WorldWideScience

Sample records for russian ferritic-martensitic steels

  1. Irradiation proposition of ferritic steels in a russian reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1987-04-01

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

  2. Ferritic/martensitic steels: Promises and problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1992-01-01

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

  3. Radiation induced microstructural evolution in ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1993-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2008-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2000-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakasegawa, Hideo; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Ando, Masami

    2014-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2007-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byun, Thak Sang; Kim, In Sup

    1988-01-01

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

  10. Postirradiation thermocyclic loading of ferritic-martensitic structural materials

    Science.gov (United States)

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

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, Y.

    1996-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.

    1996-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klueh, RL

    2005-01-31

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

  15. Effect of hardness of martensite and ferrite on void formation in dual phase steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Azuma, M.; Goutianos, Stergios; Hansen, Niels

    2012-01-01

    The influence of the hardness of martensite and ferrite phases in dual phase steel on void formation has been investigated by in situ tensile loading in a scanning electron microscope. Microstructural observations have shown that most voids form in martensite by evolving four steps: plastic...... deformation of martensite, crack initiation at the martensite/ferrite interface, crack propagation leading to fracture of martensite particles and void formation by separation of particle fragments. It has been identified that the hardness effect is associated with the following aspects: strain partitioning...... between martensite and ferrite, strain localisation and critical strain required for void formation. Reducing the hardness difference between martensite and ferrite phases by tempering has been shown to be an effective approach to retard the void formation in martensite and thereby is expected to improve...

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelles, D. S.

    1990-05-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-12-15

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

  19. On the Nature of Internal Interfaces in Tempered Martensite Ferritic Steels

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dronhofer, A.; Pešička, J.; Dlouhý, Antonín; Eggeler, G.

    2003-01-01

    Roč. 94, č. 5 (2003), s. 511-520 ISSN 0044-3093 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA106/99/1172 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z2041904 Keywords : Tempered martensite ferritic steels * martensite variants * orientation imaging Subject RIV: JG - Metallurgy Impact factor: 0.637, year: 2003

  20. Evaluation of temper embrittlement of martensitic and ferritic-martensitic steels by acoustic emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Yusho; Takahashi, Hideaki; Shoji, Tetsuo

    1987-01-01

    Martensitic (HT-9) and ferritic-martensitic steels (9Cr-2Mo) are considered as fusion first wall materials. In this investigation in order to understand the sensitivity of temper embrittlement in these steels under actual service condition, fracture toughness testing was made by use of acoustic emission technique. The temper embrittlement was characterized in terms of fracture toughness. The fracture toughness of these steels under 500 deg C, 100 hrs, and 1000 hrs heat treatment was decreased and their changes in micro-fracture process have been observed. The fracture toughness changes by temper embrittlement was discussed by the characteristic of AE, AE spectrum analysis and fractographic investigation. The relation between micro-fracture processes and AE has been clarified. (author)

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-12-15

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2011-01-01

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

  3. Numerical simulation of transformation-induced microscopic residual stress in ferrite-martensite lamellar steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikami, Y; Inao, A; Mochizuki, M; Toyoda, M

    2009-01-01

    The effect of transformation-induced microscopic residual stress on fatigue crack propagation behavior of ferrite-martensite lamellar steel was discussed. Fatigue tests of prestrained and non-prestrained specimens were performed. Inflections and branches at ferrite-martensite boundaries were observed in the non-prestrained specimens. On the other hand, less inflections and branches were found in the prestrained specimens. The experimental results showed that the transformation induced microscopic residual stress has influence on the fatigue crack propagation behavior. To estimate the microscopic residual, a numerical simulation method for the calculation of microscopic residual stress stress induced by martensitic transformation was performed. The simulation showed that compressive residual stress was generated in martensite layer, and the result agree with the experimental result that inflections and branches were observed at ferrite-martensite boundaries.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ukai, Shigeharu

    2000-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-12-15

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2007-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-02-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2015-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-11-20

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1997-04-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.

    1997-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2012-01-01

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

  13. 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.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-10-15

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1992-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1982-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1993-08-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2012-09-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2006-12-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2003-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-05-15

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2005-08-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2005-01-01

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

  5. Patent Analysis of Ferritic/Martensitic Steels for the Fuel Cladding in Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baek, Jong Hyuk; Kim, Sung Ho; Kim, Tae Kyu; Kim, Woo Gon; Jang, Jin Sung; Kim, Dae Whan; Han, Chang Hee; Lee, Chan Bock

    2007-09-01

    The Korean, Japanese, U.S. and European patents related to the ferritic/martensitic steels were systematically surveyed to evaluate their patent status, which would be applicable to the fuel cladding materials for the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). From the surveys, totally 38 patents were finally selected for the quantitative and qualitative analysis. Among them, 28 patents (74%) were processed by Japanese companies and Sumitomo Metal industries Ltd. was top-ranked in the number (9) of priority patents. On the basis of these surveys, most patents could be applicable to the fuel cladding materials for SFR and, especially, some useful patents as the cladding were registered by the Russian and the Korean

  6. Patent Analysis of Ferritic/Martensitic Steels for the Fuel Cladding in Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baek, Jong Hyuk; Kim, Sung Ho; Kim, Tae Kyu; Kim, Woo Gon; Jang, Jin Sung; Kim, Dae Whan; Han, Chang Hee; Lee, Chan Bock

    2007-09-15

    The Korean, Japanese, U.S. and European patents related to the ferritic/martensitic steels were systematically surveyed to evaluate their patent status, which would be applicable to the fuel cladding materials for the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). From the surveys, totally 38 patents were finally selected for the quantitative and qualitative analysis. Among them, 28 patents (74%) were processed by Japanese companies and Sumitomo Metal industries Ltd. was top-ranked in the number (9) of priority patents. On the basis of these surveys, most patents could be applicable to the fuel cladding materials for SFR and, especially, some useful patents as the cladding were registered by the Russian and the Korean.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

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

  8. Martensite transformation kinetics in 9Cr–1.7W–0.4Mo–Co ferritic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Qiuzhi, E-mail: neuqgao@163.com [School of Resources and Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000 (China); Wang, Cong; Qu, Fu; Wang, Yingling [School of Resources and Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000 (China); Qiao, Zhixia [School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134 (China)

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • The obtained M{sub s} temperatures of samples austenitized at 1150 °C are higher than at 900 °C. • Martensite-start transformation is slower for austenitizing at 1150 °C than at 900 °C. • Martensite transformation was controlled by nucleation rate. • Growth of martensite plates was controlled by thermal activation of atoms. - Abstract: Martensite transformation features in the 9Cr–1.7W–0.4Mo–Co ferritic steel, was conducted on a Netzsch Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), after austenitized at 900 °C and 1150 °C followed by cooling at various rates to room temperature were studied. A martensite transformation kinetics model based on assumption of continuous nucleation and consideration of impingement was introduced to investigate the influence of austenitizing temperature and cooling rate on the martensite transformation behaviors. The obtained interface velocity and the activation energy for interface-controlling growth are lower than 10{sup −5} m/s and 40 kJ/mol, respectively, according to the fitted data. Both indicated that martensite transformation in the 9Cr–1.7W–0.4Mo–Co ferritic steel was controlled by nucleation rate, and that growth of plates was controlled by thermal activation of atoms.

  9. Martensite transformation kinetics in 9Cr–1.7W–0.4Mo–Co ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Qiuzhi; Wang, Cong; Qu, Fu; Wang, Yingling; Qiao, Zhixia

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The obtained M s temperatures of samples austenitized at 1150 °C are higher than at 900 °C. • Martensite-start transformation is slower for austenitizing at 1150 °C than at 900 °C. • Martensite transformation was controlled by nucleation rate. • Growth of martensite plates was controlled by thermal activation of atoms. - Abstract: Martensite transformation features in the 9Cr–1.7W–0.4Mo–Co ferritic steel, was conducted on a Netzsch Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), after austenitized at 900 °C and 1150 °C followed by cooling at various rates to room temperature were studied. A martensite transformation kinetics model based on assumption of continuous nucleation and consideration of impingement was introduced to investigate the influence of austenitizing temperature and cooling rate on the martensite transformation behaviors. The obtained interface velocity and the activation energy for interface-controlling growth are lower than 10 −5 m/s and 40 kJ/mol, respectively, according to the fitted data. Both indicated that martensite transformation in the 9Cr–1.7W–0.4Mo–Co ferritic steel was controlled by nucleation rate, and that growth of plates was controlled by thermal activation of atoms

  10. Microstructure and properties of pipeline steel with a ferrite/martensite dual-phase microstructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Rutao; Zuo Xiurong; Hu Yueyue; Wang Zhenwei; Hu, Dingxu

    2011-01-01

    In order to satisfy the transportation of the crude oil and gas in severe environmental conditions, a ferrite/martensite dual-phase pipeline steel has been developed. After a forming process and double submerged arc welding, the microstructure of the base metal, heat affected zone and weld metal was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The pipe showed good deformability and an excellent combination of high strength and toughness, which is suitable for a pipeline subjected to the progressive and abrupt ground movement. The base metal having a ferrite/martensite dual-phase microstructure exhibited excellent mechanical properties in terms of uniform elongation of 7.5%, yield ratio of 0.78, strain hardening exponent of 0.145, an impact energy of 286 J at - 10 deg. C and a shear area of 98% at 0 deg. C in the drop weight tear test. The tensile strength and impact energy of the weld metal didn't significantly reduce, because of the intragranularly nucleated acicular ferrites microstructure, leading to high strength and toughness in weld metal. The heat affected zone contained complete quenching zone and incomplete quenching zone, which exhibited excellent low temperature toughness of 239 J at - 10 deg. C. - Research Highlights: →The pipe with ferrite/martensite microstructure shows high deformability. →The base metal of the pipe consists of ferrite and martensite. →Heat affected zone shows excellent low temperature toughness. →Weld metal mainly consists of intragranularly nucleated acicular ferrites. →Weld metal shows excellent low temperature toughness and high strength.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klueh, R.L.

    1997-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adetunji, G.J.

    1991-04-01

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

  13. Effect of microstructural evolution by isothermal aging on the mechanical properties of 9Cr-1WVTa reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Min-Gu [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Chang-Hoon, E-mail: lee1626@kims.re.kr [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Joonoh; Park, Jun Young; Lee, Tae-Ho [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Namhyun [Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Chan Kim, Hyoung [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon 305-806 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    The influence of microstructural changes caused by aging condition on tensile and Charpy impact properties was investigated for reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) 9Cr-1WVTa steels having single martensite and a mixed microstructure of martensite and ferrite. For the mixed microstructure of martensite and ferrite, the Charpy impact properties deteriorated in both as-normalized and tempered conditions due to the ferrite and the accompanying M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides at the ferrite grain boundaries which act as path and initiation sites for cleavage cracks, respectively. However, aging at 550 °C for 20–100 h recovered gradually the Charpy impact toughness without any distinct drop in strength, as a result of the spheroidization of the coarse M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides at the ferrite grain boundaries, which makes crack initiation more difficult.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chakraborty, Pritam; Biner, S.Bulent

    2015-01-01

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

  15. Corrosion behavior of austenitic and ferritic/martensitic steels in oxygen-saturated liquid Pb-Bi eutectic at 450circC and 550circC

    OpenAIRE

    倉田 有司; 二川 正敏; 斎藤 滋

    2005-01-01

    Static corrosion tests of various austenitic and ferritic/martensitic steels were conducted in oxygen-saturated liquid Pb-Bi at 450circC and 550circC for 3000h to study the effects of temperature and alloying elements on corrosion behavior. Oxidation, grain boundary corrosion, dissolution and penetration were observed. The corrosion depth decreases at 450circC with increasing Cr content in steels regardless of ferritic/martensitic or austenitic steels. Appreciable dissolution of Ni and Cr doe...

  16. Compression behavior of a ferritic-martensitic Cr-Mo steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Zhenbo; Mishin, Oleg; Pantleon, Wolfgang

    2012-01-01

    The compression behavior of a ferritic-martensitic Cr-Mo steel is characterized for strain rates ranging from 10-4 s-1 to 10-1 s-1 and engineering strains up to 40%. Adiabatic heating causes a reduction in flow stress during continuous compression at a strain rate of 10-1 s-1. No reduction...... in the flow stress is observed if interrupted compression tests are performed with loading and holding steps. Two work-hardening stages with work-hardening rates decreasing linearly with the flow stress are identified and interpreted in terms of the KocksMecking model. The microstructural evolution...

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butterworth, G.J.

    1982-01-01

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

  18. Quantitative analysis of tensile deformation behavior by in-situ neutron diffraction for ferrite-martensite type dual-phase steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morooka, Satoshi; Umezawa, Osamu; Harjo, Stefanus; Hasegawa, Kohei; Toji, Yuki

    2012-01-01

    The yielding and work-hardening behavior of ferrite-martensite type dual-phase (DP) alloys were clearly analyzed using the in-situ neutron diffraction technique. We successfully established a new method to estimate the stress and strain partitioning between ferrite and martensite phase during loading. Although these phases exhibit the same lattice structure with similar lattice parameters, their lattice strains on (110), (200) and (211) are obviously different from each other under an applied stress. The misfit strains between those phases were clearly accompanied with the phase-scaled internal stream (phase stress). Thus, the martensite phase yielded by higher applied stress than macro-yield stress, which resulted in high work-hardening rate of the DP steel. We also demonstrated that ferrite phase fraction influenced work-hardening behavior. (author)

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-05-15

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2013-11-15

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

  2. Comparative study of eddy current and Barkhausen noise nondestructive testing methods in microstructural examination of ferrite-martensite dual-phase steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghanei, S.; Kashefi, M.; Mazinani, M.

    2014-04-01

    The magnetic properties of ferrite-martensite dual-phase steels were evaluated using eddy current and Barkhausen noise nondestructive testing methods and correlated with their microstructural changes. Several routes were used to produce different microstructures of dual-phase steels. The first route was different heat treatments in γ region to vary the ferrite grain size (from 9.47 to 11.12 in ASTM number), and the second one was variation in intercritical annealing temperatures (from 750 to 890 °C) in order to produce different percentages of martensite in dual-phase microstructure. The results concerning magnetic Barkhausen noise are discussed in terms of height, position and shape of Barkhausen noise profiles, taking into account two main aspects: ferrite grain size, and different percentages of martensite. Then, eddy current testing was used to study the mentioned microstructural changes by detection of impedance variations. The obtained results show that microstructural changes have a noticeable effect on the magnetic properties of dual-phase steels. The results reveal that both magnetic methods have a high potential to be used as a reliable nondestructive tool to detect and monitor microstructural changes occurring during manufacturing of dual-phase steels.

  3. Mechanical properties of friction stir welded 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yano, Y.; Sato, Y.S.; Sekio, Y.; Ohtsuka, S.; Kaito, T.; Ogawa, R.; Kokawa, H.

    2013-01-01

    Friction stir welding was applied to the wrapper tube materials, 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel, designed for fast reactors and defect-free welds were successfully produced. The mechanical and microstructural properties of the friction stir welded steel were subsequently investigated. The hardness values of the stir zone were approximately 550 Hv (5.4 GPa) with minimal dependence on the rotational speed, even though they were much higher than those of the base material. However, tensile strengths and elongations of the stir zones were high at 298 K, compared to those of the base material. The excellent tensile properties are attributable to the fine grain formation during friction stir welding

  4. Influence of Prior Fatigue Cycling on Creep Behavior of Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, Aritra; Vijayanand, V. D.; Parameswaran, P.; Shankar, Vani; Sandhya, R.; Laha, K.; Mathew, M. D.; Jayakumar, T.; Rajendra Kumar, E.

    2014-06-01

    Creep tests were carried out at 823 K (550 °C) and 210 MPa on Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) steel which was subjected to different extents of prior fatigue exposure at 823 K at a strain amplitude of ±0.6 pct to assess the effect of prior fatigue exposure on creep behavior. Extensive cyclic softening that characterized the fatigue damage was found to be immensely deleterious for creep strength of the tempered martensitic steel. Creep rupture life was reduced to 60 pct of that of the virgin steel when the steel was exposed to as low as 1 pct of fatigue life. However, creep life saturated after fatigue exposure of 40 pct. Increase in minimum creep rate and decrease in creep rupture ductility with a saturating trend were observed with prior fatigue exposures. To substantiate these findings, detailed transmission electron microscopy studies were carried out on the steel. With fatigue exposures, extensive recovery of martensitic-lath structure was distinctly observed which supported the cyclic softening behavior that was introduced due to prior fatigue. Consequently, prior fatigue exposures were considered responsible for decrease in creep ductility and associated reduction in the creep rupture strength.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2002-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2000-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    1988-07-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2008-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2008-06-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2001-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-09-01

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

  12. High Temperature Elastic Properties of Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) Steel Using Impulse Excitation Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathy, Haraprasanna; Raju, Subramanian; Hajra, Raj Narayan; Saibaba, Saroja

    2018-03-01

    The polycrystalline elastic constants of an indigenous variant of 9Cr-1W-based reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel have been determined as a function of temperature from 298 K to 1323 K (25 °C to 1000 °C), using impulse excitation technique (IET). The three elastic constants namely, Young's modulus E, shear modulus G, and bulk modulus B, exhibited significant softening with increasing temperature, in a pronounced non-linear fashion. In addition, clearly marked discontinuities in their temperature variations are noticed in the region, where ferrite + carbides → austenite phase transformation occurred upon heating. Further, the incidence of austenite → martensite transformation upon cooling has also been marked by a step-like jump in both elastic E and shear moduli G. The martensite start M s and M f finish temperatures estimated from this study are, M s = 652 K (379 °C) and M f =580 K (307 °C). Similarly, the measured ferrite + carbide → austenite transformation onset ( Ac 1) and completion ( Ac 3) temperatures are found to be 1126 K and 1143 K (853 °C and 870 °C), respectively. The Poisson ratio μ exhibited distinct discontinuities at phase transformation temperatures; but however, is found to vary in the range 0.27 to 0.29. The room temperature estimates of E, G, and μ for normalized and tempered microstructure are found to be 219 GPa, 86.65 GPa, and 0.27, respectively. For the metastable austenite phase, the corresponding values are: 197 GPa, 76.5 GPa, and 0.29, respectively. The measured elastic properties as well as their temperature dependencies are found to be in good accord with reported estimates for other 9Cr-based ferritic-martensitic steel grades. Estimates of θ D el , the elastic Debye temperature and γ G, the thermal Grüneisen parameter obtained from measured bulk elastic properties are found to be θ D el = 465 K (192 °C) and γ G = 1.57.

  13. Orientation relationship in various 9% Cr ferritic/martensitic steels-EBSD comparison between Nishiyama-Wassermann, Kurdjumov-Sachs and Greninger-Troiano

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barcelo, F.; Bechade, J. L.; Fournier, B.

    2010-01-01

    EBSD measurements were carried out on four different martensitic steels (T91, P92, EM10 and Eurofer) in various metallurgical conditions (nine different microstructural states). The usual orientation relationships (ORs) between the parent austenitic phase and the resulting martensite in martensitic steels are those of Nishiyama-Wassermann (NW) and Kurjumov-Sachs (KS). The present study first proposes a methodology based on the combined analysis of the misorientation distribution, the pole figures (PFs) and the angle/axis pairs. This methodology leads to the conclusion that neither NW nor KS relationships are able to account for all the features observed whatever the material under study. A third OR proposed by Greninger and Troiano (GT) proves to describe the relationship between austenite and ferrite in all four different martensitic steels much more accurately. (authors)

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2008-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2017-02-15

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

  16. Compatibility of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels with liquid breeders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muroga, T.; Nagasaka, T.; Kondo, M.; Sagara, A.; Noda, N.; Suzuki, A.; Terai, T.

    2008-10-01

    The compatibility of Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steel (RAFM) with liquid Li and molten-salt Flibe have been characterized and accessed. Static compatibility tests were carried out in which the specimens were immersed into liquid Li or Flibe in isothermal autoclaves. Also carried out were compatibility tests in flowing liquid Li by thermal convection loops. In the case of liquid Li, the corrosion rate increased with temperature significantly. The corrosion was almost one order larger for the loop tests than for the static tests. Chemical analysis showed that the corrosion was enhanced when the level of N in Li is increased. Transformation from martensitic to ferritic phase and the resulting softening were observed in near-surface area of Li-exposed specimens, which were shown to be induced by decarburization. In the case of Flibe, the corrosion loss was much larger in a Ni crucible than in a RAFM crucible. Both fluorides and oxides were observed on the surfaces. Thus, the key corrosion process of Flibe is the competing process of fluoridation and oxidation. Possible mechanism of the enhanced corrosion in Ni crucible is electrochemical circuit effect. It was suggested that the corrosion loss rate of RAFM by liquid Li and Flibe can be reduced by reducing the level of impurity N in Li and avoiding the use of dissimilar materials in Flibe, respectively. (author)

  17. The Formation of Martensitic Austenite During Nitridation of Martensitic and Duplex Stainless Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zangiabadi, Amirali; Dalton, John C.; Wang, Danqi; Ernst, Frank; Heuer, Arthur H.

    2017-01-01

    Isothermal martensite/ferrite-to-austenite phase transformations have been observed after low-temperature nitridation in the martensite and δ-ferrite phases in 15-5 PH (precipitation hardening), 17-7 PH, and 2205 (duplex) stainless steels. These transformations, in the region with nitrogen concentrations of 8 to 16 at. pct, are consistent with the notion that nitrogen is a strong austenite stabilizer and substitutional diffusion is effectively frozen at the paraequilibrium temperatures of our experiments. Our microstructural and diffraction analyses provide conclusive evidence for the martensitic nature of these phase transformations.

  18. TIG of Reduced Activation Ferrite/Martensitic Steel for the Korean ITER-TBM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ku, Duck Young; Ahn, Mu Young; Yu, In Keun; Cho, Seun Gyon; Oh, Seung Jin

    2010-01-01

    Test Blanket Modules (TBM) will be tested in ITER to verify the capability of tritium breeding and recovery and the extraction of thermal energy suitable for the production of electricity. A Helium Cooled Solid Breeder (HCSB) TBM has been developed in Korea to accomplish these goals. Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steel has been chosen as the primary candidate structural material for Korean TBM. Due to the complexity of the First wall (FW) and Side wall (SW), it is necessary to develop various joining technologies, such as Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), Electron Beam Welding (EBW) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, for the successful fabrication of TBM. In this study, the mechanical properties of TIG welded RAFM steel were investigated. Various mechanical tests of TIG-welded RAFM steel were performed to obtain the optimized TIG welding process for RAFM steel

  19. TIG of Reduced Activation Ferrite/Martensitic Steel for the Korean ITER-TBM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ku, Duck Young; Ahn, Mu Young; Yu, In Keun; Cho, Seun Gyon [ITER Korea, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Seung Jin [KHNP, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-10-15

    Test Blanket Modules (TBM) will be tested in ITER to verify the capability of tritium breeding and recovery and the extraction of thermal energy suitable for the production of electricity. A Helium Cooled Solid Breeder (HCSB) TBM has been developed in Korea to accomplish these goals. Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steel has been chosen as the primary candidate structural material for Korean TBM. Due to the complexity of the First wall (FW) and Side wall (SW), it is necessary to develop various joining technologies, such as Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), Electron Beam Welding (EBW) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, for the successful fabrication of TBM. In this study, the mechanical properties of TIG welded RAFM steel were investigated. Various mechanical tests of TIG-welded RAFM steel were performed to obtain the optimized TIG welding process for RAFM steel

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2007-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2007-07-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Akihiko

    2005-01-01

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

  3. Influence of microscopic strain heterogeneity on the formability of martensitic stainless steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bettanini, Alvise Miotti; Delannay, Laurent; Jacques, Pascal J.; Pardoen, Thomas; Badinier, Guillaume; Mithieux, Jean-Denis

    2017-10-01

    Both finite element modeling and mean field (Mori-Tanaka) modeling are used to predict the strain partitioning in the martensite-ferrite microstructure of an AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel. Numerical predictions reproduce experimental trends according to which macroscopic strength is increased when the dissolution of carbides leads to carbon enrichment of martensite. However, the increased strength contrast of ferrite and martensite favours strain localization and high stress triaxiality in ferrite, which in turn promotes ductile damage development.

  4. Deformation twinning in irradiated ferritic/martensitic steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, K.; Dai, Y.; Spätig, P.

    2018-04-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2000-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1997-08-01

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

  7. Formation of alumina-aluminide coatings on ferritic-martensitic T91 steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Choudhary R.K.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, alumina-aluminide coatings were formed on ferritic-martensitic T91 steel substrate. First, coatings of aluminum were deposited electrochemically on T91 steel in a room temperature AlCl3-1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ionic liquid, then the obtained coating was subjected to a two stage heat treatment procedure consisting of prolonged heat treatment of the sample in vacuum at 300 ○C followed by oxidative heat treatment in air at 650 ○C for 16 hours. X-ray diffraction measurement of the oxidatively heat treated samples indicated formation of Fe-Al and Cr-Al intermetallics and presence of amorphous alumina. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurement confirmed 50 wt- % O in the oxidized coating. Microscratch adhesion test conducted on alumina-aluminide coating formed on T91 steel substrate showed no major adhesive detachment up to 20 N loads. However, adhesive failure was observed at a few discrete points on the coating along the scratch track.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2017-04-15

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-10-15

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

  10. Microstructural development during laser cladding of low-C martensitic stainless steel.

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Van Rooyen, C

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Heat input plays an important role in the microstructural development of 12%Cr martensitic stainless steel. The microstructure of low-C 12%Cr martensitic stainless steel resulting from laser cladding was investigated. For 410L a ferritic...

  11. Orientation relationship in Eurofer martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barcelo, F.; De Carlan, Y.; Bechade, J.L.; Fournier, B.

    2009-01-01

    Both TEM and SEM/EBSD orientation measurements are carried out on a Eurofer97 martensitic steel. The influence of the prior austenitic grain size is studied using dedicated heat treatments. The intra laths misorientation is estimated by TEM. SEM/EBSD orientation mapping enable to study the actual orientation relationship (OR) between the parent austenitic phase and the martensitic phase. Neither the Nishiyama-Wasserman nor the Kurdjumov-Sachs OR is able to account for both the misorientation angle distributions, the pole figure and the misorientation axes measured. The mixed OR recently proposed by Gourgues et al. (Electron backscattering diffraction study of acicular ferrite, bainite, and martensite steel microstructures, Mater. Sci. Tech. 16 (2000), p. 26-40.) and Sonderegger et al. (Martensite laths in creep resistant martensitic 9-12% Cr steels - Calculation and measurement of misorientations, Mater. Characterization (2006), in Press.) seems to be able to account for most of these results. Based on this OR, a new angular criterion is proposed to detect blocks of laths. (authors)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-12-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-12-15

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

  14. Microstructure of laser cladded martensitic stainless steel

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Van Rooyen, C

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available and martensite with 10% ferrite for Material B. Table 7 - Proposed martensitic stainless steel alloys for laser cladding Material C* Cr Ni Mn Si Mo Co Ms (ºC)* Cr eq Ni eq Material A 0.4 13 - 1 0.5 2.5 5.5 120 16.5 12.5 Material B 0.2 15 2 1 0.7 2.5 5.5 117... dilution, low heat input, less distortion, increased mechanical and corrosion properties excellent repeatability and control of process parameters. Solidification of laser cladded martensitic stainless steel is primarily austenitic. Microstructures...

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2008-07-01

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

  16. Gaseous surface hardening of martensitic stainless steels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tibollo, Chiara; Villa, Matteo; Christiansen, Thomas L.

    The present work addresses heat and surface treatments of martensitic stainless steel EN 1.4028. Different combinations of heat treatments and surface treatments were performed: conventional austenitisation, cryogenic treatment and in particular high temperature solution nitriding (HTSN) and low...... that cubic lath martensite in conventionally austenitised EN 1.4028 dissolves nitrogen and develops expanded martensite (ferrite) during LTSH. HTSN leads to a microstructure of tetragonal plate martensite and retained austenite. The content of retained austenite can be reduced by a cryo...

  17. Estimation of Oxidation Kinetics and Oxide Scale Void Position of Ferritic-Martensitic Steels in Supercritical Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Sun

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Exfoliation of oxide scales from high-temperature heating surfaces of power boilers threatened the safety of supercritical power generating units. According to available space model, the oxidation kinetics of two ferritic-martensitic steels are developed to predict in supercritical water at 400°C, 500°C, and 600°C. The iron diffusion coefficients in magnetite and Fe-Cr spinel are extrapolated from studies of Backhaus and Töpfer. According to Fe-Cr-O ternary phase diagram, oxygen partial pressure at the steel/Fe-Cr spinel oxide interface is determined. The oxygen partial pressure at the magnetite/supercritical water interface meets the equivalent oxygen partial pressure when system equilibrium has been attained. The relative error between calculated values and experimental values is analyzed and the reasons of error are suggested. The research results show that the results of simulation at 600°C are approximately close to experimental results. The iron diffusion coefficient is discontinuous in the duplex scale of two ferritic-martensitic steels. The simulation results of thicknesses of the oxide scale on tubes (T91 of final superheater of a 600 MW supercritical boiler are compared with field measurement data and calculation results by Adrian’s method. The calculated void positions of oxide scales are in good agreement with a cross-sectional SEM image of the oxide layers.

  18. It was the demonstration of industrial steel production capacity ferritic-martensitic Spanish ASTURFER scale demand ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coto, R.; Serrano, M.; Moran, A.; Rodriguez, D.; Artimez, J. A.; Belzunce, J.; Sedano, L.

    2013-01-01

    Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) structural steels are considered as candidate materials with notable possibilities to be incorporated to fusion reactor ITER, nowadays under construction, and future fusion reactor DEMO, involving a notable forecasting of supply materials, with a considerable limitation due to the few number of furnishes currently on the market. The manufacture at an industrial scale of the ASTURFER steel, developed at laboratory scale by ITMA Materials Technology and the Structural Materials Division of the Technology Division of CIEMAT would be a significant business opportunity for steelwork companies.

  19. A roadmap for tailoring the strength and ductility of ferritic/martensitic T91 steel via thermo-mechanical treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, M.; Sun, C.; Fan, Z.; Chen, Y.; Zhu, R.; Yu, K.Y.; Hartwig, K.T.; Wang, H.; Zhang, X.

    2016-01-01

    Ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels with high strength and excellent ductility are important candidate materials for the life extension of the current nuclear reactors and the design of next generation nuclear reactors. Recent studies show that equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was able to improve mechanical strength of ferritic T91 steels moderately. Here, we examine several strategies to further enhance the mechanical strength of T91 while maintaining its ductility. Certain thermo-mechanical treatment (TMT) processes enabled by combinations of ECAE, water quench, and tempering may lead to “ductile martensite” with exceptionally high strength in T91 steel. The evolution of microstructures and mechanical properties of T91 steel were investigated in detail, and transition carbides were identified in water quenched T91 steel. This study provides guidelines for tailoring the microstructure and mechanical properties of T91 steel via ECAE enabled TMT for an improved combination of strength and ductility.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Hyun Ju; Kim, Tae Kyu

    2014-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2015-10-15

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krsjak, Vladimir; Dai, Yong

    2015-10-01

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

  3. Deformation mechanisms in ferritic/martensitic steels and the impact on mechanical design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghoniem, Nasr M.; Po, Giacomo; Sharafat, Shahram

    2013-01-01

    Structural steels for nuclear applications have undergone rapid development during the past few decades, thanks to a combination of trial-and-error, mechanism-based optimization, and multiscale modeling approaches. Deformation mechanisms are shown to be intimately related to mechanical design via dominant plastic deformation modes. Because mechanical design rules are mostly based on failure modes associated with plastic strain damage accumulation, we present here the fundamental deformation mechanisms for Ferritic/Martensitic (F/M) steels, and delineate their operational range of temperature and stress. The connection between deformation mechanisms, failure modes, and mechanical design is shown through application of design rules. A specific example is given for the alloy F82H utilized in the design of a Test Blanket Module (TBM) in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), where several constitutive equations are developed for design-related mechanical properties

  4. Deformation mechanisms in ferritic/martensitic steels and the impact on mechanical design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghoniem, Nasr M., E-mail: ghoniem@seas.ucla.edu; Po, Giacomo; Sharafat, Shahram

    2013-10-15

    Structural steels for nuclear applications have undergone rapid development during the past few decades, thanks to a combination of trial-and-error, mechanism-based optimization, and multiscale modeling approaches. Deformation mechanisms are shown to be intimately related to mechanical design via dominant plastic deformation modes. Because mechanical design rules are mostly based on failure modes associated with plastic strain damage accumulation, we present here the fundamental deformation mechanisms for Ferritic/Martensitic (F/M) steels, and delineate their operational range of temperature and stress. The connection between deformation mechanisms, failure modes, and mechanical design is shown through application of design rules. A specific example is given for the alloy F82H utilized in the design of a Test Blanket Module (TBM) in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), where several constitutive equations are developed for design-related mechanical properties.

  5. Effect of ferrite-martensite interface morphology on bake hardening response of DP590 steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chakraborty, Arnab; Adhikary, Manashi; Venugopalan, T.; Singh, Virender; Nanda, Tarun; Kumar, B. Ravi

    2016-01-01

    The effect of martensite spatial distribution and its interface morphology on the bake hardening characteristics of a dual phase steel was investigated. In one case, typical industrial continuous annealing line parameters were employed to anneal a 67% cold rolled steel to obtain a dual phase microstructure. In the other case, a modified annealing process with changed initial heating rates and peak annealing temperature was employed. The processed specimens were further tensile pre-strained within 1–5% strain range followed by a bake hardening treatment at 170 °C for 20 min. It was observed that industrial continuous annealing line processed specimen showed a peak of about 70 MPa in bake-hardening index at 2% pre-strain level. At higher pre-strain values a gradual drop in bake-hardening index was observed. On the contrary, modified annealing process showed near uniform bake-hardening response at all pre-strain levels and a decrease could be noted only above 4% pre-strain. The evolving microstructure at each stage of annealing process and after bake-hardening treatment was studied using field emission scanning electron microscope. The microstructure analysis distinctly revealed differences in martensite spatial distribution and interface morphologies between each annealing processes employed. The modified process showed predominant formation of martensite within the ferrite grains with serrated lath martensite interfaces. This nature of the martensite was considered responsible for the observed improvement in the bake-hardening response. Furthermore, along with improved bake-hardening response negligible loss in tensile ductility was also noted. This behaviour was correlated with delayed micro-crack initiation at martensite interface due to serrated nature.

