed, tool plunge depth and dwell time were determined to be important in the joint formation and its strength. The joint which had a better strength fails with a pull nugget failure morphology. Weld cross section image analysis of the joints were done with a video spectral comparator. The plunge rate of the tool was determined to have a negligible effect on friction stir spot welding.

Corrosion of copper-based materials in irradiated moist air systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, D.T.; Van Konynenburg, R.A.

1991-06-01

The atmospheric corrosion of oxygen-free copper (CDA-102), 70/30 copper-nickel (CDA-715), and 7% aluminum bronze (CDA-613) in an irradiated moist air environment was investigated. Experiments were performed in both dry and 40% RH (at sign 90 degree C) air at temperatures of 90 and 150 degree C. Initial corrosion rates were determined based on a combination of weight gain and weight loss measurements. Corrosion products observed were identified. These experiments support efforts by the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) to evaluate possible metallic barrier materials for nuclear waste containers. 8 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs

Neutron irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steel 20 MnMoNi55 weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghoneim, M.M.

1987-05-01

The effect of neutron irradiation on the mechanical and fracture properties of an 'improved' 20 MnMoNi 55 Pressure Vessel Steel (PVS) weld was investigated. In addition to very low residual element content, especially Cu (0.035 wt.%), and relatively higher Ni content (0.9 wt.%), this steel has higher strength (30% more) than the steels used currently in nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The material was irradiated to 3.5x10 19 and 7x10 19 n/cm 2 (E > 1 Mev) at 290 0 C and 2.5x10 19 n/cm 2 (E > 1 MeV) at 160 0 C in FRJ-1 and FRJ-2 research reactors at KFA, Juelich, F.R.G. Test methods used in the evaluation included instrumented impact testing of standard and precracked Charpy specimens, tensile, and fracture toughness testing. Instrumented impact testing provided load and energy vs. time (deflection) data in addition to energy absorption data. The results indicated that the investigated high strength improved steel is more resistant to irradiation induced embrittlement than conventional PVSs. (orig./IHOE)

Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program: Embrittlement issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1991-01-01

Maintaining the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in a light-water-cooled nuclear power plant is crucial in preventing and controlling severe accidents and the potential for major contamination releases. It is imperative to understand and predict the capabilities and limitations of its integrity. It is particularly vital to fully understand the degree of irradiation-induced degradation of the RPV's fracture resistance which occurs during service, since without that radiation damage it is virtually impossible to postulate a realistic scenario which would result in RPV failure. The Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program has been established by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) 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 reactor pressure-vessel integrity. Results from HSSI studies provide information needed to aid in resolving major regulatory issues facing the USNRC which involve RPV irradiation embrittlement such as pressurized-thermal shock, operating pressure-temperature limits, low-temperature overpressurization, and the specialized problems associated with low upper-shelf (LUS) welds. Taken together the results of these studies also provide guidance and bases for evaluating both the aging behavior and the potential for plant life extension of light-water RPVs. The principal materials examined within the HSSI program are high-copper welds since their postirradiation properties are most frequently limiting in the continued safe operation of commercial RPVs. Embrittlement modeling studies have shown that the time or dose required for the point defect concentrations, which ultimately contribute to irradiation embrittlement, to reach their steady state values can be comparable to the component lifetime or to the duration of an irradiation experiment

Method for laser welding a fin and a tube

Science.gov (United States)

Fuerschbach, Phillip W.; Mahoney, A. Roderick; Milewski, John O

2001-01-01

A method of laser welding a planar metal surface to a cylindrical metal surface is provided, first placing a planar metal surface into approximate contact with a cylindrical metal surface to form a juncture area to be welded, the planar metal surface and cylindrical metal surface thereby forming an acute angle of contact. A laser beam, produced, for example, by a Nd:YAG pulsed laser, is focused through the acute angle of contact at the juncture area to be welded, with the laser beam heating the juncture area to a welding temperature to cause welding to occur between the planar metal surface and the cylindrical metal surface. Both the planar metal surface and cylindrical metal surface are made from a reflective metal, including copper, copper alloys, stainless steel alloys, aluminum, and aluminum alloys.

Temper embrittlement, irradiation induced phosphorus segregation and implications for post-irradiation annealing of reactor pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McElroy, R.J.; English, C.A.; Foreman, A.J.; Gage, G.; Hyde, J.M.; Ray, P.H.N.; Vatter, I.A.

1999-01-01

Three steels designated JPB, JPC and JPG from the IAEA Phase 3 Programme containing two copper and phosphorus levels were pre- and post-irradiation Charpy and hardness tested in the as-received (AR), 1200 C/0.5h heat treated (HT) and heat treated and 450 C/2000h aged (HTA) conditions. The HT condition was designed to simulate coarse grained heat-affected zones (HAZ's) and showed a marked sensitivity to thermal ageing in all three alloys. Embrittlement after thermal ageing was greater in the higher phosphorus alloys JPB and JPG. Charpy shifts due to thermal ageing of between 118 and 209 C were observed and accompanied by pronounced intergranular fracture, due to phosphorus segregation. The irradiation embrittlement response was complex. The low copper alloys, JPC and JPB, in the HT and HTA condition exhibited significant irradiation induced Charpy shift but very low or even negative hardness changes indicating non-hardening embrittlement. The higher copper alloy, JPG, also exhibited irradiation hardening in line with its copper content. Fractographic and microchemical studies indicated irradiation induced phosphorus segregation and a transition from cleavage to intergranular failure at grain boundary phosphorus concentrations above a critical level. The enhanced grain boundary phosphorus level increased with dose in agreement with a kinetic segregation model developed at Harwell. The relevance of the thermal ageing studies to RPV Annealing for Plant-Life Extension was identified early in the program. It is of concern that annealing of RPV's has been performed, or is proposed, at temperatures in the range 425--475 C for periods of about 1 week (168h). Much attention has been given to the use of in-situ hardness measurements and machining miniature Charpy and tensile specimens from belt-line plate and weld materials. However, HAZ's, often containing higher phosphorus levels than the present materials, have largely been ignored. A post-irradiation annealing (PIA

Influence of composition, heat treatment and neutron irradiation on the electrical conductivity of copper alloys

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eldrup, Morten Mostgaard; Singh, B.N.

1998-01-01

The electrical conductivity of three different types of copper alloys, viz. CuNiBe, CuCrZr and Cu-Al(2)O(3) as well as of pure copper are reported. The alloys have undergone different pre-irradiation heat treatments and have been fission-neutron irradiated up to 0.3 dpa. In some cases post......-irradiation annealing has been carried out. The results are discussed with reference to equivalent Transmission Electron Microscopy results on the microstructure of the materials. The CuNiBe has the lowest conductivity (less than or equal to 55% of that of pure Cu), and Cu-Al(2)O(3) the highest (75-90% of pure Cu). (C...

Initiation and propagation of cleared channels in neutron-irradiated pure copper and a precipitation hardened CuCrZr alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, B.N.; Edwards, D.J.; Bilde-Soerensen, J.B

2004-10-01

The phenomenon of plastic flow localization in the form of 'cleared' channels has been frequently observed in neutron irradiated metals and alloys for more than 40 years. So far, however, no experimental evidence as to how and where these channels are initiated during post-irradiation deformation has emerged. Recently we have studied the problem of initiation and propagation of cleared channels during post-irradiation tensile tests of pure copper and a copper alloy irradiated with fission neutrons. Tensile specimens of pure copper and a precipitation hardened copper alloy (CuCrZr) were neutron irradiated at 323 and 373K to displacement doses in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 dpa (displacement per atom) and tensile tested at the irradiation temperature. The stress-strain curves clearly indicated the occurrence of a yield drop. The post-deformation microstructural examinations revealed that the channels are formed already in the elastic regime and their density increases with increasing plastic strain. The channels appear to have been initiated at grain boundaries, twin boundaries, at relatively large inclusions and even at the previously formed cleared channels. Even though the channels are produced throughout the whole tensile test, no clear evidence has been found for the operation of Frank-Read sources in the volume between the channels. Channels have been observed to penetrate through annealing twins, in some cases stopping at the opposite twin boundary and in other cases penetrating even through the opposite twin boundary and continuing further into the grain. In some cases channels have been found to penetrate through grain boundaries too. It is suggested that the high stress levels reached during deformation of the irradiated specimens activate dislocation sources at the sites of stress concentration at the boundaries and inclusions. The propagation of these newly generated dislocations in the matrix causes the formation of cleared channels. Implications

Initiation and propagation of cleared channels in neutron-irradiated pure copper and a precipitation hardened CuCrZr alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.N.; Edwards, D.J.; Bilde-Soerensen, J.B.

2004-10-01

The phenomenon of plastic flow localization in the form of 'cleared' channels has been frequently observed in neutron irradiated metals and alloys for more than 40 years. So far, however, no experimental evidence as to how and where these channels are initiated during post-irradiation deformation has emerged. Recently we have studied the problem of initiation and propagation of cleared channels during post-irradiation tensile tests of pure copper and a copper alloy irradiated with fission neutrons. Tensile specimens of pure copper and a precipitation hardened copper alloy (CuCrZr) were neutron irradiated at 323 and 373K to displacement doses in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 dpa (displacement per atom) and tensile tested at the irradiation temperature. The stress-strain curves clearly indicated the occurrence of a yield drop. The post-deformation microstructural examinations revealed that the channels are formed already in the elastic regime and their density increases with increasing plastic strain. The channels appear to have been initiated at grain boundaries, twin boundaries, at relatively large inclusions and even at the previously formed cleared channels. Even though the channels are produced throughout the whole tensile test, no clear evidence has been found for the operation of Frank-Read sources in the volume between the channels. Channels have been observed to penetrate through annealing twins, in some cases stopping at the opposite twin boundary and in other cases penetrating even through the opposite twin boundary and continuing further into the grain. In some cases channels have been found to penetrate through grain boundaries too. It is suggested that the high stress levels reached during deformation of the irradiated specimens activate dislocation sources at the sites of stress concentration at the boundaries and inclusions. The propagation of these newly generated dislocations in the matrix causes the formation of cleared channels. Implications of these

B218 Weld Filler Wire Characterization for Al-Li Alloy 2195

Science.gov (United States)

Bjorkman, Gerry; Russell, Carolyn

2000-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin Space Systems- Michoud Operations, and McCook Metals have developed an aluminum-copper weld filler wire for fusion welding aluminum lithium alloy 2195. The aluminum-copper based weld filler wire has been identified as B218, a McCook Metals designation. B218 is the result of six years of weld filler wire development funded by NASA, Lockheed Martin, and McCook Metals. The filler wire chemistry was developed to produce enhanced 2195 weld and repair weld mechanical properties over the 4043 aluminum-silicon weld filler wire, which is currently used to weld 2195 on the Super Lightweight External Tank for the NASA Space Shuttle Program. An initial characterization was performed consisting of a repair weld evaluation using B218 and 4043 weld filler wires. The testing involved room temperature and cryogenic repair weld tensile testing along with fracture toughness testing. From the testing, B218 weld filler wire produce enhanced repair weld tensile strength, ductility, and fracture properties over 4043. B218 weld filler wire has proved to be a superior weld filler wire for welding aluminum lithium alloy 2195 over 4043.

Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of an Electron Beam-Welded Ti/Cu/Ni Joint

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Feng; Wang, Ting; Jiang, Siyuan; Zhang, Binggang; Feng, Jicai

2018-05-01

Electron beam welding experiments of TA15 titanium alloy to GH600 nickel superalloy with and without a copper sheet interlayer were carried out. Surface appearance, microstructure and phase constitution of the joint were examined by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis. Mechanical properties of Ti/Ni and Ti/Cu/Ni joint were evaluated based on tensile strength and microhardness tests. The results showed that cracking occurred in Ti/Ni electron beam weldment for the formation of brittle Ni-Ti intermetallics, while a crack-free electron beam-welded Ti/Ni joint can be obtained by using a copper sheet as filler metal. The addition of copper into the weld affected the welding metallurgical process of the electron beam-welded Ti/Ni joint significantly and was helpful for restraining the formation of Ti-Ni intermetallics in Ti/Ni joint. The microstructure of the weld was mainly characterized by a copper-based solid solution and Ti-Cu interfacial intermetallic compounds. Ti-Ni intermetallic compounds were almost entirely suppressed. The hardness of the weld zone was significantly lower than that of Ti/Ni joint, and the tensile strength of the joint can be up to 282 MPa.

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.

Smoothing an isolated interface of cobalt-copper under irradiation by low-energy argon ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stognij, A.I.; Novitskij, N.N.; Stukalov, O.M.