  6. Development of oxide dispersion strengthened steels for FBR core application. 2. Morphology improvement by martensite transformation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ukai, Shigeharu; Nishida, Toshio; Yoshitake, Tunemitsu; Okuda, Takanari

    1998-01-01

    Previously manufactured oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel cladding tubes had inferior internal creep rupture strength in the circumferential hoop direction. This unexpected feature of ODS cladding tubes was substantially ascribed to the needle-like grain structure aligned with the forming direction. In this study, the grain morphology was controlled by using the martensite transformation in ODS martensitic steels to produce an equi-axial grain structure. A major improvement in the strength anisotropy was successfully achieved. The most effective yttria addition was about 1 mass% in improving the strength of the ODS martensitic steels. A simple addition of titanium was particularly effective in increasing the strength level of the ODS martensitic steels to that of ODS ferritic steels. (author)

  7. Development of ferritic steels for fusion reactor applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1988-08-01

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

  8. Development of ferritic steels for fusion reactor applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1988-08-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2012-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1987-01-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-12-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  13. Studies on A-TIG welding of Low Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (LAFM) steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasantharaja, P.; Vasudevan, M.

    2012-02-01

    Low Activation Ferritic-Martensitic steels (LAFM) are chosen as the candidate material for structural components in fusion reactors. The structural components are generally fabricated by welding processes. Activated Tungsten Inert Gas (A-TIG) welding is an emerging process for welding of thicker components. In the present work, attempt was made to develop A-TIG welding technology for LAFM steel plates of 10 mm thick. Activated flux was developed for LAFM steel by carrying out various bead-on-plate TIG welds without flux and with flux. The optimum flux was identified as one which gave maximum depth of penetration at minimum heat input values. With the optimized flux composition, LAFM steel plate of 10 mm thickness was welded in square butt weld joint configuration using double side welding technique. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy was used for characterizing the microstructures. Microhardness measurements were made across the weld cross section for as welded and post weld heat treated samples. Tensile and impact toughness properties were determined. The mechanical properties values obtained in A-TIG weld joint were comparable to that obtained in weld joints of LAFM steel made by Electron beam welding process.

  14. Compatibility of graphite with a martensitic-ferritic steel, an austenitic stainless steel and a Ni-base alloy up to 1250 C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, P.

    1994-08-01

    To study the chemical interactions between graphite and a martensitic-ferritic steel (1.4914), an austenitic stainless steel (1.4919; AISI 316), and a Ni-base alloy (Hastelloy X) isothermal reaction experiments were performed in the temperature range between 900 and 1250 C. At higher temperatures a rapid and complete liquefaction of the components occurred as a result of eutectic interactions. The chemical interactions are diffusion-controlled processes and can be described by parabolic rate laws. The reaction behavior of the two steels is very similar. The chemical interactions of the steels with graphite are much faster above 1100 C than those for the Ni-base alloy. Below 1000 C the effect is opposite. (orig.) [de

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1996-10-01

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

  16. Compatibility Behavior of the Ferritic-Martensitic Steel Cladding under the Liquid Sodium Environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jun Hwan; Baek, Jong Hyuk; Kim, Sung Ho; Lee, Chan Bock [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-05-15

    Fuel cladding is a component which confines uranium fuel to transport energy into the coolant as well as protect radioactive species from releasing outside. Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) has been considered as one of the most probable next generation reactors in Korea because it can maximize uranium resource as well as reduce the amount of PWR spent fuel in conjunction with pyroprocessing. Sodium has been selected as the coolant of the SFR because of its superior fast neutron efficiency as well as thermal conductivity, which enables high power core design. However, it is reported that the fuel cladding materials like austenitic and ferritic stainless steel react sodium coolant so that the loss of the thickness, intergranular attack, and carburization or decarburization process may happen to induce the change of the mechanical property of the cladding. This study aimed to evaluate material property of the cladding material under the liquid sodium environment. Ferritic-martensitic steel (FMS) coupon and cladding tube were exposed at the flowing sodium then the microstructural and mechanical property were evaluated. mechanical property of the cladding was evaluated using the ring tension test

  17. Small punch tensile/fracture test data and 3D specimen surface data on Grade 91 ferritic/martensitic steel from cryogenic to room temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruchhausen, Matthias; Lapetite, Jean-Marc; Ripplinger, Stefan; Austin, Tim

    2016-12-01

    Raw data from small punch tensile/fracture tests at two displacement rates in the temperature range from -196 °C to room temperature on Grade 91 ferritic/martensitic steel are presented. A number of specimens were analyzed after testing by means of X-ray computed tomography (CT). Based on the CT volume data detailed 3D surface maps of the specimens were established. All data are open access and available from Online Data Information Network (ODIN)https://odin.jrc.ec.europa.eu. The data presented in the current work has been analyzed in the research article "On the determination of the ductile to brittle transition temperature from small punch tests on Grade 91 ferritic-martensitic steel" (M. Bruchhausen, S. Holmström, J.-M. Lapetite, S. Ripplinger, 2015) [1].

  18. Interfacial properties of HIP joint between beryllium and reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirose, T.; Ogiwara, H.; Enoeda, M.; Akiba, M.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: ITER test blanket module is the most important components to validate energy production and fuel breeding process for future demonstration reactor. Reduced activation ferritic / martensitic steel is recognized as a promising structural material for breeding blanket systems. And Beryllium must be used as plasma facing materials for ITER in vessel components. In this work, interfacial properties of beryllium/reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel (RAF/Ms) joint were investigated for a first wall of ITER test blanket module (TBM). The starting materials were ITER grade Beryllium, S65C and a Japanese RAF/M, F82H. The joint was produced by solid state hot isostatic pressing (HIP) method. Chromium layer with the thickness of 1 μm and 10 μm were formed by plasma vapor deposition on the beryllium surface as a diffusion barrier. The HIP was carried out at 1023 K and 1233 K which are determined by standard normalizing and tempering temperature of F82H. The joint made at 1233 K was followed by tempering at 1033 K. The bonding interface was characterized by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The bonding strength was also investigated by isometric four point bending tests at ambient temperature. EPMA showed chromium layer effectively worked as a diffusion barrier at 1023 K. However, the beryllium rich layer was formed in F82H after HIP at 1233 K followed by tempering. Bending tests revealed that thin chromium layer and low temperature HIP is preferable. The high temperature HIP introduce brittle BeFe inter metallic compounds along bonding interface. On the other hand, joint with thick chromium layer suffer from brittleness of chromium itself. (authors)

  19. Interfacial properties of HIP joint between beryllium and reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirose, T. [Blanket Engineering Group, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka, Ibaraki (Japan); Ogiwara, H. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Enoeda, M. [Naka Fusion Research Establishment, J.A.E.R.I., Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Akiba, M. [Naka Fusion Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka, Ibaraki (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: ITER test blanket module is the most important components to validate energy production and fuel breeding process for future demonstration reactor. Reduced activation ferritic / martensitic steel is recognized as a promising structural material for breeding blanket systems. And Beryllium must be used as plasma facing materials for ITER in vessel components. In this work, interfacial properties of beryllium/reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel (RAF/Ms) joint were investigated for a first wall of ITER test blanket module (TBM). The starting materials were ITER grade Beryllium, S65C and a Japanese RAF/M, F82H. The joint was produced by solid state hot isostatic pressing (HIP) method. Chromium layer with the thickness of 1 {mu}m and 10 {mu}m were formed by plasma vapor deposition on the beryllium surface as a diffusion barrier. The HIP was carried out at 1023 K and 1233 K which are determined by standard normalizing and tempering temperature of F82H. The joint made at 1233 K was followed by tempering at 1033 K. The bonding interface was characterized by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The bonding strength was also investigated by isometric four point bending tests at ambient temperature. EPMA showed chromium layer effectively worked as a diffusion barrier at 1023 K. However, the beryllium rich layer was formed in F82H after HIP at 1233 K followed by tempering. Bending tests revealed that thin chromium layer and low temperature HIP is preferable. The high temperature HIP introduce brittle BeFe inter metallic compounds along bonding interface. On the other hand, joint with thick chromium layer suffer from brittleness of chromium itself. (authors)

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1995-01-01

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

  1. Thermo-mechanical fatigue behavior of reduced activation ferrite/martensite stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petersen, C.; Rodrian, D.

    2002-01-01

    The thermo-mechanical cycling fatigue (TMCF) behavior of reduced activation ferrite/martensite stainless steels is examined. The test rig consists of a stiff load frame, which is directly heated by the digitally controlled ohmic heating device. Cylindrical specimens are used with a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. Variable strain rates are applied at TMCF test mode, due to the constant heating rate of 5.8 K/s and variable temperature changes. TMCF results of as received EUROFER 97 in the temperature range between 100 and 500-600 deg. C show a reduction in life time (a factor of 2) compared to F82H mod. and OPTIFER IV. TMCF-experiments with hold times of 100 and 1000 s show dramatic reduction in life time for all three materials

  2. Nanoindentation study of ferrite–martensite dual phase steels developed by a new thermomechanical processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mazaheri, Yousef, E-mail: y.mazaheri@ma.iut.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan 65178-38695 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kermanpur, Ahmad; Najafizadeh, Abbas [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2015-07-15

    Dual phase (DP) steels consisting different volume fractions of ferrite and martensite and different ferrite grain size were produced by a new route utilizing cold-rolling and subsequent intercritical annealing of ferrite/martensite duplex starting structure at 770 °C for different times. Scanning electron microscopy has been supplemented by nanoindentation and tensile test to follow microstructural changes and their correlations to the variation in phase's hardness and mechanical properties. The results showed that longer holding times resulted in coarser and softer ferrite grains in DP microstructures. Martensite nanohardness variation with holding time is related to change in its carbon content. Mechanical properties such as strength, elongation and toughness are well correlated with the martensite/ferrite hardness ratio.

  3. Creep deformation of high Cr-Mo ferritic/martensitic steels by material softening

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sung Ho; Song, B. J.; Ryu, Woo Seog

    2005-01-01

    High Cr (9-12%Cr) ferritic/martensitic steels represent a valuable alternative to austenitic stainless steel for high temperature applications up to 600 .deg. C both in power and petrochemical plant, as well as good resistance to oxidation and corrosion. Material softening is the main physical phenomenon observed in the crept material. Thermally-induced change (such as particle coarsening or matrix solute depletion) and strain-induced change (such as dynamic subgrain growth) of microstructure degraded the alloy strength. These microstructural changes during a creep test cause the material softening, so the strength of the materials decreased. Many researches have been performed for the microstructural changes during a creep test, but the strength of crept materials has not been measured. In the present work, we measured the yield and tensile strength of crept materials using Indentationtyped Tensile Test System (AIS 2000). Material softening was quantitatively evaluated with a creep test condition, such as temperature and applied stress

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2004-03-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-07-01

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

  6. Impact of Martensite Spatial Distribution on Quasi-Static and Dynamic Deformation Behavior of Dual-Phase Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Manpreet; Das, Anindya; Venugopalan, T.; Mukherjee, Krishnendu; Walunj, Mahesh; Nanda, Tarun; Kumar, B. Ravi

    2018-02-01

    The effects of microstructure parameters of dual-phase steels on tensile high strain dynamic deformation characteristic were examined in this study. Cold-rolled steel sheets were annealed using three different annealing process parameters to obtain three different dual-phase microstructures of varied ferrite and martensite phase fraction. The volume fraction of martensite obtained in two of the steels was near identical ( 19 pct) with a subtle difference in its spatial distribution. In the first microstructure variant, martensite was mostly found to be situated at ferrite grain boundaries and in the second variant, in addition to at grain boundaries, in-grain martensite was also observed. The third microstructure was very different from the above two with respect to martensite volume fraction ( 67 pct) and its morphology. In this case, martensite packets were surrounded by a three-dimensional ferrite network giving an appearance of core and shell type microstructure. All the three steels were tensile deformed at strain rates ranging from 2.7 × 10-4 (quasi-static) to 650 s-1 (dynamic range). Field-emission scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the starting as well as post-tensile deformed microstructures. Dual-phase steel consisting of small martensite volume fraction ( 19 pct), irrespective of its spatial distribution, demonstrated high strain rate sensitivity and on the other hand, steel with large martensite volume fraction ( 67 pct) displayed a very little strain rate sensitivity. Interestingly, total elongation was found to increase with increasing strain rate in the dynamic regime for steel with core-shell type of microstructure containing large martensite volume fraction. The observed enhancement in plasticity in dynamic regime was attributed to adiabatic heating of specimen. To understand the evolving damage mechanism, the fracture surface and the vicinity of fracture ends were studied in all the three dual-phase steels.

  7. Resistance spot weldability of 11Cr–ferritic/martensitic steel sheets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Yano, Yasuhide; Ito, Masahiro

    2012-01-01

    Resistance spot welding of 11Cr–0.4Mo–2W, V, Nb ferritic/martensitic steel sheets with different thicknesses was examined to develop a manufacturing technology for a fast reactor fuel subassembly with an inner duct structure. In the spot welding, welding current, electrode force, welding time and holding time were varied as welding parameters to investigate the appropriate welding conditions. Welding conditions under which spot weld joints did not have either crack or void defects in the nugget could be found when the electrode force was increased to 9.8 kN. It was also found that the electrode cap with a longer tip end length was effective for preventing weld defect formations. Strength of the spot welded joint was characterized from micro hardness and shear tension tests. In addition, the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of the spot welded joint was measured by Charpy impact tests with specimens that had notches in the welded zone.

  8. Microstructural Variations Across a Dissimilar 316L Austenitic: 9Cr Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Steel Weld Joint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas Paul, V.; Karthikeyan, T.; Dasgupta, Arup; Sudha, C.; Hajra, R. N.; Albert, S. K.; Saroja, S.; Jayakumar, T.

    2016-03-01

    This paper discuss the microstructural variations across a dissimilar weld joint between SS316 and 9Cr-RAFM steel and its modifications on post weld heat treatments (PWHT). Detailed characterization showed a mixed microstructure of austenite and martensite in the weld which is in agreement with the phases predicted using Schaeffler diagram based on composition measurements. The presence of very low volume fraction of δ-ferrite in SS316L has been identified employing state of the art electron back-scattered diffraction technique. PWHT of the ferritic steel did not reduce the hardness in the weld metal. Thermal exposure at 973 K (700 °C) showed a progressive reduction in hardness of weld joint with duration of treatment except in austenitic base metal. However, diffusion annealing at 1073 K (800 °C) for 100 hours resulted in an unexpected increase in hardness of weld metal, which is a manifestation of the dilution effects and enrichment of Ni on the transformation characteristics of the weld zone. Migration of carbon from ferritic steel aided the precipitation of fine carbides in the austenitic base metal on annealing at 973 K (700 °C); but enhanced diffusion at 1073 K (880 °C) resulted in coarsening of carbides and thereby reduction of hardness.

  9. Thermal and mechanical behaviour of the reduced-activation-ferritic-martensitic steel EUROFER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindau, R.; Moeslang, A.; Schirra, M.

    2002-01-01

    Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are being considered for structural application in potential fusion energy systems. Based on the substantial experience with RAFM developmental steels of OPTIFER type, an industrial 3.5 tons batch of a 9CrWVTa-RAFM steel, called EUROFER 97 had been specified and ordered. A characterisation programme has been launched to determine the relevant mechanical and physical-metallurgical properties in order to qualify the steel for fusion application. The hardening, tempering and transformation behaviour of EUROFER is in good agreement with that of other RAFM-steels like OPTIFER and the Japanese industrial scale heat F82H mod. Tensile tests, performed between RT and 750 deg. C, show comparable strength and ductility values that are not strongly affected by different heat treatments and ageing at 580 and 600 deg. C up to 3300 h. Impact bending tests indicate a superior ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of EUROFER in the as-received condition compared with that of F82H mod. Creep tests between 450 and 650 deg. C up to test times of 15000 h reveal a creep strength similar to other RAFM steels like OPTIFER and F82H mod. EUROFER shows a good low-cycle fatigue behaviour with longer lifetimes than F82H mod. The deformation and softening behaviour is similar

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

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Zhenbo

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2011-01-01

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

  12. Technical issues of fabrication technologies of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Sakasegawa, Hideo; Hirose, Takanori

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The key technical issues of RAFM steel fabrication are the control of Ta, and deoxidation of the steel with a limited amount of Al addition. • Addition of Ta with poor deoxidation might results in the agglomeration of inclusions at 1/2t position. • ESR was proved to be effective removing Ta oxide inclusions and avoiding agglomeration of inclusions at 1/2t position, and achieving low oxygen concentration. -- Abstract: The key issue for DEMO application is that Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels fabrication technologies has to be highly assured, especially with respect to high availability, reliability and reduced activation capability on the DEMO level fabrication, which requires not a few tons but thousand tons RAFM fabrication. One of the key technical issues of RAFM fabrication is the control of Ta, and deoxidation of the steel with a limited amount of Al addition. The series of F82H (Fe–8Cr–2W–V, Ta) melting revealed that Ta have tendency to form oxide on melting process, and this will have large impact on reliability of the steels. Al is also the key elements, as it is commonly used for deoxidation of steels, and achieving lower oxygen level is essential to obtain good mechanical properties, but the maximum concentration of Al is limited in view of reduced activation capability. These tendency and limitation resulted in the Ta oxide agglomeration in the middle of plate, but the remelting process, ESR (electro slag remelting), was found to be successful on removing those Ta oxides

  13. Development of Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic Steels and fabrication technologies for Indian test blanket module

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raj, Baldev [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); Jayakumar, T., E-mail: tjk@igcar.gov.in [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India)

    2011-10-01

    For the development of Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic Steel (RAFMS), for the Indian Test Blanket Module for ITER, a 3-phase programme has been adopted. The first phase consists of melting and detailed characterization of a laboratory scale heat conforming to Eurofer 97 composition, to demonstrate the capability of the Indian industry for producing fusion grade steel. In the second phase which is currently in progress, the chemical composition will be optimized with respect to tungsten and tantalum for better combination of mechanical properties. Characterization of the optimized commercial scale India-specific RAFM steel will be carried out in the third phase. The first phase of the programme has been successfully completed and the tensile, impact and creep properties are comparable with Eurofer 97. Laser and electron beam welding parameters have been optimized and welding consumables were developed for Narrow Gap - Gas Tungsten Arc welding and for laser-hybrid welding.

  14. A study on fatigue crack growth in dual phase martensitic steel in air

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Dual phase (DP) steel was intercritically annealed at different temperatures from fully martensitic state to achieve martensite plus ferrite, microstructures with martensite contents in the range of 32 to 76%. Fatigue crack growth (FCG) and fracture toughness tests were carried out as per ASTM standards E 647 and E 399, ...

  15. The influence of martensite, bainite and ferrite on the as-quenched constitutive response of simultaneously quenched and deformed boron steel – Experiments and model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bardelcik, Alexander; Worswick, Michael J.; Wells, Mary A.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Gleeble tests were conducted to quench and simultaneously deform boron steel. • Different as-quenched vol. fractions of martensite, bainite and ferrite were observed. • Low to int. strain rate tensile tests were conducted on the as-quenched materials. • The presence of ferrite improved the uniform elongation, hardening rate and toughness. • A rate sensitive const. model was developed for varying vol fract. mart/bain/ferrite. - Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between as-formed microstructure and mechanical properties of a hot stamped boron steel used in automotive structural applications. Boron steel sheet metal blanks were austenized and quenched at cooling rates of 30 °C/s, 15 °C/s and 10 °C/s within a Gleeble thermal–mechanical simulator. For each cooling rate condition, the blanks were simultaneously deformed at temperatures of 600 °C and 800 °C. A strain of approximately 0.20 was imposed in the middle of the blanks, from which miniature tensile specimens were extracted. Depending on the cooling rate and deformation temperature imposed on the specimens, some of the as-quenched microstructures consisted of predominantly martensite and bainite, while others consisted of martensite, bainite and ferrite. Optical and SEM metallographraphic techniques were used to quantify the area fractions of the phases present and quasi-static (0.003 s −1 ) uniaxial tests were conducted on the miniature tensile specimens. The results revealed that an area fraction of ferrite greater than 6% led to an increased uniform elongation and an increase in n-value without affecting the strength of the material for equivalent hardness levels. This finding resulted in improved energy absorption due to the presence of ferrite and showed that a material with a predominantly bainitic microstructure containing 16% ferrite (with 257 HV) resulted in a 28% increase in energy absorption when compared to a material condition that was fully bainitic with

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2017-02-08

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

  17. MARTENSITIC CREEP RESISTANT STEEL STRENGTHENED BY Z-PHASE

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2008-01-01

    The present invention relates to steel alloys having a martensitic or martensitic- ferritic structure and comprising Z-phase (CrXN) particles, where X is one or more of the elements V, Nb, Ta, and where the Z-phase particles have an average size of less than 400 nm. The alloy comprises by wt...... % the following components: 9 to 15% Cr, 0.01-0.20% N, C in an amount less than 0.1%, one or more of: 0.01- 0.5%V,0.01-1%Nb, 0.01-2%Ta, and a balance being substantially iron and inevitable impurities. The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such a steel alloy, a component comprising...... such a steel alloy, and to the use of such a steel alloy for high temperature components....

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2010-07-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2005-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2012-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2012-12-15

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2012-01-01

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

  3. Morphology and distribution of martensite in dual phase (DP980) steel and its relation to the multiscale mechanical behavior

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Fan, E-mail: fan.zhang@wsu.edu [School of Mechanical and Material Eng., Washington State University (United States); Ruimi, Annie [Department of Mechanical Eng., Texas A& M University at Qatar, Doha (Qatar); Wo, Pui Ching; Field, David P. [School of Mechanical and Material Eng., Washington State University (United States)

    2016-04-06

    Among generations of advanced high-strength steel alloys, dual-phase steels exhibit a unique combination of strength and formability making them excellent candidates for use in the automotive industry. In this study, we seek to establish a relation between mechanical properties and microstructure of DP980. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)and nanoindentation are used to identify and characterize martensite and ferrite phases. Spatial distributions of martensite and ferrite phases of subjected to various annealing treatments are found using a 2-point correlation function. Micro- and macro-mechanical properties are measured with nanoindentation, Vickers hardness and tensile tests and the results are used to determine the relation between martensite and ferrite phases and the strength of the metal. During the annealing/recovery process, the strength of the martensite phase decreases, the dislocation structure relaxes in the phase boundary region of the ferrite, and the martensite alignment along the rolling direction decreases resulting in the observed metal strength reduction. It is also shown that the higher the annealing temperature, the more homogeneous and equiaxed the distribution of martensite.

  4. Morphology and distribution of martensite in dual phase (DP980) steel and its relation to the multiscale mechanical behavior

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Fan; Ruimi, Annie; Wo, Pui Ching; Field, David P.

    2016-01-01

    Among generations of advanced high-strength steel alloys, dual-phase steels exhibit a unique combination of strength and formability making them excellent candidates for use in the automotive industry. In this study, we seek to establish a relation between mechanical properties and microstructure of DP980. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)and nanoindentation are used to identify and characterize martensite and ferrite phases. Spatial distributions of martensite and ferrite phases of subjected to various annealing treatments are found using a 2-point correlation function. Micro- and macro-mechanical properties are measured with nanoindentation, Vickers hardness and tensile tests and the results are used to determine the relation between martensite and ferrite phases and the strength of the metal. During the annealing/recovery process, the strength of the martensite phase decreases, the dislocation structure relaxes in the phase boundary region of the ferrite, and the martensite alignment along the rolling direction decreases resulting in the observed metal strength reduction. It is also shown that the higher the annealing temperature, the more homogeneous and equiaxed the distribution of martensite.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2002-01-01

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

  6. Creep resistant, precipitation-dispersion-strengthened, martensitic stainless steel and method thereof

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, R.F.

    1994-05-10

    An iron-based, corrosion-resistant, precipitation strengthened, martensitic steel essentially free of delta ferrite for use at high temperatures has a nominal composition of 0.05--0.1 C, 8--12 Cr, 1--5 Co, 0.5--2.0 Ni, 0.41--1.0 Mo, 0.1--0.5 Ti, and the balance iron. This steel is different from other corrosion-resistant martensitic steels because its microstructure consists of a uniform dispersion of fine particles, which are very closely spaced, and which do not coarsen at high temperatures. Thus at high temperatures this steel combines the excellent creep strength of dispersion-strengthened steels, with the ease of fabricability afforded by precipitation hardenable steels. 2 figures.

  7. Creep resistant, precipitation-dispersion-strengthened, martensitic stainless steel and method thereof

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, Robert F.

    1994-01-01

    An iron-based, corrosion-resistant, precipitation strengthened, martensitic steel essentially free of delta ferrite for use at high temperatures has a nominal composition of 0.05-0.1 C, 8-12 Cr, 1-5 Co, 0.5-2.0 Ni, 0.41-1.0 Mo, 0.1-0.5 Ti, and the balance iron. This steel is different from other corrosion-resistant martensitic steels because its microstructure consists of a uniform dispersion of fine particles, which are very closely spaced, and which do not coarsen at high temperatures. Thus at high temperatures this steel combines the excellent creep strength of dispersion-strengthened steels, with the ease of fabricability afforded by precipitation hardenable steels.

  8. Assessment of martensitic steels as structural materials in magnetic fusion devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rawls, J.M.; Chen, W.Y.K.; Cheng, E.T.; Dalessandro, J.A.; Miller, P.H.; Rosenwasser, S.N.; Thompson, L.D.

    1980-01-01

    This manuscript documents the results of preliminary experiments and analyses to assess the feasibility of incorporating ferromagnetic martensitic steels in fusion reactor designs and to evaluate the possible advantages of this class of material with respect to first wall/blanket lifetime. The general class of alloys under consideration are ferritic steels containing from about 9 to 13 percent Cr with some small additions of various strengthening elements such as Mo. These steels are conventionally used in the normalized and tempered condition for high temperature applications and can compete favorably with austenitic alloys up to about 600 0 C. Although the heat treatment can result in either a tempered martensite or bainite structure, depending on the alloy and thermal treatment parameters, this general class of materials will be referred to as martensitic stainless steels for simplicity

  9. Crystallographic features of lath martensite in low-carbon steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitahara, Hiromoto; Ueji, Rintaro; Tsuji, Nobuhiro; Minamino, Yoritoshi

    2006-01-01

    Electron backscattering diffraction with field-emission scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze crystallographically the lath martensite structure in a 0.20% carbon steel. The crystallographic features of the lath martensite structure, of the order of the prior austenite grain size or larger, were clarified. Although the orientations of the martensite crystals were scattered around the ideal variant orientations, the martensite in this steel maintained the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) orientation relationship. The procedures of the crystallographic analysis of the martensite (ferrite) phase with the K-S orientation relationship were explained in detail. Variant analysis showed that all 24 possible variants did not necessarily appear within a single prior austenite grain and that all six variants did not necessarily appear within each packet. Specific combinations of two variants appeared within local regions (sub-blocks), indicating a strict rule for variant selection. Prior austenite grain boundaries and most of the packet boundaries were clearly recognized. However, it was difficult to determine the block boundaries within the sub-blocks

  10. Reliability/unreliability of mixture rule in a low alloy ferrite–martensite dual phase steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fereiduni, E.; Ghasemi Banadkouki, S.S.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •The ferrite hardening response is quite variable in DP microstructures. •Martensite microhardness has not shown a specific manner in DP microstructures. •There is a major difference between experimental and calculated hardness values. •Mixture rule can be applied to predict the hardness if using some assumptions. -- Abstract: The aim of this paper is to investigate in details the relationship between the volume fractions of ferrite and martensite with the variation of hardness in a low alloy ferrite–martensite dual phase (DP) steel. For this purpose, a wide variety of ferrite–martensite DP samples consisting different volume fractions of ferrite and martensite have been developed using step quenching heat treatment cycle involving reheating at 860 °C for 60 min, soaking at 600 °C salt bath for various holding times followed by 70 °C hot oil quenching. Optical microscopy has been supplemented by electron microscopy and hardness measurements to follow microstructural changes and their relation to the variation in hardness. The results showed that there is a non-linear relationship between the hardness of DP samples with the volume fraction of phase constituents indicating that the mixture rule is not reliable in the ferrite–martensite DP microstructures. The unreliability of mixture rule is related to the variation of ferrite and martensite hardening responses developed in the DP samples. The DP microstructure consisting 6–7% volume fraction of continuous grain boundary ferrite in the vicinity of martensite has been associated with a remarkable higher hardness for both ferrite and martensite in comparison with the other DP microstructures. The higher martensite hardness is due to the higher carbon content of the remaining metastable austenite developed in the ferrite–austenite two phase field area, leading to the harder martensite formation on the subsequent 70 °C hot oil quenching. The harder ferrite grains have been developed as a

  11. Martensite phase stress and the strengthening mechanism in TRIP steel by neutron diffraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harjo, Stefanus; Tsuchida, Noriyuki; Abe, Jun; Gong, Wu

    2017-11-09

    Two TRIP-aided multiphase steels with different carbon contents (0.2 and 0.4 mass%) were analyzed in situ during tensile deformation by time-of-flight neutron diffraction to clarify the deformation induced martensitic transformation behavior and its role on the strengthening mechanism. The difference in the carbon content affected mainly the difference in the phase fractions before deformation, where the higher carbon content increased the phase fraction of retained austenite (γ). However, the changes in the relative fraction of martensitic transformation with respect to the applied strain were found to be similar in both steels since the carbon concentrations in γ were similar regardless of different carbon contents. The phase stress of martensite was found much larger than that of γ or bainitic ferrite since the martensite was generated at the beginning of plastic deformation. Stress contributions to the flow stress were evaluated by multiplying the phase stresses and their phase fractions. The stress contribution from martensite was observed increasing during plastic deformation while that from bainitic ferrite hardly changing and that from γ decreasing.

  12. Investigation on the Enhanced Oxidation of Ferritic/Martensitic Steel P92 in Pure Steam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juntao Yuan

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Oxidation of ferritic/martensitic steel P92 was investigated in pure oxygen and in pure steam at 600–800 °C by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, optical microscopy (OM, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The results showed that the oxidation of P92 was significantly enhanced and multilayer scale with an outer iron oxides layer formed in pure steam. At 700 °C, the gas switch markedly influenced the scaling kinetics and scale microstructure. It was supposed that the higher affinity of iron to steam would be attributed to the enhanced oxidation of P92 in pure steam, and the much easier transport of hydroxyl would account for the significant difference induced by gas switch.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida Macedo, W.A. de.

    1983-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida Macedo, W.A. de.

    1983-01-01

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

  15. Fracture toughness of the IEA heat of F82H ferritic/martensitic stainless steel as a function of loading mode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Huaxin; Gelles, D.S. [Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States); Hirth, J.P. [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)] [and others

    1997-04-01

    Mode I and mixed-mode I/III fracture toughness tests were performed for the IEA heat of the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic stainless steel F82H at ambient temperature in order to provide comparison with previous measurements on a small heat given a different heat treatment. The results showed that heat to heat variations and heat treatment had negligible consequences on Mode I fracture toughness, but behavior during mixed-mode testing showed unexpected instabilities.

  16. Microstructural characterization of weld joints of 9Cr reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel fabricated by different joining methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas Paul, V.; Saroja, S.; Albert, S.K.; Jayakumar, T.; Rajendra Kumar, E., E-mail: vtp@igcar.gov.in

    2014-10-15

    This paper presents a detailed electron microscopy study on the microstructure of various regions of weldment fabricated by three welding methods namely tungsten inert gas welding, electron beam welding and laser beam welding in an indigenously developed 9Cr reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel. Electron back scatter diffraction studies showed a random micro-texture in all the three welds. Microstructural changes during thermal exposures were studied and corroborated with hardness and optimized conditions for the post weld heat treatment have been identified for this steel. Hollomon–Jaffe parameter has been used to estimate the extent of tempering. The activation energy for the tempering process has been evaluated and found to be corresponding to interstitial diffusion of carbon in ferrite matrix. The type and microchemistry of secondary phases in different regions of the weldment have been identified by analytical transmission electron microscopy. - Highlights: • Comparison of microstructural parameters in TIG, electron beam and laser welds of RAFM steel • EBSD studies to illustrate the absence of preferred orientation and identification of prior austenite grain size using phase identification map • Optimization of PWHT conditions for indigenous RAFM steel • Study of kinetics of tempering and estimation of apparent activation energy of the process.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2003-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1998-01-01

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

  19. Influence of quantity of non-martensite products of transformation on resistance to fracture of improving structural steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gulyaev, A.P.; Golovanenko, Yu.S.; Zikeev, V.N.

    1978-01-01

    18KhNMFA, low-carbon, alloyed steel and 42KhMFA medium-carbon, alloyed steel have been examined. For the purpose of obtaining different structures in hardening the steel, different cooling rates, different temperatures and isothermal holding times are applied. The following has been shown: on tempering to the same hardness (HV 300), the presence of non-martensite structures in hardened state does not practically influence the standard mechanical properties of steel (sigmasub(B), sigmasub(0.2), delta, PSI). The resistance of steel to the brittle failure is enhanced by the uniform, fine-disperse distribution of the carbide phase in the structure of lower bainite (up to 80 % bainite in martensite for 42KhMF steel to be improved), as well as strongly fragmented packages of rack martensite-bainite (up to 50 % lower bainite in martensite of 18KhNMFA steel). The formation of the upper bainite in the structure of the hardened steels 18KhNMFA and 42KhMF results on tempering in the formation of coarse, non-uniform, branched carbide inclusions, and this, in its turn, leads to raising the cold-shortness threshold and to lowering the amount of work as required for propagation of a crack. The presence of ferritic-pearlitic structures in the structural steels hardened to martensite and bainite results in reducing the resistance of steel to the brittle failure; the presence of every 10 % ferritic-pearlitic component in martensite of the structural steels 18KhNMFA and 42KhMFA to be thermally improved, raises T 50 by 8 deg and 20 deg C, respectively

  20. Micromechanical analysis of martensite distribution on strain localization in dual phase steels by scanning electron microscopy and crystal plasticity simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jafari, M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ziaei-Rad, S., E-mail: szrad@cc.iut.ac.ir [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Saeidi, N. [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Jamshidian, M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-07-18

    The morphology and distribution of the dispersed martensite islands in the ferrite matrix plays a key role in the formation of shear bands in dual phase steels. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the martensite dispersion and the strain localization regions due to the formation of shear bands in fine-grained DP 780 steel, employing experimental observations as well as numerical simulations. SEM studies of the deformed microstructure showed that voids nucleated at ferrite-martensite interface within larger ferrite grains and regions with low local martensite fraction. The experimental results were precisely analyzed by finite element simulations based on the theory of crystal plasticity. A parametric study was then performed to obtain a deeper insight in to the effect of martensite dispersion on the strain localization of the neighboring ferrite. Crystal plasticity simulation results revealed that in a more regular structure compared to a random structure, a greater region of the ferrite phase contributes to accommodate plasticity. In addition, these regions limit the formation of main shear bands by creating barriers against stress concentration regions, results in lower growth and interaction of stress concentration regions with each others.

  1. Production and qualification for fusion applications, a steel of low activity ferritic-martensitic ASTURFER; Produccion y cualificacion, para aplicaciones de fusion, de un acero de baja actividad ferritico-martensitico, ASTURFER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moran, A.; Belzunce, J.; Artimez, J. M.

    2011-07-01

    This article details the work carried out in the design and development pilot plant scale of a steel ferritic-martensitic of reduced activity, Asturfer, with a chemical composition and metallurgical properties similar to steel Eurofer. We describe the different stages of steel production and the results of the characterizations made in the context of an extensive test program.

  2. Corrosion resistance improvement of ferritic steels through hydrogen additions to the BWR coolant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, B.M.; Jewett, C.W.; Pickett, A.E.; Indig, M.E.

    1984-01-01

    Motivated by the success of oxygen suppression for mitigation of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) in weld sensitized austenitic materials used in Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), oxygen suppression, through hydrogen additions to the feedwater was investigated to determine its affect on the corrosion resistance of ferritic and martensitic BWR structural materials. The results of these investigations are presented in this paper, where particular emphasis is placed on the corrosion performance of BWR pressure vessel low alloy steels, carbon steel piping materials and martensitic pump materials. It is important to note that the corrosion resistance of these materials in the BWR environment is excellent. Consequently this investigation was also motivated to determine whether there were any detrimental effects of hydrogen additions, as well as to identify any additional margin in ferritic/martensitic materials corrosion performance

  3. Structure and creep of Russian reactor steels with a BCC structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sagaradze, V. V.; Kochetkova, T. N.; Kataeva, N. V.; Kozlov, K. A.; Zavalishin, V. A.; Vil'danova, N. F.; Ageev, V. S.; Leont'eva-Smirnova, M. V.; Nikitina, A. A.

    2017-05-01

    The structural phase transformations have been revealed and the characteristics of the creep and long-term strength at 650, 670, and 700°C and 60-140 MPa have been determined in six Russian reactor steels with a bcc structure after quenching and high-temperature tempering. Creep tests were carried out using specially designed longitudinal and transverse microsamples, which were fabricated from the shells of the fuel elements used in the BN-600 fast neutron reactor. It has been found that the creep rate of the reactor bcc steels is determined by the stability of the lath martensitic and ferritic structures in relation to the diffusion processes of recovery and recrystallization. The highest-temperature oxide-free steel contains the maximum amount of the refractory elements and carbides. The steel strengthened by the thermally stable Y-Ti nanooxides has a record high-temperature strength. The creep rate at 700°C and 100 MPa in the samples of this steel is lower by an order of magnitude and the time to fracture is 100 times greater than that in the oxide-free reactor steels.

  4. Microstructure anisotropy and its effect on mechanical properties of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel fabricated by selective laser melting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Bo; Zhai, Yutao; Liu, Shaojun; Mao, Xiaodong

    2018-03-01

    Selective laser melting (SLM) is a promising way for the fabrication of complex reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel components. The microstructure of the SLM built China low activation martensitic (CLAM) steel plates was observed and analyzed. The hardness, Charpy impact and tensile testing of the specimens in different orientations were performed at room temperature. The results showed that the difference in the mechanical properties was related to the anisotropy in microstructure. The planer unmelted porosity in the interface of the adjacent layers induced opening/tensile mode when the tensile samples parallel to the build direction were tested whereas the samples vertical to the build direction fractured in the shear mode with the grains being sheared in a slant angle. Moreover, the impact absorbed energy (IAE) of all impact specimens was significantly lower than that of the wrought CLAM steel, and the IAE of the samples vertical to the build direction was higher than that of the samples parallel to the build direction. The impact fracture surfaces revealed that the load parallel to the build layers caused laminated tearing among the layers, and the load vertical to the layers induced intergranular fracture across the layers.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunne, D.P.

    1999-01-01

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

  6. Metallurgical characterization of the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel Eurofer'97 on as-received condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, P.; Lancha, A.M.; Lapena, J.; Hernandez-Mayoral, M.

    2001-01-01

    A new European reduced activation ferrous alloy (denominated Eurofer'97) developed as possible first wall and breeder blanket structural material for fusion applications is being characterized. In this paper, activities specially focussed to investigate the microstructural and mechanical properties of this material on the as-received state (normalized at 980 degree sign C/27' plus tempered at 760 degree sign C/90'/air cooled) are presented. Chemical analyses, a detailed microstructural study, hardness, tensile and Charpy tests have been carried out and are compared to the reduced activation material F-82H modified previously studied. The results show that the Eurofer'97 is a fully martensitic steel free of δ-ferrite with similar tensile and better impact properties than the F-82H modified steel. Two types of carbides have been observed in the Eurofer'97, namely, Cr rich precipitates and Ta/V rich precipitates, tentatively identified as M 23 C 6 type and (Ta,V)C type, respectively

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1986-01-01

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

  8. Precipitation behavior and martensite lath coarsening during tempering of T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Lin-qing; Zhang, Dan-tian; Liu, Yong-chang; Ning, Bao-qun; Qiao, Zhi-xia; Yan, Ze-sheng; Li, Hui-jun

    2014-05-01

    Tempering is an important process for T/P92 ferritic heat-resistant steel from the viewpoint of microstructure control, as it facilitates the formation of final tempered martensite under serving conditions. In this study, we have gained deeper insights on the mechanism underlying the microstructural evolution during tempering treatment, including the precipitation of carbides and the coarsening of martensite laths, as systematically analyzed by optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The chemical composition of the precipitates was analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results indicate the formation of M3C (cementite) precipitates under normalized conditions. However, they tend to dissolve within a short time of tempering, owing to their low thermal stability. This phenomenon was substantiated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Besides, we could observe the precipitation of fine carbonitrides (MX) along the dislocations. The mechanism of carbon diffusion controlled growth of M23C6 can be expressed by the Zener's equation. The movement of Y-junctions was determined to be the fundamental mechanism underlying the martensite lath coarsening process. Vickers hardness was estimated to determine their mechanical properties. Based on the comprehensive analysis of both the micro-structural evolution and hardness variation, the process of tempering can be separated into three steps.

  9. Influence of strain rate and temperature on tensile properties and flow behaviour of a reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vanaja, J., E-mail: jvanaja4@gmail.com [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); Laha, K. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); Sam, Shiju [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (India); Nandagopal, M.; Panneer Selvi, S.; Mathew, M.D.; Jayakumar, T. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); Rajendra Kumar, E. [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (India)

    2012-05-15

    Tensile strength and flow behaviour of a Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) steel (9Cr-1W-0.06Ta-0.22V-0.08C) have been investigated over a temperature range of 300-873 K at different strain rates. Tensile strength of the steel decreased with temperature and increased with strain rate except at intermediate temperatures. Negative strain rate sensitivity of flow stress of the steel at intermediate temperatures revealed the occurrence of dynamic strain ageing in the steel, even though no serrated flow was observed. The tensile flow behaviour of the material was well represented by the Voce strain hardening equation for all the test conditions. Temperature and strain rate dependence of the various parameters of Voce equation were interpreted with the possible deformation mechanisms. The equivalence between the saturation stress at a given strain rate in tensile test and steady state deformation rate at a given stress in creep test was found to be satisfied by the RAFM steel.

  10. Influence of strain rate and temperature on tensile properties and flow behaviour of a reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanaja, J.; Laha, K.; Sam, Shiju; Nandagopal, M.; Panneer Selvi, S.; Mathew, M. D.; Jayakumar, T.; Rajendra Kumar, E.

    2012-05-01

    Tensile strength and flow behaviour of a Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) steel (9Cr-1W-0.06Ta-0.22V-0.08C) have been investigated over a temperature range of 300-873 K at different strain rates. Tensile strength of the steel decreased with temperature and increased with strain rate except at intermediate temperatures. Negative strain rate sensitivity of flow stress of the steel at intermediate temperatures revealed the occurrence of dynamic strain ageing in the steel, even though no serrated flow was observed. The tensile flow behaviour of the material was well represented by the Voce strain hardening equation for all the test conditions. Temperature and strain rate dependence of the various parameters of Voce equation were interpreted with the possible deformation mechanisms. The equivalence between the saturation stress at a given strain rate in tensile test and steady state deformation rate at a given stress in creep test was found to be satisfied by the RAFM steel.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2000-07-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2000-01-01

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

  13. Mechanical characterization of a reduced activation 9 Cr ferritic/martensitic steel of spanish production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, D.; Serrano, M.

    2012-01-01

    This paper shows the first results concerning the characterization of two heats of a reduced activation 9 Cr ferritic/martensitic steel (RAFM) made in Spain, called AF1B and AF2A. The results of this characterization are compared with their European counterparts, EUROFER97-2, which was chosen as reference material. All activities described were performed in the Structural Materials Unit of CIEMAT, within the national project TECNO-FUS CONSOLIDER INGENIO.The two Spanish heats have the same production process and heat treatment. Both heats have a similar tensile behaviour similar to EUROFER97-2, but on the other hand impact properties are lower. The microstructure of AF1B reveals large biphasic inclusions that affecting its mechanical properties, especially the impact properties. AF2A casting was free of these inclusions. (Author) 24 refs.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2010-07-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2007-01-01

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

  16. Deformation Induced Martensitic Transformation and Its Initial Microstructure Dependence in a High Alloyed Duplex Stainless Steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xie, Lin; Huang, Tian Lin; Wang, Yu Hui

    2017-01-01

    Deformation induced martensitic transformation (DIMT) usually occurs in metastable austenitic stainless steels. Recent studies have shown that DIMT may occur in the austenite phase of low alloyed duplex stainless steels. The present study demonstrates that DIMT can also take place in a high alloyed...... Fe–23Cr–8.5Ni duplex stainless steel, which exhibits an unexpectedly rapid transformation from γ-austenite into α′-martensite. However, an inhibited martensitic transformation has been observed by varying the initial microstructure from a coarse alternating austenite and ferrite band structure...

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2017-07-01

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

  18. R and D status of China low activation martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Qunying; Li Chunjing; Li Yanfen; Liu Shaojun; Wu Yican; Li Jiangang; Shan Yiyin; Yu Jinnan; Zhu Shengyun; Zhang Pinyuan; Yang Jianfeng; Han Fusheng; Kong Mingguang; Li Heqin; Muroga, T.; Nagasaka, T.

    2007-01-01

    The Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steel is considered as the primary candidate structural material for DEMO and the first fusion plant, and widely studied in the world. China low activation martensitic steel (CLAM) is being developed in Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under wide collaboration with many other domestic and foreign institutes and universities. This paper summarized the main R and D progress on CLAM, which covered composition optimization of the CLAM, smelting and processing techniques, physical and mechanical property test and evaluation before and after irradiation, compatibility with liquid LiPb, welding techniques etc. Finally, further research and development, and the prospects on its application were stated. (authors)

  19. Development of filler wires for welding of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel for India's test blanket module of ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srinivasan, G.; Arivazhagan, B.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.

    2010-01-01

    Indigenous development of reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel has become necessary for India as a participant in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme. Optimisation of RAFM steel is in an advanced stage for the fabrication of test blanket module (TBM) components. Simultaneously, development of RAFM steel filler wires has been undertaken since there is no commercial filler wires are available for fabrication of components using RAFM steel. The purpose of this study is to develop filler wires that can be directly used for both gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and for narrow-gap gas tungsten arc welding (NG-GTAW) that reduces the deposited weld metal volume and heat affected zone (HAZ) width. Further, the filler wires would also be used for hybrid laser-MIG welding for thick section joints. In view of meeting all the requirements, a detailed specification was prepared for the development of filler wires for welding of RAFM steel. Meanwhile, welding trials have been carried out on 2.5 mm thick plates of the RAFM steel using GTAW process at various heat inputs with a preheat temperature of 250 C followed by various post weld heat treatments (PWHT). The microstructure of the weld metal in most of the cases showed the presence of some amount of delta-ferrite. Filler wires as per specifications have also been developed with minor variations on the chemistry against the specified values. Welding parameters and PWHT parameters were optimized to qualify the filler wires without the presence of delta-ferrite in the weld metal and with optimized mechanical properties. Results showed that the weld metals are free from delta-ferrite. Tensile properties at ambient temperature and at 500 C are well above the specified values, and are much higher than the base metal values. Ductile Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT) has been evaluated as -81 C based on the 68 J criteria. The present study highlights the basis and methodology

  20. Design of aging-resitant martensitic stainless steels for pressurized water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cozar, R.; Meyzaud, Y.

    1983-06-01

    With the exception of AISI 403 or 410 grades, the use of high strength martensitic stainless steels in PWR is poorly developped because these materials, like ferritic stainless steels, become embrittled by the precitation of a b.c.c. chromium-rich phase during aging at the operating temperature (290 to 350 0 C). The influence of alloying elements and microstructure on the aging behavior of forged low-carbon martensitic stainless steels containing 12 to 16% Cr, 0 to 2% Mo and 0 to 8% Ni was determined during accelerated aging at 450 0 C. Quantitative relationships were derived between the maximum increase in hardness, the maximum shift in CVN transition temperature and the chemical composition (Cr, Mo, C) and microstructure

  1. A study on influence of heat input variation on microstructure of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel weld metal produced by GTAW process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arivazhagan, B.; Srinivasan, G.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.

    2011-01-01

    Reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel is a major structural material for test blanket module (TBM) to be incorporated in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme to study the breeding of tritium in fusion reactors. This material has been mainly developed to achieve significant reduction in the induced radioactivity from the structural material used. Fabrication of TBM involves extensive welding, and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process is one of the welding processes being considered for this purpose. In the present work, the effect of heat input on microstructure of indigenously developed RAFM steel weld metal produced by GTAW process has been studied. Autogenous bead-on-plate welding, autogenous butt-welding, butt-welding with filler wire addition, and pulsed welding on RAFMS have been carried out using GTAW process respectively. The weld metal is found to contain δ-ferrite and its volume fraction increased with increase in heat input. This fact suggests that δ-ferrite content in the weld metal is influenced by the cooling rate during welding. It was also observed that the hardness of the weld metal decreased with increase in δ-ferrite content. This paper highlights the effect of heat input and PWHT duration on microstructure and hardness of welds.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-01-15

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

  3. Extraction residue analysis on F82H-BA07 heat and other reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagasaka, Takuya; Hishinuma, Yoshimitsu; Muroga, Takeo; Li, Yanfen; Watanabe, Hideo; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Sakasegawa, Hideo; Ando, Masami

    2011-01-01

    Extraction residue analysis was conducted on reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels, such as F82H-BA07 heat, F82H-IEA heat, JLF-1 JOYO heat and CLAM steel. M 23 C 6 type precipitates, TaC precipitates and Fe 2 W Laves phase were identified in the present analyses. M 23 C 6 precipitates were coarsened in F82H-BA07 compared with the other steels at as-normalized and tempered (NT) condition. TaC precipitate formation was enhanced in JLF-1 and CLAM compared with F82H-BA07 and F82H-IEA at as-NT condition. Laves phase were detected in F82H-IEA after aging above 550 o C, where solid solution W was significantly decreased. F82H-IEA exhibited hardening after aging at 400 and 500 o C for 100 khr, whereas softening at 600 and 650 o C. This behavior is similar to JLF-1 and CLAM, and can be understood by precipitation of TaC and Laves phase.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1986-01-01

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

  5. Fatigue life assessment based on crack growth behavior in reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nogami, Shuhei; Sato, Yuki; Hasegawa, Akira

    2010-01-01

    Crack growth behavior under low cycle fatigue in reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel, F82H IEA-heat (Fe-8Cr-2W-0.2V-0.02Ta), was investigated to improve the fatigue life assessment method of fusion reactor structural material. Low cycle fatigue test was carried out at room temperature in air at a total strain range of 0.4-1.5% using an hourglass-type miniature fatigue specimen. The relationship between the surface crack length and life fraction was described using one equation independent of the total strain range. Therefore, the fatigue life and residual life could be estimated using the surface crack length. Moreover, the microcrack initiation life could be estimated using the total strain range if there was a one-to-one correspondence between the total strain range and number of cycles to failure. The crack growth rate could be estimated using the total strain range and surface crack length by introducing the concept of the normalized crack growth rate. (author)

  6. Effect of shot peening on the residual stress and mechanical behaviour of low-temperature and high-temperature annealed martensitic gear steel 18CrNiMo7-6

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yang, R.; Zhang, X.; Mallipeddi, D.

    2017-01-01

    A martensitic gear steel (18CrNiMo7-6) was annealed at 180 degrees C for 2h and at similar to 750 degrees C for 1h to design two different starting microstructures for shot peening. One maintains the original as-transformed martensite while the other contains irregular-shaped sorbite together...... with ferrite. These two materials were shot peened using two different peening conditions. The softer sorbite + ferrite microstructure was shot peened using 0.6 mm conditioned cut steel shots at an average speed of 25 m/s in a conventional shot peening machine, while the harder tempered martensite steel...

  7. Reduced Antivation Ferritic/Martensitic Steel Eurofer 97 as Possible Structural Material for Fusion Devices. Metallurgical Characterization on As-Received Condition and after Simulated Services Conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez, P.; Lancha, A. M.; Lapena, J.; Serrano, M.; Hernandez-Mayoral, M.

    2004-07-01

    Metallurgical Characterization of the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel Eurofer'97, on as-received condition and after thermal ageing treatment in the temperature range from 400 degree centigree to 600 degree centigree for periods up to 10.000 h, was carried out. The microstructure of the steel remained stable (tempered martensite with M{sub 2}3 C{sub 6} and MX precipitates) after the thermal ageing treatments studied in this work. In general, this stability was also observed in the mechanical properties. The Eurofer'97 steel exhibited similar values of hardness, ultimate tensile stress, 0,2% proof stress, USE and T{sub 0}3 regardless of the investigated material condition. However, ageing at 600 degree centigree for 10.000 ha caused a slight increase in the DBTT, of approximately 23. In terms of creep properties, the steel shows in general adequate creep rupture strength levels for short rupture times. However, the results obtained up to now for long time creep rupture tests at 500 degree centigree suggests a change in the deformation mechanisms. (Author) 62 refs.

  8. Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic Steel Eurofer 97 as Possible Structural Material for Fusion Devices. Metallurgical Characterization on As-Received Condition and after Simulated Services Conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, P.; Lancha, A. M.; Lapena, J.; Serrano, M.; Hernandez-Mayoral, M.

    2004-01-01

    Metallurgical Characterization of the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel Eurofer'97, on as-received condition and after thermal ageing treatment in the temperature range from 400 degree centigree to 600 degree centigree for periods up to 10.000 h, was carried out. The microstructure of the steel remained stable (tempered martensite with M 2 3 C 6 and MX precipitates) after the thermal ageing treatments studied in this work. In general, this stability was also observed in the mechanical properties. The Eurofer'97 steel exhibited similar values of hardness, ultimate tensile stress, 0,2% proof stress, USE and T 0 3 regardless of the investigated material condition. However, ageing at 600 degree centigree for 10.000 ha caused a slight increase in the DBTT, of approximately 23 . In terms of creep properties, the steel shows in general adequate creep rupture strength levels for short rupture times. However, the results obtained up to now for long time creep rupture tests at 500 degree centigree suggests a change in the deformation mechanisms. (Author) 62 refs

  9. Soft-martensitic stainless Cr-Ni-Mo steel for turbine rotors in geothermic power stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schonfeld, K.; Potthast, E.

    1986-01-01

    Steel Grade X5 Cr-Ni-Mo 12 6 containing 0.05% carbon, 12% chromium, 6% nickel, and 1.50% molybdenum is an advantageous material for turbine rotors in geothermic power stations because of its excellent strength and toughness properties in combination with good erosion and corrosion resistance. In terms of the phase diagram, this soft-martensitic steel has its place at the martensite/austenite/ferrite interface. Therefore, its chemical composition must be chosen so as to have a completely martensitic structure after hardening. The manufacture of and the mechanical properties of a turbine rotor 1200 mm in diameter by 5600 mm in length with a finished weight of approximately 21.5 tons are described in detail

  10. Hydrogen-Induced Delayed Cracking in TRIP-Aided Lean-Alloyed Ferritic-Austenitic Stainless Steels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suvi Papula

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Susceptibility of three lean-alloyed ferritic-austenitic stainless steels to hydrogen-induced delayed cracking was examined, concentrating on internal hydrogen contained in the materials after production operations. The aim was to study the role of strain-induced austenite to martensite transformation in the delayed cracking susceptibility. According to the conducted deep drawing tests and constant load tensile testing, the studied materials seem not to be particularly susceptible to delayed cracking. Delayed cracks were only occasionally initiated in two of the materials at high local stress levels. However, if a delayed crack initiated in a highly stressed location, strain-induced martensite transformation decreased the crack arrest tendency of the austenite phase in a duplex microstructure. According to electron microscopy examination and electron backscattering diffraction analysis, the fracture mode was predominantly cleavage, and cracks propagated along the body-centered cubic (BCC phases ferrite and α’-martensite. The BCC crystal structure enables fast diffusion of hydrogen to the crack tip area. No delayed cracking was observed in the stainless steel that had high austenite stability. Thus, it can be concluded that the presence of α’-martensite increases the hydrogen-induced cracking susceptibility.

  11. Metallurgical Characterization of Reduced Activation Martensitic Steel F-82H Modified

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, P.; Lapena, J.; Lancha, A.M.; Gomez-Briceno, D.; Schirra, M.

    1999-12-01

    During 1995-1998 within of research and development programs on reduced ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion, metallurgical characterization of 8Cr-2WVTa steel, denominated F-28H modified, have been carried out. The work has focused on studying the microstructural and mechanical (tensile, creep, low cycle fatigue and charpy) characteristics of as-received state and aged material in the temperature range 300 degree centigrade to 600 degree centigrade for periods up to 5000 h. (Author) 45 refs

  12. Investigation on microstructure and properties of narrow-gap laser welding on reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel CLF-1 with a thickness of 35 mm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shikai; Zhang, Jianchao; Yang, Jiaoxi; Lu, Junxia; Liao, Hongbin; Wang, Xiaoyu

    2018-05-01

    Reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel is chosen as a structural material for test blanket modules (TBMs) to be constructed in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Chinese specific RAFM steel named with CLF-1 has been developed for CFETR. In this paper, a narrow-gap groove laser multi-pass welding of CLF-1 steel with thickness of 35 mm is conduced by YLS-15000 fiber laser. Further, the microstructures of different regions in the weld joint were characterized, and tensile impact and micro-hardness tests were carried out for evaluating the mecharical properties. The results show that the butt weld joint of CLF-1 steel with a thickness of 35 mm was well-formed using the optimal narrow-gap laser filler wire welding and no obvious defects was found such as incomplete fusion cracks and pores. The microstructures of backing layer is dominated by lath martensites and the Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ) was mainly filled with two-phase hybrid structures of secondary-tempering sorbites and martensites. The filler layer is similar to the backing layer in microstructures. In tensile tests, the tensile samples from different parts of the joint all fractured at base metal (BM). The micro-hardness of weld metal (WM) was found to be higher than that of BM and the Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ) exhibited no obvious softening. After post weld heat treatment (PWHT), it can be observed that the fusion zone of the autogenous welding bead and the upper filling beads mainly consist of lath martensites which caused the lower impact absorbing energy. The HAZ mainly included two-phase hybrid structures of secondary-tempering sorbites and martensites and exhibited favorable impact toughness.

  13. Tempering response to different morphologies of martensite in tensile deformation of dual-phase steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, E.; Manzoor, T.; Sarwar, M.; Arif, M.; Hussain, N.

    2011-01-01

    A low alloy steel containing 0.2% C was heat treated with three cycles of heat treatments with the aim to acquire different morphologies of martensite in dual phase microstructure. Microscopic examination revealed that the morphologies consisting of grain boundary growth, scattered laths and bulk form of martensite were obtained. These morphologies have their distinct patterns of distribution in the matrix (ferrite). In tensile properties observations the dual phase steel with bulk morphology of martensite showed minimum of ductility but high tensile strength as compared to other two morphologies. This may be due to poor alignments of bulk martensite particles along tensile axes during deformation. Tempering was employed with various holding times at 550 deg. C to induce ductility in the heat treated material. The tempering progressively increased the ductility by increasing holding time. However, tempering response to strengths and ductilities was different to all three morphologies of martensite. (author)

  14. Study of the first stages of oxidation of a ferritic-martensitic steel Fe-12Cr in CO2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouhieda, S.

    2012-01-01

    In the framework of the development of Sodium Fast Reactors in France, supercritical carbon dioxide integrated in the Brayton cycle is proposed as new cycle energy conversion system to replace current steam generators. Ferritic-Martensitic steels with 9-12 wt% Cr are good candidates for heat exchanger application because they have good mechanical properties up to a temperature of 600 C, a high thermal conductivity, a low coefficient of thermal expansion and a lower cost than that of austenitic steels. However, it has been found that these steels present a high parabolic oxide growth rate and a strong carburization in the temperature and pressure conditions of the SC-CO 2 cycle (550 C, 250 bar). This study aims to investigate the influence of different parameters (impurities present in CO 2 , thermal ramp rate and surface state) on the oxidation mechanism of a Fe-12 Cr steel in CO 2 at 550 C. It has been shown that depending on these parameters, a thin protective oxide scale without any strong carburization can be obtained. A model is proposed to explain the experimental results. (author) [fr

  15. Development of filler wires for welding of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel for India's test blanket module of ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Srinivasan, G.; Arivazhagan, B.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K. [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam (India)

    2010-07-01

    Indigenous development of reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel has become necessary for India as a participant in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme. Optimisation of RAFM steel is in an advanced stage for the fabrication of test blanket module (TBM) components. Simultaneously, development of RAFM steel filler wires has been undertaken since there is no commercial filler wires are available for fabrication of components using RAFM steel. The purpose of this study is to develop filler wires that can be directly used for both gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and for narrow-gap gas tungsten arc welding (NG-GTAW) that reduces the deposited weld metal volume and heat affected zone (HAZ) width. Further, the filler wires would also be used for hybrid laser-MIG welding for thick section joints. In view of meeting all the requirements, a detailed specification was prepared for the development of filler wires for welding of RAFM steel. Meanwhile, welding trials have been carried out on 2.5 mm thick plates of the RAFM steel using GTAW process at various heat inputs with a preheat temperature of 250 C followed by various post weld heat treatments (PWHT). The microstructure of the weld metal in most of the cases showed the presence of some amount of delta-ferrite. Filler wires as per specifications have also been developed with minor variations on the chemistry against the specified values. Welding parameters and PWHT parameters were optimized to qualify the filler wires without the presence of delta-ferrite in the weld metal and with optimized mechanical properties. Results showed that the weld metals are free from delta-ferrite. Tensile properties at ambient temperature and at 500 C are well above the specified values, and are much higher than the base metal values. Ductile Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT) has been evaluated as -81 C based on the 68 J criteria. The present study highlights the basis and methodology

  16. Character evaluation of strength in dispersion strengthened ferritic steel. 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Fuyuki; Nakashima, Hideharu

    1997-03-01

    In order to clarify the high-temperature deformation behaviour and the origin of threshold stress of ODS martensite steel with Y 2 O 3 particles, the stress-strain curves were measured by compression test at 600 to 700degC and at strain rates from 2x10 -5 to 2x10 -3 s -1 , and the threshold stress was measured by stress abruptly loading test (SAL test) at 650degC. Further, the possibility of temperature dependence of threshold stress was discussed by estimating the activation energy for dislocations to detach the Y 2 O 3 particles. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The stress exponents of ODS martensite steel were 22-35. And the activation energy of high-temperature deformation was 742 kJ/mol. Those deformation behaviour of ODS martensite steel agrees with the deformation behaviour of ODS ferritic steel. 2) The Orowan stress and the void-hardening stress calculated from dispersion parameters approximately agreed with the threshold stress obtained by SAL test. It is concluded that the originating mechanism of the threshold stress in ODS martensite steel is the Srolovitz's one. 3) The calculated activation energy for a dislocation to detach the particles was very high compared to the thermal energy. Therefor, the threshold stress is almost independent of temperature. (author)

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2017-11-17

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2012-05-15

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2008-01-01

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

  20. Effect of helium on fatigue crack growth and life of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nogami, Shuhei; Takahashi, Manabu; Hasegawa, Akira; Yamazaki, Masanori

    2013-01-01

    The effects of helium on the fatigue life, micro-crack growth behavior up to final fatigue failure, and fracture mode under fatigue in the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel, F82H IEA-heat, were investigated by low cycle fatigue tests at room temperature in air at a total strain range of 0.6–1.5%. Significant reduction of the fatigue life due to helium implantation was observed for a total strain range of 1.0–1.5%, which might be attributable to an increase in the micro-crack propagation rate. However, the reduction of fatigue life due to helium implantation was not significant for a total strain range of 0.6–0.8%. A brittle fracture surface (an original point of micro-crack initiation) and a cleavage fracture surface were observed in the helium-implanted region of fracture surface. A striation pattern was observed in the non-implanted region. These fracture modes of the helium-implanted specimen were independent of the strain range

  1. New ferritic steels for advanced steam plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1999-12-31

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

  2. New ferritic steels for advanced steam plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1998-12-31

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

  3. Effect of pre-strain on susceptibility of Indian Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Steel to hydrogen embrittlement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonak, Sagar; Tiwari, Abhishek; Jain, Uttam; Keskar, Nachiket; Kumar, Sanjay; Singh, Ram N.; Dey, Gautam K.

    2015-01-01

    The role of pre-strain on hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of Indian Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Steel was investigated using constant nominal strain-rate tension test. The samples were pre-strained to different levels of plastic strain and their mechanical behavior and mode of fracture under the influence of hydrogen was studied. The effect of plastic pre-strain in the range of 0.5–2% on the ductility of the samples was prominent. Compared to samples without any pre-straining, effect of hydrogen was more pronounced on pre-strained samples. Prior deformation reduced the material ductility under the influence of hydrogen. Up to 35% reduction in the total strain was observed under the influence of hydrogen in pre-strained samples. Hydrogen charging resulted in increased occurrence of brittle zones on the fracture surface. Hydrogen Enhanced Decohesion (HEDE) was found to be the dominant mechanism of fracture.

  4. Creep strength of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel Eurofer'97

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, P.; Lancha, A.M.; Lapena, J.; Lindau, R.; Rieth, M.; Schirra, M.

    2005-01-01

    Creep rupture strength of tempered martensitic steel Eurofer'97 has been investigated. Different products form (plate and bar) have been tested in the temperature range from 450 deg. C to 650 deg. C at different loads. No significant differences in the creep rupture properties have been found between the studied product forms. The Eurofer'97 has shown adequate creep rupture strength levels at short creep rupture tests, similar to those of the F-82 H mod. steel. However, for long testing times (>9000 h) the results available up to now at 500 deg. C and 550 deg. C seem to indicate a change in the creep degradation mechanism

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2010-07-01

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

  6. Comparative study of eddy current and Barkhausen noise nondestructive testing methods in microstructural examination of ferrite–martensite dual-phase steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghanei, S.; Kashefi, M.; Mazinani, M.

    2014-01-01

    The magnetic properties of ferrite–martensite dual-phase steels were evaluated using eddy current and Barkhausen noise nondestructive testing methods and correlated with their microstructural changes. Several routes were used to produce different microstructures of dual-phase steels. The first route was different heat treatments in γ region to vary the ferrite grain size (from 9.47 to 11.12 in ASTM number), and the second one was variation in intercritical annealing temperatures (from 750 to 890 °C) in order to produce different percentages of martensite in dual-phase microstructure. The results concerning magnetic Barkhausen noise are discussed in terms of height, position and shape of Barkhausen noise profiles, taking into account two main aspects: ferrite grain size, and different percentages of martensite. Then, eddy current testing was used to study the mentioned microstructural changes by detection of impedance variations. The obtained results show that microstructural changes have a noticeable effect on the magnetic properties of dual-phase steels. The results reveal that both magnetic methods have a high potential to be used as a reliable nondestructive tool to detect and monitor microstructural changes occurring during manufacturing of dual-phase steels. - Highlights: • Normalized impedance decreased as the ASTM grain size number increased. • An increase in martensite percentage resulted in a decrease in normalized impedance. • As the martensite in the DP steels increased, the MBN signals increased. • Barkhausen jumps increased with increasing the ASTM grain size number. • Both ECT and MBN had a high potential to detect microstructural changes of DP steels

  7. Low cycle fatigue design data for India-specific reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (IN-RAFM) steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mariappan, K.; Shankar, Vani, E-mail: vani@igcar.gov.in; Sandhya, R.; Laha, K.

    2016-03-15

    Highlights: • Generation of first set of experimental data related to LCF performance of the commercial heat of IN-RAFM steel. • Analysis of cyclic behavior from the perspective of both design and material characteristics. • Various correction factors to account for various plastic strain accumulations, change in Poisson’s ratio and asymmetry of loadings. • Low cycle fatigue design parameters and correction factor values were comparable with P91 steel as reported in RCC-MR design code. - Abstract: The objective of the present paper is to provide first hand experimental data and analysis on the low cycle fatigue (LCF) performance of a commercial heat of Indian reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (IN-RAFM) steel. Since this material is not yet codified in RCC-MR, cyclic properties were generated for the design of the structural material of the Test Blanket Modules (TBM) made of RAFM steel. Hence, as a part of the material development program, LCF experiments were conducted on IN-RAFM steel obtained in the normalized and tempered condition. Total axial strain controlled experiments were performed in air by employing strain amplitudes ranging from ±0.25 to ±1.0% and at temperatures of 300, 673, 723, 823, and 873 K and a nominal strain rate, 3 × 10{sup −3} s{sup −1}. In the present work, various cyclic parameters that are useful for the design oriented fatigue analysis are derived as per the systematic procedure given in the RCC-MR design code. The physical significance of each design parameter such as elasto-plastic corrections based on Neuber analysis has been explained and correlated with the material behavior such as the cyclic softening nature of the RAFM steel.