2003-01-01

Multilayer film structures, i.e. gold layer-copper-cobalt, are considered. It is shown that the structure, where cobalt surface prior to copper layer deposition was subjected to additional irradiation by a flow of argon ions, features the smoothest surface. The conclusion is made about smoothing out of cobalt-copper interface as a result of multiple collisions of argon slow ions and cobalt atoms during braking within two or three upper atomic rows of the cobalt layer [ru

Copper nanoparticles synthesis by gamma irradiation in chitosan aqueous system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahrul Izwan Ahmad; Md Soot Ahmad; Shahidan Radiman

2009-01-01

A study on effect of chitosan concentration on the copper nanoparticles synthesis using gamma irradiation as source of reducing agent has been done at total absorbed dose of 50 kGy. The addition of ethanol is vital as scavenger of oxidation radical that eliminate the function of reducing agent produced by radiolysis process of gamma ray in water system. Transmission electron microscopy observations show the formation of copper nanoparticles embedded in chitosan matrix. As the concentration of chitosan increase the solution become darker and nanoparticles produced are densely, in order form with polydisperse size. While at the low concentration of chitosan, the color of solution become more reddish and the particles produced are monodisperse in size with regular shape and more orderly. The phase of pure copper nanoparticles embedded in the chitosan matrix was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. (Author)

The morphology of radiation damage in copper irradiated with neutrons at elevated temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kemm, K.R.

1977-01-01

This thesis is an investigation of the radiation damage morphology of high purity copper crystals irradiated with fast neutrons at temperatures in the range of 250 to 400 degrees C. At these high temperatures neutron damage is found to accumulate into large 3-dimensional rafts up to 100 μm in size, and the well known homogeneous distribution of black dot damage which is characteristic of irradiations at low temperatures is not observed. The characteristics and composition of the rafts of damage at different temperatures in the range 250 to 400 degrees C have been compared and found to differ to a large extent. It has also been shown that the background areas between rafts contain a rather low density of damage at all temperatures studied. It is therefore concluded that many of the interstitial atoms formed during irradiation migrate over large distances through the crystal lattice to precipitate at the sites of the dislocations forming the large rafts, and so denuded inter-rafts areas are left behind. It is proposed that these large rafts originate from grown-in dislocations present in the crystal before irradiation

Microstructure and mechanical properties of neutron irradiated OFHC-copper before and after post-irradiation annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.N.; Edwards, D.J.; Toft, P.

2001-02-01

Tensile specimens of OFHC-copper were irradiated with fission neutrons in the DR-3 reactor at Risoe National Laboratory at 100 deg. C to different displacement dose levels in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 dpa (NRT). Some of the specimens were tensile tested in the as-irradiated condition at 100 deg. C whereas other were given a post-irradiation annealing at 300 deg. C for 50 h and subsequently tested at 100 deg. C. Transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of specimens in the as-irradiation as well as irradiation and annealed conditions both before and after tensile deformation. The results show that while the interstitial loop microstructure coarsens with irradiation dose, no significant changes are observed in the population of stacking fault tetrahedra. The results also illustrates that the post-irradiation annealing leads to only a partial recovery and that the level of recovery depends on the irradiation dose level. However, the post-irradiation annealing eliminates the problem of yield drop and reinstates enough uniform elongation to render the material useful again. These results are discussed in terms of the cascade induced source hardening (CISH) and the dispersed barrier hardening (DBH) models. Both technological and scientific implications of these results are considered. (au)

Structural evolution in nanocrystalline Cu obtained by high-energy mechanical milling: Phases formation of copper oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khitouni, Mohamed; Daly, Rakia; Mhadhbi, Mohsen; Kolsi, Abdelwaheb

2009-01-01

Nanocrystalline copper with mean crystallite size of 18 nm was synthesized by using high-energy mechanical milling. The structural and morphological changes during mechanical milling especially, the formation of CuO and Cu 2 O phases were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in transmittance mode (FTIR). Mechanical milling of Cu results in a continuous decrease in the Cu means crystallite size and an increase in microstrain. Moreover, milling of Cu, in air synthetic, results in partial oxidation to Cu 2 O and CuO. Prolonged milling supports the formation of CuO oxide. SEM results show that flattened Cu flakes were laid and welded on each other and tend to form a matrix of randomly welded thin layers of highly deformed particles.

Repair welding of fusion reactor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chin, B.A.

1993-01-01

Experiments have shown that irradiated Type 316 stainless steel is susceptible to heat-affected-zone (HAZ) cracking upon cooling when welded using the gas tungsten arc (GTA) process under lateral constraint. The cracking has been hypothesized to be caused by stress-assisted helium bubble growth and rupture at grain boundaries. This study utilized an experimental welding setup which enabled different compressive stresses to be applied to the plates during welding. Autogenous GTA welds were produced in Type 316 stainless steel doped with 256 appm helium. The application of a compressive stress, 55 MPa, during welding suppressed the previously observed catastrophic cracking. Detailed examinations conducted after welding showed a dramatic change in helium bubble morphology. Grain boundary bubble growth along directions parallel to the weld was suppressed. Results suggest that stress-modified welding techniques may be used to suppress or eliminate helium-induced cracking during joining of irradiated materials

The influence of radiation on the properties of welds and joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavassoli, A.A.

1987-01-01

The effect of radiation on mechanical properties of candidate structural materials for the first wall and breeder blanket of fusion reactors is reviewed. The accent is placed on austenitic stainless steel type 316L and its weld metals and design parameters considered are similar to those currently specified for the Next European Torus, namely, irradiation doses ≤ 15 dpa, temperatures ≤ 400 0 C, number of pulse cycles = 10 5 and hold times ≤ 15 mn. The effect of irradiation on other materials, including austenitic stainless steel type 304L, weld metal type 308L and ferritic/martensitic steels (9-12% Cr - Mo), as well as other service conditions such as temperatures as high as 550 0 C are also briefly discussed. The data collected and presented in this review are those usually measured, before and after irradiation, through tensile, impact toughness, fracture toughness, fatigue, creep-fatigue and fatigue crack propagation testing. In each case the influence of irradiation parameters on the observed changes are discussed and relative conclusions are drawn. The most important observation made is the lack of medium dose irradiation data on the weld metal and in particular on the electron beam welded joints

Thermo-mechanical FE-analysis of butt-welding of a Cu-Fe canister for spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josefson, B.L.; Karlsson, L.; Lindgren, L.E.; Jonsson, M.

1992-10-01

In the Swedish nuclear waste program it has been proposed that spent nuclear fuel shall be placed in composite copper-steel canisters. These canisters will be placed in holes in tunnels located some 500 m underground in a rock storage. The canisters consists of two cylinders of 4850 mm length, one inner cylinder made of steel and one outer cylinder made of copper. The outer diameter of the canister is 880 mm and the wall thickness for each cylinder is 50 mm. At the storage, the steel cylinder, which contains the spent nuclear fuel, is placed inside the copper cylinder. Thereafter, a copper end is butt welded to the copper cylinder using electron beam welding. To obtain penetration through the thickness with this weld method a backing ring is placed at the inside of the copper cylinder. In the present paper, the temperature, strain and stress fields present during welding and after cooling after welding are calculated numerically using the FE-code NIKE-2D. The aim is to use the results of the present calculations to estimate the risk for creep fracture during the subsequent design life. A large strain formulation is employed for the calculation of transient and residual stresses in the canister based on the calculated history of the temperature field present in the canister during the welding process. The contact algorithm available in NIKE-2D is used to detect possible contact between the steel and copper cylinders during the welding. To simplify the numerical calculations and reduce the computational time, rotational symmetry is assumed. For large gap distances between the steel and copper cylinders the residual stress field is calculated to have a shape similar to that observed in butt welded pipes with maximum axial stress values at the yield stress level. For small gap distances the backing ring will come in contact with the steel cylinder which leads to large residual stresses in the backing ring. The maximum accumulated plastic strain in the weld metal and

Joining silicon carbide to austenitic stainless steel through diffusion welding; Stellingen behorende bij het proefschrift

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krugers, Jan-Paul

1993-01-19

In this thesis, the results are presented of a study dealing with joining silicon carbide to austenitic stainless steel AIS316 by means of diffusion welding. Welding experiments were carried out without and with the use of a metallic intermediate, like copper, nickel and copper-nickel alloys at various conditions of process temperature, process time, mechanical pressure and interlayer thickness. Most experiments were carried out in high vacuum. For reasons of comparison, however, some experiments were also carried out in a gas shielded environment of 95 vol.% Ar and 5 vol.% H₂.

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding for Fabrication of SFR Fuel Rodlet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jung Won; Woo, Yoon Myeng; Kim, Bong Goo; Park, Jeong Yong; Kim, Sung Ho [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

To evaluate the PGSFR fuel performance, the irradiation test in HANARO research reactor was planned and the fuel rodlet to be used for irradiation test should be fabricated under the appropriate Quality Assurance (QA) program. For the fabrication of PGSFR metallic fuel rodlets, the end plug welding is a crucial process. The sealing of end plug to cladding tube should be hermetically perfect to prevent a leakage of fission gases and to maintain a good reactor performance. In this study, the end plug welding of fuel rodlet for irradiation test in HANARO was carried out based on the qualified welding technique as reported in the previous paper. The end plug welding of fuel rodlets for irradiation test in HANARO was successfully carried out under the appropriate QA program. The results of the quality inspections on the end plug weld satisfied well the quality criteria on the weld. Consequently the fabricated fuel rodlets are ready for irradiation test in HANARO.

Effect Of Irradiation Temperature and Dose On Mechanical Properties And Fracture Characteristics Of Cu//SS Joints For ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabritsiev, S.A.; Pokrovsky, A.S.; Peacock, A.; Roedig, M.; Linke, J.; Gervash, A.; Barabash, V.

2007-01-01

Full text of publication follows: By now, a number of technologies have been proposed for the production of Cu//SS joints for ITER, such as brazing, friction welding, HIP and cast-copper-to-steel (CC). The two last-mentioned technologies ensure sufficiently high mechanical properties and a high joint quality, when unirradiated. The data, however, on mechanical characteristics of irradiated of Cu//SS HIP joints are limited. In this paper, the authors present the results of investigations into the mechanical characteristics after irradiation of GlidCopAl25/316L(N) and Cu-Cr-Zr/316L(N)-type joints produced by the HIP and CC technologies. Specimens of the joints were irradiated in the RBT-6 reactor in the dose range of 10 -3 - 10 -1 dpa at T irr = 200 deg. C and 300 deg. C. The tensile stress-strain curves for irradiated and unirradiated joint specimens show deformation processes occurring in both the Cu and SS parts of the specimens. Irradiation at T irr = 200 deg. C causes strengthening of the joints specimens (by about 100 MPa at the maximum dose). The uniform elongation drops from 8% in the initial state to 2-3 %. But the total elongation remains at a relatively high level of ∼ 7%. Irradiation at T irr = 300 deg. C causes a slight strengthening of the joints specimens (∼30 MPa). The uniform elongation remains unchanged at ∼ 7%. The total elongation also maintains a relatively high level of ∼9-13%. SEM investigations revealed that fracture occurs only in the copper part of the irradiated specimens, and ductile trans-crystalline fracture predominates in the joints. 3D finite element analysis of the tensile test indicates that the concentration of stresses and deformations in the copper layer adjacent to the joint line is responsible for this typical failure of the irradiated joints specimens. Comparison of the behavior of the joints irradiated at T irr = 200 deg. C and 300 deg. C indicate an increased embrittlement at lower irradiation temperatures. At a

Influences of surfactants on the preparation of copper nanoparticles by electron beam irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Ruimin [Shanghai Applied Radiation Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800 (China)], E-mail: zhourm47@staff.shu.edu.cn; Wu Xinfeng; Hao Xufeng; Zhou Fei [Shanghai Applied Radiation Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800 (China); Li Hongbin [Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800 (China); Rao Weihong [Shenzhen Tianding Fine Chemical Engineering Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057 (China)

2008-02-15

Electron beam radiation was applied to prepare nano-size copper in water system using polyvinyl alcohol, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, gluten and polyethylene glycol as the surfactants, respectively. The irradiated products were characterized by XRD, TEM and LSPSDA. The XRD and TEM showed that relative pure copper products with an average size of 20 nm, 40 nm and 20 nm can be obtained by using gluten, PEG and SDBS as surfactant, respectively. An admixture of copper and cuprous oxide was obtained in PVA system. The LSPSDA showed that the size of the Cu nanoparticles decreased with increasing the glutin concentration.

TIG-dressing of High Strength Steel Butt Welded Connections. Part 1 : Weld Toe Geometry and Local Hardness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Es, S.H.J.; Kolstein, M.H.; Pijpers, R.J.M.; Bijlaard, F.S.K.

2014-01-01

This paper presents the results of extensive measurements on weld toe geometry of as-welded and TIG-dressed butt welded connections in high strength steels S460, S690 and very high strength steels S890 and S1100. Descriptions of the measurement techniques and data analysis are presented. Four weld

TIG-dressing of high strength steel butt welded connections - Part 1: weld toe geometry and local hardness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Es, S.H.J. van; Kolstein, M.H.; Pijpers, R.J.M.; Bijlaard, F.S.K.

2013-01-01

This paper presents the results of extensive measurements on weld toe geometry of as-welded and TIG-dressed butt welded connections in high strength steels S460, S690 and very high strength steels S890 and S1100. Descriptions of the measurement techniques and data analysis are presented. Four weld

High-resolution electron microscopy studies of the precipitation of copper under neutron irradiation in an Fe-1.3WT% Cu alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicol, A. C.

1998-01-01

We have studied by electron microscopy the copper-rich precipitates in an Fe-1.3wt%Cu model alloy irradiated with neutrons to doses of 8.61 x 10 -3 dpa and 6.3 x 10 -2 dpa at a temperature of ∼270 C. In the lower dose material a majority (ca. 60%)of the precipitates visible in high-resolution electron microscopy were timed 9R precipitates of size ∼2-4 nm, while ca. 40% were untwinned. In the higher dose material, a majority (ca. 75%) of visible precipitates were untwinned although many still seemed to have a 9R structure. The average angle α between the herring-bone fringes in the twin variants was measured as 125 degree, not the 129 degree characteristic of precipitates in thermally-aged and electron-irradiated material immediately after the bcc->9R martensitic transformation. We argue that these results imply that the bcc->9R transformation of small (<4 nm) precipitates under neutron irradiation takes place at the irradiation temperature of 270 C rather than after subsequent cooling. Preliminary measurements showed that precipitate sizes did not depend strongly on dose, with a mean diameter of 3.4 ± 0.7 nm for the lower dose material, and 3.0 ± 0.5 nm for the higher dose material. This result agrees with the previous assumption that the lack of coarsening in precipitates formed under neutron irradiation is a consequence of the partial dissolution of larger precipitates by high-energy cascades

Advances in solar cell welding technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chidester, L.G.; Lott, D.R.

1982-09-01

In addition to developing the rigid substrate welded conventional cell panels for an earlier U.S. flight program, LMSC recently demonstrated a welded lightweight array system using both 2 x 4 and 5.9 x 5.9 cm wraparound solar cells. This weld system uses infrared sensing of weld joint temperature at the cell contact metalization interface to precisely control weld energy on each joint. Modules fabricated using this weld control system survived lowearth-orbit simulated 5-year tests (over 30,000 cycles) without joint failure. The data from these specifically configured modules, printed circuit substrate with copper interconnect and dielectric wraparound solar cells, can be used as a basis for developing weld schedules for additional cell array panel types.

Modeling plastic deformation of post-irradiated copper micro-pillars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crosby, Tamer, E-mail: tcrosby@ucla.edu; Po, Giacomo, E-mail: gpo@ucla.edu; Ghoniem, Nasr M., E-mail: ghoniem@ucla.edu

2014-12-15

We present here an application of a fundamentally new theoretical framework for description of the simultaneous evolution of radiation damage and plasticity that can describe both in situ and ex situ deformation of structural materials [1]. The theory is based on the variational principle of maximum entropy production rate; with constraints on dislocation climb motion that are imposed by point defect fluxes as a result of irradiation. The developed theory is implemented in a new computational code that facilitates the simulation of irradiated and unirradiated materials alike in a consistent fashion [2]. Discrete Dislocation Dynamics (DDD) computer simulations are presented here for irradiated fcc metals that address the phenomenon of dislocation channel formation in post-irradiated copper. The focus of the simulations is on the role of micro-pillar boundaries and the statistics of dislocation pinning by stacking-fault tetrahedra (SFTs) on the onset of dislocation channel and incipient surface crack formation. The simulations show that the spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of SFTs naturally leads to localized plastic deformation and incipient surface fracture of micro-pillars.

Stability of thermally induced copper precipitates under neutron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phythian, W.J.; Dumbill, S.; Brown, P.; Sinclair, R.

1993-01-01

Model Fe 1.3%Cu and Fe 1.3%Cu 1.1%Ni alloys have been thermally aged at 550 C for 2 hours (peak) and 10 hours prior to irradiation at 288 C to a dose of 5.10 22 n/m 2 . Results of a microstructural investigation using dedicated field emission gun scanning transmission electron microscopy (FEGSTEM) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to assess precipitate stability in the binary alloy, are presented. These data are then used to predict a hardness change as a result of copper precipitation for comparison with the measured values obtained using standard 5 kg Vickers hardness tests on the SANS samples. Implications of these data to the re-embrittlement of the RPV by subsequent copper precipitation is discussed. (authors). 16 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs

Stability of thermally induced copper precipitates under neutron irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phythian, W J; Dumbill, S; Brown, P; Sinclair, R [AEA Technology, Harwell (United Kingdom)

1994-12-31

Model Fe 1.3%Cu and Fe 1.3%Cu 1.1%Ni alloys have been thermally aged at 550 C for 2 hours (peak) and 10 hours prior to irradiation at 288 C to a dose of 5.10{sup 22} n/m{sup 2}. Results of a microstructural investigation using dedicated field emission gun scanning transmission electron microscopy (FEGSTEM) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to assess precipitate stability in the binary alloy, are presented. These data are then used to predict a hardness change as a result of copper precipitation for comparison with the measured values obtained using standard 5 kg Vickers hardness tests on the SANS samples. Implications of these data to the re-embrittlement of the RPV by subsequent copper precipitation is discussed. (authors). 16 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.

Study of international published experiences in joining copper and copper-alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlgren, Aa.

1997-04-01

This study has revealed a number of joining processes to be used when manufacturing copper-canisters for the final storage of high level nuclear waste. However, the decision on which material and which joining process to be used has to be based on the design criterions. The welding procedure has to be qualified, i.e. it shall be demonstrated whether the procedure is capable of fulfilling specified requirements. 32 refs

Development of a Fiber Laser Welding Equipment for the LVDT Manufacturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S. S.; Lee, C. Y.; Park, S. J.; Shin, Y. T.; Cho, M. S.; Choo, K. N.; Kim, B. G.; Kang, Y. H.

2010-12-01

The instrumented fuel irradiation test at a research reactor is needed to evaluate the performance of the developed nuclear fuel. A LVDT(Linear Variable Differential Transformer) can be designed to measure the pressure level and elongation during the irradiation test by using various metals and MI cables. LVDT's parts were composed of MI cables and Inconel 600 materials. Laser welding technology is widely used to fabricate some products of nuclear fuel in the nuclear industry. Especially, micro-welding using Fiber laser is one of the key technologies to be developed to fabricate precise products of fuel irradiation test. We also have to secure micro-welding technology to perform various instrumentations for fuel irradiation test. Micro-welding technology was adopted to seal between seal tubes and MI cables with thickness of 0.15 mm. The soundness of welding area has to be confirmed to prevent fission gas of the fuel from leaking out of the fuel rods during the fuel irradiation test. In this report, fundamental data for welding technology using Fiber laser was proposed to seal Inconel 600 sheaths of LVDT instrumented capsules for the irradiation test. Moreover, It is expected that the use of fuel irradiation tests will be revitalized by the self-development of LVDT's parts using the Fiber laser welding technology

Brazing copper to dispersion-strengthened copper

Science.gov (United States)

Ryding, David G.; Allen, Douglas; Lee, Richard H.

1996-11-01

The advanced photon source is a state-of-the-art synchrotron light source that will produce intense x-ray beams, which will allow the study of smaller samples and faster reactions and processes at a greater level of detail than has ben possible to date. The beam is produced by using third- generation insertion devices in a 7-GeV electron/positron storage ring that is 1,104 meters in circumference. The heat load from these intense high-power devices is very high, and certain components must sustain total heat loads of 3 to 15 kW and heat fluxes of 30 W/mm$_2). Because the beams will cycle on and off many times, thermal shock and fatigue will be a problem. High heat flux impinging on a small area causes a large thermal gradient that results in high stress. GlidCop, a dispersion-strengthened copper, is the desired design material because of its high thermal conductivity and superior mechanical properties as compared to copper and its alloys. GlidCop is not amenable to joining by fusion welding, and brazing requires diligence because of high diffusivity. Brazing procedures were developed using optical and scanning electron microscopy.

Real weld geometry determining mechanical properties of high power laser welded medium plates

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Sang; Mi, Gaoyang; Yan, Fei; Wang, Chunming; Li, Peigen

2018-06-01

Weld width is commonly used as one of main factors to assess joint performances in laser welding. However, it changes significantly through the thickness direction in conditions of medium or thick plates. In this study, high-power autogenous laser welding was conducted on 7 mm thickness 201 stainless steel to elucidate the factor of whole weld transverse shape critically affecting the mechanical properties with the aim of predicting the performance visually through the weld appearance. The results show that single variation of welding parameters could result in great changes of weld pool figures and subsequently weld transverse shapes. All the obtained welds are composed of austenite containing small amount of cellular dendritic δ-Ferrite. The 0.2% proof stresses of Nail- and Peanut-shaped joint reach 458 MPa and 454 MPa, 88.2% and 87.5% of the base material respectively, while that of Wedge-shaped joint only comes to 371 MPa, 71.5% of the base material. The deterioration effect is believed to be caused by the axial grain zone in the weld center. The fatigue strength of joint P is a bit lower than N, but much better than W. Significant deformation incompatibility through the whole thickness and microstructure resistance to crack initiation should be responsible for the poor performance of W-shaped joints.

Comparison of Post Weld Treatment of High Strength Steel Welded Joints in Medium Cycle Fatigue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mikkel Melters; Mouritsen, Ole Ø.; Hansen, Michael Rygaard

2010-01-01

This paper presents a comparison of three post-weld treatments for fatigue life improvement of welded joints. The objective is to determine the most suitable post-weld treatment for implementation in mass production of certain crane components manufactured from very high-strength steel...... the stress range can exceed the yield-strength of ordinary structural steel, especially when considering positive stress ratios (R > 0). Fatigue experiments and qualitative evaluation of the different post-weld treatments leads to the selection of TIG dressing. The process of implementing TIG dressing...... in mass production and some inherent initial problems are discussed. The treatment of a few critical welds leads to a significant increase in fatigue performance of the entire structure and the possibility for better utilization of very high-strength steel....

Development of welding technique by remote control at the JMTR Hot Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Michio; Iwamatu, Sigemi; Takada, Humiki

2000-03-01

Several kinds of welding techniques have been systematically developed using the remote controlled procedures in the JMTR Hot Laboratory. These are as follows, (1) re-instrumentation's of FP gas pressure gauge and thermocouple to an irradiated fuel rod for the centerline temperature measurement, (2) welding of the un-irradiated/irradiated specimen and machining process to produce tensile test specimens, (3) fabrication of Co-60 radiation source from materials for reactivity adjustment in JMTR core, (4) re-capsuling of irradiated materials in the different types of irradiation facilities. These research and development of circumferential and sealed welding for capsuling and welding of irradiated specimen for re-irradiation were implemented under the remote-controlled conditions in the Hot Cell. These techniques will be very indispensable for supporting the irradiation experiments to be conducted in the JMTR. (author)

Influence of ion irradiation induced defects on mechanical properties of copper nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Weina; Sun, Lixin; Xue, Jianming; Wang, Jianxiang; Duan, Huiling

2013-01-01

The mechanical properties of copper nanowires irradiated with energetic ions have been investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. The Cu ions with energies ranging from 0.2 to 8.0 keV are used in our simulation, and both the elastic properties and yields under tension and compression are analyzed. The results show that two kinds of defects, namely point defects and stacking faults, appear in the irradiated nanowires depending on the incident ion energy. The Young modulus is significantly reduced by the ion irradiation, and the reduction magnitude depends on the vacancy number, which is determined by the ion energy. Moreover, the irradiated nanowires yield at a smaller strain, compared with the unirradiated nanowire. The mechanism for these changes are also discussed

Application of gas shielded arc welding and submerged arc welding for fabrication of nuclear reactor vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehani, M.L.; Rodrigues, W.D.

1976-01-01

The remarkable progress made in the development of knowhow and expertise in the manufacture of equipment for nuclear power plants in India is outlined. Some of the specific advances made in the application of higher efficiency weld processes for fabrication of nuclear reactor vessels and the higher level of quality attained are discussed in detail. Modifications and developments in submerged arc, gas tungsten arc and gas metal arc processes for welding of Calandria which have been a highly challenging and rewarding experience are discussed. Future scope for making the gas metal arc process more economical by using various gas-mixes like Agron + Oxygen, Argon + Carbon Dioxide, Argon + Nitrogen (for Copper Alloys) etc., in various proportions are outlined. Quality and dimensional control exercised in these jobs of high precision are highlighted. (K.B.)