  8. Effects of corrosion and precipitates on mechanical properties in the ferritic/martensitic steel cladding under ultra-long cycle fast reactor environment at 650 .deg. C

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Tae Yong; Lee, Jeong Hyeon; Kim, Ji Hyun [UNIST, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Sang Hun [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    This changes chemical compositions of inter-surface and effects on behavior of precipitations. NaCrO{sub 2} which is ternary sodium compound occurs intergranular corrosion resulting in thickness reduction. This change can cause a degradation of mechanical strength of structure material of UCFR. Therefore, we should consider longterm compatibility with sodium and study about life prediction. The research about ferritic/martensitic steel on effects of long term exposure in liquid sodium at 650 .deg. C, 20ppm oxygen includes weight loss of test material (Gr. 92) by corrosion and mechanism about nucleation and growth of precipitates like Laves-phase in bulk. There are many changes such as segregation of component to nucleate precipitates, affecting into microstructural evolution of the steel. Therefore, the thermochemical reaction research to predict behavior about precipitates should be performed. In a specific procedure, the micro-structure and the surface phenomenon of ferritic/martensitic steels (Gr. 92) that are exposed to liquid sodium at 650 .deg. C, 20 ppm oxygen and aged in high pure Argon gas environment to express bulk have been investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). At 10 ppm oxygen designed oxygen value for UCFR, there is 107μm thickness reduction for 30 years. Thus, if there is no degradation of mechanical strength caused by aging effect, the tolerance of load of initial cladding should be higher than real load at least 23.6 %. Compared to specimens exposed to Ar-gas environment, Specimen which solutions are leaded into sodium has degradation of strength by reduction of solution hardening.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1997-05-01

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

  10. Resistance spot welding of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel: Phase transformations and mechanical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alizadeh-Sh, M.; Marashi, S.P.H.; Pouranvari, M.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Phase transformations during RSW of AISI430 are detailed. • Grain growth, martensite formation and carbide precipitation are dominant phase transformations. • Failure mode of AISI430 resistance spot welded joints are analyzed. • Larger FZ size provided improved load bearing capacity and energy absorption capability. - Abstract: The paper aims at investigating the process–microstructure–performance relationship in resistance spot welding of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel. The phase transformations which occur during weld thermal cycle were analyzed in details, based on the physical metallurgy of welding of the ferritic stainless steels. It was found that the microstructure of the fusion zone and the heat affected zone is influenced by different phenomena including grain growth, martensite formation and carbide precipitation. The effects of welding cycle on the mechanical properties of the spot welds in terms of peak load, energy absorption and failure mode are discussed

  11. Processing, Microstructure, and Material Property Relationships Following Friction Stir Welding of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-01

    Fast, 200 Ferritic- martensitic steels , ODS alloys Stainless steels Lead fast reactor Lead or lead- bismuth 800 Fast, 150 Ferritic- martensitic ...from Zinkle [from 1]. T22, T9, T91, E911, NF12, NF616, and SAVE12 are all Ferritic or Martensitic steels with variations in alloy concentrations and...manufacturing techniques. Similarly HCM12 and HCM12A are High Chromium Martensitic steels

  12. Partial-Isothermally-Treated Low Alloy Ultrahigh Strength Steel with Martensitic/Bainitic Microstructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Quanshun; Kitchen, Matthew; Patel, Vinay; Filleul, Martin; Owens, Dave

    We introduce a new strengthening heat treatment of a Ni-Cr-Mo-V alloyed spring steel by partial isothermal salt-bath and subsequent air-cooling and tempering. Detailed isothermal treatments were made at temperatures below or above the Ms point (230°C). The salt bath time was controlled between 10 and 80 minutes. Through the new treatment, the candidate steel developed ultrahigh tensile strength 2,100 MPa, yield strength 1,800 MPa, elongation 8-10 %, hardness 580-710 HV, and V-notch Charpy toughness 10-12 J. Optical and electron microscopic observations and X-ray diffraction revealed multi-phase microstructures of bainitic/martensitic ferrites, fine carbide precipitates and retained austenite. Carbon partitioning during the bainitic/martensitic transformation was investigated for its remarkable influence on the strengthening mechanism.

  13. Evaluation of mechanical properties of weldments for reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakata, T. [Muroran Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineeering, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Tanigawa, H.; Ando, M. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Komazaki, S.; Kohno, Y. [Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels are the first candidate material for fusion reactor, and will be used as the structural materials of ITER test blanket modules (TBM). TBM will be assembled by welding various parts, it is important to be clearly mechanical properties of weldments to qualify TBM structure. In this paper, unirradiated mechanical properties of weldments, which is consisted of weld metal, heat affected zone (HAZ) and base metal region, obtained from TIG and EB welded F82H IEA-heat were evaluated by tensile, Charpy impact and creep test. Charpy impact test revealed that impact properties of weld metal does not deteriorate compared with that of base metal. The creep tests were carried out at temperatures of 773-873 K and at stress levels of 130-280 MPa, with the specimens which include weld metal and HAZ region in the gage section. In these conditions, rupture time of weldments yield to about 100-1000 hours. In the high-stress range, creep lives of welded joint decreased about 40% of base metal. However, in the low-stress range, creep lives of welded joint decrease about 60 to 70% of base metal. The failure at fine grain HAZ region (Type IV failure) does not occur in these conditions. The mechanism of these properties deterioration will be discussed based on the detailed analyses on microstructure changes. (authors)

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2007-07-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-11-20

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

  16. Ultrahigh Ductility, High-Carbon Martensitic Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Shengwei; Liu, Yu; Hao, Qingguo; Zuo, Xunwei; Rong, Yonghua; Chen, Nailu

    2016-10-01

    Based on the proposed design idea of the anti-transformation-induced plasticity effect, both the additions of the Nb element and pretreatment of the normalization process as a novel quenching-partitioning-tempering (Q-P-T) were designed for Fe-0.63C-1.52Mn-1.49Si-0.62Cr-0.036Nb hot-rolled steel. This high-carbon Q-P-T martensitic steel exhibits a tensile strength of 1890 MPa and elongation of 29 pct accompanied by the excellent product of tensile and elongation of 55 GPa pct. The origin of ultrahigh ductility for high-carbon Q-P-T martensitic steel is revealed from two aspects: one is the softening of martensitic matrix due to both the depletion of carbon in the matensitic matrix during the Q-P-T process by partitioning of carbon from supersaturated martensite to retained austenite and the reduction of the dislocation density in a martensitic matrix by dislocation absorption by retained austenite effect during deformation, which significantly enhances the deformation ability of martensitic matrix; another is the high mechanical stability of considerable carbon-enriched retained austenite, which effectively reduces the formation of brittle twin-type martensite. This work verifies the correctness of the design idea of the anti-TRIP effect and makes the third-generation advanced high-strength steels extend to the field of high-carbon steels from low- and medium-carbon steels.

  17. The morphology and ageing behaviour of δ-ferrite in a modified 9Cr-1Mo steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishore, R.; Singh, R.N.; Sinha, T.K.; Kashyap, B.P.

    1992-01-01

    Dual phase (martensite + δ-ferrite) microstructures were developed in a modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, by austenitising at 1523-1623 K, followed by water-quenching. These duplex structures were thermally aged at 973 K for ageing periods varying from 30 min to 21 h. Morphological aspects of δ-ferrite phase and its response to age-hardening were studied by optical, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis and microhardness testing. It was observed that austenitizing at 1523 K produced fine, acicular δ-ferrite while the δ-ferrite formed by austenitising at higher temperatures (1573-623 K) were massive, irregular-shaped and banded. Moreover the presence of δ-ferrite caused an abnormally strong (110) reflection, observed in X-ray diffraction patterns of martensite plus δ-ferrite structures. This behaviour is thought to be due to development of (110) texture in δ-ferrite phase. Thermal ageing at 973 K caused age-hardening of δ-ferrite with a peak hardness attained after 3.6 ks of ageing. Electron microscopic results suggest that the observed hardening was caused by the formation of Fe 2 Mo Laves phase. (orig.)

  18. On the Processing of Martensitic Steels in Continuous Galvanizing Lines: Part II

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Taejin; Kwak, Jaihyun; de Cooman, B. C.

    2012-01-01

    The conventional continuous hot-dip galvanizing (GI) and galvannealing (GA) processes can be applied to untransformed austenite to produce Zn and Zn-alloy coated low-carbon ultra-high-strength martensitic steel provided specific alloying additions are made. The most suitable austenite decomposition behavior results from the combined addition of boron, Cr, and Mo, which results in a pronounced transformation bay during isothermal transformation. The occurrence of this transformation bay implies a considerable retardation of the austenite decomposition in the temperature range below the bay, which is close to the stages in the continuous galvanizing line (CGL) thermal cycle related to the GI and GA processes. After the GI and GA processes, a small amount of granular bainite, which consists of bainitic ferrite and discrete islands of martensite/austenite (M/A) constituents embedded in martensite matrix, is present in the microstructure. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the steel after the GI and GA cycle was over 1300 MPa, and the stress-strain curve was continuous without any yielding phenomena.

  19. Thermal expansion characteristics of Fe-9Cr-0.12C-0.56Mn-0.24V-1.38W-0.06Ta (wt.%) reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subramanian, Raju; Tripathy, Haraprasanna; Rai, Arun Kumar; Hajra, Raj Narayan; Saibaba, Saroja; Jayakumar, Tammana; Rajendra Kumar, Ellappan

    2015-04-01

    The lattice and bulk thermal expansion behavior of an Indian version of reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (INRAFM) steel has been quantified using high temperature X-ray diffraction and dilatometry. The lattice parameter of tempered α-ferrite phase exhibited a smooth quadratic increase with temperature, while that of γ-austenite remained fairly linear up to 1273 K. The results suggest that α-ferrite + Carbides → γ-austenite transformation occurs upon continuous heating in the temperature range, 1146 ⩽ T ⩽ 1173 K. Further, this transformation is found to be accompanied by a reduction in average atomic volume. The mean linear thermal expansion coefficients of tempered α-ferrite and γ-austenite phases are estimated to be about 1.48 × 10-5 and 2.4 × 10-5 K-1 respectively. The magnetic contribution to relative thermal dilatation (Δl/l298)mag is found to be small and negative, as compared to phonon contribution.

  20. Characterization and Strain-Hardening Behavior of Friction Stir-Welded Ferritic Stainless Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Gaurav; Dwivedi, Dheerendra Kumar; Jain, Pramod Kumar

    2017-12-01

    In this study, friction stir-welded joint of 3-mm-thick plates of 409 ferritic stainless steel (FSS) was characterized in light of microstructure, x-ray diffraction analysis, hardness, tensile strength, ductility, corrosion and work hardening properties. The FSW joint made of ferritic stainless steel comprises of three distinct regions including the base metal. In stir zone highly refined ferrite grains with martensite and some carbide precipitates at the grain boundaries were observed. X-ray diffraction analysis also revealed precipitation of Cr23C6 and martensite formation in heat-affected zone and stir zone. In tensile testing of the transverse weld samples, the failure eventuated within the gauge length of the specimen from the base metal region having tensile properties overmatched to the as-received base metal. The tensile strength and elongation of the longitudinal (all weld) sample were found to be 1014 MPa and 9.47%, respectively. However, in potentiodynamic polarization test, the corrosion current density of the stir zone was highest among all the three zones. The strain-hardening exponent for base metal, transverse and longitudinal (all weld) weld samples was calculated using various equations. Both the transverse and longitudinal weld samples exhibited higher strain-hardening exponents as compared to the as-received base metal. In Kocks-Mecking plots for the base metal and weld samples at least two stages of strain hardening were observed.

  1. Ultrafine Structure and High Strength in Cold-Rolled Martensite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huang, Xiaoxu; Morito, S.; Hansen, Niels

    2012-01-01

    Structural refinement by cold rolling (10 to 80 pct reductions) of interstitial free (IF) steel containing Mn and B has been investigated from samples with different initial structures: (a) lath martensite, (b) coarse ferrite (grain size 150 mu m), and (c) fine ferrite (22 mu m). Unalloyed IF steel....... At low to medium strains, lath martensite transforms into a cell block structure composed of cell block boundaries and cell boundaries with only a negligible change in strength. At medium to large strains, cell block structures in all samples refine with increasing strain and the hardening rate...... is constant (stage IV). A strong effect of the initial structure is observed on both the structural refinement and the strength increase. This effect is largest in lath martensite and smallest in unalloyed ferrite. No saturation in structural refinement and strength is observed. The discussion covers...

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2010-10-15

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

  3. Thermal Effects on Thin Laser-Peened Ferritic-Martensitic Samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caro, M; Zalesky, T; Hosemann, P; El-dasher, B S; Halsey, W G; Stuart, B

    2007-01-01

    Laser peening is emerging as a promising technique to improve the corrosion resistance of cladding material candidates for lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs). The challenge is in the performance capability of ∼1 mm-thick fuel-pin cladding. Ferritic-martensitic (F/M) steels are foreseen as possible candidates that stand severe conditions of high dose (150 dpa), and high temperature (∼500-600 C) under the corrosive environments of molten lead or lead-bismuth. In this paper, we present the results of experiments carried on laser peened (LP) samples of F/M steels HT9, T91, EP823, as well as the austenitic material 316 L. The samples underwent a thermal treatment in an oven at 520 C, and XRD compressive stress results indicate that the F/M samples do not retain the residual stress after 2 weeks of heat treatment. The corrosion behavior in flowing lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 535 C has been investigated as well. Also, irradiation experiments of LP samples to a maximum dose of ∼10 dpa are foreseen

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1997-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1997-01-01

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

  6. Heat input effect on the microstructural transformation and mechanical properties in GTAW welds of a 409L ferritic stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Delgado, J. A.; Ambriz, R. R.; Cuenca-Alvarez, R.; Alatorre, N.; Curiel, F. F.

    2016-10-01

    Welds without filler metal and welds using a conventional austenitic stainless steel filler metal (ER308L) were performed to join a ferritic stainless steel with Gas Tungsten Arc Welding process (GTAW). Welding parameters were adjusted to obtain three different heat input values. Microstructure reveals the presence of coarse ferritic matrix and martensite laths in the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). Dilution between filler and base metal was correlated with the presence of austenite, martensite and ferrite in the weld metal. Weld thermal cycles were measured to correlate the microstructural transformation in the HAZ. Microhardness measurements (maps and profiles) allow to identify the different zones of the welded joints (weld metal, HAZ, and base metal). Comparing the base metal with the weld metal and the HAZ, a hardness increment (∼172 HV{sub 0}.5 to ∼350 HV{sub 0}.5 and ∼310 HV{sub 0}.5, respectively) was observed, which has been attributed to the martensite formation. Tensile strength of the welded joints without filler metal increased moderately with respect to base metal. In contrast, ductility was approximately 25% higher than base metal, which provided a toughness improvement of the welded joints. (Author)

  7. Mechanical properties of 9Cr–1W reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel weldment prepared by electron beam welding process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Das, C.R., E-mail: chitta@igcar.gov.in [Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Albert, S.K. [Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Sam, Shiju [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar (India); Mastanaiah, P. [Defense Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad (India); Chaitanya, G.M.S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.; Jayakumar, T. [Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Murthy, C.V.S. [Defense Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad (India); Kumar, E. Rajendra [Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar (India)

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • Width of HAZ is smaller in the 9Cr–1W RAFM weldment prepared by EB process compared to that reported for TIG weldments in literature. • Weld joint is stronger than that of the base metal. • Toughness of weld metal prepared by EB welding process is comparable to that (in PWHT condition) prepared by TIG process. • DBTT of as-welded 9Cr–1W RAFM weldment prepared by EB process is comparable to that reported for TIG weld metal in PWHT condition. - Abstract: Microstructure and mechanical properties of the weldments prepared from 9Cr–1W reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel using electron beam welding (EBW) process were studied. Microstructure consists of tempered lath martensite where precipitates decorating the boundaries in post weld heat treated (PWHT) condition. Lath and precipitate sizes were found to be finer in the weld metal than in base metal. Accordingly, hardness of the weld metal was found to be higher than the base metal. Tensile strength of the cross weldment specimen was 684 MPa, which was comparable with the base metal tensile strength of 670 MPa. On the other hand, DBTT of 9Cr–1W weld metal in as-welded condition is similar to that reported for TIG weld metal in PWHT condition.

  8. Mechanical properties of 9Cr–1W reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel weldment prepared by electron beam welding process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, C.R.; Albert, S.K.; Sam, Shiju; Mastanaiah, P.; Chaitanya, G.M.S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.; Jayakumar, T.; Murthy, C.V.S.; Kumar, E. Rajendra

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Width of HAZ is smaller in the 9Cr–1W RAFM weldment prepared by EB process compared to that reported for TIG weldments in literature. • Weld joint is stronger than that of the base metal. • Toughness of weld metal prepared by EB welding process is comparable to that (in PWHT condition) prepared by TIG process. • DBTT of as-welded 9Cr–1W RAFM weldment prepared by EB process is comparable to that reported for TIG weld metal in PWHT condition. - Abstract: Microstructure and mechanical properties of the weldments prepared from 9Cr–1W reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel using electron beam welding (EBW) process were studied. Microstructure consists of tempered lath martensite where precipitates decorating the boundaries in post weld heat treated (PWHT) condition. Lath and precipitate sizes were found to be finer in the weld metal than in base metal. Accordingly, hardness of the weld metal was found to be higher than the base metal. Tensile strength of the cross weldment specimen was 684 MPa, which was comparable with the base metal tensile strength of 670 MPa. On the other hand, DBTT of 9Cr–1W weld metal in as-welded condition is similar to that reported for TIG weld metal in PWHT condition

  9. Nitrogen-alloyed martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berns, H.

    1988-01-01

    A report is presented on initial results with pressure-nitrided martensitic steels. In heat-resistant steels, thermal stability and toughness are raised by nitrogen. In cold work steel, there is a more favourable corrosion behaviour. (orig./MM) [de

  10. Energy-filtered TEM imaging and EELS study of ODS particles and argon-filled cavities in ferritic-martensitic steels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimiankou, M; Lindau, R; Möslang, A

    2005-01-01

    Oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) ferritic-martensitic steels with yttrium oxide (Y(2)O(3)) have been produced by mechanical alloying and hot isostatic pressing for use as advanced material in fusion power reactors. Argon gas, usually widely used as inert gas during mechanical alloying, was surprisingly detected in the nanodispersion-strengthened materials. Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) led to the following results: (i) chemical composition of ODS particles, (ii) voids with typical diameters of 1-6 nm are formed in the matrix, (iii) these voids are filled with Ar gas, and (iv) the high-density nanosized ODS particles serve as trapping centers for the Ar bubbles. The Ar L(3,2) energy loss edge at 245 eV as well as the absorption features of the ODS particle elements were identified in the EELS spectrum. The energy resolution in the EEL spectrum of about 1.0 eV allows to identify the electronic structure of the ODS particles.

  11. Development of ODS ferritic-martensitic steels for application to high temperature and irradiation environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambard, V.

    2000-01-01

    Iron oxide dispersion strengthened alloys are candidate for nuclear fuel cladding. Therefore, it is crucial to control their microstructure in order to optimise their mechanical properties at temperatures up to 700 deg C. The industrial candidates, ODS ferritic alloys, present an anisotropic microstructure which induces a weakening of mechanical properties in transversal direction as well as the precipitation of brittle phases under thermal aging and irradiation. For this purpose, we tried to develop a material with isotropic properties. We studied several 9Cr-1Mo ferritic/martensitic alloys, strengthened or not by oxide dispersion. The mechanical alloying was performed by attribution and powders were consolidated by hot extrusion. In this work, different metallurgical characterisation techniques and modelling were used to optimise a new martensitic ODS alloy. Microstructural and chemical characterization of matrix has been done. The effect of austenitizing and isochronal tempering treatments on microstructure and hardness has been studied. Oxide distribution, size and chemical composition have been studied before and after high temperature thermal treatment. The study of phase transformation upon heating has permitted the extrapolation to the equilibrium temperature formation of austenite. Phase transformation diagrams upon cooling have been determined and the transformation kinetics have been linked to austenite grain size by a simple relation. Fine grain size is unfavourable for the targeted application, so a particular thermal treatment inducing a coarser grain structure has been developed. Finally, tensile properties have been determined for the different microstructures. (author)

  12. Stress effects in cylindrical tubes of austenitic and ferritic/martensitic steels with oxide scales. Materials selection for a HPLWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steiner, H.

    2002-11-01

    In the frame of the studies for a high performance concept of a light water reactor (LWR) different materials for the cladding are investigated, among them are austenitic and ferritic/martensitic (f/m) steels of different Cr content. Due to the envisaged very extended life times of the fuel elements in the reactor, corrosion problems may arise. Thus, cracking and/or spalling effects in oxide scales on metallic components may play an important role in the corrosion process as they lead, in general, to a drastic enhancement in the oxidation rates. Analytical models for different fundamental stress problems in the compound oxide scale/metallic substrate have been developed and implemented in the computer code OXSPA. These models concern the growth stresses in the cylindrical tubes, the stresses due to temperature changes and radial temperature gradients and the stresses due to inside and outside pressures. (orig.)

  13. Effects of Ti and Ta addition on microstructure stability and tensile properties of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel for nuclear fusion reactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Han Kyu; Lee, Ji Won; Moon, Joonoh; Lee, Chang Hoon; Hong, Hyun Uk

    2018-03-01

    The effects of Ti and Ta addition on microstructure stability and tensile properties of a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel have been investigated. Ti addition of 0.06 wt% to conventional RAFM reference base steel (Fe-9.3Cr-0.93W-0.22V-0.094Ta-0.1C) was intended to promote the precipitation of nano-sized (Ti,W) carbides with a high resistance to coarsening. In addition, the Ti addition was substituted for 0.094 wt% Ta. The Ti-added RAFM steel (Ti-RAFM) exhibited a higher yield strength (ΔYS = 32 MPa) at 600 °C than the reference base steel due to additional precipitation hardening by (Ti,W)-rich MX with an average size of 6.1 nm and the area fraction of 2.39%. However, after thermal exposure at 600 °C for 1000 h, this Ti-RAFM was more susceptible to degradation than the reference base steel; the block width increased by 77.6% in Ti-RAFM after thermal exposure while the reference base steel showed only 9.1% increase. In order to suppress diffusion rate during thermal exposure, the large-sized Ta element with low activation was added to Ti-RAFM. The Ta-added Ti-RAFM steel exhibited good properties with outstanding microstructure stability. Quantitative comparison in microstructures was discussed with a consideration of Ti and Ta addition.

  14. Microstructural evolution during creep deformation of an 11CrMoVNb ferritic heat resistant steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kyu-Ho; Park, Dae-Bum [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Materials and Devices Div.; Korea Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Materials Science; Kwun, S.I. [Korea Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Materials Science; Suh, Jin-Yoo; Jung, Woo-Sang [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Materials and Devices Div.

    2010-07-01

    The effect of creep deformation on the microstructural development of an 11CrMoVNb ferritic heat resistant steel during high temperature creep test is investigated. Coarsening behavior of the precipitates, M{sub 23}C{sub 6} and MX, and growth behavior of martensite laths of crept specimens are carefully observed from both gage and grip parts of the specimens in order to discuss the effect of deformation. Particle coarsening and martensite lath widening are pronounced in the gage part due to the creep deformation. (orig.)

  15. Evaluation of the material in creep-exposed critical 12Cr-1Mo-V ferritic steel components of the pressure section of power plant steam boilers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dobrzanski, J.

    2002-01-01

    Metallographic examinations were carried out on ferritic 12Cr-1Mo-V steel with tempered martensite structure after 68,000 - 145,000 hr service in creep conditions. Structural evolution related to the form of martensite, carbide precipitation and internal damage due to long-term action of thermally activated processes was discussed. A generalised scheme of structural evolution and progress of the internal damage was developed in correlation with the life exhaustion ratio. Principles of the classification for ferritic 12Cr-1Mo-V steel after long-term-service were proposed together with the method for evolution of the state of the material for the industrial practice. (author)

  16. Simulation of the Growth of Austenite from As-Quenched Martensite in Medium Mn Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huyan, Fei; Yan, Jia-Yi; Höglund, Lars; Ågren, John; Borgenstam, Annika

    2018-04-01

    As part of an ongoing development of third-generation advanced high-strength steels with acceptable cost, austenite reversion treatment of medium Mn steels becomes attractive because it can give rise to a microstructure of fine mixture of ferrite and austenite, leading to both high strength and large elongation. The growth of austenite during intercritical annealing is crucial for the final properties, primarily because it determines the fraction, composition, and phase stability of austenite. In the present work, the growth of austenite from as-quenched lath martensite in medium Mn steels has been simulated using the DICTRA software package. Cementite is added into the simulations based on experimental observations. Two types of systems (cells) are used, representing, respectively, (1) austenite and cementite forming apart from each other, and (2) austenite forming on the cementite/martensite interface. An interfacial dissipation energy has also been added to take into account a finite interface mobility. The simulations using the first type of setup with an addition of interfacial dissipation energy are able to reproduce the observed austenite growth in medium Mn steels reasonably well.

  17. Cubic martensite in high carbon steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yulin; Xiao, Wenlong; Jiao, Kun; Ping, Dehai; Xu, Huibin; Zhao, Xinqing; Wang, Yunzhi

    2018-05-01

    A distinguished structural characteristic of martensite in Fe-C steels is its tetragonality originating from carbon atoms occupying only one set of the three available octahedral interstitial sites in the body-centered-cubic (bcc) Fe lattice. Such a body-centered-tetragonal (bct) structure is believed to be thermodynamically stable because of elastic interactions between the interstitial carbon atoms. For such phase stability, however, there has been a lack of direct experimental evidence despite extensive studies of phase transformations in steels over one century. In this Rapid Communication, we report that the martensite formed in a high carbon Fe-8Ni-1.26C (wt%) steel at room temperature induced by applied stress/strain has actually a bcc rather than a bct crystal structure. This finding not only challenges the existing theories on the stability of bcc vs bct martensite in high carbon steels, but also provides insights into the mechanism for martensitic transformation in ferrous alloys.

  18. Evaluation of creep rupture property of high strength ferritic/martensitic steel (PNC-FMS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uehira, Akihiro; Mizuno, Tomoyasu; Ukai, Shigeharu; Yoshida, Eiichi

    1999-04-01

    High Strength Ferritic/Martensitic Steel (PNC-FMS : 11Cr-0.5Mo-2W,Nb,V), developed by JNC, is one of the candidate materials for the long-life core of large-scale fast breeder reactor. The material design base standard (tentative) of PNC-FMS was established and the creep rupture strength reduction factor in the standard was determined in 1992. This factor was based on only evaluation of decarburization effect on tensile strength after sodium exposure. In this study, creep rupture properties of PNC-FMS under out of pile sodium exposure and in pile were evaluated, using recent test results as well as previous ones. The evaluation results are summarized as follows : a. Decarburization rate constant of pressurized tubes under sodium exposure is identical with stress free specimens. b. In case of the same decarburization content under out of pile sodium exposure, creep strength tends to decrease more significantly than tensile strength. c. Creep strength under out of pile sodium exposure showed significant decrease in high temperature and long exposure time, but in pile (MOTA) creep strength showed little decrease. A new creep rupture strength reduction factor, which is the ratio of creep rupture strength under sodium exposure or in pile to in air, was made by correlating the creep rupture strength. This new method directly using the ratio of creep rupture strength was evaluated and discussed from the viewpoint of design applicability, compared with the conventional method based on decarburization effect on tensile strength. (author)

  19. Sensitization of Laser-beam Welded Martensitic Stainless Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahmen, Martin; Rajendran, Kousika Dhasanur; Lindner, Stefan

    Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are an attractive alternative in vehicle production due to their inherent corrosion resistance. By the opportunity of press hardening, their strength can be increased to up to 2000 MPa, making them competitors for unalloyed ultra-high strength steels. Welding, nevertheless, requires special care, especially when it comes to joining of high strength heat treated materials. With an adopted in-line heat treatment of the welds in as-rolled as well as press hardened condition, materials with sufficient fatigue strength and acceptable structural behavior can be produced. Because of microstructural transformations in the base material such as grain coarsening and forced carbide precipitation, the corrosion resistance of the weld zone may be locally impaired. Typically the material in the heat-affected zone becomes sensitive to intergranular cracking in the form of knife-edge corrosion besides the fusion line. The current study comprises of two text scenarios. By an alternating climate test, general response in a corroding environment is screened. In order to understand the corrosion mechanisms and to localize the sensitive zones, sensitisation tests were undertaken. Furthermore, the applicability of a standard test according to ASTM 763-83 was examined. It was found that the alternative climate test does not reveal any corrosion effects. Testing by the oxalic acid test revealed clearly the effect of welding, weld heat treatment and state of thermal processing. Also application of the standard which originally suited for testing ferritic stainless steels could have been justified.

  20. Influence of PWHT on Toughness of High Chromium and Nickel Containing Martensitic Stainless Steel Weld Metals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Divya, M.; Das, Chitta Ranjan; Mahadevan, S.; Albert, S. K.; Pandian, R.; Kar, Sujoy Kumar; Bhaduri, A. K.; Jayakumar, T.

    2015-06-01

    Commonly used 12.5Cr-5Ni consumable specified for welding of martensitic stainless steels is compared with newly designed 14.5Cr-5Ni consumable in terms of their suitability for repair welding of 410 and 414 stainless steels by gas tungsten arc welding process. Changes in microstructure and austenite evolution were investigated using optical, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction techniques and Thermo-Calc studies. Microstructure of as-welded 12.5Cr-5Ni weld metal revealed only lath martensite, whereas as-welded 14.5Cr-5Ni weld metal revealed delta-ferrite, retained austenite, and lath martensite. Toughness value of as-welded 12.5Cr-5Ni weld metal is found to be significantly higher (216 J) than that of the 14.5Cr-5Ni weld metal (15 J). The welds were subjected to different PWHTs: one at 923 K (650 °C) for 1, 2, 4 hours (single-stage PWHT) and another one at 923 K (650 °C)/4 h followed by 873 K (600 °C)/2 h or 873 K (600 °C)/4 h (two-stage heat treatment). Hardness and impact toughness of the weld metals were measured for these weld metals and correlated with the microstructure. The study demonstrates the importance of avoiding formation of delta-ferrite in the weld metal.

  1. A correlative approach to segmenting phases and ferrite morphologies in transformation-induced plasticity steel using electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gazder, Azdiar A., E-mail: azdiar@uow.edu.au [Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); Al-Harbi, Fayez; Spanke, Hendrik Th. [School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522 (Australia); Mitchell, David R.G. [Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); Pereloma, Elena V. [Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522 (Australia)

    2014-12-15

    Using a combination of electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data, a segmentation procedure was developed to comprehensively distinguish austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite, ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths in a thermo-mechanically processed low-Si, high-Al transformation-induced plasticity steel. The efficacy of the ferrite morphologies segmentation procedure was verified by transmission electron microscopy. The variation in carbon content between the ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths was explained on the basis of carbon partitioning during their growth. - Highlights: • Multi-condition segmentation of austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite and ferrite in bainite. • Ferrites in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite segmented by variation in relative carbon counts. • Carbon partitioning during growth explains variation in carbon content of ferrites in bainites. • Developed EBSD image processing tools can be applied to the microstructures of a variety of alloys. • EBSD-based segmentation procedure verified by correlative TEM results.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2007-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2007-07-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2016-01-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preininger, D.

    2006-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-05-15

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

  7. Effect of precipitate on yield strength of ferritic/martensitic steel exposed to 650 .deg. C liquid sodium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Tae Yong; Lee, Jeonghyeon; Kim, Ji Hyun [UNIST, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Sang Hun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Ferritic/martensitic steels(FMS) which are used as one of cladding and structure materials in UCFR, have high creep strength at 600~650°C, low expansion coefficient, and dimensional stability with irradiation-induced void swelling in circumstance of fast neutrons compared to austenitic stainless steel. However, as exposed to high temperature liquid sodium during the design life time (30 to 60 years), the surface of FMS experienced Cr-depletion and decarburization by dissolution of components into sodium and formed oxidations by reacting with sodium. This changes chemical compositions of inter-surface and effects on behavior of precipitations. This change can cause a degradation of mechanical strength of structure material of UCFR. The research about FMS on effects of long term exposure in liquid sodium at 650 °C involve analysis of yield strength by change of microstructure, solid solution hardening and precipitation hardening. It shows how this three parts occupy total yield strength respectively and change over time. In a specific procedure, the microstructure and the surface phenomenon of FMS (Gr. 92) that are exposed to liquid sodium at 650°C, 20 ppm oxygen and are aged in high pure Argon gas environment to express bulk have been investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). When specimens were exposed to 650 °C liquid sodium for 1583, 3095 hours and Ar-gas 1601, 2973 hours, mechanical properties of materials were analyzed quantitatively. After experiment, NaCrO{sub 2} oxidation was formed on the surface of Gr.92 at sodium environment. Also, change of microstructure, dissolution of elements, and nucleation and growth of precipitation was raised. During exposed to high temperature at sodium or Ar-gas, annealed lath structure as well as coarsening of tempered martensite structure affects reduction of mechanical properties. And dissolution of elements results in reduction of solid solution hardening. This

  8. Analysis of the non-isothermal austenite-martensite transformation in 13% Cr-type martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-De-Andris, C.; Alvarez, L.F.

    1996-01-01

    In martensitic stainless steels, as in other alloyed containing carbide-forming elements, the carbide dissolution and precipitation processes that take place during heat treatment can cause modifications to the chemical composition of the austenite phase of these steels. The chemical composition of this phase is a fundamental factor for the evolution of the martensitic transformation. As a result of their influence on the dissolution and precipitation processes, the parameters of the quenching heat treatment exert a strong influence on the behavior of the martensitic transformation in these steels. In the present study, the effect of the heating temperature and the cooling rate on the martensitic transformation in two 13% Cr-type martensitic stainless steels with different carbon contents were properly evaluated. (author)

  9. Optimum alloy compositions in reduced-activation martensitic 9Cr steels for fusion reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, F.; Noda, T.; Okada, M.

    1992-01-01

    In order to obtain potential reduced-activation ferritic steels suitable for fusion reactor structures, the effect of alloying elements W and V on the microstructural evolution, toughness, high-temperature creep and irradiation hardening behavior was investigated for simple 9Cr-W and 9Cr-V steels. The creep strength of the 9Cr-W steels increased but their toughness decreased with increasing W concentration. The 9Cr-V steels exhibited poor creep rupture strength, far below that of a conventional 9Cr-1MoVNb steel and poor toughness after aging at 873 K. It was also found that the Δ-ferrite should be avoided, because it degraded both the roughness and high-temperature creep strength. Based on the results on the simple steels, optimized martensitic 9Cr steels were alloy-designed from a standpoint of enough thoughness and high-temperature creep strength. Two kinds of optimized 9Cr steels with low and high levels of W were obtained; 9Cr-1WVTa and 9Cr-3WVTa. These steels indeed exhibited excellent toughness and creep strength, respectively. The 9Cr-1WVTa steel exhibiting an excellent roughness was shown to be the most promising for relatively low-temperature application below 500deg C, where irradiation embrittlement is significant. The 9Cr-3WVTa steel was the most promising for high temperature application above 500deg C from the standpoint of enough high-temperature strength. (orig.)

  10. It was the demonstration of industrial steel production capacity ferritic-martensitic Spanish ASTURFER scale demand ITER; Hacia la demostracion de capacidad de produccion industrial del acero ferritico-martensitico espanol ASTURFER a escala de demanda ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coto, R.; Serrano, M.; Moran, A.; Rodriguez, D.; Artimez, J. A.; Belzunce, J.; Sedano, L.