Three-Sheet Spot Welding of Advanced High-Strength Steels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Friis, Kasper Storgaard; Zhang, W.

2011-01-01

The automotive industry has introduced the three-layer weld configuration, which represents new challenges compared to normal two-sheet lap welds. The process is further complicated by introducing high-strength steels in the joint. The present article investigates the weldability of thin, low....... The weld mechanisms are analyzed numerically and compared with metallographic analyses showing how the primary bonding mechanism between the thin, low-carbon steel sheet and the thicker sheet of high-strength steel is solid-state bonding, whereas the two high-strength steels are joined by melting, forming...... a weld nugget at their mutual interface. Despite the absence of the typical fusion nugget through the interface between the low-carbon steel and high-strength steel, the weld strengths obtained are acceptable. The failure mechanism in destructive testing is ductile fracture with plug failure....

Filler metal selection for welding a high nitrogen stainless steel

Science.gov (United States)

Du Toit, Madeleine

2002-06-01

Cromanite is a high-strength austenitic stainless steel that contains approximately 19% chromium, 10% manganese, and 0.5% nitrogen. It can be welded successfully, but due to the high nitrogen content of the base metal, precautions have to be taken to ensure sound welds with the desired combination of properties. Although no matching filler metals are currently available, Cromanite can be welded using a range of commercially available stainless steel welding consumables. E307 stainless steel, the filler metal currently recommended for joining Cromanite, produces welds with mechanical properties that are generally inferior to those of the base metal. In wear applications, these lower strength welds would probably be acceptable, but in applications where full use is made of the high strength of Cromanite, welds with matching strength levels would be required. In this investigation, two welding consumables, ER2209 (a duplex austenitic-ferritic stainless steel) and 15CrMn (an austenitic-manganese hardfacing wire), were evaluated as substitutes for E307. When used to join Cromanite, 15CrMn produced welds displaying severe nitrogen-induced porosity, and this consumable is therefore not recommended. ER2209, however, outperformed E307, producing sound porosity-free welds with excellent mechanical properties, including high ductility and strength levels exceeding the minimum limits specified for Cromanite.

Characterization of laser ablation of copper in the irradiance regime of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Picard, J., E-mail: jessica.picard@cea.fr [Commissariat à l' Energie Atomique, DAM, Valduc, F-21120 Is-sur-Tille (France); Sirven, J.-B.; Lacour, J.-L. [Commissariat à l' Energie Atomique, DEN/DANS/DPC/SEARS/LANIE, Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Musset, O. [Université de Bourgogne, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR CNRS 5209, F-21000 Dijon (France); Cardona, D.; Hubinois, J.-C. [Commissariat à l' Energie Atomique, DAM, Valduc, F-21120 Is-sur-Tille (France); Mauchien, P. [Commissariat à l' Energie Atomique, DEN/DANS/DPC/SEARS/LANIE, Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2014-11-01

The LIBS signal depends both on the ablated mass and on the plasma excitation temperature. These fundamental parameters depend in a complex manner on laser ablation and on laser–plasma coupling. As several works in the literature suggest that laser ablation processes play a predominant role compared to plasma heating phenomena in the LIBS signal variations, this paper focuses on the study of laser ablation. The objective was to determine an interaction regime enabling to maximally control the laser ablation. Nanosecond laser ablation of copper at 266 nm was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and optical profilometry analysis, in air at 1 bar and in the vacuum. The laser beam spatial profile at the sample surface was characterized in order to give realistic values of the irradiance. The effect of the number of accumulated laser shots on the crater volume was studied. Then, the ablation crater morphology, volume, depth and diameter were measured as a function of irradiance between 0.35 and 96 GW/cm². Results show that in the vacuum, a regular trend is observed over the whole irradiance range. In air at 1 bar, below a certain irradiance, laser ablation is very similar to the vacuum case, and the ablation efficiency of copper was estimated at 0.15 ± 0.03 atom/photon. Beyond this irradiance, the laser beam propagation is strongly disrupted by the expansion of the dense plasma, and plasma shielding appears. The fraction of laser energy used for laser ablation and for plasma heating is estimated in the different irradiance regimes. - Highlights: • The morphology of copper's craters was studied as a function of the pulse energy. • Correlation at low energy and two pressures between crater volume and pulse energy • The ablation efficiency of copper at 1 bar is equal to 0.15 atom/photon. • Ablation efficiency in the vacuum is not limited by laser–plasma interaction. • Physical mechanisms of laser ablation at both pressures are discussed.

TRANSIENT FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATION AND MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION OF AA2219 WELD JOINT USING GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sivaraman Arunkumar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this study we focus on finite element simulation of gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW of AA2219 aluminum alloy and the behavioral of the microstructure before and after weld. The simulations were performed using commercial COMSOL Multiphysics software. The thermal history of the weld region was studied by initially developed mathematical model. A sweep type meshing was used and transient analysis was performed for one welding cycle. The highest temperature noted was 3568 °C during welding. The welding operation was performed on 200×100×25 mm plates. Through metallurgical characterization, it was observed that a fair copper rich cellular (CRC network existed in the weld region. A small amount of intermetallic compounds like Al2Cu is observed through the XRD pattern.

INERT GAS SHIELD FOR WELDING

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, S.O.; Daly, F.V.

1958-10-14

S>An inert gas shield is presented for arc-welding materials such as zirconium that tend to oxidize rapidly in air. The device comprises a rectangular metal box into which the welding electrode is introduced through a rubber diaphragm to provide flexibility. The front of the box is provided with a wlndow having a small hole through which flller metal is introduced. The box is supplied with an inert gas to exclude the atmosphere, and with cooling water to promote the solidification of the weld while in tbe inert atmosphere. A separate water-cooled copper backing bar is provided underneath the joint to be welded to contain the melt-through at the root of the joint, shielding the root of the joint with its own supply of inert gas and cooling the deposited weld metal. This device facilitates the welding of large workpieces of zirconium frequently encountered in reactor construction.

The numerical high cycle fatigue damage model of fillet weld joint under weld-induced residual stresses

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen Van Do, Vuong

2018-04-01

In this study, a development of nonlinear continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model for multiaxial high cycle fatigue is proposed in which the cyclic plasticity constitutive model has been incorporated in the finite element (FE) framework. T-joint FE simulation of fillet welding is implemented to characterize sequentially coupled three-dimensional (3-D) of thermo-mechanical FE formulation and simulate the welding residual stresses. The high cycle fatigue damage model is then taken account into the fillet weld joints under the various cyclic fatigue load types to calculate the fatigue life considering the residual stresses. The fatigue crack initiation and the propagation in the present model estimated for the total fatigue is compared with the experimental results. The FE results illustrated that the proposed high cycle fatigue damage model in this study could become a powerful tool to effectively predict the fatigue life of the welds. Parametric studies in this work are also demonstrated that the welding residual stresses cannot be ignored in the computation of the fatigue life of welded structures.

Study on Fatigue Characteristics of High-Strength Steel Welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Hong Suk; Yoo, Seung Won; Park, Jong Chan [Hyundai Motor Group, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-03-15

High-strength steel has replaced mild steel as the material of choice for truck decks or frames, owing to the growing demand for lightweight vehicles. Although studies on the weld fatigue characteristics of mild steel are available, studies on high-strength steels have been seldom conducted. In this study, firstly, we surveyed a chosen number of approaches and selected the Radaj method, which uses the notch factor approach, as the one suitable for evaluating the fatigue life of commercial vehicles. Secondly, we obtained the S-N curves of HARDOX and ATOS60 steel welds, and the F-N curves of the T-weld and overlapped-weld structures. Thirdly, we acquired a general S-N curve of welded structures made of high-strength steel from the F-N curve, using the notch factor approach. Fourthly, we extracted the weld fatigue characteristics of high-strength steel and incorporated the results in the database of a commercial fatigue program. Finally, we compared the results of the fatigue test and the CAE prediction of the example case, which demonstrated sufficiently good agreement.

Hybrid Welding of 45 mm High Strength Steel Sections

Science.gov (United States)

Bunaziv, Ivan; Frostevarg, Jan; Akselsen, Odd M.; Kaplan, Alexander F.

Thick section welding has significant importance for oil and gas industry in low temperature regions. Arc welding is usually employed providing suitable quality joints with acceptable toughness at low temperatures with very limited productivity compared to modern high power laser systems. Laser-arc hybrid welding (LAHW) can enhance the productivity by several times due to higher penetration depth from laser beam and combined advantages of both heat sources. LAHW was applied to join 45 mm high strength steel with double-sided technique and application of metal cored wire. The process was captured by high speed camera, allowing process observation in order to identify the relation of the process stability on weld imperfections and efficiency. Among the results, it was found that both arc power and presence of a gap increased penetration depth, and that higher welding speeds cause unstable processing and limits penetration depth. Over a wide range of heat inputs, the welds where found to consist of large amounts of fine-grained acicular ferrite in the upper 60-75% part of welds. At the root filler wire mixing was less and cooling faster, and thus found to have bainitic transformation. Toughness of deposited welds provided acceptable toughness at -50 °C with some scattering.

Irradiation effects on weld heat-affected zone and plate materials (series 11)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nanstad, R.K.; McCabe, D.E.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this task is to examine the effects of neutron irradiation on the fracture toughness (ductile and brittle) of the HAZ of welds and of A 302 grade B (A302B) plate materials typical of those used fabricating older RPVs. The initial plate material of emphasis will be A302B steel, not the A302B modified with nickel additions. This decision was made by the NRC following a survey of the materials of construction for RPBs in operating U.S. nuclear plants. Reference 1 was used for the preliminary survey, and the information from that report was revised by NRC staff based on information contained in the licensee responses to Generic Letter (GL) 92-01, open-quotes Reactor Vessel Structural Integrity, 10CFR50.54(f).close quotes The resulting survey showed a total of eight RPVs with A302B, ten with A302B (modified), and one with A302 grade A plate. Table 5.1 in the previous semiannual report provides a summary of that survey. For the HAZ portion of the program, the intent is to examine HAZ material in the A302B (i.e., with low nickel content) and in A302B (modified) or A533B-1 (i.e., with medium nickel content). During this reporting period, two specific plates were identified as being applicable to this task. One plate is A302B and the other is A302B (modified). The A302B plate (43 x 42 x 7 in.) will be prepared for welding, while the A302B (modified) plate already contains a commercially produced weld (heat 33A277, Linde 0091 flux). These plates were identified from a list of ten materials provided by Mr. E. Biemiller of Yankee Atomic Electric Company (YAEC). The materials have been requested from YAEC for use in this irradiation task, and arrangements are being made with YAEC for procurement of the plates mentioned above

Weld repair of helium degraded reactor vessel material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanne, W.R. Jr.; Lohmeier, D.A.; Louthan, M.R. Jr.; Rankin, D.T.; Franco-Ferreira, E.A.; Bruck, G.J.; Madeyski, A.; Shogan, R.P.; Lessmann, G.G.

1990-01-01

Welding methods for modification or repair of irradiated nuclear reactor vessels are being evaluated at the Savannah River Site. A low-penetration weld overlay technique has been developed to minimize the adverse effects of irradiation induced helium on the weldability of metals and alloys. This technique was successfully applied to Type 304 stainless steel test plates that contained 3 to 220 appm helium from tritium decay. Conventional welding practices caused significant cracking and degradation in the test plates. Optical microscopy of weld surfaces and cross sections showed that large surface toe cracks formed around conventional welds in the test plates but did not form around overlay welds. Scattered incipient underbead cracks (grain boundary separations) were associated with both conventional and overlay test welds. Tensile and bend tests were used to assess the effect of base metal helium content on the mechanical integrity of the low-penetration overlay welds. The axis of tensile specimens was perpendicular to the weld-base metal interface. Tensile specimens were machined after studs were resistance welded to overlay surfaces

Production methods and costs of oxygen free copper canisters for nuclear waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajainmaeki, H.; Nieminen, M.; Laakso, L.

1991-08-01

The fabrication technology and costs of various manufacturing alternatives to make large copper canisters for spent fuel repository are discussed. The capsule design is based on the TVO's new advanced cold process concept where a steel canister is surrounded by the oxygen free copper canister. This study shows that already at present there exist several possible manufacturing routes, which result in consistently high quality canisters. Hot rolling, bending and EB-welding the seam is the best way to assure the small grain size which is preferable for the best inspectability of the final EB-welded seam of the lid. The same route turns out also to be the most economical

Production methods and costs of oxygen free copper canisters for nuclear waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajainmaeki, H.; Nieminen, M.; Laakso, L.

1991-06-01

The fabrication technology and costs of various manufacturing alternatives to make large copper canisters for spent fuel repository are discussed. The capsule design is based on the TVO's new advanced cold process concept where a steel canister is surrounded by the oxygen free copper canister. This study shows that already at present there exist several possible manufacturing routes, which results in consistently high quality canisters. Hot rolling, bending and EB-welding the seam is the best way to assure the small grain size which is preferable for the best inspectability of the final EB-welded seam of the lid. The same route turns out also to be the most economical. (au)

ESD coating of copper with TiC and TiB2 based ceramic matrix composites

Science.gov (United States)

Talas, S.; Mertgenç, E.; Gökçe, B.

2016-08-01

In automotive industry, the spot welding is a general practice to join smaller sections of a car. This welding is specifically carried out in short time and in an elevated number with certain pressure applied on copper electrodes. In addition, copper electrodes are expected to endure against cyclic mechanical pressure and temperature that is released during the passage of the current. The deformation and oxidation behaviour of copper electrodes during service appear with increasing temperature of medium and they also need to be cleaned and cooled or replaced for the continuation of joining process. The coating of copper electrodes with ceramic matrix composites can provide alternative excellent high temperature strength and ensures both economic and efficient use of resources. This study shows that the ESD coating of copper electrodes with a continuous film of ceramic phase ensures an improved resistance to thermal effects during the service and the change in content of film may be critical for cyclic alloying.

EFFECTS OF ELECTRODE DEFORMATION OF RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING ON 304 AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL WELD GEOMETRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nachimani Charde

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The resistance spot welding process is accomplished by forcing huge amounts of current flow from the upper electrode tip through the base metals to the lower electrode tip, or vice versa or in both directions. A weld joint is established between the metal sheets through fusion, resulting in a strong bond between the sheets without occupying additional space. The growth of the weld nugget (bond between sheets is therefore determined from the welding current density; sufficient time for current delivery; reasonable electrode pressing force; and the area provided for current delivery (electrode tip. The welding current and weld time control the root penetration, while the electrode pressing force and electrode tips successfully accomplish the connection during the welding process. Although the welding current and weld time cause the heat generation at the areas concerned (electrode tip area, the electrode tips’ diameter and electrode pressing forces also directly influence the welding process. In this research truncated-electrode deformation and mushrooming effects are observed, which result in the welded areas being inconsistent due to the expulsion. The copper to chromium ratio is varied from the tip to the end of the electrode whilst the welding process is repeated. The welding heat affects the electrode and the electrode itself influences the shape of the weld geometry.

Welding with high power fiber lasers - A preliminary study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quintino, L.; Costa, A.; Miranda, R.; Yapp, D.; Kumar, V.; Kong, C.J.

2007-01-01

The new generation of high power fiber lasers presents several benefits for industrial purposes, namely high power with low beam divergence, flexible beam delivery, low maintenance costs, high efficiency and compact size. This paper presents a brief review of the development of high power lasers, and presents initial data on welding of API 5L: X100 pipeline steel with an 8 kW fiber laser. Weld bead geometry was evaluated and transition between conduction and deep penetration welding modes was investigated

Evaluation of the Pulmonary Toxicity of a Fume Generated from a Nickel-, Copper-Based Electrode to be Used as a Substitute in Stainless Steel Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Antonini, James M; Badding, Melissa A; Meighan, Terence G; Keane, Michael; Leonard, Stephen S; Roberts, Jenny R

2014-01-01

Epidemiology has indicated a possible increase in lung cancer among stainless steel welders. Chromium (Cr) is a primary component of stainless steel welding fume. There is an initiative to develop alternative welding consumables [nickel (Ni)- and copper (Cu)-based alloys] that do not contain Cr. No study has been performed to evaluate the toxicity of fumes generated from Ni- and Cu-based consumables. Dose–response and time-course effects on lung toxicity of a Ni- and Cu-based welding fume (Ni–Cu WF) were examined using an in vivo and in vitro bioassay, and compared with two other well-characterized welding fumes. Even though only trace amounts of Cr were present, a persistent increase in lung injury and inflammation was observed for the Ni–Cu WF compared to the other fumes. The difference in response appears to be due to a direct cytotoxic effect by the Ni–Cu WF sample on lung macrophages as opposed to an elevated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). PMID:25392698

Investigate The Effect Of Welding Parameters On Mechanical Properties During The Welding Of Al-6061 Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajendra Prasad

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Friction welding is a solid state welding technique which is being used in recent times to weld similar as well as dissimilar metals for getting defect free weld. Many combinations like low carbon to stainless steel austenitic to ferrite stainless steel aluminium to copper and titanium to aluminium or steel have been tried out by various solid state welding processes with quite good results. In the present work the 3 level full factorial design has been employed to investigate the effect of welding parameters on tensile strength toughness and heat generation during the welding of Al-6061 alloy. Mathematical relationships between friction welding parameters and mechanical properties like heat generation tensile strength and toughness have also been developed. An attempt has also been made to examine the fracture surfaces of test specimens using SEM. It has been found that welding speed is the most significant parameter thats affect the heat generation tensile strength and toughness. it has been found that tensile strength and toughness during welding increases with increased in welding speed while tensile strength and toughness initially increased as the welding time increases after that it decreased with increase in welding time. The difference in weight of alloying elements can be clearly seen by analyzing spectrum of elements.

High Power Laser Beam Welding of Thick-walled Ferromagnetic Steels with Electromagnetic Weld Pool Support

Science.gov (United States)

Fritzsche, André; Avilov, Vjaceslav; Gumenyuk, Andrey; Hilgenberg, Kai; Rethmeier, Michael

The development of modern high power laser systems allows single pass welding of thick-walled components with minimal distortion. Besides the high demands on the joint preparation, the hydrostatic pressure in the melt pool increases with higher plate thicknesses. Reaching or exceeding the Laplace pressure, drop-out or melt sagging are caused. A contactless electromagnetic weld support system was used for laser beam welding of thick ferromagnetic steel plates compensating these effects. An oscillating magnetic field induces eddy currents in the weld pool which generate Lorentz forces counteracting the gravity forces. Hysteresis effects of ferromagnetic steels are considered as well as the loss of magnetization in zones exceeding the Curie temperature. These phenomena reduce the effective Lorentz forces within the weld pool. The successful compensation of the hydrostatic pressure was demonstrated on up to 20 mm thick plates of duplex and mild steel by a variation of the electromagnetic power level and the oscillation frequency.

Copper nitrate redispersion to arrive at highly active silica-supported copper catalysts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Munnik, P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/328228524; Wolters, M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304829560; Gabrielsson, A.; Pollington, S.D.; Headdock, G.; Bitter, J.H.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/160581435; de Jongh, P.E.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/186125372; de Jong, K.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/06885580X

2011-01-01

In order to obtain copper catalysts with high dispersions at high copper loadings, the gas flow rate and gas composition was varied during calcination of silica gel impregnated with copper nitrate to a loading of 18 wt % of copper. Analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2O chemisorption, and

Characterization of electromagnetic pulse welding joints for advanced steels (ODS) welding applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buddu, Ramesh Kumar; Shaikh, Shamsuddin; Raole, P.M.; Sarkar, B.

2015-01-01

Advanced fusion reactors structural materials (like in case of TBM and, first wall components) have several operation challenges due to the demanding high temperature exposure conditions (∼800°C) and low neutron radiation effects. The present paper reports the preliminary case studies carried out on steel and copper EMP joints and their properties characterization towards establishing this technology for ODS alloys. The EMP joints in form of tubes are fabricated and tested (typical process parameters ∼ Voltage 25 kV, Current ∼600-800 kA, Max. energy ∼ 50 kJ, and 50 sec duty cycle as major process parameters). The weld joints are further characterized by X-ray radiography and found that there were no measureable defects/discontinuities across the weld interface. This indicates the good process of joining and acceptable. Characterization studies like microstructure, interface grain orientation features, deformation, hardness has been carried out. SEM studies also carried to check the interface status and some interesting features of discontinuities are observed which are not exclusively revealed by radiography tests. Hardness survey also revealed that there is no much variation in the both parent materials as well at weld zone indicating the no hardening affects like in arc/beam weld process. EMP joining has potential features for the joining requirements of ODS kind typical metallurgical requirements

Material Properties of Laser-Welded Thin Silicon Foils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. T. Hessmann

2013-01-01

Full Text Available An extended monocrystalline silicon base foil offers a great opportunity to combine low-cost production with high efficiency silicon solar cells on a large scale. By overcoming the area restriction of ingot-based monocrystalline silicon wafer production, costs could be decreased to thin film solar cell range. The extended monocrystalline silicon base foil consists of several individual thin silicon wafers which are welded together. A comparison of three different approaches to weld 50 μm thin silicon foils is investigated here: (1 laser spot welding with low constant feed speed, (2 laser line welding, and (3 keyhole welding. Cross-sections are prepared and analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD to reveal changes in the crystal structure at the welding side after laser irradiation. The treatment leads to the appearance of new grains and boundaries. The induced internal stress, using the three different laser welding processes, was investigated by micro-Raman analysis. We conclude that the keyhole welding process is the most favorable to produce thin silicon foils.

Effect of Mg and Cu on mechanical properties of high-strength welded joints of aluminum alloys obtained by laser welding

Science.gov (United States)

Annin, B. D.; Fomin, V. M.; Karpov, E. V.; Malikov, A. G.; Orishich, A. M.

2017-09-01

Results of experimental investigations of welded joints of high-strength aluminum-lithium alloys of the Al-Cu-Li and Al-Mg-Li systems are reported. The welded joints are obtained by means of laser welding and are subjected to various types of processing for obtaining high-strength welded joints. A microstructural analysis is performed. The phase composition and mechanical properties of the welded joints before and after heat treatment are studied. It is found that combined heat treatment of the welded joint (annealing, quenching, and artificial ageing) increases the joint strength, but appreciably decreases the alloy strength outside the region thermally affected by the welding process.

Systemic serum amyloid A as a biomarker for exposure to zinc and/or copper-containing metal fumes.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, R; Gube, M; Markert, A; Davatgarbenam, S; Kossack, V; Gerhards, B; Kraus, T; Brand, P

2018-01-01

Zinc- and copper-containing welding fumes increase systemic C-reactive protein (CRP). The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of the biomarkers serum amyloid A (SAA) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in this regard. Fifteen male subjects were exposed under controlled conditions to welding fumes containing either zinc, or copper, or copper and zinc for 6 h. Plasma samples were collected before, 6 and 24 h after start of exposure and biomarkers therein were measured by electrochemiluminescent assay. For each exposure, systemic concentrations of systemic SAA, but not VCAM-1, increased significantly at 24 h after exposure start compared with baseline ("copper only": P=0.0005, "zinc only": P=0.027, "copper and zinc": P=0.001). SAA showed a wider range of concentrations than did CRP and its levels increased up to 19-fold after welding fume exposure. The recognition of copper as a potential harmful component in welding fumes, also independent from zinc, deserves further consideration. SAA might represent a new sensitive biomarker for potential subclinical sterile inflammation after inhalation of copper- and/or zinc-containing welding fumes. As elevations of CRP and SAA protein have both been linked to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, these findings might particularly be important for long-term welders.

Experimental data base for assessment of irradiation induced ageing effects in pre-irradiated RPV materials of German PWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hein, H.; Gundermann, A.; Keim, E.; Schnabel, H. [AREVA NP GmbH (Germany); Ganswind, J. [VGB PowerTech e.V (Germany)

2011-07-01

The 5 year research program CARISMA which ended in 2008 has produced a data base to characterize the fracture toughness of pre-irradiated original RPV (Reactor Pressure Vessel) materials being representative for all four German PWR construction lines of former Siemens/KWU company. For this purpose tensile, Charpy-V impact, crack initiation and crack arrest tests have been performed for three base materials and four weld metals irradiated to neutron fluences beyond the designed EoL range. RPV steels with optimized chemical composition and with high copper as well as high nickel content were examined in this study. The RTNDT concept and the Master Curve approach were applied for the assessment of the generated data in order to compare both approaches. A further objective was to clarify in which extent crack arrest curves can be generated for irradiated materials and how crack arrest can be integrated into the Master Curve approach. By the ongoing follow-up project CARINA the experimental data base will be extended by additional representative materials irradiated under different conditions and with respect to the accumulated neutron fluences and specific impact parameters such as neutron flux and manufacturing effects. The irradiation data cover also the long term irradiation behavior of the RPV steels concerned. Moreover, most of the irradiated materials were and will be used for microstructural examinations to get a deeper insight in the irradiation embrittlement mechanisms and their causal relationship to the material property changes. By evaluation of the data base the applicability of the Master Curve approach for both crack initiation and arrest was confirmed to a large extent. Moreover, within both research programs progress was made in the development of crack arrest test techniques and in specific issues of RPV integrity assessment. (authors)

Progress in welding studies for Canadian nuclear fuel waste disposal containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maak, P.Y.Y.