    2013-07-01

    Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) structural steels are considered as candidate materials with notable possibilities to be incorporated to fusion reactor ITER, nowadays under construction, and future fusion reactor DEMO, involving a notable forecasting of supply materials, with a considerable limitation due to the few number of furnishes currently on the market. The manufacture at an industrial scale of the ASTURFER steel, developed at laboratory scale by ITMA Materials Technology and the Structural Materials Division of the Technology Division of CIEMAT would be a significant business opportunity for steelwork companies.

  11. Studies on A-TIG welding of Low Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (LAFM) steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasantharaja, P.; Vasudevan, M.

    2012-01-01

    Low Activation Ferritic–Martensitic steels (LAFM) are chosen as the candidate material for structural components in fusion reactors. The structural components are generally fabricated by welding processes. Activated Tungsten Inert Gas (A-TIG) welding is an emerging process for welding of thicker components. In the present work, attempt was made to develop A-TIG welding technology for LAFM steel plates of 10 mm thick. Activated flux was developed for LAFM steel by carrying out various bead-on-plate TIG welds without flux and with flux. The optimum flux was identified as one which gave maximum depth of penetration at minimum heat input values. With the optimized flux composition, LAFM steel plate of 10 mm thickness was welded in square butt weld joint configuration using double side welding technique. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy was used for characterizing the microstructures. Microhardness measurements were made across the weld cross section for as welded and post weld heat treated samples. Tensile and impact toughness properties were determined. The mechanical properties values obtained in A-TIG weld joint were comparable to that obtained in weld joints of LAFM steel made by Electron beam welding process.

  12. Effect of Annealing Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hot-Dip Galvanizing DP600 Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hai-yan, Sun; Zhi-li, Liu; Yang, Xu; Jian-qiang, Shi; Lian-xuan, Wang

    Hot-dip galvanizing dual phase steel DP600 steel grade with low Si was produced by steel plant and experiments by simulating galvanizing thermal history. The microstructure was observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of different annealing temperatures on the microstructure and mechanical properties of dual-phase steel was also discussed. The experimental results show that the dual-phase steel possesses excellent strength and elongation that match EN10346 600MPa standards. The microstructure is ferrite and martensite. TEM micrograph shows that white ferrite with black martensite islands inlay with a diameter of around 1um and the content of 14 18%. The volume will expand and phase changing take the form of shear transformation when ferrite converted to martensite. So there are high density dislocations in ferrite crystalline grain near martensite. The martensite content growing will be obvious along with annealing temperature going up. But the tendency will be weak when temperature high.

  13. Fine structure characterization of martensite/austenite constituent in low-carbon low-alloy steel by transmission electron forward scatter diffraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, C W; Han, L Z; Luo, X M; Liu, Q D; Gu, J F

    2016-11-01

    Transmission electron forward scatter diffraction and other characterization techniques were used to investigate the fine structure and the variant relationship of the martensite/austenite (M/A) constituent of the granular bainite in low-carbon low-alloy steel. The results demonstrated that the M/A constituents were distributed in clusters throughout the bainitic ferrite. Lath martensite was the main component of the M/A constituent, where the relationship between the martensite variants was consistent with the Nishiyama-Wassermann orientation relationship and only three variants were found in the M/A constituent, suggesting that the variants had formed in the M/A constituent according to a specific mechanism. Furthermore, the Σ3 boundaries in the M/A constituent were much longer than their counterparts in the bainitic ferrite region. The results indicate that transmission electron forward scatter diffraction is an effective method of crystallographic analysis for nanolaths in M/A constituents. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

  14. Development of New Heats of Advanced Ferritic/Martensitic Alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maloy, Stuart Andrew [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pestovich, Kimberly Shay [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Anderoglu, Osman [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Aydogan, Eda [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2017-06-23

    The Fuel Cycle Research and Development program is investigating methods of transmuting minor actinides in various fuel cycle options. To achieve this goal, new fuels and cladding materials must be developed and tested to high burnup levels (e.g. >20%) requiring cladding to withstand very high doses (greater than 200 dpa) while in contact with the coolant and the fuel. To develop and qualify materials to a total fluence greater than 200 dpa requires development of advanced alloys and irradiations in fast reactors to test these alloys. Recent results from testing numerous ferritic/martensitic steels at low temperatures suggest that improvements in low temperature radiation tolerance can be achieved through carefully controlling the nitrogen content in these alloys. Thus, four new heats of HT-9 were produced with controlled nitrogen content: two by Metalwerks and two by Sophisticated Alloys. Initial results on these new alloys are presented including microstructural analysis and hardness testing. Future testing will include irradiation testing with ions and in reactor.

  15. Influence of Mo addition on the tempered properties of 13Cr martensitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Byong Ho; Ahn, Yong Sik

    1998-01-01

    In order to investigate the effect of Mo addition on the mechanical properties of 13Cr-0.2C martensitic stainless steel, tensile test and Charpy V-notch test were performed after tempering at the temperature range of 200∼700 .deg. C following austenitizing at 1100 .deg. C. The yield strength and hardness of the steel were increased with the increase of Mo content at all tempering conditions, because Mo causes retardation of precipitation and coarsening of carbides and solid solution strengthening of matrix. Except 500 .deg. C of tempering temperature, the Charpy impact energy was significantly increased with Mo content and showed the highest value at 1.5 wt% addition. The increase of impact energy of the steel containing Mo is thought to be caused by δ-ferrite formed in the tempered martensitic matrix. At 500 .deg. C tempering, Charpy impact energy was decreased drastically due to temper embrittlement and it was not possible to prevent it even though Mo was added up to 1.5 wt%

  16. Role of grain boundary engineering in the SCC behavior of ferritic-martensitic alloy HT-9

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, G.; Ampornrat, P.; Ren, X.; Sridharan, K.; Allen, T.R.; Was, G.S.

    2007-01-01

    This paper focuses on the role of grain boundary engineering (GBE) in stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of ferritic-martensitic (F-M) alloy HT-9 in supercritical water (SCW) at 400 deg. C and 500 deg. C. Constant extension rate tensile (CERT) tests were conducted on HT-9 in as-received (AR) and coincident site lattice enhanced (CSLE) condition. Both unirradiated and irradiated specimens (irradiated with 2 MeV protons at 400 deg. C and 500 deg. C to a dose of 7 dpa) were tested. Ferritic-martensitic steel HT-9 exhibited intergranular stress corrosion cracking when subjected to CERT tests in an environment of supercritical water at 400 deg. C and 500 deg. C and also in an inert environment of argon at 500 deg. C. CSL-enhancement reduces grain boundary carbide coarsening and cracking susceptibility in both the unirradiated and irradiated condition. Irradiation enhanced coarsening of grain boundary carbides and cracking susceptibility of HT-9 for both the AR and CSLE conditions. Intergranular (IG) cracking of HT-9 results likely from fracture of IG carbides and seems consistent with the mechanism that coarser carbides worsen cracking susceptibility. Oxidation in combination with wedging stresses is the likely cause of the observed environmental enhancement of high temperature IG cracking in HT-9

  17. Microstructural evolution of martensitic steels during fast neutron iradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maziasz, P.J.

    1989-01-01

    Irradiation of martensitic/ferritic steels with fast neutrons (E > 0.1 MeV) to displacement damage levels of 30--50 dpa at temperatures of 300--500 degree C produces significant changes in the as-tempered microstructure. Dislocation loops and networks can be produced, irradiation-induced precipitates can form, the lath/subgrain boundary structure and the thermal precipitates produced during tempering can become unstable, and if helium is present, bubbles and voids can form. These microstructural changes caused by irradiation can have important effects on the properties of this class of steels for both fast breeder reactor (FBR) and magnetic fusion reactor (MFR) applications. The purpose of this paper is to compare reactor-irradiated and long-term thermally aged 9Cr--1MoVNb specimens, in order to distinguish effects due to displacement damage from those caused by elevated-temperature exposure alone. 7 refs., 1 fig

  18. The effect of nitrogen on martensite formation in a Cr-Mn-Ni stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biggs, T.; Knutsen, R.D.

    1995-01-01

    The influence of nitrogen (0 to 0.27 wt%) on martensite formation in an experimental low-nickel stainless-steel alloy (Fe-17Cr-7Mn-4Ni) has been investigated. The alloys containing 0.1 wt% or more nitrogen are fully austenitic at room temperature; those containing less nitrogen consist of a mixture of austenite, martensite and δ-ferrite. The alloys containing less than 0.2 wt% nitrogen are metastable and undergo a transformation from austenite to martensite on deformation. Transmission electron microscopy investigations suggest that, within the nitrogen range considered in this investigation, the addition of nitrogen causes an increase in stacking fault energy which in turn inhibits the nucleation of martensite. As the low-nitrogen alloys (less than 0.2 wt% nitrogen) undergo deformation, ε-martensite (with the [ anti 110] γ and [ anti 12 anti 10] ε zone axes parallel) is observed at the intersection of stacking faults. With increasing strain, the presence of α'-martensite is observed in conjunction with the ε-martensite, and only α'-martensite is observed at very high strains. Both the Nishiyama-Wasserman and Kurdjumov-Sachs orientation relationships are observed between austenite and α'-martensite. The transformation to martensite during deformation causes a significant variation in room-temperature mechanical properties, despite the overall narrow range in composition considered. (orig.)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-12-01

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

  20. Phase-field modelling and synchrotron validation of phase transformations in martensitic dual-phase steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thiessen, R.G.; Sietsma, J.; Palmer, T.A.; Elmer, J.W.; Richardson, I.M.

    2007-01-01

    A thermodynamically based method to describe the phase transformations during heating and cooling of martensitic dual-phase steel has been developed, and in situ synchrotron measurements of phase transformations have been undertaken to support the model experimentally. Nucleation routines are governed by a novel implementation of the classical nucleation theory in a general phase-field code. Physically-based expressions for the temperature-dependent interface mobility and the driving forces for transformation have also been constructed. Modelling of martensite was accomplished by assuming a carbon supersaturation of the body-centred-cubic ferrite lattice. The simulations predict kinetic aspects of the austenite formation during heating and ferrite formation upon cooling. Simulations of partial austenitising thermal cycles predicted peak and retained austenite percentages of 38.2% and 6.7%, respectively, while measurements yielded peak and retained austenite percentages of 31.0% and 7.2% (±1%). Simulations of a complete austenitisation thermal cycle predicted the measured complete austenitisation and, upon cooling, a retained austenite percentage of 10.3% while 9.8% (±1%) retained austenite was measured

  1. A reassessment of the effects of helium on Charpy impact properties of ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.; Hamilton, M.L.; Hankin, G.L.

    1998-01-01

    To test the effect of helium on Charpy impact properties of ferritic/martensitic steels, two approaches are reviewed: quantification of results of tests performed on specimens irradiated in reactors with very different neutron spectra, and isotopic tailoring experiments. Data analysis can show that if the differences in reactor response are indeed due to helium effects, then irradiation in a fusion machine at 400 C to 100 dpa and 1000 appm He will result in a ductile to brittle transition temperature shift of over 500 C. However, the response as a function of dose and helium level is unlikely to be simply due to helium based on physical reasoning. Shear punch tests and microstructural examinations also support this conclusion based on irradiated samples of a series of alloys made by adding various isotopes of nickel in order to vary the production of helium during irradiation in HFIR. The addition of nickel at any isotopic balance to the Fe-12Cr base alloy significantly increased the shear yield and maximum strengths of the alloys. However, helium itself, up to 75 appm at over 7 dpa appears to have little effect on the mechanical properties of the alloys. This behavior is instead understood to result from complex precipitation response. The database for effects of helium on embrittlement based on nickel additions is therefore probably misleading and experiments should be redesigned to avoid nickel precipitation

  2. Effect of free Cr content on corrosion behavior of 3Cr steels in a CO2 environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wei; Xu, Lining; Qiao, Lijie; Li, Jinxu

    2017-12-01

    The corrosion behavior of 3Cr steels with three microstructures (martensite, bainite, combined ferrite and pearlite) in simulated oil field formation water with a CO2 partial pressure of 0.8 MPa was investigated. The relationships between Cr concentrations in corrosion scales and corrosion rates were studied. The precipitated phases that contained Cr were observed in steels of different microstructures, and free Cr content levels were compared. The results showed that steel with the martensite microstructure had the highest free Cr content, and thus had the highest corrosion resistance. The free Cr content of bainite steel was lower than that of martensite steel, and the corrosion rate of bainite steel was higher than that of martensite steel. Because large masses of Cr were combined in ferrite and pearlite steel, the corrosion rates of ferrite and pearlite steel were the highest. Free Cr content in steel affects its corrosion behavior greatly.

  3. Grain boundary precipitation strengthening mechanism in W containing advanced creep resistant ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shibata, T.; Hasegawa, Y. [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan)

    2010-07-01

    Grain boundary precipitation strengthening is expected to be a decisive factor in developing ferritic creep resistant steels. This study examined the grain boundary precipitation strengthening mechanism extracting the effect of the tempered martensitic microstructure and precipitates on the high angle grain boundary in M{sub 23}C4{sub 6} type carbide and the Fe{sub 2}W type Laves phase effect of the creep deformation fixing the grain boundary according to transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation. A creep test was carried out at high temperature in order to evaluate the high angle boundary strengthening effect simulating the long-term creep deformation microstructure by the lath structure disappearance. The correlation of the creep rupture time and the grain boundary shielding ratio were found to be independent of precipitate type. The creep deformation model represents block boundary shielding by precipitates as the decisive factor for W containing ferritic creep resistant steels. (orig.)

  4. Effects of impurity elements on mechanical properties and microstructures of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sawahata, A. [Ibaraki Univ., Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Hitachi (Japan); Tanigawa, H.; Shiba, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Enomoto, M. [Ibaraki Univ., Dept. of Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Hitachi (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels (RAFs), such as F82H (Fe-8Cr-2W-0.2V- 0.04Ta-0.1C, in wt%), are one of the leading candidates for structural materials of fusion reactors. Impact property of F82H can be improved by adjusting the amount of tantalum or titanium concentration. On the other hand, it was reported by microstructure analyses of IEA steel that tantalum has a tendency to form oxides and causes a large dispersion of fracture toughness. In this study, the correlation between titanium or tantalum concentration and the impact property were reported focusing on difference in microstructure. Charpy impact test and microstructure analyses were carried out against modified F82H series of which titanium, nitrogen and tantalum composition were controlled. Charpy impact test results showed that the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of T05A (0.05Ta- 0.0014N-steels. The size distribution analyses of oxides indicate that the number density of composite oxides in T05B was higher than in T05A. In addition, EDX analyses showed that composite oxides in T05B had a strong peak of titanium, but the peak were not detected in the oxides in T05A. These results suggest that titanium has a significant influence on the formation of oxides, and affects the impact property. The influence of tantalum concentration on the formation of these oxides and mechanical properties will be reported. (authors)

  5. Ultrafine grained steels processed by equal channel angular pressing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Dong Hyuk; Park, Kyung-Tae

    2005-01-01

    Recent development of ultrafine grained (UFG) low carbon steels by using equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and their room temperature tensile properties are reviewed, focusing on the strategies overcoming their inherent mechanical drawbacks. In addition to ferrite grain refinement, when proper post heat treatments are imposed, carbon atom dissolution from pearlitic cementite during ECAP can be utilized for microstructural modification such as uniform distribution of nano-sized cementite particles or microalloying element carbides inside UFG ferrite grains and fabrication of UFG ferrite/martensite dual phase steel. The utilization of nano-sized particles is effective on improving thermal stability of UFG low carbon ferrite/pearlite steel but less effective on improving its tensile properties. By contrast, UFG ferrite/martensite dual phase steel exhibits an excellent combination of ultrahigh strength, large uniform elongation and extensive strain hardenability

  6. Gap Analysis of Material Properties Data for Ferritic/Martensitic HT-9 Steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Neil R.; Serrano De Caro, Magdalena; Rodriguez, Edward A.

    2012-01-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), is supporting the development of an ASME Code Case for adoption of 12Cr-1Mo-VW ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steel, commonly known as HT-9, primarily for use in elevated temperature design of liquid-metal fast reactors (LMFR) and components. In 2011, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) nuclear engineering staff began assisting in the development of a small modular reactor (SMR) design concept, previously known as the Hyperion Module, now called the Gen4 Module. LANL staff immediately proposed HT-9 for the reactor vessel and components, as well as fuel clad and ducting, due to its superior thermal qualities. Although the ASME material Code Case, for adoption of HT-9 as an approved elevated temperature material for LMFR service, is the ultimate goal of this project, there are several key deliverables that must first be successfully accomplished. The most important key deliverable is the research, accumulation, and documentation of specific material parameters; physical, mechanical, and environmental, which becomes the basis for an ASME Code Case. Time-independent tensile and ductility data and time-dependent creep and creep-rupture behavior are some of the material properties required for a successful ASME Code case. Although this report provides a cursory review of the available data, a much more comprehensive study of open-source data would be necessary. This report serves three purposes: (a) provides a list of already existing material data information that could ultimately be made available to the ASME Code, (b) determines the HT-9 material properties data missing from available sources that would be required and (c) estimates the necessary material testing required to close the gap. Ultimately, the gap analysis demonstrates that certain material properties testing will be required to fulfill the necessary information package for an ASME Code Case.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-09-01

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

  8. Work-hardening of dual-phase steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rieger, Florian

    2016-07-01

    Exhibiting good mechanical properties for cold-sheet forming, low-alloyed dual-phase (DP) steels are nowadays widely used for automotive applications. The composite-like microstructure of DP steels is composed of a low-carbon ductile ferrite-matrix and 10 - 60 vol.% hard martensitic inclusions. A nonlinear mean-field model and full-field finite-element simulations are applied to investigate three major topics: the influence of grain-size distribution, grain-level plasticity and derivation of an original material-model. The plastic behavior of polycrystals is assumed to be grain-size dependent in this work. The distribution of grain-sizes is taken to be lognormal. It is found that grain-size dispersion leads to a decrease of the material strength, in particular for small mean diameters around one micron. The numerical results from the mean-field model are confirmed notably well by means of a simple analytical expression. The micromechanical behavior of DP steels is investigated by full-field RVE simulations with a crystal-plasticity based ferrite-matrix and von Mises-type martensite inclusions. To examine the martensite influence, full-field simulation results of DP steels have been compared to an RVE in which martensite is substituted by ferrite. After quenching, a higher grain-boundary area covered by martensite facilitates an increased average dislocation-density. For uniaxial deformations above ∝10%, however, the grain-size dependent relation reverses. With more surrounding martensite, the local crystal-plasticity material-model exhibits hardening at a slower rate. A nonlinear mean-field model of Hashin-Shtrikman type is employed as framework for the original material-model for DP steels. The model incorporates the interaction of ferrite and martensite via incompatibility-induced long-range stresses in an averaged sense. The proposed model combines works of Ashby (1970) and Brown and Stobbs (1971a) to simulate the ferrite behavior. Based on the composite model

  9. Dynamic mechanical properties of reduced activation ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2003-01-01

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

  10. Irradiation effects of 11 MeV protons on ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamaguchi, Yoshikazu; Kuwano, Hisashi; Misawa, Toshihei

    1985-01-01

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

  11. Effect of microstructure on static and dynamic mechanical properties of high strength steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Jinbo

    The high speed deformation behavior of a commercially available dual phase (DP) steel was studied by means of split Hopkinson bar apparatus in shear punch (25m/s) and tension (1000s-1) modes with an emphasis on the influence of microstructure. The cold rolled sheet material was subjected to a variety of heat treatment conditions to produce several different microstructures, namely ferrite plus pearlite, ferrite plus bainite and/or acicular ferrite, ferrite plus bainite and martensite, and ferrite plus different fractions of martensite. Static properties (0.01mm/s for shear punch and 0.001s -1 for tension) of all the microstructures were also measured by an MTS hydraulic machine and compared to the dynamic properties. The effects of low temperature tempering and bake hardening were investigated for some ferrite plus martensite microstructures. In addition, two other materials, composition designed as high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel and transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steel, were heat treated and tested to study the effect of alloy chemistry on the microstructure and property relationship. A strong effect of microstructure on both static and dynamic properties and on the relationship between static and dynamic properties was observed. According to the variation of dynamic factor with static strength, three groups of microstructures with three distinct behaviors were identified, i.e. classic dual phase (ferrite plus less than 50% martensite), martensite-matrix dual phase (ferrite plus more than 50% martensite), and non-dual phase (ferrite plus non-martensite). Under the same static strength level, the dual phase microstructure was found to absorb more dynamic energy than other microstructures. It was also observed that the general dependence of microstructure on static and dynamic property relationship was not strongly influenced by chemical composition, except the ferrite plus martensite microstructures generated by the TRIP chemistry, which exhibited

  12. Water corrosion test of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel claddings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2006-07-01

    As a part of feasibility study of ODS steel cladding, its water corrosion resistance was examined under water pool condition. Although addition of Cr is effective for preventing water corrosion, excessive Cr addition leads to embrittlement due to the Cr-rich α' precipitate formation. In the ODS steel developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the Cr content is controlled in 9Cr-ODS martensite and 12Cr-ODS ferrite. In this study, water corrosion test was conducted for these ODS steels, and their results were compared with that of conventional austenitic stainless steel and ferritic-martensitic stainless steel. Following results were obtained in this study. (1) Corrosion rate of 9Cr-ODS martensitic and 12Cr-ODS ferritic steel are significantly small and no pitting was observed. Thus, these ODS steels have superior resistance for water corrosion under the condition of 60degC and pH8-12. (2) It was showed that 9Cr-ODS martensitic steel and 12Cr-ODS ferritic steel have comparable water corrosion resistance to that of PNC316 and PNC-FMS at 60degC for 1,000h under varying pH of 8, 10. Water corrosion resistance of these alloys is slightly larger than that of PNC316 and PNC-FMS at pH12 without significant difference of appearance and uneven condition. (author)

  13. Nondestructive testing for microstructural characterization in 9Cr-1Mo ferritic steel towards assessment of fabrication quality and in-service degradation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jayakumar, T.; Rao, K.B.S.; Raj, Baldev [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam (India)

    1999-07-01

    The paper discusses the usefulness of non destructive testing for microstructural characterization in 9Cr-1Mo ferritic steel. Ultrasonic velocity and attenuation measurements and spectral analysis have been used in a complementary way for characterizing Ac{sub 1} and Ac{sub 3} temperatures, amount of martensite and ferrite, dissolution of V{sub 4}C{sub 3} and NbC and formation of {delta}-ferrite. The microstructural degradation occurring due to thermal ageing and creep has also been studied by ultrasonic velocity measurements. Magnetic Barkhausen noise technique has been used for estimating the extent of various regions in heat affected zone (HAZ) of 9Cr-1Mo ferritic steel weldment. The same technique has been used for the assessment of low cycle fatigue damage in 9Cr-1Mo steel. The study establishes that non destructive methods can be used for the assessment of fabrication quality and in service degradation of the components. (author)

  14. Development of new ferritic / martensitic steels for fuel cladding in fast neutron reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ratti, M.

    2009-11-01

    Many studies are directed toward the development of ferritic / martensitic ODS materials for applications in Gen IV programs. In this study, the mechanisms of formation of nano-phases (Y, Ti, O) and the influence of titanium on the precipitation refinement have been analyzed by small angle neutron scattering, X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction. The obtained results allow developing new materials reinforced by nitrides (NDS which stands for Nitride Dispersion Strengthened). A first CEA patent is now being registered on these NDS materials processed by mechanical alloying. However, microstructural and mechanical characterizations are necessary to improve these new alloys. At last, a tensile and creep database has been acquired on an ODS Fe-18Cr material between room temperature and 650 C. These tests allow a qualitative description of the ODS mechanical behaviour. (author)

  15. Development of ultrafine ferritic sheaves/plates in SAE 52100 steel for enhancement of strength by controlled thermomechanical processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chakraborty, J. [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, W.B. 721 302 (India); Scientific Services and Research and Development, Tata Steel, Jamshedpur 831 001, Jharkhand (India); Manna, I., E-mail: imanna@metal.iitkgp.ernet.in [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, W.B. 721 302 (India); Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), 196 Raja S C Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032 (India)

    2012-06-30

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ultrafine bainite + martensite duplex microstructure developed in SAE 52100 steel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermomechanical processing modifies size + morphology of bainitic ferrite. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Processing involves hot deformation prior to/during/after austenitizing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Significant improvement in mechanical strength achieved. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Similar study on high carbon, low alloy steel not reported in the literature. - Abstract: The present study attempts to tailor the size, morphology and distribution of the ferrite needles/sheaves by thermomechanical processing and develop an ultrafine ferrite + martensite duplex microstructure for enhancement of strength and toughness in SAE 52100 steel. The thermo-mechanical routine included 5% hot deformation before, during or after austenitizing at 950 Degree-Sign C for 15 min followed by austempering at 270 Degree-Sign C for 30 min and subsequent water quenching to room temperature. Optical/electron microscopy along with X-ray diffraction was used to quantitatively monitor the size, morphology and distribution of the phase or phase aggregate. Significant improvement in nanohardness, wear resistance and elastic modulus and was observed in samples subjected to thermomechanical processing, as compared to that following the same austenitizing and austempering routine without hot deformation at any stage. However, improvement in the bulk mechanical property due to the present thermo-mechanical is lower than that obtained in our earlier study comprising cold deformation prior to austenitizing and austempering.

  16. Microstructural examination of commercial ferritic alloys at 299 DPA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.

    1995-11-01

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

  17. A correlative approach to segmenting phases and ferrite morphologies in transformation-induced plasticity steel using electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gazder, Azdiar A; Al-Harbi, Fayez; Spanke, Hendrik Th; Mitchell, David R G; Pereloma, Elena V

    2014-12-01

    Using a combination of electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data, a segmentation procedure was developed to comprehensively distinguish austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite, ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths in a thermo-mechanically processed low-Si, high-Al transformation-induced plasticity steel. The efficacy of the ferrite morphologies segmentation procedure was verified by transmission electron microscopy. The variation in carbon content between the ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths was explained on the basis of carbon partitioning during their growth. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Characterizing microstructural changes in ferritic steels by positron annihilation spectroscopy: Studies on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hari Babu, S., E-mail: shb@igcar.gov.in [Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India); Rajkumar, K.V. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India); Hussain, S. [UGC-DAE CSR, Kokilamedu 603 104, TN (India); Amarendra, G.; Sundar, C.S. [Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India); Jayakumar, T. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, TN (India)

    2013-01-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Positron lifetime technique probing microstructure of ferritic/martensitic steels. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Correlation between positron lifetime, ultrasonic and hardness. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Complementary nature of positron annihilation spectroscopy in probing defects. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Distinguishing precipitation stages by positron annihilation spectroscopy. - Abstract: Applicability of positron annihilation spectroscopy in probing the microstructural changes in ferritic steels has been investigated with thermal treatment studies on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, during 300-1273 K. Positron lifetime results are compared with those of ultrasonic velocity and hardness techniques with two initial microstructural conditions i.e., normalized and tempered condition as well as only normalized condition. In first case, positron lifetime is found to be sensitive to small changes in metal carbide precipitation which could not be probed by other two techniques. In later case, positron lifetime is found to be sensitive to defect annealing until 673 K and in distinguishing the growth and coarsening of metal carbide precipitation stages during 773-1073 K. The present study suggests that by combining positron lifetime, ultrasonic velocity and hardness measurements, it is possible to distinguish distinct microstructures occurring at different stages.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2017-03-15

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

  20. Ultra-Low Carbon Bainitic Steels for Heavy Plate Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-12-01

    these steels. The CCT diagrams 7 of steels typical of the HY grades indicate that the nose of the proeutectoid ferrite/pearlite reactions is located...austenite, carbides, and martensite. An example of the type of CCT diagram for one of the steels used in this investigation is presented in Figure 12...introduce a "bay" of unstable austenite which acts to separate the ferrite "nose" from the bainite/martensite regions on TTT or CCT diagrams , see Figure

  1. Characteristics of Laser Beam and Friction Stir Welded AISI 409M Ferritic Stainless Steel Joints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakshminarayanan, A. K.; Balasubramanian, V.

    2012-04-01

    This article presents the comparative evaluation of microstructural features and mechanical properties of friction stir welded (solid-state) and laser beam welded (high energy density fusion welding) AISI 409M grade ferritic stainless steel joints. Optical microscopy, microhardness testing, transverse tensile, and impact tests were performed. The coarse ferrite grains in the base material were changed to fine grains consisting duplex structure of ferrite and martensite due to the rapid cooling rate and high strain induced by severe plastic deformation caused by frictional stirring. On the other hand, columnar dendritic grain structure was observed in fusion zone of laser beam welded joints. Tensile testing indicates overmatching of the weld metal relative to the base metal irrespective of the welding processes used. The LBW joint exhibited superior impact toughness compared to the FSW joint.

  2. Materials science problems of blankets in Russian concept of fusion reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solonin, M.I.

    1998-01-01

    Structural materials, beryllium and tritium breeding materials proposed for blanket of Russian reactor DEMO and Test Modules for ITER are discussed. Main requirements for the materials are concerned with basis current designs of blankets and modules and possibility meet of ones for presence and developed alloys and materials discussed considered. Main properties and results of test of ferrite-martensite and vanadium alloys for DEMO and Test Modules are cited. Beryllium compositions used as component of first wall and neutron multiplier are discussed. Liquid lithium and ceramic (lithium orthosilicate) are treated as tritium breeding materials. Russian development of reactor experimental unit for tritium breeding zone using beryllium, lithium ceramic and ferrite-martensite alloys for structural materials is presented. (orig.)

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-01-15

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

  4. Deformation induced martensitic transformation in stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagy, E.; Mertinger, V.; Tranta, F.; Solyom, J.

    2003-01-01

    Deformation induced martensitic transformation was investigated in metastable austenitic stainless steel. This steel can present a microstructure of austenite (γ), α' martensite and non magnetic ε martensite. Uni-axial tensile test was used for loading at different temperatures below room temperature (from -120 to 20 deg. C). During the deformation the transformation takes place at certain places in an anisotropic way and texture also develops. Quantitative phase analysis was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic methods while the texture was described by X-ray diffraction using a special inverse pole figure. The quantitative phase analysis has shown that the formation of α' and ε martensite from austenite is the function of deformation rate, and deformation temperature. The transformation of the textured austenite takes place in an anisotropic way and a well defined crystallographic relationship between the parent and α' martensite phase has been measured

  5. Evaluation of mechanically alloyed Cu-based powders as filler alloy for brazing tungsten to a reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Prado, J.; Sánchez, M.; Ureña, A.

    2017-07-01

    80Cu-20Ti powders were evaluated for their use as filler alloy for high temperature brazing of tungsten to a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel (Eurofer), and its application for the first wall of the DEMO fusion reactor. The use of alloyed powders has not been widely considered for brazing purposes and could improve the operational brazeability of the studied system due to its narrower melting range, determined by DTA analysis, which enhances the spreading capabilities of the filler. Ti contained in the filler composition acts as an activator element, reacting and forming several interfacial layers at the Eurofer-braze, which enhances the wettability properties and chemical interaction at the brazing interface. Brazing thermal cycle also activated the diffusion phenomena, which mainly affected to the Eurofer alloying elements causing in it a softening band of approximately 400 μm of thickness. However, this softening effect did not degrade the shear strength of the brazed joints (94 ± 23 MPa), because failure during testing was always located at the tungsten-braze interface.

  6. Behavior of Eurofer97 reduced activation martensitic steel upon heating and continuous cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Danon, A.; Alamo, A.

    2002-01-01

    The phase transformation behavior of the Eurofer97 steel (Fe9Cr1WVTa) has been investigated. The transformation temperatures upon heating and cooling were determined by dilatometry for different rates in the range 0.0028-100 deg. C/s. The prior austenitic grain size of Eurofer97, measured as a function of the austenitization temperature, does not change appreciably up to 1050 deg. C and then increases with increasing austenite temperature from 1050 up to 1200 deg. C. Continuous cooling transformation diagrams were determined for the austenitization temperatures of 980, 1060 and 1140 deg. C. They show a well-known form with two main phase fields, martensite and ferrite. Values of the critical cooling rates and ferrite start temperatures depend on the austenitization temperature. After thermal cycles samples were further characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermoelectric power measurements

  7. Alloying effect on martensite transformation in stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gulyaev, A.P.; Shlyamnev, A.P.; Sorokina, N.A.

    1975-01-01

    The effect of cobalt, nickel, molybdenum on the martensite transformation kinetics in stainless steels containing 9 to 13% Cr has been studied. Cobalt in Fe-Cr base alloys decreases the temperature of the Msub(in) and Msub(fin) points without a considerable decrease of the martensite phase amount after the transformation. Nickel reduces the martensite transformation temperature range, the nickel effect being enhanced in the presence of cobalt, which is characterized by a change of the linear dependence Msub(in)=f(%Ni) for a quadratic one. Molybdenum decreases the temperature of the Msub(in) and Msub(fin) points intensively, thus, substantially increasing the residual austenite amount. In the steels investigated Ni and Co decrease, whereas Mo increases, to some extent, the temperature of the reverse a-γ-transformation. The reduction of chromium content from 13 to 9% stimulates the martensite transformation initiation, that is why, in alloys containing 9% Cr, the increase in the contents of Ni, Co., Mo with the martensite structure maintained is possible. A further alloying of steel containing 13% Cr with these elements is rather limited due to the inhibition of the martensite transformation

  8. Studies on oxidation and deuterium permeation behavior of a low temperature α-Al_2O_3-forming Fe−Cr−Al ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Yu-Ping; Zhao, Si-Xiang; Liu, Feng; Li, Xiao-Chun; Zhao, Ming-Zhong; Wang, Jing; Lu, Tao; Hong, Suk-Ho; Zhou, Hai-Shan; Luo, Guang-Nan

    2016-01-01

    To evaluate the capability of Fe−Cr−Al ferritic steels as tritium permeation barrier in fusion systems, the oxidation behavior together with the permeation behavior of a Fe−Cr−Al steel was investigated. Gas driven permeation experiments were performed. The permeability of the oxidized Fe−Cr−Al steel was obtained and a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel CLF-1 was used as a comparison. In order to characterize the oxide layer, SEM, XPS, TEM, HRTEM were used. Al_2O_3 was detected in the oxide film by XPS, and HRTEM showed that Al_2O_3 in the α phase was found. The formation of α-Al_2O_3 layer at a relatively low temperature may result from the formation of Cr_2O_3 nuclei.

  9. Depth distribution of martensite in xenon implanted stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johansen, A.; Johnson, E.; Sarholt-Kristensen, L.; Steenstrup, S.; Hayashi, N.; Sakamoto, I.