1985-11-01

This report describes the progress in the development of closure-welding technology for Canadian nuclear fuel waste disposal containers. Titanium, copper and Inconel 625 are being investigated as candidate materials for fabrication of these containers. Gas-tungsten-arc welding, gas metal-arc-welding, resistance-heated diffusion bonding and electron beam welding have been evaluated as candidate closure welding processes. Characteristic weldment properties, relative merits of welding techniques, suitable weld joint configurations and fit-up tolerances, and welding parameter control ranges have been identified for various container designs. Furthermore, the automation requirements for candidate welding processes have been assessed. Progress in the development of a computer-controlled remote gas-shielded arc welding system is described

Torque Measurement of Welding of Endplug-Endplate using Multi-pin Remote Welding System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koo, Dae-Seo; Kim, Soo-Sung; Park, Geun-Il; Lee, Jung-Won; Song, Kee-Chan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2006-07-01

As fuel bundles in PHWR irradiates, inner pressure in claddings of fuel rods increases owing to outer pressure and fission products of nuclear fissions. Because of leak possibility of welding between cladding and end plug, this welding part connects with safety of nuclear fuel rods. Because of importance of this welding part, weldability of end plug-cladding of nuclear fuel rods is continually researched. Welding method for research and commercialization is classified as melting, solid type welding or resistance welding. End plug cladding welding of nuclear fuel rods in PHWR takes advantage of resistance upset butt welding using multicycle mode. This method makes weld flash and shapes re-entrant corner owing to welding heat due to resistivity, contact resistance of cladding-end plug, and inelasticity deformation due to pressure. Welding part between cladding and end plug receives stresses and makes small cracks. In this study, remote welding system for multi-pin assembly was designed, fabricated and welding specimens of end plug-endplate were made using electrical resistance method. The torques of welding between end plug and endplate were measured. These results on welding current, pressure of main electrode and pressure of branch electrode were analyzed. Weldability between end plug and endplate was confirmed through metallographic examinations. In the future, optimal welding examinations due to welding current, welding pressure and welding time will be performed to improve weldability of end plug-endplate.

A comparison of cytotoxicity and oxidative stress from welding fumes generated with a new nickel-, copper-based consumable versus mild and stainless steel-based welding in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Badding, Melissa A; Fix, Natalie R; Antonini, James M; Leonard, Stephen S

2014-01-01

Welding processes that generate fumes containing toxic metals, such as hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni), have been implicated in lung injury, inflammation, and lung tumor promotion in animal models. While federal regulations have reduced permissible worker exposure limits to Cr(VI), this is not always practical considering that welders may work in confined spaces and exhaust ventilation may be ineffective. Thus, there has been a recent initiative to minimize the potentially hazardous components in welding materials by developing new consumables containing much less Cr(VI) and Mn. A new nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu)-based material (Ni-Cu WF) is being suggested as a safer alternative to stainless steel consumables; however, its adverse cellular effects have not been studied. This study compared the cytotoxic effects of the newly developed Ni-Cu WF with two well-characterized welding fumes, collected from gas metal arc welding using mild steel (GMA-MS) or stainless steel (GMA-SS) electrodes. RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages were exposed to the three welding fumes at two doses (50 µg/ml and 250 µg/ml) for up to 24 hours. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, phagocytic function, and cytokine production were examined. The GMA-MS and GMA-SS samples were found to be more reactive in terms of ROS production compared to the Ni-Cu WF. However, the fumes from this new material were more cytotoxic, inducing cell death and mitochondrial dysfunction at a lower dose. Additionally, pre-treatment with Ni-Cu WF particles impaired the ability of cells to phagocytize E. coli, suggesting macrophage dysfunction. Thus, the toxic cellular responses to welding fumes are largely due to the metal composition. The results also suggest that reducing Cr(VI) and Mn in the generated fume by increasing the concentration of other metals (e.g., Ni, Cu) may not necessarily improve welder safety.

Laser welding to expand the allowable gap in bore welding for ITER blanket hydraulic connection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanigawa, Hisashi, E-mail: tanigawa.hisashi@jaea.go.jp; Maruyama, Takahito; Noguchi, Yuto; Takeda, Nobukazu; Kakudate, Satoshi

2015-10-15

For application to bore welding of hydraulic connection in the ITER blanket module, laser welding presents the following benefits: low weld heat input is preferred for re-welding of the irradiated material. Its contactless process can intrinsically avoid a failure mode of the tool sticking on the weld. The exact requirements for pipe alignment were assessed in comparison with the assembly tolerance. The groove geometry was modified to expand the allowable initial gap. The groove was machined to be partially thick to obviate the filler wire. First, plates with partially thick grooves were welded to elucidate the preferred groove geometry and welding conditions. With the modified groove, the plates were welded for the initial gap of 1.0 mm. Then the groove geometry and welding conditions were adjusted based on results of pipe welding tests. By application of the additional 0.5-mm-thick and 2.5-mm-wide metal in the groove, pipes with an initial gap of 0.7 mm were welded successfully.

Designing, Constructing and Installing a Local Exhaust Ventilation System to Minimize Welders\\' Exposure to Welding Fumes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sajad Zare

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: Welder’s exposure to welding fumes can cause occupational diseases. The current study sought to examine exposure to welding fumes among welders who work in the repair shop of Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex and design a local exhaust ventilation system to control exposure to welding fumes. Materials & Methods: This applied analytical study was conducted in the summer of 2016 among welders working in the repair shop of Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex. The study comprised three phases; in the first one, welders’ exposure to welding fumes was assessed at the beginning of the study. After that, a local exhaust ventilation system was designed and installed in the aforementioned repair shop. In the final stage, welders’ exposure to welding fumes was assessed again after installation of the ventilation system. The procedure recommended by NIOSH (method number 7300 was used for individual sampling of welders. Results: Based on the obtained findings, before installing the ventilation system, welding technicians were exposed to 0.3 mg/m3 of copper fumes and 0.04 mg/m3 of chromium fumes. Journeyman welders were also exposed to 2.16 mg/m3 of manganese fumes, while stellar welders were exposed to 6.9 mg/m3 of iron fumes. In the light of these measurements, a local exhaust ventilation system was designed and installed. Subsequently, measurement of exposure to welding fumes showed a significant reduction. That is, welding technicians were exposed to 0.17 mg/m3 and 0.015 mg/m3 of copper and chromium fumes respectively. Additionally, journeyman welders were exposed to 0.86 mg/m3 of manganese fumes, whereas stellar welders were exposed to 4.3 mg/m3 of iron fumes. Conclusions: A comparison of standard limits of exposure to welding fumes and the results obtained from measurements in sampling stations before and after the installation of the local exhaust ventilation system reveals that this controlling measure was very effective in the

Magnetoresistivity of copper irradiated at 4.4 K by spallation neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klabunde, C.E.; Coltman, R.R. Jr.

1984-01-01

An experiment assembly containing eight differently prepared copper stabilizer specimens was irradiated in the ANL/IPNS-I Radiation Effects Facility. Magnetoresistivity measurements were made on each sample at zero and nine transverse magnetic field strength values up to 6.5 Tesla at each step over three irradiation (4.4 K) and annealing (300 K) cycles. The total neutron fluence was 4.8 x 10 21 n/m 2 (E > 0.1 MeV). The results show a strong dependence upon sample purity and state of cold-work. The data from this experiment will be added to a growing body of data to be used in the design of composite superconductors for fusion magnets

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

Optimal welding technology of high strength steel S690QL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dusan Arsic

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper is presented the detailed procedure for defining the optimal technology for welding the structures made of the high strength steel S690QL. That steel belongs into a group of steels with exceptional mechanical properties. The most prominent properties are the high tensile strength and impact toughness, at room and at elevated temperatures, as well. However, this steel has a negative characteristic - proneness to appearance of cold cracks.  That impedes welding and makes as an imperative to study different aspects of this steel's properties as well as those of eventual filler metal. Selection and defining of the optimal welding technology of this high strength steel is done for the purpose of preserving the favorable mechanical properties once the welded joint is realized; properties of the welded metal and the melting zone, as well as in the heat affected zone, which is the most critical zone of the welded joint.

Initiation and propagation of cleared channels in neutron-irradiated pure copper and a precipitation hardened CuCrZr alloy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edwards, D.J.; Singh, B.N.; Bilde-Sørensen, Jørgen

2005-01-01

The formation of ‘cleared’ channels in neutron irradiated metals and alloys have been frequently reported for more than 40 years. So far, however, no unambiguous and conclusive evidence showing as to how and where these channels are initiated has emerged. In the following we present experimental...... results illustrating initiation and propagation of channels during post-irradiation deformation of neutron irradiated copper and a copper alloy. The observations strongly suggest that the channels are initiated at boundaries, large inclusions and even at previously formed cleared channels. Some...... of these newly generated dislocations in the matrix causes the formation of cleared channels. Implications of these results are discussed with specific reference to the origin and consequences of plastic flow localization....

Repair welding of cast iron coated electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Żuk, M.; Górka, J.; Dojka, R.; Czupryński, A.

2017-08-01

Welding cast iron is a complex production procedure. Repair welding was used to repair damaged or poorly made castings. This is due to a tendency to cracking of the material during welding as well as after it. Welding cast iron can be carried out on hot or on cold. Hot welding requires high heat material and the use of welding material in the form of cast iron. In the case of cold welding, it is possible to use different materials. Mostly used filler metals are nickel and copper based. The work shows the course of research concerning repairmen of ductile iron with arc welding method. For the reparation process four types of ESAB company coated electrodes dedicated for cast iron were used with diameter 3.2 and 4 mm: ES 18-8-6B (4mm), EB 150 (4mm), OK NiCl, EŻM. In the cast iron examined during the testing grooves were made using plasma methods, in order to simulate the removed casting flaws. Then the welding process with coated electrodes was executed. The process utilized low welding current row of 100A, so there would only be a small amount of heat delivered to the heat affected zone (HAZ). Short stitches were made, after welding it was hammered, in order to remove stresses. After the repair welding the part of studies commenced which purpose was finding surface defects using visual testing (VT) and penetration testing (PT). In the second part, a series of macro and microscopic studies were executed witch the purpose of disclosuring the structure. Then the hardness tests for welds cross sections were performed. An important aspect of welding cast iron is the colour of the padding weld after welding, more precisely the difference between the base material and padding weld, the use of different materials extra gives the extra ability to select the best variant. The research of four types of coated electrode was executed, based on the demands the best option in terms of aesthetic, strength and hardness.

A Convenient Synthesis of Conjugated Acetylenic Ketones by Copper(l)-Catalyzed under Microwave Irradiation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG; JinXian

2001-01-01

Alkynyl ketones are useful precursors and intermediates in synthetic organic chemistry1 and has evoked considerable interest. A number of methods for the synthesis of conjugated acetylenic ketones involve the reaction a metal acetylide with an acyl chlorides or another carboxylic acid derivative have been developed 2. Recently, the synthesis of α, β-conjugated acetylenic ketones catalyzed by Pd(Ⅱ) or by copper(Ⅰ)pd(Ⅱ) reaction of 1-alkynes and acyl chlorides have been described. The acylation of terminal alkynes by acyl chlorides in the presence of catalytic amounts copper(Ⅰ) salts leading to α, β-conjugated acetylenic ketones has also been reported. However, many of these reactions suffer from lack of high pressure (17 atm), long reaction time (30 h)and require low temperatures (-78℃). Our work involves the synthesis of conjugated acetylenic ketones via the reaction of terminal alkynes with aroyl chlorides in the presence of cuprous iodide under microwave irradiation conditions.……

A Convenient Synthesis of Conjugated Acetylenic Ketones by Copper(l)-Catalyzed under Microwave Irradiation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG JinXian; WEI BangGuo; ZHAO LianBiao; HU YuLai; KANG LiQing

2001-01-01

@@ Alkynyl ketones are useful precursors and intermediates in synthetic organic chemistry1 and has evoked considerable interest. A number of methods for the synthesis of conjugated acetylenic ketones involve the reaction a metal acetylide with an acyl chlorides or another carboxylic acid derivative have been developed 2. Recently, the synthesis of α, β-conjugated acetylenic ketones catalyzed by Pd(Ⅱ) or by copper(Ⅰ)pd(Ⅱ) reaction of 1-alkynes and acyl chlorides have been described. The acylation of terminal alkynes by acyl chlorides in the presence of catalytic amounts copper(Ⅰ) salts leading to α, β-conjugated acetylenic ketones has also been reported. However, many of these reactions suffer from lack of high pressure (17 atm), long reaction time (30 h)and require low temperatures (-78℃). Our work involves the synthesis of conjugated acetylenic ketones via the reaction of terminal alkynes with aroyl chlorides in the presence of cuprous iodide under microwave irradiation conditions.