    1989-01-01

    The amount of stress-induced martensite and its distribution in depth in xenon implanted austenitic stainless steel poly- and single crystals have been measured by Rutherford backscattering and channeling analysis, depth selective conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopy, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis. In low nickel 17/7, 304 and 316 commercial stainless steels and in 17:13 single crystals the martensitic transformation starts at the surface and develops towards greater depth with increasing xenon fluence. The implanted layer is nearly completely transformed, and the interface between martensite and austenite is rather sharp and well defined. In high nickel 310 commercial stainless steel and 15:19 and 20:19 single crystals, on the other hand, only insignificant amounts of martensite are observed. (orig.)

  10. Fabrication and integrity test preparation of HIP-joined W and ferritic-martensitic steel mockups for fusion reactor development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Dong Won; Shin, Kyu In; Kim, Suk Kwon; Jin, Hyung Gon; Lee, Eo Hwak; Yoon, Jae Sung; Choi, Bo Guen; Moon, Se Youn; Hong, Bong Guen

    2014-01-01

    Tungsten (W) and ferritic-martensitic steel (FMS) as armor and structural materials, respectively, are the major candidates for plasma-facing components (PFCs) such as the blanket first wall (BFW) and the divertor, in a fusion reactor. In the present study, three W/FMS mockups were successfully fabricated using a hot isostatic pressing (HIP, 900 .deg. C, 100 MPa, 1.5 hrs) with a following post-HIP heat treatment (PHHT, tempering, 750 .deg. C, 70 MPa, 2 hrs), and the W/FMS joining method was developed based on the ITER BFW and the test blanket module (TBM) development project from 2004 to the present. Using a 10-MHz-frequency flat-type probe to ultrasonically test of the joint, we found no defects in the fabricated mockups. For confirmation of the joint integrity, a high heat flux test will be performed up to the thermal lifetime of the mockup under the proper test conditions. These conditions were determined through a preliminary analysis with conventional codes such as ANSYS-CFX for thermal-hydraulic conditions considering the test facility, the Korea heat load test facility with an electron beam (KoHLT-EB), and its water coolant system at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)

  11. Fabrication and integrity test preparation of HIP-joined W and ferritic-martensitic steel mockups for fusion reactor development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Dong Won; Shin, Kyu In; Kim, Suk Kwon; Jin, Hyung Gon; Lee, Eo Hwak; Yoon, Jae Sung; Choi, Bo Guen; Moon, Se Youn; Hong, Bong Guen

    2014-10-01

    Tungsten (W) and ferritic-martensitic steel (FMS) as armor and structural materials, respectively, are the major candidates for plasma-facing components (PFCs) such as the blanket first wall (BFW) and the divertor, in a fusion reactor. In the present study, three W/FMS mockups were successfully fabricated using a hot isostatic pressing (HIP, 900 °C, 100 MPa, 1.5 hrs) with a following post-HIP heat treatment (PHHT, tempering, 750 °C, 70 MPa, 2 hrs), and the W/FMS joining method was developed based on the ITER BFW and the test blanket module (TBM) development project from 2004 to the present. Using a 10-MHz-frequency flat-type probe to ultrasonically test of the joint, we found no defects in the fabricated mockups. For confirmation of the joint integrity, a high heat flux test will be performed up to the thermal lifetime of the mockup under the proper test conditions. These conditions were determined through a preliminary analysis with conventional codes such as ANSYS-CFX for thermal-hydraulic conditions considering the test facility, the Korea heat load test facility with an electron beam (KoHLT-EB), and its water coolant system at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI).

  12. Fabrication and integrity test preparation of HIP-joined W and ferritic-martensitic steel mockups for fusion reactor development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Dong Won; Shin, Kyu In; Kim, Suk Kwon; Jin, Hyung Gon; Lee, Eo Hwak; Yoon, Jae Sung; Choi, Bo Guen [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Se Youn; Hong, Bong Guen [Chonbuk National University, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-10-15

    Tungsten (W) and ferritic-martensitic steel (FMS) as armor and structural materials, respectively, are the major candidates for plasma-facing components (PFCs) such as the blanket first wall (BFW) and the divertor, in a fusion reactor. In the present study, three W/FMS mockups were successfully fabricated using a hot isostatic pressing (HIP, 900 .deg. C, 100 MPa, 1.5 hrs) with a following post-HIP heat treatment (PHHT, tempering, 750 .deg. C, 70 MPa, 2 hrs), and the W/FMS joining method was developed based on the ITER BFW and the test blanket module (TBM) development project from 2004 to the present. Using a 10-MHz-frequency flat-type probe to ultrasonically test of the joint, we found no defects in the fabricated mockups. For confirmation of the joint integrity, a high heat flux test will be performed up to the thermal lifetime of the mockup under the proper test conditions. These conditions were determined through a preliminary analysis with conventional codes such as ANSYS-CFX for thermal-hydraulic conditions considering the test facility, the Korea heat load test facility with an electron beam (KoHLT-EB), and its water coolant system at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)

  13. Ferritic steels for French LMFBR steam generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1983-06-01

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

  14. Influence of liquid lead and lead-bismuth eutectic on tensile, fatigue and creep properties of ferritic/martensitic and austenitic steels for transmutation systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gorse, D., E-mail: dominique.gorse-pomonti@polytechnique.edu [CNRS-LSI, Ecole Polytechnique, route de Saclay, 91128, Palaiseau Cedex (France); Auger, T. [CNRS-MSSMAT, Ecole Centrale Paris, Grande Voie des Vignes, 92290, Chatenay-Malabry Cedex (France); Vogt, J.-B.; Serre, I. [CNRS-LMPGM, 59655, Villeneuve d' Ascq Cedex (France); Weisenburger, A. [ForschungszentrumKarlsruheGmbH, P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Gessi, A.; Agostini, P. [ENEA, CR Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano, Bologna (Italy); Fazio, C. [ForschungszentrumKarlsruheGmbH, P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Hojna, A.; Di Gabriele, F. [Ustav jaderneho vyzkumu Rez a.s., Husinec 130, Rez 25068 (Czech Republic); Van Den Bosch, J.; Coen, G.; Almazouzi, A. [SCK-CEN (Belgian Nuclear Research Centre), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Serrano, M. [CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense, 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2011-08-31

    In this paper, the tensile, fatigue and creep properties of the Ferritic/Martensitic (F/M) steel T91 and of the Austenitic Stainless (AS) Steel 316L in lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) or lead, obtained in the different organizations participating to the EUROTRANS-DEMETRA project are reviewed. The results show a remarkable consistency, referring to the variety of metallurgical and surface state conditions studied. Liquid Metal Embrittlement (LME) effects are shown, remarkable on heat-treated hardened T91 and also on corroded T91 after long-term exposure to low oxygen containing Liquid Metal (LM), but hardly visible on passive or oxidized smooth T91 specimens. For T91, the ductility trough was estimated, starting just above the melting point of the embrittler (T{sub M,E} = 123.5 deg. C for LBE, 327 deg. C for lead) with the ductility recovery found at 425 deg. C. LME effects are weaker on 316L AS steel. Liquid Metal Assisted Creep (LMAC) effects are reported for the T91/LBE system at 550 deg. C, and for the T91/lead system at 525 deg. C. Today, if the study of the LME effects on T91 and 316L in LBE or lead can be considered well documented, in contrast, complementary investigations are necessary in order to quantify the LMAC effects in these systems, and determine rigorously the threshold creep conditions.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2015-05-15

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2015-01-01

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

  17. Summary Report of Summer Work: High Purity Single Crystal Growth & Microstructure of Ferritic-Martensitic Steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pestovich, Kimberly Shay [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2015-08-18

    Harnessing the power of the nuclear sciences for national security and to benefit others is one of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s missions. MST-8 focuses on manipulating and studying how the structure, processing, properties, and performance of materials interact at the atomic level under nuclear conditions. Within this group, single crystal scintillators contribute to the safety and reliability of weapons, provide global security safeguards, and build on scientific principles that carry over to medical fields for cancer detection. Improved cladding materials made of ferritic-martensitic alloys support the mission of DOE-NE’s Fuel Cycle Research and Development program to close the nuclear fuel cycle, aiming to solve nuclear waste management challenges and thereby increase the performance and safety of current and future reactors.

  18. Numerical cooling strategy design for hot rolled dual phase steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suwanpinij, Piyada; Prahl, Ulrich; Bleck, Wolfgang [RWTH Aachen (DE). Dept. of Ferrous Metallurgy (IEHK); Togobytska, Nataliya; Weiss, Wolf; Hoemberg, Dietmar [Weierstrass-Institut fuer Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik (WIAS) im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (Germany)

    2010-10-21

    In this article, the Mo-Mn dual phase steel and its process parameters in hot rolling are discussed. The process window was derived by combining the experimental work in a hot deformation dilatometer and numerical calculation of process parameters using rate law models for ferrite and martensite transformation. The ferrite formation model is based on the Leblond and Devaux approach while martensite formation is based on the Koistinen- Marburger (K-M) formula. The carbon enrichment during ferrite formation is taken into account for the following martensite formation. After the completion of the parameter identification for the rate law model, the evolution of phases in multiphase steel can be addressed. Particularly, the simulations allow for predicting the preferable degree of retained strain and holding temperature on the run out table (ROT) for the required ferrite fraction. (orig.)

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sreenivasan, P.R.

    2016-02-15

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

  20. Substitution of modified 9 Cr-1 Mo steel for austentic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sikka, V.K.

    1982-04-01

    This report describes the current program to develop a high-strength ferritic-martensitic steel. The alloy is essentially Fe-9% Cr-1% Mo with small additions of V and Nb and is known as modifed 9 Cr-1 Mo steel. Its elevated-temperature properties and design allowable stresses match those of type 304 stainless steel for temperatures up to 600 0 C and exceed those of other ferritic steels by factors of 2 to 3. The improved strength of this alloy permits its use in place of stainless steels for many applications

  1. On key factors influencing ductile fractures of dual phase (DP) steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, X.; Choi, K.S.; Soulami, A.; Liu, W.N.; Khaleel, M.A.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we examine the key factors influencing ductile failure of various grades of dual phase (DP) steels using the microstructure-based modeling approach. Various microstructure-based finite element models are generated based on the actual microstructures of DP steels with different martensite volume fractions. These models are, then, used to investigate the influence of ductility of the constituent ferrite phase and also the influence of voids introduced in the ferrite phase on the overall ductility of DP steels. It is found that with volume fraction of martensite in the microstructure less than 15%, the overall ductility of the DP steels strongly depends on the ductility of the ferrite matrix, hence pre-existing micro-voids in the microstructure significantly reduce the overall ductility of the steel. When the volume fraction of martensite is above 15%, the pre-existing voids in the ferrite matrix does not significantly reduce the overall ductility of the DP steels, and the overall ductility is more influenced by the mechanical property disparity between the two phases. The applicability of the phase inhomogeneity driven ductile failure of DP steels is then discussed based on the obtained computational results for various grades of DP steels, and the experimentally obtained scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures of the corresponding grades of DP steels near fracture surface are used as evidence for result validations.

  2. Structural control of void formation in dual phase steels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Azuma, Masafumi

    The objective of this study is to explore the void formation mechanisms and to clarify the influence of the hardness and structural parameters (volume fraction, size and morphology) of martensite particles on the void formation and mechanical properties in dual phase steels composed of ferrite...... and (iii) strain localization. The critical strain for void formation depends on hardness of the martensite, but is independent of the volume fraction, shape, size and distribution of the martensite. The strain partitioning between the martensite and ferrite depends on the volume fraction and hardness...... of the martensite accelerates the void formation in the martensite by enlarging the size of voids both in the martensite and ferrite. It is suggested that controlling the hardness and structural parameters associated with the martensite particles such as morphology, size and volume fraction are the essential...

  3. Microstructure and cleavage in lath martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morris, John W Jr; Kinney, Chris; Pytlewski, Ken; Adachi, Y

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we discuss the microstructure of lath martensitic steels and the mechanisms by which it controls cleavage fracture. The specific experimental example is a 9Ni (9 wt% Ni) steel annealed to have a large prior austenite grain size, then examined and tested in the as-quenched condition to produce a relatively coarse lath martensite. The microstructure is shown to approximate the recently identified ‘classic’ lath martensite structure: prior austenite grains are divided into packets, packets are subdivided into blocks, and blocks contain interleaved laths whose variants are the two Kurjumov–Sachs relations that share the same Bain axis of the transformation. When the steel is fractured in brittle cleavage, the laths in the block share {100} cleavage planes and cleave as a unit. However, cleavage cracks deflect or blunt at the boundaries between blocks with different Bain axes. It follows that, as predicted, the block size governs the effective grain size for cleavage. (paper)

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2007-07-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-04-01

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

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-12-01

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

  7. Deformation induced martensite in AISI 316 stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solomon, N.; Solomon, I.

    2010-01-01

    The forming process leads to a considerable differentiation of the strain field within the billet, and finally causes the non-uniform distribution of the total strain, microstructure and properties of the material over the product cross-section. This paper focus on the influence of stress states on the deformation-induced a martensitic transformation in AISI Type 316 austenitic stainless steel. The formation of deformation-induced martensite is related to the austenite (g) instability at temperatures close or below room temperature. The structural transformation susceptibility is correlated to the stacking fault energy (SFE), which is a function not only of the chemical composition, but also of the testing temperature. Austenitic stainless steels possess high plasticity and can be easily cold formed. However, during cold processing the hardening phenomena always occurs. Nevertheless, the deformation-induced martensite transformation may enhance the rate of work-hardening and it may or may not be in favour of further material processing. Due to their high corrosion resistance and versatile mechanical properties the austenitic stainless steels are used in pressing of heat exchanger plates. However, this corrosion resistance is influenced by the amount of martensite formed during processing. In order to establish the links between total plastic strain, and martensitic transformation, the experimental tests were followed by numerical simulation. (Author) 21 refs.

  8. characterization and weldability of plasma nitrided P/M martensitic stainless steel X 20 Cr Ni 172

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel-Karim, R.A.; El-demellawy, M.A; Waheed, A.F.

    2004-01-01

    stainless steels are widely used in nuclear applications, as a construction material. in these applications stainless steels suffer from corrosion degradation due severe environment and operating conditions. improving the engineering properties of such material prolong the service life time.in the present study, powder metallurgy technique namely plasma rotating electrode process (PREP) was used to produce martensitic steel DIN X 20 Cr Ni 172 with 0.5 % N. this step was followed by hot isostatic pressing process (HIP) . the effect of N on the weldability of this steel has been investigated . this included microstructure characterization, hardness evaluation and ferrite content measurements. the results showed that the presence of high nitrogen content in this steel resulted in a pore free structure with improved the hardness across the welding area. A single phase with few precipitates was detected on the grain boundaries in the heat affected zone. the results were supplemented by x-ray diffraction patterns and EDAX analysis

  9. Impact properties of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel, F82H jointed by hot isostatic pressing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ogiwara, H.; Tanigawa, H. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Hirose, T. [Blanket Engineering Group, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka, Ibaraki (Japan); Enoeda, M. [Naka Fusion Research Establishment, J.A.E.R.I., Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Ibaraki-ken (Japan); Kohyama, A. [Kyoto Univ., lnstitute of Advanced Energy (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels are the leading candidate structural material for the blanket system of fusion reactors. The important issue at the current stage is the finalization of a detailed manufacturing specification for ITER test blanket module. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process is one of the most important methods to fabricate the first wall with cooling channels. The objective of this paper is to optimize HIP condition to obtain the excellent joints mechanical properties. The materials used were F82H steels. The joint was produced by solid state HIP method. Before HIP treatments, specimens were heated in vacuum condition to out-gas. This treatment was conducted to decrease oxidation on the surfaces. HIP treatments were carried out for 2 h at 1100 deg. C - 140 MPa. The specimens were normalized at 960 deg. C for 0.5 h and tempered at 750 deg. C for 1.5 h. The bonding interface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Charpy impact tests and tensile tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of the HIP joint. Impact tests revealed that there were no significant differences in the ductile-brittle transition temperatures of HIP jointed specimens and base metal specimens, but the upper-shelf energy (USE) of the HIP joint specimens at room temperature was only about 10% of that of the base metal specimens. SEM observations of the fracture surface of HIP joint specimens revealed that a large number of oxides were formed on the HIP joint. This result indicates that oxides formed on the HIP joint are the dominant factor of the impact properties. Based on these results, the pre-HIP treatment conditions had been optimized to reduce the number of oxides, and USE of HIP joint specimens increased to about 50% of that of the base metal. The detailed analyses on the HIP joint microstructure will be reported. (authors)

  10. Oxide Evolution in ODS Steel Resulting From Friction Stir Welding

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-06-01

    the SZ on both the AS and RS of 304L stainless steel , from [16]. ...........................................12  Figure 7.  Past research conditions...being done on void swelling and embrittlement effects. Reduced activation ferritic/ martensitic (RAFM) steels and oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS...growth by grain boundary pinning at higher temperatures. Another type of ODS steel is 9-Cr martensitic steel , which is not considered in this research

  11. Effects of welding on toughness of Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, W. S.; Kim, S. H.; Yoon, J. H.

    2008-01-01

    Nuclear energy is being seriously considered to meet the increasing demand for a world-wide energy supply without environmental effects. Generation IV reactors are being developed to produce a reliable energy safely and with an economic benefit. Since these new reactors require an elevated temperature, ferritic/martensitic steels are attracting attention as candidate materials for the reactor vessel of a very high temperature reactor (VHTR) and the cladding of a sodium fast reactor (SFR,) due to their high strength and thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, and good resistance to corrosion. in recent years, new ferritic/martensitic steels have been developed for ultra supercritical fossil power plants. Advanced technologies for a steel fabrication have improved the elevated temperature properties of ferritic/martensitic steels to make them comparable with austenitic stainless steels. The microstructural stability of the pressure vessel, cladding and core structural materials of the VHTR and SCWR is very important. Welding process affects the microstructure and residual stress, so the toughness of ferritic/martensitic steels decreases in general. In this paper; Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel is welded by SMAW with V-groove, and the effects of welding on tensile and impact properties are evaluated. The upper self energy of the weldment was only 57% of that of the base metal, and the DBTT T 41J and T 68J index temperatures of the weldment were higher than those of the base metal by 17 deg. C, 38 deg. C and 37 deg. C, respectively. (authors)

  12. Effect of temperature and aluminium additions on the mechanical properties of the 13% chromium ferrite stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martins, S.

    1975-01-01

    The potential interest of the ferritic stainless steels as component materials for nuclear power reactors led to investigate how aluminium influences the mechanical properties of 13% chromium ferritic stainless steels between room temperature and about 700 0 C. Nominal 13% chromium and 0.04 to 0.08% carbon ferritic stainless steels containing 0, 0.13, 2.19 and 4.15% aluminium, respectively, were obtained by vacuum remelting of a commercial martensitic-ferritic stainless steel and suitable additions of aluminium. After successive rolling operations and recrystallizations performed in order to obtain final 0.5 mm thick sheets with similar average grain sizes the specimens of the above mentioned steels were tested in a tensile test Instron machine, with a constant strain rate (approximately equal to 1.6 x 10 -3 min -1 ), at room temperature, 140, 265, 415, 565 and 715 0 C. The results obtained show that strengthening by aluminium is strongly temperature dependent. At 265 0 C all the steels presentes serrated plastic deformation (Portevin-Le Chatelier effect), which is attributed to interactions of the interstitial and substitutional solute atoms with dislocations in the body centered cubic structure. Flow stress drops were still observed at 465 0 C, although the tests performed at 565 and 715 0 C showed work-softening of the materials and total absence of serrations. Stress relaxation tests at room temperature yielded values of the apparent activation volumes, which are scattered between about 100 and 130 b 3 (b-Burgers vector), being almost constant with stress, strain and aluminium content. Therefore, although aluminium appreciably strengthens the 13% chromium steel, the behaviour summarized suggests that the mechanism controlling plastic deformation at room temperature is the same for all the tested steels, the values of the apparent activitation volumes being probably determined by the interstitial content. Stress relaxation tests at 20, 75, 140 and 265 0 C for

  13. Laser Beam Welding of Ultra-high Strength Chromium Steel with Martensitic Microstructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahmen, Martin; Janzen, Vitalij; Lindner, Stefan; Wagener, Rainer

    A new class of steels is going to be introduced into sheet manufacturing. Stainless ferritic and martensitic steels open up opportunities for sheet metal fabrication including hot stamping. Strengths of up to 2 GPa at fracture elongations of 15% can be attained through this. Welding of these materials, as a result, became a challenge. Energy-reduced welding methods with in-situ heat treatment are required in order to ensure the delicate and complex heat control. Laser beam welding is the joining technique of choice to supply minimum heat input to the fusion process and to apply efficient heat control. For two application cases, tailored blank production in as-rolled condition and welding during assembly in hot stamped condition, welding processes have been developed. The welding suitability is shown through metallurgical investigations of the welds. Crash tests based on the KS-II concept as well as fatigue tests prove the applicability of the joining method.

  14. Nanotribological behavior of deep cryogenically treated martensitic stainless steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Germán Prieto

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Cryogenic treatments are increasingly used to improve the wear resistance of various steel alloys by means of transformation of retained austenite, deformation of virgin martensite and carbide refinement. In this work the nanotribological behavior and mechanical properties at the nano-scale of cryogenically and conventionally treated AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel were evaluated. Conventionally treated specimens were subjected to quenching and annealing, while the deep cryogenically treated samples were quenched, soaked in liquid nitrogen for 2 h and annealed. The elastic–plastic parameters of the materials were assessed by nanoindentation tests under displacement control, while the friction behavior and wear rate were evaluated by a nanoscratch testing methodology that it is used for the first time in steels. It was found that cryogenic treatments increased both hardness and elastic limit of a low-carbon martensitic stainless steel, while its tribological performance was enhanced marginally.

  15. Nanotribological behavior of deep cryogenically treated martensitic stainless steel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prieto, Germán; Bakoglidis, Konstantinos D; Tuckart, Walter R; Broitman, Esteban

    2017-01-01

    Cryogenic treatments are increasingly used to improve the wear resistance of various steel alloys by means of transformation of retained austenite, deformation of virgin martensite and carbide refinement. In this work the nanotribological behavior and mechanical properties at the nano-scale of cryogenically and conventionally treated AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel were evaluated. Conventionally treated specimens were subjected to quenching and annealing, while the deep cryogenically treated samples were quenched, soaked in liquid nitrogen for 2 h and annealed. The elastic-plastic parameters of the materials were assessed by nanoindentation tests under displacement control, while the friction behavior and wear rate were evaluated by a nanoscratch testing methodology that it is used for the first time in steels. It was found that cryogenic treatments increased both hardness and elastic limit of a low-carbon martensitic stainless steel, while its tribological performance was enhanced marginally.

  16. Influence of microstructural development during annealing at 780oC on creep resistance of ferritic-martensitic T91 (9%Cr-1%Mo-V-Nb) steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Cicco, H; Zavaleta Gutierrez, N; Marrero, J; Luppo, M.I; Danon, C.A

    2006-01-01

    Due to its good properties of creep resistance, toughness and rust resistance, martensitic-ferritic 9%Cr-1%Mo steels are widely used for the production of heating plant components, boilers, heat exchangers, piping and tubing, etc. The effectiveness in steels of MX carbonitrides such as (Nb,V) (C,N) on improving creep resistance at high temperatures is well known. Controlling the behavior of the MX phases to precipitation, during annealing, is essential for obtaining a stable microstructure that can resist high temperatures. This study investigates the relationship between creep resistance and the microstructural changes that occur at different annealing times at a temperature of 780 o C -used industrially during the production and post-welding- in T91 steel. Creep trials were carried out at 600 o C and 190 MPa, and the samples were characterized using optic microscopy (OM), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the latter including a facility for energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Based on its morphological characteristics, the MX precipitates are classified into three types, types I, II and III. Tempering time at 780 o C has been found to be one of the factors that determines which MX is dominant in the annealed steel. The presence of type MX-III, formed by the secondary precipitation of a VN particle adhering to a NbX, commonly called 'wing', seems to favor creep resistance in these steels. This type of of precipitate, then, fills an effective role in the anchoring of dislocations during creep (cw)

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1988-01-01

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

  18. Mechanical characterization of a reduced activation 9 Cr ferritic/martensitic steel of spanish production; Caracterizacion mecanica de un acero ferritico/martenitico de activacion reducida de produccion espanola

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez, D.; Serrano, M.

    2012-07-01

    This paper shows the first results concerning the characterization of two heats of a reduced activation 9 Cr ferritic/martensitic steel (RAFM) made in Spain, called AF1B and AF2A. The results of this characterization are compared with their European counterparts, EUROFER97-2, which was chosen as reference material. All activities described were performed in the Structural Materials Unit of CIEMAT, within the national project TECNO-FUS CONSOLIDER INGENIO.The two Spanish heats have the same production process and heat treatment. Both heats have a similar tensile behaviour similar to EUROFER97-2, but on the other hand impact properties are lower. The microstructure of AF1B reveals large biphasic inclusions that affecting its mechanical properties, especially the impact properties. AF2A casting was free of these inclusions. (Author) 24 refs.

  19. Quenching and partitioning treatment of a low-carbon martensitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuchiyama, Toshihiro; Tobata, Junya; Tao, Teruyuki; Nakada, Nobuo; Takaki, Setsuo

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► The amount of retained austenite was increased by Q and P treatment in 12Cr–0.1C steel. ► Ideal carbon concentrations in austenite and ferrite were calculated assuming CCE condition. ► The optimum partitioning treatment condition for 12Cr–0.1C steel was found. ► The strength–ductility balance of 12Cr–0.1C steel was improved by TRIP effect. - Abstract: Quenching and partitioning (Q and P) treatment was applied to a commercial low-carbon martensitic stainless steel, AISI Type 410 (Fe–12Cr–0.1C). The quench interruption temperature was optimized with consideration of the ideal carbon concentration in untransformed austenite after partitioning to lower the Ms temperature to room temperature. After partitioning at an appropriate temperature, a significant fraction of austenite was retained through the enrichment of carbon into the untransformed austenite. It was also suggested that the addition of silicon is not necessarily required for the Q and P treatment of 12Cr steel because of the retardation of carbide precipitation at the partitioning temperature owing to the large amount of chromium. Tensile testing revealed that the Q and P-treated material exhibited a significantly improved strength–ductility balance compared with conventional quench-and-tempered materials due to the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect by the retained austenite.

  20. Quenching and partitioning treatment of a low-carbon martensitic stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsuchiyama, Toshihiro, E-mail: toshi@zaiko.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Tobata, Junya; Tao, Teruyuki [Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Nakada, Nobuo; Takaki, Setsuo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan)

    2012-01-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The amount of retained austenite was increased by Q and P treatment in 12Cr-0.1C steel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ideal carbon concentrations in austenite and ferrite were calculated assuming CCE condition. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The optimum partitioning treatment condition for 12Cr-0.1C steel was found. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The strength-ductility balance of 12Cr-0.1C steel was improved by TRIP effect. - Abstract: Quenching and partitioning (Q and P) treatment was applied to a commercial low-carbon martensitic stainless steel, AISI Type 410 (Fe-12Cr-0.1C). The quench interruption temperature was optimized with consideration of the ideal carbon concentration in untransformed austenite after partitioning to lower the Ms temperature to room temperature. After partitioning at an appropriate temperature, a significant fraction of austenite was retained through the enrichment of carbon into the untransformed austenite. It was also suggested that the addition of silicon is not necessarily required for the Q and P treatment of 12Cr steel because of the retardation of carbide precipitation at the partitioning temperature owing to the large amount of chromium. Tensile testing revealed that the Q and P-treated material exhibited a significantly improved strength-ductility balance compared with conventional quench-and-tempered materials due to the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect by the retained austenite.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2014-04-15

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2014-01-01

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

  3. Microstructure and mechanical properties of China low activation martensitic steel joint by TIG multi-pass welding with a new filler wire

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Bo [Key Laboratory of Neutronics and Radiation Safety, Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Zhang, Junyu [Key Laboratory of Neutronics and Radiation Safety, Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Wu, Qingsheng, E-mail: qingsheng.wu@fds.org.cn [Key Laboratory of Neutronics and Radiation Safety, Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China)

    2017-07-15

    Tungsten Inner Gas (TIG) welding is employed for joining of China low activation martensitic (CLAM) steel. A new filler wire was proposed, and the investigation on welding with various heat input and welding passes were conducted to lower the tendency towards the residual of δ ferrite in the joint. With the optimized welding parameters, a butt joint by multi-pass welding with the new filler wire was prepared to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties. The microstructure of the joint was observed by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The hardness, Charpy impact and tensile tests of the joint were implemented at room temperature (25 °C). The results revealed that almost full martensite free from ferrite in the joints were obtained by multipass welding with the heat input of 2.26 kJ/mm. A certain degree of softening occurred at the heat affected zone of the joint according to the results of tensile and hardness tests. The as welded joints showed brittle fracture in the impact tests. However, the joints showed toughness fracture after tempering and relatively better comprehensive performance were achieved when the joints were tempered at 740 °C for 2 h. - Highlights: •A new filler material was proposed to control ferrite content in CLAM weld metal. •Heat input affected ferrite content through influencing cooling rate during welding. •Multipass welding was a promising way to eliminate the ferrite in the weld.

  4. On size and geometry effects on the brittle fracture of ferritic and tempered martensitic steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odette, G. R.; Chao, B. L.; Lucas, G. E.

    1992-09-01

    A finite element computation of nonsingular crack tip fields was combined with a weakest link statistics model of cleavage fracture. Model predictions for three point bend specimens with various widths and crack depth to width ratios are qualitatively consistent with a number of trends observed in a 12 Cr martensitic stainless steel. The toughness “benefits” of small sizes and shallow cracks are primarily reflected in strain limits rather than net section stress capacities, which is significant to fusion structures subject to large secondary stresses.

  5. G phase precipitation and strengthening in ultra-high strength ferritic steels: Towards lean ‘maraging’ metallurgy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, W.W.; Marceau, R.K.W.; Styles, M.J.; Barbier, D.; Hutchinson, C.R.

    2017-01-01

    Ultra-high strength steels are interesting materials for light-weighting applications in the transportation industries. A key requirement of these applications is weldability and consequently a low carbon content is desirable. Maraging steels are examples of ultra-high strength, low carbon steels but their disadvantage is their high cost due to the large Ni and/or Co additions required. This contribution is focussed on the development of steels with maraging-like strengths but with low solute contents (less than 10%). A series of alloy compositions were designed to exploit precipitation of the G phase in a ferritic matrix at temperatures of 450–600 °C in order to obtain yield strengths in excess of 2 GPa. The mechanical response of the materials was measured using tension and compression testing and the precipitate evolution has been characterized using atom probe tomography (APT) and in-situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) at a synchrotron beamline. Precipitate number densities of 10"2"5 m"−"3 are obtained, which are amongst the highest number densities so far observed in engineering alloys. The intrinsic strength of the G phase is shown to be proportional to its size, and deviations in the chemistry of the precipitates do not significantly affect their strengthening behaviour. An important outcome is that the common temper embrittlement issues known to occur during aging of martensite in the 450–600 °C range were mitigated in one alloy by starting with a cold-rolled and partially fragmented lath martensite instead of a freshly quenched martensite.

  6. Martensitic transformation in Eurofer-97 and ODS-Eurofer steels: A comparative study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zilnyk, K.D.; Oliveira, V.B.; Sandim, H.R.Z.; Möslang, A.; Raabe, D.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Martensitic transformation of RAFM steels promotes significant grain fragmentation. • Austenite grain growth occurs in Eurofer-97 steel but not in ODS-Eurofer steel. • Boundary misorientation distribution of the as-quenched steels show two maxima peaks. • The amount of retained austenite varies from one steel to another. - Abstract: Reduced-activation ferritic–martensitic Eurofer-97 and ODS-Eurofer steels are potential candidates for structural applications in advanced nuclear reactors. Samples of both steel grades in the as-tempered condition were austenitized in vacuum for 1 h from 900 °C to 1300 °C followed by air cooling to room temperature. The microstructure was characterized by dilatometry, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermodynamic calculations provided by Thermo-Calc software were used to determine their transformation temperatures. Even having similar chemical composition, important changes were observed after martensitic transformation in these steels. Significant austenitic grain growth was observed in Eurofer-97 steel leading to the development of coarser martensitic packets. Contrastingly, austenitic grain growth was prevented in ODS-Eurofer steel due to fine and stable dispersion of Y-based particles

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2010-07-01

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

  8. A study on martensitic structure in Fe-4Cr-0.4C steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Won, S.B.

    1980-01-01

    Morphology, dependence of prior austenite grain size and packet size upon austenitizing temperature, distribution of lath width, and habit plane of martensitic structure in Fe-4Cr-0.4C steel has been studied by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results obtained are as follows. 1) Optical microstructures of martensitic Fe-4Cr-0.4C steel consist of lath martensite and lens martensite. Also the four types of morphology are observed by electron microscopy. The most common morphologies are a regular paralleled martensite and an irregular dovetailed lath martensite, while the remainder of microstructures consists mainly of groups of internally twinned martensite and autotempered laths. 2) Prior austenite grain size and packet size increased with austenizing temperature, and also the numbers of lath contained in a prior austenite grain or a packet are increased with austenizing temperature. 3) The mean width of lath in Fe-4Cr-0.4C steel is about 0.23μm and most of lath widths are below 0.5μm. 4) Martensite habit plane of Fe-4Cr-0.4C steel is nearly [110]α'. (author)

  9. Microscale-calibrated modeling of the deformation response of dual-phase steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Peng; Ghassemi-Armaki, Hassan; Kumar, Sharvan; Bower, Allan; Bhat, Shrikant; Sadagopan, Sriram

    2014-01-01

    A combination of micropillar compression tests and microstructure-based numerical simulations were used to determine the flow strength and strain rate partitioning in uniaxial tension in two commercial low-carbon dual-phase sheet steels, DP980 (0.09% C–2.15% Mn–0.60% Si (wt.%)) and DF140T (0.15% C–1.45% Mn–0.30% Si (wt.%)). The two steels have different microstructures, with the martensite volume fraction in DP980 being ∼60%, compared to ∼40% in DF140T. Nevertheless, they exhibit similar uniaxial stress–strain behavior. To determine the microstructural origin of this behavior, micropillar compression specimens from ferrite and martensitic phases in both steels were deformed in uniaxial compression to obtain their individual response. A microstructure-based crystal plasticity model that accounts for non-Schmid behavior in the ferrite phase and contains a detailed description of the hierarchical microstructure of martensite was developed and material parameters were determined by fitting model predictions to the micropillar compression data. The crystal plasticity model was then used to predict the flow stress and strain rate partitioning during uniaxial tensile deformation of the two steels. The ferrite phase in the two steels was found to have similar flow strength. In contrast, the flow stress of martensite in DF140T was found to be approximately twice that in DP980. This strength difference is offset by the difference in martensite volume fraction in the two steels, resulting in nearly identical uniaxial tensile behavior. The strain rate partitioning and interfacial stress distributions in the two steels differ significantly, however, and have important implications on their tensile ductility

  10. High Strength-High Ductility Combination Ultrafine-Grained Dual-Phase Steels Through Introduction of High Degree of Strain at Room Temperature Followed by Ultrarapid Heating During Continuous Annealing of a Nb-Microalloyed Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Yonggang; Di, Hongshuang; Hu, Meiyuan; Zhang, Jiecen; Misra, R. D. K.