Ultrasonic Real-Time Quality Monitoring Of Aluminum Spot Weld Process

Science.gov (United States)

Perez Regalado, Waldo Josue

The real-time ultrasonic spot weld monitoring system, introduced by our research group, has been designed for the unsupervised quality characterization of the spot welding process. It comprises the ultrasonic transducer (probe) built into one of the welding electrodes and an electronics hardware unit which gathers information from the transducer, performs real-time weld quality characterization and communicates with the robot programmable logic controller (PLC). The system has been fully developed for the inspection of spot welds manufactured in steel alloys, and has been mainly applied in the automotive industry. In recent years, a variety of materials have been introduced to the automotive industry. These include high strength steels, magnesium alloys, and aluminum alloys. Aluminum alloys have been of particular interest due to their high strength-to-weight ratio. Resistance spot welding requirements for aluminum vary greatly from those of steel. Additionally, the oxide film formed on the aluminum surface increases the heat generation between the copper electrodes and the aluminum plates leading to accelerated electrode deterioration. Preliminary studies showed that the real-time quality inspection system was not able to monitor spot welds manufactured with aluminum. The extensive experimental research, finite element modelling of the aluminum welding process and finite difference modeling of the acoustic wave propagation through the aluminum spot welds presented in this dissertation, revealed that the thermodynamics and hence the acoustic wave propagation through an aluminum and a steel spot weld differ significantly. For this reason, the hardware requirements and the algorithms developed to determine the welds quality from the ultrasonic data used on steel, no longer apply on aluminum spot welds. After updating the system and designing the required algorithms, parameters such as liquid nugget penetration and nugget diameter were available in the ultrasonic data

High-Powered, Ultrasonically Assisted Thermal Stir Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Robert

2013-01-01

distance equal to the thickness of the material being welded. The TSW process can be significantly improved by reducing the draw forces. This can be achieved by reducing the friction forces between the weld workpieces and the containment plates. High-power ultrasonic (HPU) vibrations of the containment plates achieve friction reduction in the TSW process. Furthermore, integration of the HPU energy into the TSW stir rod can increase tool life of the stir rod, and can reduce shear forces to which the stir rod is subjected during the welding process. TSW has been used to successfully join 0.500-in (˜13-mm) thick commercially pure (CP) titanium, titanium 6AL- 4V, and titanium 6AL-4V ELI in weld joint lengths up to 9 ft (˜2.75-m) long. In addition, the TSW process was used to fabricate a sub-scale hexagonally shaped gun turret component for the U.S. Navy. The turret is comprised of six 0.5000-in (˜13-mm) thick angled welds. Each angled weld joint was prepared by machining the mating surfaces to 120deg. The angled weld joint was then fixtured using an upper and lower containment plate of the same geometry of the angled weld joint. The weld joint was then stirred by the stir rod as it and the upper and lower containment plates traverse through the angled joint prep.

A three-dimensional thermal finite element analysis of AISI 304 stainless steel and copper dissimilar weldment

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Gurdeep; Saxena, Ravindra K.; Pandey, Sunil

2018-04-01

The aim of this study to developed a 3-D thermal finite element model for dissimilar material welding of AISI-304 stainless steel and copper. Welding of similar material is widely studied using experimental and numerical methods but the problem becomes trivial for the welding of dissimilar materials especially in ferrous and nonferrous materials. Finite element analysis of dissimilar material welding is a cost-effective method for the understanding and analysis of the process. The finite element analysis has been performed to predict the heat affected zone and temperature distribution in AISI-304 stainless steel and copper dissimilar weldment using MSC Marc 2017®. Due to the difference in physical properties of these materials the behavior of heat affected zone and temperature distribution are perceived to be different. To verify the accuracy of the thermal finite element model, the welding process was simulated with butt-welded joints having same dimensions and parameters from Attarha and Far [1]. It is found from the study that the heat affected zone is larger in copper weld pads than in AISI 304 stainless steel due to large difference in thermal conductivity of these two weld pads.

Microstructure-property relationship in microalloyed high-strength steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Lei

2017-01-01

High-strength steels are favoured materials in the industry for production of safe and sustainable structures. The main technology used for joining the components of such steel is fusion welding. Steel alloy design concepts combined with advanced processing technologies have been extensively investigated during the development of High-Strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) steels. However, very few studies have addressed the issue of how various alloy designs, even with limited microalloy addition, can influence the properties of high-strength steel welds. In high-strength steel welding practices, the challenges regarding microstructure evolution and the resulting mechanical properties variation, are of great interest. The main focus is the debate regarding the role of microalloy elements on phase transformation and weld performance. Limited Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) softening and limited austenite grain coarsening are significant design essentials, but the primary goal is to ensure excellent toughness and tensile properties in the steel weld. To achieve this purpose, microalloy elements such as Ti, Nb, or V were intentionally added to modern high-strength steels. The focus of this work was to understand the mechanical properties of HSLA steels resulting from differences in alloy design after joining by modern welding processes. To begin, three microalloyed S690QL steels (Nb, Ti, and Ti+V addition) were investigated. Optical microscopy confirmed that similar mixtures of tempered bainite and martensite predominated the parent microstructure in the three steels, different types of coarse microalloy precipitates were also visible. These precipitates were analysed by using a thermodynamic-based software and then identified by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Results of mechanical testing revealed that all three steels performed above the standard toughness and tensile strength values, but with varied yielding phenomena. During the welding operation, each of the three steels

Microstructure-property relationship in microalloyed high-strength steel welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Lei

2017-04-01

High-strength steels are favoured materials in the industry for production of safe and sustainable structures. The main technology used for joining the components of such steel is fusion welding. Steel alloy design concepts combined with advanced processing technologies have been extensively investigated during the development of High-Strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) steels. However, very few studies have addressed the issue of how various alloy designs, even with limited microalloy addition, can influence the properties of high-strength steel welds. In high-strength steel welding practices, the challenges regarding microstructure evolution and the resulting mechanical properties variation, are of great interest. The main focus is the debate regarding the role of microalloy elements on phase transformation and weld performance. Limited Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) softening and limited austenite grain coarsening are significant design essentials, but the primary goal is to ensure excellent toughness and tensile properties in the steel weld. To achieve this purpose, microalloy elements such as Ti, Nb, or V were intentionally added to modern high-strength steels. The focus of this work was to understand the mechanical properties of HSLA steels resulting from differences in alloy design after joining by modern welding processes. To begin, three microalloyed S690QL steels (Nb, Ti, and Ti+V addition) were investigated. Optical microscopy confirmed that similar mixtures of tempered bainite and martensite predominated the parent microstructure in the three steels, different types of coarse microalloy precipitates were also visible. These precipitates were analysed by using a thermodynamic-based software and then identified by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Results of mechanical testing revealed that all three steels performed above the standard toughness and tensile strength values, but with varied yielding phenomena. During the welding operation, each of the three steels

Today's status of application of high power electron beam welding to heavy electric machinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kita, Hisanao; Okuni, Tetsuo; Sejima, Itsuhiko.

1980-01-01

The progress in high energy welding is remarkable in recent years, and electron beam welding is now widely used in heavy industries. However, there are number of problems to be solved in the application of high power electron beam welding to ultra thick steel plates (over 100 mm). The following matters are described: the economy of high power electron beam welding; the development of the welding machines; the problems in the actual application; the instances of the welding in a high-pressure spherical gas tank, non-magnetic steel structures and high-precision welded structures; weldor training; etc. For the future rise in the capacities of heavy electric machinery, the high efficiency by high power electron beam welding will be useful. The current status is its applications to the high-precision welding of large structures with 6 m diameter and the high-quality welding of heavy structures with 160 mm thickness. (J.P.N.)

Applicability of copper alloys for DEMO high heat flux components

Science.gov (United States)

Zinkle, Steven J.

2016-02-01

The current state of knowledge of the mechanical and thermal properties of high-strength, high conductivity Cu alloys relevant for fusion energy high heat flux applications is reviewed, including effects of thermomechanical and joining processes and neutron irradiation on precipitation- or dispersion-strengthened CuCrZr, Cu-Al2O3, CuNiBe, CuNiSiCr and CuCrNb (GRCop-84). The prospects for designing improved versions of wrought copper alloys and for utilizing advanced fabrication processes such as additive manufacturing based on electron beam and laser consolidation methods are discussed. The importance of developing improved structural materials design criteria is also noted.

Innovative electron-beam welding of high-melting metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behr, W.; Reisgen, U.

2007-01-01

Since its establishment as nuclear research plant Juelich in the year 1956, the research centre Juelich (FZJ) is concerned with the material processing of special metals. Among those are, above all, the high-melting refractory metals niobium, molybdenum and tungsten. Electron beam welding has always been considered to be an innovative special welding method; in the FZJ, electron beam welding has, moreover, always been adapted to the increasing demands made by research partners and involved manufacturing and design sectors. From the manual equipment technology right up to highly modern multi-beam technique, the technically feasible for fundamental research has, this way, always been realised. (Abstract Copyright [2007], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [de

Laser Welding Test Results with Gas Atmospheres in Welding Chamber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joung, Chang-Young; Hong, Jin-Tae; Ahn, Sung-Ho; Heo, Sung-Ho; Jang, Seo-Yun; Yang, Tae-Ho [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The weld beads of specimens welded under identical conditions in the helium and argon gas were cleaner, more regular, and steadier than those in a vacuum. The penetration depth of the FZ in the vacuum was much deeper than those in the helium and argon gas. To measure the irradiation properties of nuclear fuel in a test reactor, a nuclear fuel test rod instrumented with various sensors must be fabricated with assembly processes. A laser welding system to assemble the nuclear fuel test rod was designed and fabricated to develop various welding technologies of the fuel test rods to joint between a cladding tube and end-caps. It is an air-cooling optical fiber type and its emission modes are a continuous (CW) mode of which the laser generates continuous emission, and pulse (QCW) mode in which the laser internally generates sequences of pulses. We considered the system welding a sample in a chamber that can weld a specimen in a vacuum and inert gas atmosphere, and the chamber was installed on the working plate of the laser welding system. In the chamber, the laser welding process should be conducted to have no defects on the sealing area between a cladding tube and an end-cap.

Effect of post-weld heat treatment and neutron irradiation on a dissimilar-metal joint between F82H steel and 316L stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Haiying, E-mail: haigirl1983@gmail.com [SOKENDAI - The Graduated University for Advanced Studies, Toki (Japan); Nagasaka, Takuya [SOKENDAI - The Graduated University for Advanced Studies, Toki (Japan); National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki (Japan); Kometani, Nobuyuki [Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan); Muroga, Takeo [SOKENDAI - The Graduated University for Advanced Studies, Toki (Japan); National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki (Japan); Guan, Wenhai; Nogami, Shuhei; Yabuuchi, Kiyohiro; Iwata, Takuya; Hasegawa, Akira [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Yamazaki, Masanori [International Research Center for Nuclear Materials Science, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University (Japan); Kano, Sho; Satoh, Yuhki; Abe, Hiroaki [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Tanigawa, Hiroyasu [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Rokkasho (Japan)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Significant hardening after neutron irradiation at 300 °C for 0.1 dpa was found in the fine-grain HAZ of F82H for the dissimilar-metal joint between F82H and 316L. • The possible hardening mechanism was explained from the viewpoint of carbon behavior. • However, the significant hardening did not degrade the impact property significantly. - Abstract: A dissimilar-metal joint between F82H steel and 316L stainless steel was fabricated by using electron beam welding (EBW). By microstructural analysis and hardness test, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of F82H was classified into interlayer area, fine-grain area, and coarse-carbide area. Post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) was applied to control the hardness of HAZ. After PWHT at 680 °C for 1 h, neutron irradiation at 300 °C with a dose of 0.1 dpa was carried out for the joint in Belgian Reactor II (BR-II). Compared to the base metals (BMs) and weld metal (WM), significant irradiation hardening up to 450HV was found in the fine-grain HAZ of F82H. However, the impact property of F82H-HAZ specimens, which was machined with the root of the V-notch at HAZ of F82H, was not deteriorated obviously in spite of the significant irradiation hardening.

Cryogen spray cooling during laser tissue welding.

Science.gov (United States)

Fried, N M; Walsh, J T

2000-03-01

Cryogen cooling during laser tissue welding was explored as a means of reducing lateral thermal damage near the tissue surface and shortening operative time. Two centimetre long full-thickness incisions were made on the epilated backs of guinea pigs, in vivo. India ink was applied to the incision edges then clamps were used to appose the edges. A 4 mm diameter beam of 16 W, continuous-wave, 1.06 microm, Nd:YAG laser radiation was scanned over the incisions, producing approximately 100 ms pulses. There was a delay of 2 s between scans. The total irradiation time was varied from 1-2 min. Cryogen was delivered to the weld site through a solenoid valve in spurt durations of 20, 60 and 100 ms. The time between spurts was either 2 or 4 s, corresponding to one spurt every one or two laser scans. Histology and tensile strength measurements were used to evaluate laser welds. Total irradiation times were reduced from 10 min without surface cooling to under 1 min with surface cooling. The thermal denaturation profile showed less denaturation in the papillary dermis than in the mid-dermis. Welds created using optimized irradiation and cooling parameters had significantly higher tensile strengths (1.7 +/- 0.4 kg cm(-2)) than measured in the control studies without cryogen cooling (1.0 +/- 0.2 kg cm(-2)) (p laser welding results in increased weld strengths while reducing thermal damage and operative times. Long-term studies will be necessary to determine weld strengths and the amount of scarring during wound healing.

Design basis for the copper/steel canister. Stage three. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowyer, W.H.

1997-02-01

The development of the copper/iron canister proposed for the containment of high-level waste in the Swedish disposal programme has been studied from the points of view of choice of materials, manufacturing technology and Q A. This report describes the observations on progress which has been made between March 1995 and February 1996 and the results of further literature studies. A first trial canister has been produced by SKB using a fabricated steel liner and an extruded copper tubular, a second one using a fabricated tubular is at an advanced stage. A change from a fabricated steel inner canister to a proposed cast canister has been justified by a criticality argument but the technology for producing a cast canister is at present untried. It is considered that such a change will require a significant development programme. The microstructure achieved in the extruded copper tubular for the first canister is unacceptable. An improved microstructure may be achieved by extruding at a lower temperature but this remains to be demonstrated. Similar problems exist with plate used for the fabricated tubular but some more favourable structures have been achieved already by this route. Seam welding of the first tubular failed through a suspected material problem. The second fabricated tubular welded without difficulty. However it was necessary to constrain it during welding and it subsequently distorted during machining. There was some evidence of hot tearing close to the weld. The distortion problem may be overcome by a stress relieving anneal but this could cause further grain size problems. 19 refs

Irradiation damage in aluminium single crystals produced by 50-keV aluminium and copper ions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, L.; Johansen, A.; Koch, J.

1968-01-01

Aluminium single crystals, thin enough to be examined by electron microscopy, have been irradiated with 50-keV aluminium and copper ions. The irradiation fluxes were in the range 1011–1014 cm−2 s−1 and the doses were from 6 × 1012 to 6 × 1014 cm−2. Irradiation along either a or a direction produces...... rows of dislocation loops all lying parallel to one particular direction. If the aluminium target is quenched from 600 °C and annealed at room temperature prior to irradiation with aluminium ions, the rows of loops are suppressed. The amount of damage observed is considerably less than would...

Influence of nickel and beryllium content on swelling behavior of copper irradiated with fast neutrons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, B.N.; Garner, F.A.; Edwards, D.J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Evans, J.H.

1996-10-01

In the 1970`s, the effects of nickel content on the evolution of dislocation microstructures and the formation and growth of voids in Cu-Ni alloys were studied using 1 MeV electrons in a high voltage electron microscope. The swelling rate was found to decrease rapidly with increasing nickel content. The decrease in the swelling rate was associated with a decreasing void growth rate with increasing nickel content at irradiation temperatures up to 450{degrees}C. At 500{degrees}C, both void size and swelling rate were found to peak at 1 and 2% Ni, respectively, and then to decrease rapidly with increasing nickel content. However, recent work has demonstrated that the swelling behavior of Cu-5%Ni irradiated with fission neutrons is very similar for that of pure copper. The present experiments were designed to investigate this apparent discrepancy.

Annealing effects in low upper-shelf welds (series 9)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskander, S.K.; Nanstad, R.K.

1995-01-01

The purpose of the Ninth Irradiation Series is to evaluate the correlation between fracture toughness and CVN impact energy during irradiation, annealing, and reirradiation (IAR). Results of annealing CVN specimens from the low-USE welds from the Midland beltline and nozzle course welds, as well as HSST plate 02 and HSSI weld 73W are given. Also presented is the effect of annealing on the initiation fracture toughness of annealed material from Midland beltline weld and HSST plate 02. The results from capsule 10-5 specimens of weld 73W confirm those previously obtained on the so-called undersize specimens that were irradiated in the Fifth Irradiation Series, namely that the recovery due to annealing at 343 degrees C (650 degrees F) for 1 week is insignificant. The fabrication of major components for the IAR facility for two positions on the east side of the FNR at the University of Michigan has begun. Fabrication of two reusable capsules (one for temperature verification and the other for dosimetry verification), as well as two capsules for IAR, studies is also under way. The design of a reusable capsule capable of reirradiating previously irradiated and annealed CVN and 1T C(T) specimens is also progressing. The data acquisition and control (DAC) instrumentation for the first two IAR facilities is essentially complete and awaiting completion of the IAR facilities and temperature test capsule for checkout and control algorithm development

Effects of neutron radiation and residual stresses on the corrosion of welds in light water reactor internals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaaf, Bob van der; Gavillet, Didier; Lapena, Jesus; Ohms, Carsten; Roth, Armin; Dyck, Steven van

2006-01-01

After many years of operation in Light Water Reactors (LWR) Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking (IASCC) of internals has been observed. In particular the heat-affected zone (HAZ) has been associated with IASCC attack. The welding process induces residual stresses and micro-structural modifications. Neutron irradiation affects the materials response to mechanical loading. IASCC susceptibility of base materials is widely studied, but the specific conditions of irradiated welds are rarely assessed. Core component relevant welds of Type 304 and 347 steels have been fabricated and were irradiated in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten to 0.3 and 1 dpa (displacement per atom). In-service welds were cut from the thermal shield of the decommissioned BR-3 reactor. Residual stresses, measured using neutron diffraction, ring core tests and X-ray showed residual stress levels up to 400 MPa. Micro-structural characterization showed higher dislocation densities in the weld and HAZ. Neutron radiation increased the dislocation density, resulting in hardening and reduced fracture toughness. The sensitization degree of the welds, measured with the electrochemical potentio-dynamic reactivation method, was negligible. The Slow Strain Rate Tensile (SSRT) tests, performed at 290 deg. C in water with 200 ppb dissolved oxygen, (DO), did not reveal inter-granular cracking. Inter-granular attack of in-service steel is observed in water with 8 ppm (DO), attributed not only to IASCC, but also to IGSCC from thermal sensitization during fabrication. Stress-relieve annealing has caused Cr-grain boundary precipitation, indicating the sensitization. The simulated internal welds, irradiated up to 1.0 dpa, did not show inter-granular cracking with 8 ppm DO. (authors)

Tensile properties of irradiated and fatigue exposed stainless steel DIN X 6 CrNi 1811 (similar to AISI type 304) plate and welded joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vries, M.I. de; Schaaf, B. van der; Elen, J.D.

1979-10-01

Test specimens of plate metal and welded joints of stainless steel DIN 1.4948, which is similar to AISI type 304, have been irradiated at 723 K and 823 K up to fluences of 1.10 23 n.m -2 and 5.10 24 n.m -2 (E > 0.1 MeV). These are representative conditions for the SNR-300 reactor vessel and inner components after 16 years of operation. High-rate (depsilon/dt = 1 s -1 ) tensile tests were performed after fatigue exposure up to various fractions of fatigue life (D) ranging from 5% to 95% at the same temperatures as the nominal temperatures of the irradiation series

Helium-induced weld degradation of HT-9 steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Chin-An; Chin, B.A.; Lin, Hua T.; Grossbeck, M.L.

1992-01-01

Helium-bearing Sandvik HT-9 ferritic steel was tested for weldability to simulate the welding of structural components of a fusion reactor after irradiation. Helium was introduced into HT-9 steel to 0.3 and 1 atomic parts per million (appm) by tritium doping and decay. Autogenous single pass full penetration welds were produced using the gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding process under laterally constrained conditions. Macroscopic examination showed no sign of any weld defect in HT-9 steel containing 0.3 appm helium. However, intergranular micro cracks were observed in the HAZ of HT-9 steel containing 1 appm helium. The microcracking was attributed to helium bubble growth at grain boundaries under the influence of high stresses and temperatures that were present during welding. Mechanical test results showed that both yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) decreased with increasing temperature, while the total elongation increased with increasing temperature for all control and helium-bearing HT-9 steels

Effect of pulsed current and post weld aging treatment on tensile properties of argon arc welded high strength aluminium alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balasubramanian, V.; Ravisankar, V.; Reddy, G. Madhusudhan

2007-01-01

This paper reveals the effect of pulsed current and post weld aging treatment on tensile properties of argon arc welded AA7075 aluminium alloy. This alloy has gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of light weight structures requiring high strength-to-weight ratio, such as transportable bridge girders, military vehicles, road tankers and railway transport systems. The preferred welding processes of high strength aluminium alloy are frequently gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process due to their comparatively easier applicability and better economy. Weld fusion zones typically exhibit coarse columnar grains because of the prevailing thermal conditions during weld metal solidification. This often results inferior weld mechanical properties and poor resistance to hot cracking. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to refine the fusion zone grains by applying pulsed current welding technique. Four different welding techniques have been used to fabricate the joints and they are: (i) continuous current GTAW (CCGTAW), (ii) pulsed current GTAW (PCGTAW), (iii) continuous current GMAW (CCGMAW) and (iv) pulsed current GMAW (PCGMAW) processes. As welded joint strength is much lower than the base metal strength and hence, a simple aging treatment has been given to improve the tensile strength of the joints. Current pulsing leads to relatively finer and more equi-axed grain structure in GTA and GMA welds. In contrast, conventional continuous current welding resulted in predominantly columnar grain structures. Post weld aging treatment is accompanied by an increase in tensile strength and tensile ductility

Heavy-section steel irradiation program: Embrittlement issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corwin, W.R.

1991-01-01

Maintaining the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in a light-water-cooled nuclear power plant is crucial in preventing and controlling severe accidents and the potential for major contamination releases. The RPV is one of only two major safety- related components of the plant for which a duplicate or redundant backup system does not exist. In particular, it is vital to fully understand the degree of irradiation-induced degradation of the RPV's fracture resistance which occurs during service, since without that radiation damage it is virtually impossible to postulate a realistic scenario which would result in RPV failure. For this reason, the Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program has been established by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) 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 reactor pressure-vessel integrity. 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 crack arrest toughness ductile tearing resistance Charpy V-notch impact energy, dropweight nil-ductility temperature and tensile properties. Models based on observations of radiation-induced microstructural changes using the field on microprobe and the high resolution transmission electron microscopy provide improved bases for extrapolating the measured changes in fracture properties to wider ranges of irradiation conditions. The principal materials examined within the HSSI program are high-copper welds since their postirradiation properties are most frequently limiting in the continued safe operation of commercial RPVs

Double fillet lap of laser welding of thin sheet AZ31B Mg alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Ishak, Mahadzir; Salleh, M. N. M.

2018-05-01

In this paper, we describe the experimental laser welding of thin sheet AZ31B using double fillet lap joint method. Laser welding is capable of producing high quality weld seams especially for small weld bead on thin sheet product. In this experiment, both edges for upper and lower sheets were subjected to the laser beam from the pulse wave (PW) mode of fiber laser. Welded sample were tested their joint strength by tensile-shear strength method and the fracture loads were studied. Strength for all welded samples were investigated and the effect of laser parameters on the joint strength and appearances were studied. Pulsed energy (EP) from laser process give higher effect on joint strength compared to the welding speed (WS) and angle of irradiation (AOI). Highest joint strength was possessed by sample with high EP with the same value of WS and AOI. The strength was low due to the crack defect at the centre of weld region.

Development of high frequency tungsten inert gas welding method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morisada, Yoshiaki; Fujii, Hidetoshi; Inagaki, Fuminori; Kamai, Masayoshi

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A new ultrasonic wave TIG welding method was developed. ► The area of the blowholes decreased to less than about 1/8 in the normal TIG weld. ► The number of blowholes decreased with the decreasing frequency. ► The number of blowholes increased when the frequency was less than 15 kHz. ► The microstructure of the weld was refined by ultrasonic wave. -- Abstract: A new welding method, called high frequency tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, was developed to decrease blowholes in a weld. A1050 aluminum alloy plates (100 mm l × 50 mm w × 5 mm t ) were welded at a frequency from 10 to 40 kHz. An Ar-1% hydrogen mixture was used as the shielding gas to generate blowholes in the experiments. The welding was performed in the horizontal position so that the blowholes can easily be a problem. For comparison, a normal TIG welding was also performed at 60 Hz. After welding, the distribution of the blowholes in the welds was observed in order to evaluate the effect of the sonic wave. The number of blowholes changed with the frequency. A frequency near 15 kHz is the most suitable to decrease the blowholes. Using this new method, the area of blowholes is decreased to less than about 1/8 of the normal TIG weld. This method is much more effective for decreasing the number of blowholes, compared with an ultrasonic wave vibrator which is directly fixed to the sample.