    2017-07-01

    Ultrafine-grained dual-phase (UFG-DP) steel consisting of ferrite (1.2 μm) and martensite (1 μm) was uniquely processed via combination of hot rolling, cold rolling and continuous annealing of a low-carbon Nb-microalloyed steel. Room temperature tensile properties were evaluated and fracture mechanisms studied and compared to the coarse-grained (CG) counterpart. In contrast to the CG-DP steel, UFG-DP had 12.7% higher ultimate tensile strength and 10.7% greater uniform elongation. This is partly attributed to the increase in the initial strain-hardening rate, decrease in nanohardness ratio of martensite and ferrite. Moreover, a decreasing number of ferrite grains with {001} orientation increased the cleavage fracture stress and increased the crack initiation threshold stress with consequent improvement in ductility UFG-DP steel.

  11. Development status und future possibilities for martensitic creep resistant steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hald, J. [Technical Univ. Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    2010-07-01

    In the last four decades new stronger modified 9%Cr martensitic creep resistant steels have been introduced in power plants, which has enabled increases in maximum achievable steam conditions from the previous 250 bar and 540-560 C up to the values of 300 bar and 600-620 C currently being introduced all over the world. In order to further increase the steam parameters of steel based power plants up to a target value of 650 C/325 bar it is necessary to double the creep strength of the martensitic steels. At the same time the resistance against steam oxidation must be improved by an increase of the chromium content in the steels from 9% to 12%. However, so far all attempts to make stronger 12%Cr steels have led to breakdowns in long-term creep strength. Significant progress has been achieved in the understanding of microstructure stability of the martensitic 9-12%Cr steels: Observed microstructure instabilities in 11-12%Cr steels are explained by Z-phase precipitation, which dissolves fine MN nitrides. Improved understanding of effects of B and N on long-term creep properties has formed the basis of a series of new stronger 9%Cr test alloys with improved creep strength. In parallel 9%Cr test steels with low C content show very promising behavior in long-term tests. However, the 9%Cr steels must be surface coated to protect against steam oxidation at high temperature applications above 620%C. A possibility to use fine Z-phases for strengthening of the martensitic steels has been identified, and this opens a new pathway for development of stable strong 12%Cr steels. There are still good prospects for the realization of a 325 bar / 650 C steam power plant all based on steel. (orig.)

  12. Microstructural stability of 11Cr ODS steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamashiro, Tetsuya, E-mail: fgsjkr@eng.hokudai.ac.jp [Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N13, W-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan); Ukai, Shigeharu; Oono, Naoko [Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, N13, W-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan); Ohtsuka, Satoshi; Kaito, Takeji [Advanced Nuclear System R& D Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 4002, Narita, Oarai, Ibaraki-pref. 311-1393 (Japan)

    2016-04-15

    Aiming at further improvement of high-temperature oxidation and corrosion resistance, 11CrODS steel with martensitic base structure has been previously developed, as a candidate fuel cladding material for 4th generation advanced nuclear reactors. In this study, the microstructure of 11CrODS steel was characterized by means of EBSD and nanoindentation hardness measurement. The continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram was constructed. Upper critical cooling rate, which is minimum cooling rate necessary to form martensitic structure, was derived to be 60 °C/min (3600 °C/h). In contrast, lower critical cooling rate preventing from martensite formation, was derived to be 10 °C/min (600 °C/h). An area fraction of so called residual ferrite was estimated by image processing of EBSD-IQ map to be 21% of the total area. This fraction of the residual ferrite in 11CrODS steel was evaluated by considering the driving force for α to γ reverse transformation.

  13. Development of filler wires for welding of reduced activation ferritic martenstic steel for India's test blanket module of ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srinivasan, G.; Arivazhagan, B.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Weld microstructure produced by RAFMS filler wires are free from delta ferrite. → Cooling rates of by weld thermal cycles influences the presence of delta ferrite. → Weld parameters modified with higher pre heat temperature and high heat input. → PWHT optimized based on correlation of hardness between base and weld metals. → Optimised mechanical properties achieved by proper tempering of the martensite. - Abstract: Indigenous development of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel (RAFMS) has become mandatory to India to participate in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme. Optimisation of RAFMS is in an advanced stage for the fabrication of test blanket module (TBM) components. Simultaneously, development of RAFMS filler wires has been undertaken since there is no commercial filler wires are available for fabrication of components using RAFMS. Purpose of this study is to develop filler wires that can be directly used for both tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) and narrow gap tungsten inert gas welding (NG-TIG), which reduces the deposited weld metal volume and heat affected zone (HAZ) width. Further, the filler wires would also be used for hybrid laser welding for thick section joints. In view of meeting all the requirements, a detailed specification was prepared for the development of filler wires for welding of RAFM steel. Meanwhile, autogenous welding trials have been carried out on 2.5 mm thick plates of the RAFM steel using TIG process at various heat inputs with a preheat temperature of 250 deg. C followed by various post weld heat treatments (PWHT). The microstructure of the weld metal in most of the cases showed the presence of some delta-ferrite. Filler wires as per specifications have also been developed with minor variations on the chemistry against the specified values. Welding parameters and PWHT parameters were optimised to qualify the filler wires without the presence of delta-ferrite in

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    1988-07-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1983-01-01

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

  16. Continuous cooling transformation behaviors of CLAM steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Qing-sheng, E-mail: qingsheng.wu@fds.org.cn; Zheng, Shu-hui; Huang, Qun-ying; Liu, Shao-jun; Han, Yang-yang

    2013-11-15

    The continuous cooling transformation (CCT) behaviors of CLAM (China Low Activation Martensitic) steel were studied, the CCT diagram was constructed, and the influence of cooling rates on the microstructures was also investigated. The microstructures were investigated using optical microscopy (OM) and microhardness tests were also carried out. The results showed that CLAM steel possessed high hardenability and there were ferrite and martensite transformation regions only. The maximum cooling rate to form ferrite microstructure was found to be 10–12 K/min. In order to obtain fully ferrite microstructure, the cooling rate should be lower than 1 K/min. The CCT diagram also gave relevant parameters such as the transformation temperatures, i.e., A{sub c1}, A{sub c3}, M{sub s} and M{sub f} were 1124 K, 1193 K, 705 K and 593 K, respectively. The diagram made it possible to predict the microstructures and properties of CLAM steel with different cooling rates.

  17. Continuous cooling transformation behaviors of CLAM steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Qing-sheng; Zheng, Shu-hui; Huang, Qun-ying; Liu, Shao-jun; Han, Yang-yang

    2013-01-01

    The continuous cooling transformation (CCT) behaviors of CLAM (China Low Activation Martensitic) steel were studied, the CCT diagram was constructed, and the influence of cooling rates on the microstructures was also investigated. The microstructures were investigated using optical microscopy (OM) and microhardness tests were also carried out. The results showed that CLAM steel possessed high hardenability and there were ferrite and martensite transformation regions only. The maximum cooling rate to form ferrite microstructure was found to be 10–12 K/min. In order to obtain fully ferrite microstructure, the cooling rate should be lower than 1 K/min. The CCT diagram also gave relevant parameters such as the transformation temperatures, i.e., A c1 , A c3 , M s and M f were 1124 K, 1193 K, 705 K and 593 K, respectively. The diagram made it possible to predict the microstructures and properties of CLAM steel with different cooling rates

  18. Linear Friction Welding Process Model for Carpenter Custom 465 Precipitation-Hardened Martensitic Stainless Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-11

    Carpenter Custom 465 precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel to develop a linear friction welding (LFW) process model for this material...Model for Carpenter Custom 465 Precipitation-Hardened Martensitic Stainless Steel The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are... Martensitic Stainless Steel Report Title An Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian finite-element analysis is combined with thermo-mechanical material

  19. Low activation ferritic alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelles, David S.; Ghoniem, Nasr M.; Powell, Roger W.

    1986-01-01

    Low activation ferritic alloys, specifically bainitic and martensitic stainless steels, are described for use in the production of structural components for nuclear fusion reactors. They are designed specifically to achieve low activation characteristics suitable for efficient waste disposal. The alloys essentially exclude molybdenum, nickel, nitrogen and niobium. Strength is achieved by substituting vanadium, tungsten, and/or tantalum in place of the usual molybdenum content in such alloys.

  20. FATIGUE BEHAVIOR OF HOT-ROLLED STEEL INTENDED FOR COLD FORMING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gejza Rosenberg

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available In the work, there are presented measured tension and fatigue properties of eight low-carbon steels moulded in form of 20 kg ingots that were processed by controlled regime of rolling /cooling and then exposed to simulated effect of two coiling temperatures. The experimental results presented in the work show, that steels with ferrite-martensite or ferrite-bainitic microstructure have in comparison to ferrite-pearlitic or ferrite-carbidic microstructure better strength-plastic properties, but worse resistance to cyclic loading.

  1. In-situ bending under tension shear fracture analysis and microstructure “earthquake” of DP780 dual phase steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Yixi, E-mail: yxzhao@sjtu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Huang, Sheng [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Dan, Wenjiao; Zhang, Weigang [Innovation Center for Advanced Ship and Deep-Sea Exploration, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Li, Shuhui [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacture for Thin-walled Structures, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)

    2017-05-17

    Dual phase (DP) steels consist of hard brittle martensite phase and soft ductile ferrite phase. With a novel bending under tension test system, in-situ symmetrical bending under tension experiments were carried out and photomicrographs of bending surface were recorded. The microstructure “earthquake” of DP780 dual phase steels was observed in the bending under tension process. By analyzing the in-situ images serious, the initiation, coalescence of cavities and propagation of micro-cracks until final fracture were analyzed. The micro-cracks form only in the outside surface of bending radius, and mainly appear near the phase boundary of ferrite and martensite. Micro-cracks coalesce and propagate in the direction perpendicular to the stretching direction approximately, and at the phase boundary of martensite and ferrite. Furthermore, digital image correlation technology was used in this study to analysis the strain distribution between ferrite and martensite during the bending under tension deformation and fracture.

  2. Investigation of Microstructure and Corrosion Propagation Behaviour of Nitrided Martensitic Stainless Steel Plates

    OpenAIRE

    Abidin Kamal Ariff Zainal; Ismail Elya Atikah; Zainuddin Azman; Hussain Patthi

    2014-01-01

    Martensitic stainless steels are commonly used for fabricating components. For many applications, an increase in surface hardness and wear resistance can be beneficial to improve performance and extend service life. However, the improvement in hardness of martensitic steels is usually accompanied by a reduction in corrosion strength. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of nitriding on AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel, in terms of microstructure and corrosion propagat...

  3. Influence of Tool Rotational Speed and Post-Weld Heat Treatments on Friction Stir Welded Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manugula, Vijaya L.; Rajulapati, Koteswararao V.; Reddy, G. Madhusudhan; Mythili, R.; Bhanu Sankara Rao, K.

    2017-08-01

    The effects of tool rotational speed (200 and 700 rpm) on evolving microstructure during friction stir welding (FSW) of a reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel (RAFMS) in the stir zone (SZ), thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and heat-affected zone (HAZ) have been explored in detail. The influence of post-weld direct tempering (PWDT: 1033 K (760 °C)/ 90 minutes + air cooling) and post-weld normalizing and tempering (PWNT: 1253 K (980 °C)/30 minutes + air cooling + tempering 1033 K (760 °C)/90 minutes + air cooling) treatments on microstructure and mechanical properties has also been assessed. The base metal (BM) microstructure was tempered martensite comprising Cr-rich M23C6 on prior austenite grain and lath boundaries with intra-lath precipitation of V- and Ta-rich MC precipitates. The tool rotational speed exerted profound influence on evolving microstructure in SZ, TMAZ, and HAZ in the as-welded and post-weld heat-treated states. Very high proportion of prior austenitic grains and martensite lath boundaries in SZ and TMAZ in the as-welded state showed lack of strengthening precipitates, though very high hardness was recorded in SZ irrespective of the tool speed. Very fine-needle-like Fe3C precipitates were found at both the rotational speeds in SZ. The Fe3C was dissolved and fresh precipitation of strengthening precipitates occurred on both prior austenite grain and sub-grain boundaries in SZ during PWNT and PWDT. The post-weld direct tempering caused coarsening and coalescence of strengthening precipitates, in both matrix and grain boundary regions of TMAZ and HAZ, which led to inhomogeneous distribution of hardness across the weld joint. The PWNT heat treatment has shown fresh precipitation of M23C6 on lath and grain boundaries and very fine V-rich MC precipitates in the intragranular regions, which is very much similar to that prevailed in BM prior to FSW. Both the PWDT and PWNT treatments caused considerable reduction in the hardness of SZ

  4. Comparative Study of Hardening Mechanisms During Aging of a 304 Stainless Steel Containing α'-Martensite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, S. W.; Kang, U. G.; Choi, J. Y.; Nam, W. J.

    2012-09-01

    Strain aging and hardening behaviors of a 304 stainless steel containing deformation-induced martensite were investigated by examining mechanical properties and microstructural evolution for different aging temperature and time. Introduced age hardening mechanisms of a cold rolled 304 stainless steel were the additional formation of α'-martensite, hardening of α'-martensite, and hardening of deformed austenite. The increased amount of α'-martensite at an aging temperature of 450 °C confirmed the additional formation of α'-martensite as a hardening mechanism in a cold rolled 304 stainless steel. Additionally, the increased hardness in both α'-martensite and austenite phases with aging temperature proved that hardening of both α'-martensite and austenite phases would be effective as hardening mechanisms in cold rolled and aged 304 stainless steels. The results suggested that among hardening mechanisms, hardening of an α'-martensite phase, including the diffusion of interstitial solute carbon atoms to dislocations and the precipitation of fine carbide particles would become a major hardening mechanism during aging of cold rolled 304 stainless steels.

  5. Study on the Hot Extrusion Process of Advanced Radiation Resistant Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steel Tubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Byoungkwon; Noh, Sanghoon; Kim, Kibaik; Kang, Suk Hoon; Chun, Youngbum; Kim, Tae Kyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    Ferritic/martensitic steel has a better thermal conductivity and swelling resistance than austenitic stainless steel. Unfortunately, the available temperature range of ferritic/martensitic steel is limited at up to 650 .deg. C. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels have been developed as the most prospective core structural materials for next generation nuclear systems because of their excellent high strength and irradiation resistance. The material performances of this new alloy are attributed to the existence of uniformly distributed nano-oxide particles with a high density, which is extremely stable at high temperature in a ferritic/martensitic matrix. This microstructure can be very attractive in achieving superior mechanical properties at high temperatures, and thus, these favorable microstructures should be obtained through the controls of the fabrication process parameters during the mechanical alloying and hot consolidation procedures. In this study, a hot extrusion process for advanced radiation resistant ODS steel tube was investigated. ODS martensitic steel was designed to have high homogeneity, productivity, and reproducibility. Mechanical alloying and hot consolidation processes were employed to fabricate the ODS steels. A microstructure observation and creep rupture test were examined to investigate the effects of the optimized fabrication conditions. Advanced radiation resistant ODS steel has been designed to have homogeneity, productivity, and reproducibility. For these characteristics, modified mechanical alloying and hot consolidation processes were developed. Microstructure observation revealed that the ODS steel has uniformly distributed fine-grain nano-oxide particles. The fabrication process for the tubing is also being propelled in earnest.

  6. Study on the Hot Extrusion Process of Advanced Radiation Resistant Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steel Tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Byoungkwon; Noh, Sanghoon; Kim, Kibaik; Kang, Suk Hoon; Chun, Youngbum; Kim, Tae Kyu

    2014-01-01

    Ferritic/martensitic steel has a better thermal conductivity and swelling resistance than austenitic stainless steel. Unfortunately, the available temperature range of ferritic/martensitic steel is limited at up to 650 .deg. C. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels have been developed as the most prospective core structural materials for next generation nuclear systems because of their excellent high strength and irradiation resistance. The material performances of this new alloy are attributed to the existence of uniformly distributed nano-oxide particles with a high density, which is extremely stable at high temperature in a ferritic/martensitic matrix. This microstructure can be very attractive in achieving superior mechanical properties at high temperatures, and thus, these favorable microstructures should be obtained through the controls of the fabrication process parameters during the mechanical alloying and hot consolidation procedures. In this study, a hot extrusion process for advanced radiation resistant ODS steel tube was investigated. ODS martensitic steel was designed to have high homogeneity, productivity, and reproducibility. Mechanical alloying and hot consolidation processes were employed to fabricate the ODS steels. A microstructure observation and creep rupture test were examined to investigate the effects of the optimized fabrication conditions. Advanced radiation resistant ODS steel has been designed to have homogeneity, productivity, and reproducibility. For these characteristics, modified mechanical alloying and hot consolidation processes were developed. Microstructure observation revealed that the ODS steel has uniformly distributed fine-grain nano-oxide particles. The fabrication process for the tubing is also being propelled in earnest

  7. Characterization of bainitic/martensitic structures formed in isothermal treatments below the M

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Navarro Lopez, A.; Hidalgo Garcia, J.; Sietsma, J.; Santofimia Navarro, M.J.

    2017-01-01

    Advanced Multiphase High Strength Steels are generally obtained by applying isothermal treatments around the martensite start temperature (Ms). Previous investigations have shown that bainitic ferrite can form from austenite in isothermal treatments below Ms, where its

  8. High temperature oxidation test of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel claddings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2006-07-01

    In a feasibility study of ODS steel cladding, its high temperature oxidation resistance was evaluated. Although addition of Cr is effective for preventing high temperature oxidation, excessively higher amount of Cr leads to embrittlement due to the Cr-rich α' precipitate formation. In the ODS steel developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the Cr content is controlled in 9Cr-ODS martensite and 12Cr-ODS ferrite. In this study, high temperature oxidation test was conducted for ODS steels, and their results were compared with that of conventional austenitic stainless steel and ferritic-martensitic stainless steel. Following results were obtained in this study. (1) 9Cr-ODS martensitic and 12Cr-ODS ferritic steel have superior high temperature oxidation resistance compared to 11mass%Cr PNC-FMS and even 17mass% SUS430 and equivalent to austenitic PNC316. (2) The superior oxidation resistance of ODS steel was attributed to earlier formation of the protective alpha-Cr 2 O 3 layer at the matrix and inner oxide scale interface. The grain size of ODS steel is finer than that of PNC-FMS, so the superior oxidation resistance of ODS steel can be attributed to the enhanced Cr-supplying rate throughout the accelerated grain boundary diffusion. Finely dispersed Y 2 O 3 oxide particles in the ODS steel matrix may also stabilized the adherence between the protective alpha-Cr 2 O 3 layer and the matrix. (author)

  9. The influence of inclusions on the low cycle fatigue properties of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels, such as F82H, are the primary near-term candidate for the blanket structural material of nuclear fusion reactors. During operation, blanket structural materials will be subjected to cyclic loading caused by start-up and shut-down procedure or plasma disruption. Therefore, investigation of fatigue property is essential to reactor design. It is considered that fatigue properties depend on the material factor such as the inclusion distribution, surface morphology and so on. Especially, many experimental results show that inclusions become the fracture origin in a given volume of material subjected to cyclic stress, and fracture failure is most likely to initiate at the largest inclusion in the volume. Therefore, the prediction of the size of maximum inclusion and its impact on fatigue properties would be essential to the fusion reactor materials development and application. This paper examines the possible relation between fatigue life and inclusion parameters such as size, shape, distribution and composition. The low cycle fatigue behavior of F82H steel at room temperature in air condition under fully reversed push-pull triangular wave was studied using miniaturized hourglass-type specimens with 1.25 mm in diameter. Total strain range is selected from 0.8% to 2.4%, and the strain rate was 0.04%/s. To examine the size and composition of the inclusions, fracture surfaces and crack initiation region were investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and EDS. The inclusions such as TaO{sub x}, TaO{sub x}- Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with the size below 10 {mu}m are observed on specimen surface. The surface observation of the specimen which discontinued testing at 20 and 500 cycle tested at the strain range of 1.4% revealed that fatigue loading induced separation of inclusions from the matrix in initial stage, then micro-crack induced around the inclusions

  10. Radiation swelling of steels with lath martensite-austenic structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sagaradze, V.V.; Pavlov, V.A.; Alyab'ev, V.M.; Lapin, S.S.; Ermishkin, V.A.; Antonova, O.V.

    1987-01-01

    Influence of electron radiation in the column of the JEM-1000 electron microscope on radiation swelling of austenite as austenitic fields and thin plates surrounded by α-martensite crystals is investigated. Formation of lath structure of alternating dispersive plates of martensite and invert austenite formed as a result of partial inverse martensite transformation α→γ is shown to restrain radiation swelling and formation of vacancy voids in stainless steels

  11. Microstructural change during creep deformation in a 10%Cr martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sung Ho; Song, B. J.; Ryu, Woo Seog

    2001-01-01

    The relationship between creep deformation and microstructural changes in martensitic 10Cr-MoW steel has been studied. Transmission electron microscopy and image analyser were used to determine the variation of precipitates and martensite lath width size during creep deformation and aging. As precipitates are coarsened during creep deformation, dislocations become easy to move and the recovery proceeds rapidly. This leads to the growth of lath width. The average size of precipitates was linearly increased with creep time. On the other hand the growth rate of lath width is constant until tertiary creep, but the growth of lath width is accelerated during tertiary creep. It has been concluded that the growth behavior of lath width are consistent with creep deformation. Because the growth of lath width is controlled by the coarsening of precipitates it is important to form more stable precipitates in creep condition for improvement of creep properties of martensitic steel. Microstructure of martensitic steel is thermally very stable, so the size of precipitates and martensite lath width are hardly changed during aging

  12. 78 FR 63517 - Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-24

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

  13. Ionic nitriding of high chromium martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bruhl, S.P; Charadia, R; Vaca, L.S; Cimetta, J

    2008-01-01

    Martensitic stainless steels are used in industrial applications where resistance to corrosion and mechanical resistance are needed simultaneously. These steels are normally used in tempering and annealing condition which gives them hardnesses of 500 and 600 HV (about 54 HRC). Ionic nitriding is an assisted diffusion technique that has recently been successfully applied to harden austenitic stainless steels without reducing their resistance to corrosion. The application with AISI 420 martensitic steels has not given good results yet, because in most cases, it affects their corrosion resistance. This work presents the results of the pulsed nitriding of martensitic steels with a higher chrome content, such as the M340 and M333 Boehler steels and they are compared with the same materials after tempering and annealing, without nitriding. The influence of the variations in the parameters of the process, such as the percentage of active time in the pulsed wave, partial nitrogen pressure, current density and effective tension in the microstructure, hardness and wear and corrosion resistance was studied. The microstructure was studied with an optic microscope; the wear resistance with abrasion tests following ASTM G-65 and corrosion with 100 hour long saline haze tests, in a device built according to ASTM B117. Hardness was found to rise to values of 1000 to 1350 HV in all the steels after ionic nitriding, the modified layers oscillated from 3 to 15 microns. As a result, wear resistance also increased, with differences depending on the microstructure and the thickness of the modified layer. However, corrosion resistance was not good, except in the case of the M333 steel test piece with less hardness and a less thick nitrided layer without a noticeable interphase (au)

  14. Irradiation creep in ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

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

  15. Optimization of the Fabrication Route of Ferritic/Martensitic ODS Cladding Tubes: Metallurgical Approach and Pilgering Numerical Modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Logé, R.E.; Vanegas-Marques, E.; Mocellin, K.; Toualbi, L.; Carlan, Y. de

    2013-01-01

    Conclusions: • Fabrication route of 9Cr-ODS (martensitic) alloys is well controlled. • Fabrication route of 14Cr-ODS (ferritic) should be further optimized. • The choice between a ferritic or a martensitic grade is not already done, it will depend also on the behaviour under irradiation, the corrosion resistance … • Part of the optimization can rely on numerical simulation of pilgering: • The constitutive behaviour is an essential ingredient for process optimization: appropriate cyclic laws must be used. • The numerical analysis can look at cracking risks, final yield stress, and even residual stress state or surface roughness. • HPTR laboratory approaches can be translated to the (industrial) VMR process provided some additional adjustments in the numerical code

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2002-01-01

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

  17. Microstructure–hardness relationship in the fusion zone of TRIP steel welds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nayak, S.S.; Baltazar Hernandez, V.H.; Okita, Y.; Zhou, Y.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Fusion zone of TRIP steels in resistance spot welding was analyzed. ► Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used for characterizing microstructure. ► Fusion zone microstructure was found to depend on the chemistry. ► Hardness values were in accordance with the microstructural constituents in the fusion zone. - Abstract: Fusion zone of three TRIP steels, categorized as AT: C–Mn–Al, AST: C–Mn–Al–Si and ST: C–Mn–Si, in resistance spot welding was characterized with respect to microstructure, phase analysis, and hardness. The fusion zone microstructure was found to depend on chemistry: (i) AT steel contained ferrite phase surrounded by bainite and martensite regions, (ii) AST steel showed a bainite structures along with martensite laths and interlath retained austenite, whereas (iii) ST steel constituted single phase martensite laths with interlath austenite. X-ray diffraction study indicated that retained austenite fraction in the fusion zone increases with increase in Si content in it. The AST fusion zone hardness lies between those of the AT and ST steels; the ST fusion zone hardness was higher than that of AT steel because of the single phase martensite microstructure. Comparison of fusion zone microstructure and hardness to earlier study on laser welding of the TRIP steels with similar chemistries revealed that higher cooling rate in resistance spot welding led to higher fusion zone hardness compared to laser welding; which was attributed either to decrease in softer ferrite phase (AT steel) in the microstructure or refinement of martensite laths (ST steel).

  18. Austenite grain growth and microstructure control in simulated heat affected zones of microalloyed HSLA steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Lei [Department of Machine Tools and Factory Management, Technical University of Berlin, Pascalstraße 8 – 9, 10587, Berlin (Germany); Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205, Berlin (Germany); Kannengiesser, Thomas [Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205, Berlin (Germany); Institute of Materials and Joining Technology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Universitetsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg (Germany)

    2014-09-08

    The roles of microalloying niobium, titanium and vanadium for controlling austenite grain growth, microstructure evolution and hardness were investigated at different simulated heat affected zones (HAZ) for high strength low alloy (HSLA) S690QL steel. High resolution FEG-SEM has been used to characterize fine bainitic ferrite, martensite and nanosized second phases at simulated coarse and fine grain HAZs. It was found that for Ti bearing steel (Ti/N ratio is 2) austenite grain had the slowest growth rate due to the presence of most stable TiN. The fine cuboidal particles promoted intragranular acicular ferrite (IGF) formation. Nb bearing steel exhibited relatively weaker grain growth retardation compared with titanium bearing steels and a mixed microstructure of bainite and martensite was present for all simulated HAZs. IGF existed at coarse grain HAZ of Ti+V bearing steel but it was totally replaced by bainite at fine grain HAZs. Hardness result was closely related to the morphology of bainitic ferrite, intragranular ferrite and second phases within ferrite. The microstructure and hardness results of different simulated HAZs were in good agreement with welded experimental results.

  19. Development of filler wires for welding of reduced activation ferritic martenstic steel for India's test blanket module of ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Srinivasan, G., E-mail: gsrini@igcar.gov.in [Materials Technology Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, Tamilnadu (India); Arivazhagan, B.; Albert, S.K.; Bhaduri, A.K. [Materials Technology Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, Tamilnadu (India)

    2011-06-15

    Highlights: > Weld microstructure produced by RAFMS filler wires are free from delta ferrite. > Cooling rates of by weld thermal cycles influences the presence of delta ferrite. > Weld parameters modified with higher pre heat temperature and high heat input. > PWHT optimized based on correlation of hardness between base and weld metals. > Optimised mechanical properties achieved by proper tempering of the martensite. - Abstract: Indigenous development of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel (RAFMS) has become mandatory to India to participate in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme. Optimisation of RAFMS is in an advanced stage for the fabrication of test blanket module (TBM) components. Simultaneously, development of RAFMS filler wires has been undertaken since there is no commercial filler wires are available for fabrication of components using RAFMS. Purpose of this study is to develop filler wires that can be directly used for both tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) and narrow gap tungsten inert gas welding (NG-TIG), which reduces the deposited weld metal volume and heat affected zone (HAZ) width. Further, the filler wires would also be used for hybrid laser welding for thick section joints. In view of meeting all the requirements, a detailed specification was prepared for the development of filler wires for welding of RAFM steel. Meanwhile, autogenous welding trials have been carried out on 2.5 mm thick plates of the RAFM steel using TIG process at various heat inputs with a preheat temperature of 250 deg. C followed by various post weld heat treatments (PWHT). The microstructure of the weld metal in most of the cases showed the presence of some delta-ferrite. Filler wires as per specifications have also been developed with minor variations on the chemistry against the specified values. Welding parameters and PWHT parameters were optimised to qualify the filler wires without the presence of delta-ferrite in the weld

  20. Investigation of Microstructure and Corrosion Propagation Behaviour of Nitrided Martensitic Stainless Steel Plates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abidin Kamal Ariff Zainal

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Martensitic stainless steels are commonly used for fabricating components. For many applications, an increase in surface hardness and wear resistance can be beneficial to improve performance and extend service life. However, the improvement in hardness of martensitic steels is usually accompanied by a reduction in corrosion strength. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of nitriding on AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel, in terms of microstructure and corrosion propagation behavior. The results indicate that the microstructure and phase composition as well as corrosion resistance were influenced by nitriding temperatures.

  1. High temperature oxidation behavior of ODS steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaito, T.; Narita, T.; Ukai, S.; Matsuda, Y.

    2004-08-01

    Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are being developing for application as advanced fast reactor cladding and fusion blanket materials, in order to allow increased operation temperature. Oxidation testing of ODS steel was conducted under a controlled dry air atmosphere to evaluate the high temperature oxidation behavior. This showed that 9Cr-ODS martensitic steels and 12Cr-ODS ferritic steels have superior high temperature oxidation resistance compared to 11 mass% Cr PNC-FMS and 17 mass% Cr ferritic stainless steel. This high temperature resistance is attributed to earlier formation of the protective α-Cr 2O 3 on the outer surface of ODS steels.

  2. Martensitic transformation induced by irradiation and deformation in stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maksimkin, O.P.

    1997-01-01

    In the present work the peculiarities of martensite γ → α , (γ → ε → α , ) transformation in the steels with a low stacking fault energy (12Cr18Ni10T, Cr15AG14) irradiated by neutrons, α-particles and electrons (pulse and stationary) and then deformed with the various strain rates in the temperature range - 20 - 1000 C are considered. It is established by the electron-microscope research that the phase γ → α ' transition in irradiated and deformed steels is observed on the definite stage of evolution of the dislocation structure (after the cell formation) and the martensite formation preferentially occurs on a stacking fault aggregation. The regularities of the irradiation by high energy particles effect on the formation parameters and martensite α , -phase accumulation kinetics ones and also their role in forming of the strength and ductile properties in steels are analysed. (A.A.D.)

  3. Anomalous kinetics of lath martensite formation in stainless steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villa, Matteo; Hansen, Mikkel Fougt; Pantleon, Karen

    2015-01-01

    The kinetics of lath martensite formation in Fe-17.3 wt-%Cr-7.1 wt-%Ni-1.1 wt-%Al-0.08 wt-%C stainless steel was investigated with magnetometry and microscopy. Lath martensite forms during cooling, heating and isothermally. For the first time, it is shown by magnetometry during extremely slow...

  4. Fabrication of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic clad fuel pins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zirker, L.R.; Bottcher, J.H.; Shikakura, S.; Tsai, C.L.

    1991-01-01

    A resistance butt welding procedure was developed and qualified for joining ferritic fuel pin cladding to end caps. The cladding are INCO MA957 and PNC ODS lots 63DSA and 1DK1, ferritic stainless steels strengthened by oxide dispersion, while the end caps are HT9 a martensitic stainless steel. With adequate parameter control the weld is formed without a residual melt phase and its strength approaches that of the cladding. This welding process required a new design for fuel pin end cap and weld joint. Summaries of the development, characterization, and fabrication processes are given for these fuel pins. 13 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

  5. Quantifying the effects of tempering on individual phase properties of DP980 steel with nanoindentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, G.; Zhang, F.; Ruimi, A.; Field, D. P.; Sun, X.

    2016-06-01

    We conduct a series of thermal and mechanical testing on a commercial dual phase (DP) 980 steel in order to quantify the effects of tempering on its individual phase properties. Tempering treatment is conducted at 250 °C and 400 °C for 60 minutes each. Ferrite and martensite grains are distinguished using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM), and the martensite volume fractions (MVF) are determined based on the image quality (IQ) map. Multi-scale indentation tests combined with a newly developed inverse method are used to obtain the individual phase flow properties in each tempered DP980 sample. The results show that, i) tempering significantly reduces martensite yield strength, while it only slightly reduces the ferrite yield strength; ii) tempering temperature has a more significant influence on the work hardening exponent of ferrite than that of martensite; iii) the elastic modulus of martensite is consistently higher than that of ferrite. As a validation, a simple rule of mixtures is used to verify the above-predicted individual phase flow stresses with the experimentally obtained overall true stress vs. true strain curves. The methodology and the corresponding results shown in this study can help guide the selection of tempering parameters in optimizing the mechanical properties of DP steels for their intended applications.

  6. Characterization of long term aged martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsubota, M.; Hattori, K.; Okada, T.

    1992-01-01

    Types CA6NM (13Cr), 431 and 630 (17Cr) were aged at 400 degrees C and 350 degrees C for up to 10000 hours, and their hardness change and SCC susceptibility in 288 degrees C water were investigated. Hardness of the alloys increased with aging. Hardness of type 431 aged at 400 degrees C for 10000 hours exceeded 340 in Hv, over which tempered martensitic stainless steels had become susceptible to SCC, and showed high SCC susceptibility. Type 630 had high SCC susceptibility in before and after aged condition, and the hardness in both conditions was more than Hv 340. Therefore, hardness was considered to be a parameter which could describe the SCC susceptibility of martensitic stainless steels. Using activation energy for hardness change 105-125kJ/mol and the critical hardness level Hv=340, the marginal life-time for martensitic stainless steels at 288 degrees C was estimated. Predicted life of type 431 and CA6NM were around 10 5 hours and more than 10 6 hours, respectively. Activation energies obtained for toughness change and hardness change were different. Consequently, it was concluded that at least two factors should be taken into consideration for determining the total life-limit for usage of martensitic stainless steels in the light water reactor environment. The meaning of the existence of critical hardness for SCC susceptibility has been also discussed. Higher than 340 in Hv, yield strength and strain for uniform deformation showed a tendency of saturation. Therefore, it was conjectured that some extreme internal strain level, which may change the plastic deformation manner, is the absolute factor for determining the SCC susceptibility of the alloys in high temperature water

  7. Martensitic transformation and stress partitioning in a high-carbon steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villa, Matteo; Grumsen, Flemming Bjerg; Pantleon, Karen

    2012-01-01

    Martensitic transformation in a high-carbon steel was investigated with (synchrotron) X-ray diffraction at sub-zero Celsius temperature. In situ angular X-ray diffraction was applied to: (i) quantitatively determine the fractions of retained austenite and martensite; and (ii) measure the evolutio...

  8. Stress-Corrosion Cracking in Martensitic PH Stainless Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphries, T.; Nelson, E.

    1984-01-01

    Precipitation-hardening alloys evaluated in marine environment tests. Report describes marine-environment stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) tests of three martensitic precipitation hardening (PH) stainless-steel alloys.

  9. Hardness of AISI type 410 martensitic steels after high temperature irradiation via nanoindentation

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-11-01

    The hardness of irradiated AISI type 410 martensitic steel, which is utilized in structural and magnetic components of nuclear power plants, is investigated in this study. Proton irradiation of AISI type 410 martensitic steel samples was carried out by exposing the samples to 3 MeV protons up to a 1.0 × 1017 p/cm2 fluence level at a representative nuclear reactor coolant temperature of 350 °C. The assessment of deleterious effects of irradiation on the micro-structure and mechanical behavior of the AISI type 410 martensitic steel samples via transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy and cross-sectional nano-indentation showed no significant variation in the microscopic or mechanical characteristics. These results ensure the integrity of the structural and magnetic components of nuclear reactors made of AISI type 410 martensitic steel under high-temperature irradiation damage levels up to approximately 5.2 × 10-3 dpa.

  10. Activation energy of time-dependent martensite formation in steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villa, Matteo; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2018-01-01

    The kinetics of {557}γ lath martensite formation in (wt%) 17Cr-7Ni-1Al-0.09C and 15Cr-7Ni-2Mo-1Al-0.08C steels was assessed with magnetometry at sub-zero Celsius temperatures. Samples were cooled to 77 K by immersion in boiling nitrogen to suppress martensite formation. Thereafter, thermally...... applied to evaluate the data available in the literature. The overall analysis showed that EA varies in the range 2–27 kJ mol−1 and increases logarithmically with the total fraction of interstitials in the steel....

  11. Joining method for pressure tube and martensitic stainless steel tube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimoto, Hiroshi; Koike, Hiromitsu.

    1993-01-01

    In a joining portion of zirconium alloy and a stainless steel, the surface of martensitic stainless steel being in contact with Zr and Zr alloy is applied with a laser quenching solidification treatment before expanding joining of them to improve the surface. This can provide the surface with refined coagulated cell tissues and make deposits and impurities homogeneous and solubilized. As a result, the surface of the martensitic stainless steel has highly corrosion resistance, to suppress contact corrosion with Zr and Zr alloy. Accordingly, even if it is exposed to high temperature water of 200 to 350degC, failures of Zr and Zr alloy can be suppressed. (T.M.)

  12. Intergranular corrosion of 13Cr and 17Cr martensitic stainless steels in accelerated corrosive solution and high-temperature, high-purity water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ozaki, Toshinori; Ishikawa, Yuichi

    1988-01-01

    Intergranular corrosion behavior of 13Cr and 17Cr martensitic stainless steels was studied by electrochemical and immersing corrosion tests. Effects of the mEtallurgical and environmental conditions on the intergranular corrosion of various tempered steels were examined by the following tests and discussed. (a) Anodic polarization measurement and electrolytical etching test in 0.5 kmol/m 3 H 2 SO 4 solution at 293 K. (b) Immersion corrosion test in 0.88 kmol/m 3 HNO 3 solution at 293 K. (c) Long-time immersion test for specimens with a crevice in a high purity water at 473 K∼561 K. It was found from the anodic polarization curves in 0.5 kmol/m 3 H 2 SO 4 solution-at 293 K that the steels tempered at 773∼873 K had susceptibility to intergranular corrosion in the potential region indicating a second current maximum (around-0.1 V. vs. SCE). But the steel became passive in the more noble potential region than the second current peak potential, while in the less noble potential region general corrosion occurred independent of its microstructure. The intergranular corrosion occurred due to the localized dissolution along the pre-austenitic grain boundary and the martensitic lath boundary. It could be explained by the same dissolution model of the chromium depleted zone as proposed for the intergranular corrosion of austenitic and ferritic stainless steels. The intergranular corrosion occurred entirely at the free surface in 0.88 kmol/m 3 HNO 3 solution, while in the high temperature and high purity water only the entrance of the crevice corroded. It was also suggested that this intergranular corrosion might serve as the initiation site for stress corrosion cracking of the martensitic stainless steel. (author)

  13. Microstructure and mechanical properties of China low activation martensitic steel joint by TIG multi-pass welding with a new filler wire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Bo; Zhang, Junyu; Wu, Qingsheng

    2017-07-01

    Tungsten Inner Gas (TIG) welding is employed for joining of China low activation martensitic (CLAM) steel. A new filler wire was proposed, and the investigation on welding with various heat input and welding passes were conducted to lower the tendency towards the residual of δ ferrite in the joint. With the optimized welding parameters, a butt joint by multi-pass welding with the new filler wire was prepared to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties. The microstructure of the joint was observed by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The hardness, Charpy impact and tensile tests of the joint were implemented at room temperature (25 °C). The results revealed that almost full martensite free from ferrite in the joints were obtained by multipass welding with the heat input of 2.26 kJ/mm. A certain degree of softening occurred at the heat affected zone of the joint according to the results of tensile and hardness tests. The as welded joints showed brittle fracture in the impact tests. However, the joints showed toughness fracture after tempering and relatively better comprehensive performance were achieved when the joints were tempered at 740 °C for 2 h.

  14. Tensile properties of the modified 13Cr martensitic stainless steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mabruri, Efendi, E-mail: effe004@lipi.go.id; Anwar, Moch Syaiful, E-mail: moch.syaiful.anwar@lipi.go.id; Prifiharni, Siska, E-mail: siska.prifiharni@lipi.go.id; Romijarso, Toni B.; Adjiantoro, Bintang [Research Center for Metallurgy and Materials, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Kawasan Puspiptek Gd. 470 Serpong, Tangerang Selatan 15314 (Indonesia)

    2016-04-19

    This paper reports the influence of Mo and Ni on the tensile properties of the modified 13Cr martensitic stainless steels in tempered condition. Four steels with different content of Mo and Ni were prepared by induction melting followed by hot forging, quenching and tempering. The experimental results showed that the addition of about 1% and 3% Mo has a beneficial effect to increase both the tensile strength and the elongation of the steels. On the contrary, the addition of about 3% Ni into the martensitic stainless steel results in decreasing of both the tensile strength and the elongation. Among the alloys investigated the 13Cr3Mo type steel exhibited largest tensile strength of 1348 MPa and largest elongation of 12%. The observation on the tensile fractured surfaces by using scanning electron microscope supported these findings.

  15. Tensile properties of the modified 13Cr martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mabruri, Efendi; Anwar, Moch Syaiful; Prifiharni, Siska; Romijarso, Toni B.; Adjiantoro, Bintang

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the influence of Mo and Ni on the tensile properties of the modified 13Cr martensitic stainless steels in tempered condition. Four steels with different content of Mo and Ni were prepared by induction melting followed by hot forging, quenching and tempering. The experimental results showed that the addition of about 1% and 3% Mo has a beneficial effect to increase both the tensile strength and the elongation of the steels. On the contrary, the addition of about 3% Ni into the martensitic stainless steel results in decreasing of both the tensile strength and the elongation. Among the alloys investigated the 13Cr3Mo type steel exhibited largest tensile strength of 1348 MPa and largest elongation of 12%. The observation on the tensile fractured surfaces by using scanning electron microscope supported these findings.

  16. Residual stress studies of austenitic and ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrenko, R.M.

    1978-01-01

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

  17. Microstructure-strength relations in a hardenable stainless steel with 16 pct Cr, 1.5 pct Mo, and 5 pct Ni

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grobner, P. J.; Blšs, V.

    1984-07-01

    Metallographic studies have been conducted on a 0.024 pct C-16 pct Cr-1.5 pct Mo-5 pct Ni stainless steel to study the phase reactions associated with heat treatments and investigate the strengthening mechanisms of the steel. In the normalized condition, air cooled from 1010 °C, the microstructure consists of 20 pct ferrite and 80 pct martensite. Tempering in a temperature range between 500 and 600 °C results in a gradual transformation of martensite to a fine mixture of ferrite and austenite. At higher tempering temperatures, between 600 and 800 °C, progressively larger quantities of austenite form and are converted during cooling to proportionally increasing amounts of fresh martensite. The amount of retained austenite in the microstructure is reduced to zero at 800 °C, and the microstructure contains 65 pct re-formed martensite and 35 pct total ferrite. Chromium rich M23C6 carbides precipitate in the single tempered microstructures. The principal strengthening is produced by the presence of martensite in the microstructure. Additional strengthening is provided by a second tempering treatment at 400 °C due to the precipitation of ultrafine (Cr, Mo) (C,N) particles in the ferrite.

  18. Study of martensitic transformation in stainless steel by CEMS and RBS channeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, N.; Sakamoto, I.; Tanoue, H.

    1993-01-01

    The effect of Xe ion irradiation in a single crystal of 17/13 stainless steel has been studied, using RBS channeling techniques and conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopy (CEMS). 300 keV Xe ions were used to induce martensitic transformation in the austentic steel. A dynamic behavior of the transformation was observed as functions of the fluence and depth dependence. The martensite appears abruptly at a critical fluence, in contrast with polycrystalline 17/7 stainless steel. (orig.)

  19. Mechanical Properties of Laser Beam Welded Ultra-high Strength Chromium Steel with Martensitic Microstructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahmen, Martin; Janzen, Vitalij; Lindner, Stefan; Wagener, Rainer

    A new class of steels is going to be introduced into sheet manufacturing. Stainless ferritic and martensitic steels open up opportunities for sheet metal fabrication including hot stamping. A strength of up to 2 GPa at a fracture strain of 15% can be attained. Welding of these materials became apparently a challenge. Energy-reduced welding methods with in-situ heat treatment are required in order to ensure the delicate and complex heat control. Laser beam welding is the joining technique of choice to supply minimum heat input to the fusion process and to apply an efficient heat control. For two application cases, production of tailored blanks in as-rolled condition and welding in assembly in hot stamped conditions, welding processes have been developed. The welding suitability is shown in metallurgical investigations of the welds. Crash tests based on the KSII concept as well as fatigue tests prove the applicability of the joining method. For the case of assembly also joining with deep drawing and manganese boron steel was taken into consideration. The strength of the joint is determined by the weaker partner but can benefit from its ductility.

  20. 77 FR 60478 - Control of Ferrite Content in Stainless Steel Weld Metal

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-03

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

  1. Microstructural Evolution of AerMet100 Steel Coating on 300M Steel Fabricated by Laser Cladding Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jian; Li, Jia; Cheng, Xu; Wang, Huaming

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, the process of coating AerMet100 steel on forged 300M steel with laser cladding was investigated, with a thorough analysis of the chemical composition, microstructure, and hardness of the substrate and the cladding layer as well as the transition zone. Results show that the composition and microhardness of the cladding layer are macroscopically homogenous with the uniformly distributed bainite and a small amount of retained austenite in martensite matrix. The transition zone, which spans approximately 100 μm, yields a gradual change of composition from the cladding layer to 300M steel matrix. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) can be divided into three zones: the sufficiently quenched zone (SQZ), the insufficiently quenched zone (IQZ), and the high tempered zone (HTZ). The SQZ consists of martensitic matrix and bainite, as for the IQZ and the HTZ the microstructures are martensite + tempered martensite and tempered martensite + ferrite, respectively. These complicated microstructures in the HAZ are caused by different peak heating temperatures and heterogeneous microstructures of the as-received 300M steel.

  2. Assessment of martensitic steels for advanced fusion reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wareing, J.; Tavassoli, A.A.

    1995-01-01

    Martensitic steels are currently considered in Europe to be prime structural candidate materials for the first wall and breeding blanket of the DEMO fusion reactor. In this design, reactor power and wall loading will be significantly higher than those of an experimental reactor. ITER and will give rise to component operating temperatures in the range 250 to 550 0 C with neutron doses higher than 70 dpa. These conditions render austenitic stainless steel, which will be used in ITER, less favourable. Factors contributing to the promotion of martensitic steels are their excellent resistance to irradiation induced swelling, low thermal expansion and high thermal conductivity allied to advanced industrial maturity, compared to other candidate materials vanadium alloys. This paper described the development and optimisation of the steel and weld metal. Using data design rules generated on modified 9 Cr 1 Mo steel during its qualification as a steam generator material for the European Fast Reactor (EFR), interim design guidelines are formulated. Whilst the merits of the steel are validated, it is shown that irradiation embrittlement at low temperature, allied to the need for prolonged post-weld hat treatment and the long term creep response of welds remain areas of some concern. (author). 18 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pickering, E.W.

    1986-01-01

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

  4. An assessment of magnetic effects in ferromagnetic martensitic steels for use in fusion machines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lechtenberg, T.; Dahms, C.; Attaya, H.

    1984-01-01

    Interest in the 9-12%Cr class of martensitic stainless steels has accelerated since these materials were included in the U.S. Alloy Development for Irradiation Performance (ADIP) task funded by the Office of Fusion Energy in 1979. This program is focused on developing structural materials for fusion reactor first wall/breeding blanket components where the neutron damage is most severe. This area of a fusion reactor will be required to tolerate damage levels on the order of 110 dpa( 1 ). As a part of ADIP, study of the martensitic steels is focused on establishing the feasibility of using these materials. The interest in martensitic steels stems from their potential to tolerate high levels of radiation damage without significant degradation of material properties. Martensitic steels have a body-centered-cubic crystal structure that, unlike face-centered-cubic structure of austenitic steels, exhibits very little swelling under neutron irradiation( 2 ). One of the outstanding issues with martensitic steels is the possible parasitic stresses associated with ferromagnetic interaction with the magnetic fields. This paper is divided into two parts, the first reviews previous work on magnetic effects to the structure and plasma; the second presents new calculations of stresses on a coolant pipe in a Starfire model assumed to be made of 12Cr-1Mo steel(HT-9)

  5. Evaluation of mechanically alloyed Cu-based powders as filler alloy for brazing tungsten to a reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prado, J. de, E-mail: javier.deprado@urjc.es; Sánchez, M.; Ureña, A.

    2017-07-15

    80Cu-20Ti powders were evaluated for their use as filler alloy for high temperature brazing of tungsten to a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel (Eurofer), and its application for the first wall of the DEMO fusion reactor. The use of alloyed powders has not been widely considered for brazing purposes and could improve the operational brazeability of the studied system due to its narrower melting range, determined by DTA analysis, which enhances the spreading capabilities of the filler. Ti contained in the filler composition acts as an activator element, reacting and forming several interfacial layers at the Eurofer-braze, which enhances the wettability properties and chemical interaction at the brazing interface. Brazing thermal cycle also activated the diffusion phenomena, which mainly affected to the Eurofer alloying elements causing in it a softening band of approximately 400 μm of thickness. However, this softening effect did not degrade the shear strength of the brazed joints (94 ± 23 MPa), because failure during testing was always located at the tungsten-braze interface. - Highlights: •W-Eurofer brazed joints, manufactured using Cu-based mechanically alloyed powders as filler is proposed. •The benefits derivate from the alloyed composition could improve the operational brazeability of the studied system. •Tested pre-alloyed fillers have a more homogeneous melting stage which enhances its spreading and flowing capabilities. •This behaviour could lead to work with higher heating rates and lower brazing temperatures.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Bouvier, O.

    1995-01-01

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

  7. In situ TEM study of the effect of M/A films at grain boundaries on crack propagation in an ultra-fine acicular ferrite pipeline steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong Yong; Xiao Furen; Zhang Jingwu; Shan Yiyin; Wang Wei; Yang Ke

    2006-01-01

    Microstructural refinement of structural materials generally improves their tensile properties but deteriorates their fatigue properties. However, pipeline steels with ultra-fine acicular ferrite (UFAF) possess not only high strength and toughness, but also a low fatigue-crack-growth rate (FCGR) and long fatigue-propagation life. In this paper, the micro-fracture mechanisms of an UFAF pipeline steel are investigated by in situ tensile testing in a transmission electron microscope. The results indicate that a grain-boundary-film structure composed of martensite/austenite could significantly influence the crack propagating behavior in the UFAF steel, consequently lowering the FCGR by enhancing roughness-induced crack closure during cyclic loading

  8. On the Prediction of α-Martensite Temperatures in Medium Manganese Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Field, Daniel M.; Baker, Daniel S.; Van Aken, David C.

    2017-05-01

    A new composition-based method for calculating the α-martensite start temperature in medium manganese steel is presented and uses a regular solution model to accurately calculate the chemical driving force for α-martensite formation, Δ G_{{Chem}}^{γ \\to α } . In addition, a compositional relationship for the strain energy contribution during martensitic transformation was developed using measured Young's moduli ( E) reported in literature and measured values for steels produced during this investigation. An empirical relationship was developed to calculate Young's modulus using alloy composition and was used where dilatometry literature did not report Young's moduli. A comparison of the Δ G_{{Chem}}^{γ \\to α } normalized by dividing by the product of Young's modulus, unconstrained lattice misfit squared ( δ 2), and molar volume ( Ω) with respect to the measured α-martensite start temperatures, M_{{S}}^{α } , produced a single linear relationship for 42 alloys exhibiting either lath or plate martensite. A temperature-dependent strain energy term was then formulated as Δ G_{{str}}^{γ \\to α } ( {{{J}}/{{mol}}} ) = EΩ δ2 (14.8 - 0.013T) , which opposed the chemical driving force for α-martensite formation. M_{{S}}^{α } was determined at a temperature where Δ G_{{Chem}}^{γ \\to α } + Δ G_{{str}}^{γ \\to α } = 0 . The proposed M_{{S}}^{α } model shows an extended temperature range of prediction from 170 K to 820 K (-103 °C to 547 °C). The model is then shown to corroborate alloy chemistries that exhibit two-stage athermal martensitic transformations and two-stage TRIP behavior in three previously reported medium manganese steels. In addition, the model can be used to predict the retained γ-austenite in twelve alloys, containing ɛ-martensite, using the difference between the calculated M_{{S}}^{ɛ} and M_{{S}}^{α }.

  9. Development of Continuous Galvanization-compatible Martensitic Steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gong, Y. F.; Song, T. J.; Kim, Han S.; De Cooman [Pohang Univ. of Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Kwak, J. H. [POSCO Gwangyang Works, Gwangyang (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-01-15

    The development of martensitic grades which can be processed in continuous galvanizing lines requires the reduction of the oxides formed on the steel during the hot dip process. This reduction mechanism was investigated in detail by means of High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) of cross-sectional samples. Annealing of a martensitic steel in a 10% H{sub 2} + N{sub 2} atmosphere with the dew point of -35 .deg. C resulted in the formation of a thin c-xMno.SiO{sub 2} (x>1) oxide film and amorphous a-xMnO.SiO{sub 2} oxide particles on the surface. During the hot dip galvanizing in Zn-0.13%Al, the thin c-xMnO.SiO{sub 2} (x>1) oxide films was reduced by the Al. The a-xMnO.SiO{sub 2} (x<0.9) and a-SiO{sub 2} (x>1) oxide film was also reduced and the amorphous a-xMnO.SiO{sub 2} and a-SiO{sub 2} particles were embedded in the Fe{sub 2}Al{sub 5-x}Zn{sub x} inhibition layer formed at the steel/coating interface during hot dipping. The results clearly show that Al in the liquid Zn bath can reduce the crystalline c-xMn.SiO{sub 2} (x>1) oxides but not the amorphous a-xMnO.SiO{sub 2} (x<0.9) and a-SiO{sub 2} oxides. These oxides remain embedded in the Zn layer or in the inhibition layer, making it possible to apply a Zn or Zn-alloy coating on martensitic steel by hot dipping. The hot dipping process was also found to deteriorate the mechanical properties, independently of the Zn bath composition.

  10. Microstructure evolution and dislocation behaviour in high chromium, fully ferritic steels strengthened by intermetallic Laves phases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez Barrilao, Jennifer; Kuhn, Bernd; Wessel, Egbert

    2018-05-01

    In the present study a stainless, high strength, ferritic (non-martensitic) steel was analysed regarding microstructure and particle evolution. The preceding hot-rolling process of the steel results in the formation of sub-grain structures, which disappear over time at high temperature. Besides that the formation of particle-free zones was observed. The pronounced formation of these zones preferentially appears close to high angle grain boundaries and is considered to be responsible for long-term material failure under creep conditions. The reasons for this are lacking particle hardening and thus a concentration and accumulation of deformation in the particle free areas close to the grain boundaries. Accordingly in-depth investigations were performed by electron microscopy to analyse dislocation behaviour and its possible effect on the mechanical response of these weak areas. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Activation volume of martensitic ODS steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, D. W.; Noh, S.; Kim, T. K. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Apparent activation volume as a function of temperature is 86b{sup 3}-42b{sup 3}. Activation volume decreases with increasing temperature. Activation volume changes scarcely with decreasing strain rate. Strain rate sensitivity increases with increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate. Nano-sized oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) martensitic steel has a high strength, low thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal conductivity, and a good swelling resistance. Martensitic ODS steel is a candidate material for fuel cladding of sodium cooled fast breeder reactor (SFR). The plastic flow stress is determined through the interaction of dislocations with the obstacles encountered inside lattice. Dislocation movement through the lattice or past an obstacle requires surmounting of the energy barrier by a combination of applied stress and thermal activation. The plastic deformation of materials is a thermally activated process dependent upon time, temperature, and strain rate. Characterization of the rate controlling mechanism for plastic deformation due to dislocation motion in crystalline materials is done by the assessment of activation volume based on thermal activation analysis.

  12. Corrosion behavior of steels in liquid lead bismuth with low oxygen concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurata, Yuji; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Saito, Shigeru

    2008-02-01

    Corrosion tests in pots were conducted to elucidate corrosion behavior of various steels in liquid lead-bismuth for 3000 h under the condition of an oxygen concentration of 5 × 10 -8 wt% at 450 °C and an oxygen concentration of 3 × 10 -9 wt% at 550 °C, respectively. Significant corrosion was not observed at 450 °C for ferritic/martensitic steels, F82H, Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel, 410SS, 430SS except 2.25Cr-1Mo steel. Pb-Bi penetration into steels and dissolution of elements into Pb-Bi were severe at 550 °C even for ferritic/martensitic steels. Typical dissolution attack occurred for pure iron both at 550 °C without surface Fe 3O 4 and at 450 °C with a thin Fe 3O 4 film. Ferritization due to dissolution of Ni and Cr, and Pb-Bi penetration were recognized for austenitic stainless steels, 316SS and 14Cr-16Ni-2Mo steel at both temperatures of 450 °C and 550 °C. The phenomena were mitigated for 18Cr-20Ni-5Si steel. In some cases oxide films could not be a corrosion barrier in liquid lead-bismuth.

  13. Experimental study and simulation of cyclic softening of tempered martensite ferritic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giroux, P.-F.

    2011-01-01

    The present work focuses on the high temperature mechanical behaviour of 9% Cr tempered martensite steels, considered as potential candidates for structural components in the next Generation IV nuclear power plants. Already used for energy production in fossil power plants, they are sensitive to softening during high-temperature cycling and creep-fatigue. This phenomenon is coupled to a pronounced microstructural degradation: mainly vanishing of subgrain boundaries and decrease in dislocation density. This study aims at (i) linking the macroscopic cyclic softening of 9% Cr steels and their microstructural evolution during cycling and (ii) proposing a physically-based modelling of deformation mechanisms in order to predict the macroscopic mechanical behaviour of these steels during cycling. Mechanical study includes uniaxial tensile and cyclic test at 550 C performed on a Grade 92 steel (9Cr-0,5Mo-1,8W-V-Nb). The effect of both strain amplitude and rate on mechanical behaviour is studied. Examination of tensile specimens suggests that the physical mechanism responsible for slight measured softening is mainly the necking phenomenon and the evolution of mean subgrain size, which increases by more than 15 % compared to the as-received state. The evolution of the macroscopic stress during cycling shows that cyclic softening is due to the decrease in kinematic stress. TEM observations highlights that the mean subgrain size increases by 60 to 100 % while the dislocation density decreases by more than 50 % during cycling, compared to the as-received state. A self-consistent homogenization model based on crystalline elasto-visco-plasticity and dislocation densities, predicting the mechanical behaviour of the material and its microstructural evolution during deformation is proposed. This model takes some of the main physical deformation mechanisms into account and only the two parameters of crystalline visco-plasticity should be adjusted (the effective activation energy and

  14. Effect of microstructure on the sulphide stress cracking susceptibility of a high strength pipeline steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramirez, E. [Centro de Investigacion en Ingenieria y Ciencias Aplicadas-UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, 62209-Cuernavaca, Mor. (Mexico); Gonzalez-Rodriguez, J.G. [Centro de Investigacion en Ingenieria y Ciencias Aplicadas-UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, 62209-Cuernavaca, Mor. (Mexico)], E-mail: ggonzalez@uaem.mx; Torres-Islas, A.; Serna, S. [Centro de Investigacion en Ingenieria y Ciencias Aplicadas-UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, 62209-Cuernavaca, Mor. (Mexico); Campillo, B. [Intituto de Ciencias Fisicas-Facultad de Quimicas-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Cuernavaca, Mor. (Mexico); Dominguez-Patino, G. [Centro de Investigacion en Ingenieria y Ciencias Aplicadas-UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, 62209-Cuernavaca, Mor. (Mexico); Juarez-Islas, J.A. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito Exterior S/N, Cd. Universitaria, C.P. 04510, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2008-12-15

    The sulphide stress cracking (SSC) susceptibility of a newly developed high strength microalloyed steel with three different microstructures has been evaluated using the slow strain rate testing (SSRT) technique. Studies were complemented with potentiodynamic polarization curves and hydrogen permeation measurements. Material included a C-Mn steel having Ni, Cu, and Mo as main microalloying elements with three microstructures: martensitic, ferritic and ferritic + bainitic. Testing temperatures included 25, 50, 70 and 90 deg. C. Detailed SEM observations of the microstructure and fracture surfaces were done to identify possible degradation mechanisms. The results showed that in all cases, the corrosion rate, number of hydrogen atoms at the surface and the percentage reduction in area increased with temperature. The steel with a martensitic microstructure had the highest SSC susceptibility at all temperatures, whereas the ferritic steels were susceptible only at 25 deg. C, and the most likely mechanism is hydrogen embrittlement assisted by anodic dissolution.

  15. Martensitic transformation in SUS304 steels with the same Ni equivalent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueda, T.; Okino, Y.; Takahashi, S.; Echigoya, J.; Kamada, Y.

    2003-01-01

    The behavior of martensitic transformation due to plastic deformation at room temperature was investigated in SUS304 austenitic stainless steels with the same nickel equivalent. The absolute volume of the martensitic phase was obtained by saturation magnetization. We discuss the shapes of the martensitic phase caused by different values of coercive force. Martensitic transformation depends on the applied stress but is independent of nickel content with same nickel equivalent. We investigated applications to nondestructive testing on the basis of the present study. (author)

  16. Mechanism of Secondary Hardening in Rapid Tempering of Dual-Phase Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saha, Dulal Chandra; Nayak, Sashank S.; Biro, Elliot; Gerlich, Adrian P.; Zhou, Y.

    2014-12-01

    Dual-phase steel with ferrite-martensite-bainite microstructure exhibited secondary hardening in the subcritical heat affected zone during fiber laser welding. Rapid isothermal tempering conducted in a Gleeble simulator also indicated occurrence of secondary hardening at 773 K (500 °C), as confirmed by plotting the tempered hardness against the Holloman-Jaffe parameter. Isothermally tempered specimens were characterized by analytic transmission electron microscopy and high-angle annular dark-field imaging. The cementite (Fe3C) and TiC located in the bainite phase of DP steel decomposed upon rapid tempering to form needle-shaped Mo2C (aspect ratio ranging from 10 to 25) and plate-shaped M4C3 carbides giving rise to secondary hardening. Precipitation of these thermodynamically stable and coherent carbides promoted the hardening phenomenon. However, complex carbides were only seen in the tempered bainite and were not detected in the tempered martensite. The martensite phase decomposed into ferrite and spherical Fe3C, and interlath-retained austenite decomposed into ferrite and elongated carbide.

  17. Hydrogen effects in stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caskey, G.R. Jr.

    1983-01-01

    The effects of hydrogen on stainless steels have been reviewed and are summarized in this paper. Discussion covers hydrogen solution and transport in stainless steels as well as the effects of hydrogen on deformation and fracture under various loading conditions. Damage is caused also by helium that arises from decay of the hydrogen isotope tritium. Austenitic, ferritic, martensite, and precipitation-hardenable stainless steels are included in the discussion. 200 references

  18. Softening mechanisms of the AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel under hot torsion simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, Thiago Santana de; Silva, Eden Santos; Rodrigues, Samuel Filgueiras; Nascimento, Carmem Celia Francisco; Leal, Valdemar Silva; Reis, Gedeon Silva, E-mail: samuel.filgueiras@ifma.edu.br [Instituto Federal do Maranhao (PPGEM/IFMA), Sao Luis, MA (Brazil)

    2017-03-15

    This study investigated the softening mechanisms of the AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel during torsion simulation under isothermal continuous in the temperature range of 900 to 1150 °C and strain rates of 0.1 to 5.0s{sup -1}. In the first part of the curves, before the peak, the results show that the critical (ε-c) and peak (ε-p) strains are elevated for higher strain rate and lower temperatures contributing for higher strain hardening rate (h). Moreover, this indicated that dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and dynamic recovery (DRV) are not effective in this region. After the peak, the reductions in stresses are associated to the different DRX/DRV competitions. For lower temperatures and higher strain rates there is a delay in the DRX while the DRV is acting predominantly (with low Avrami exponent (n) and high t{sub 0.5}). The steady state was reached after large strains showing DRX grains, formation of retained austenite and the presence of chromium carbide (Cr{sub 23}C{sub 6}) and ferrite δ at the martensitic grain boundaries. These contribute for impairing the toughness and ductility on the material. The constitutive equations at the peak strain indicated changes in the deformation mechanism, with variable strain rate sensitivity (m), which affected the final microstructure. (author)

  19. Influence of Z-phase on long-term creep stability of martensitic 9-12% Cr steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Danielsen, Hilmar K. [Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Hald, John [DONG Energy A/S (Denmark); Vattenfall (Denmark)

    2010-07-01

    The long-term creep strength of the new generation of martensitic creep resistant 9-12%Cr steels since the well-known steel Grade 91 relies strongly on particle strengthening by fine Mn nitrides based on V and Nb. During long-term high-temperature exposures the Mn nitrides may be replaced by the thermodynamically more stable Z-phases (Cr(V,Nb)N) causing a breakdown in creep strength. Cr contents above 10.5% strongly accelerate Z-phase precipitation, which explains the lack of success for all attempts to develop martensitic creep resistant steels with high Cr content for oxidation protection. However 9%Cr steels do not seem to be affected by the Z-phase. Careful control of the Z-phase precipitation process has led to the design of experimental 12%Cr martensitic steels strengthened by fine Z-phase nitrides based on Nb or Ta. Such steels may again enable the combination of high strength and oxidation resistance in the same alloy. This opens a new pathway for further alloy development of the heat resistant martensitic steels. (orig.)

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubuisson, P.; Gilbon, D.

    1991-01-01

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

  1. Plasma assisted nitriding for micro-texturing onto martensitic stainless steels*

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katoh Takahisa

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Micro-texturing method has grown up to be one of the most promising procedures to form micro-lines, micro-dots and micro-grooves onto the mold-die materials and to duplicate these micro-patterns onto metallic or polymer sheets via stamping or injection molding. This related application requires for large-area, fine micro-texturing onto the martensitic stainless steel mold-die materials. A new method other than laser-machining, micro-milling or micro-EDM is awaited for further advancement of this micro-texturing. In the present paper, a new micro-texturing method is developed on the basis of the plasma assisted nitriding to transform the two-dimensionally designed micro-patterns to the three dimensional micro-textures in the martensitic stainless steels. First, original patterns are printed onto the surface of stainless steel molds by using the dispenser or the ink-jet printer. Then, the masked mold is subjected to high density plasma nitriding; the un-masked surfaces are nitrided to have higher hardness, 1400 Hv than the matrix hardness, 200 Hv of stainless steels. This nitrided mold is further treated by sand-blasting to selectively remove the soft, masked surfaces. Finally, the micro-patterned martensitic stainless steel mold is fabricated as a tool to duplicate these micro-patterns onto the plastic materials by the injection molding.

  2. Martensitic transformation in helium implanted 316 stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishimatsu, Manabu; Tsukuda, Noboru

    1997-01-01

    In order to simulate surface deterioration phenomenon due to particle loading of SUS-316 steel which is one of candidate materials for nuclear fusion reactor vacuum wall structure material, helium ion implanting was conducted at room temperature, 473 K and 573 K. To martensitic phase formed as a results, implantation dose dependence, implanting temperature dependence, and annealing under 1073 K were conducted. Formation of the martensitic phase was suppressed at high implanting temperature. At room temperature implantation, the martensitic phase disappeared at more than 873 K, but at high temperature implantation, it increased abnormally near at 973 K. This showed that deterioration of materials depended extremely upon using temperature and temperature history. (G.K.)

  3. The Mechanism of High Ductility for Novel High-Carbon Quenching-Partitioning-Tempering Martensitic Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Shengwei; Liu, Yu; Hao, Qingguo; Wang, Ying; Chen, Nailu; Zuo, Xunwei; Rong, Yonghua

    2015-09-01

    In this article, a novel quenching-partitioning-tempering (Q-P-T) process was applied to treat Fe-0.6C-1.5Mn-1.5Si-0.6Cr-0.05Nb hot-rolled high-carbon steel and the microstructures including retained austenite fraction and the average dislocation densities in both martensite and retained austenite were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The Q-P-T steel exhibits high strength (1950 MPa) and elongation (12.4 pct). Comparing with the steel treated by traditional quenching and tempering (Q&T) process, the mechanism of high ductility for high-carbon Q-P-T steel is revealed as follows. Much more retained austenite existing in Q-P-T steel than in Q&T one remarkably enhances the ductility by the following two effects: the dislocation absorption by retained austenite effect and the transformation-induced plasticity effect. Besides, lower dislocation density in martensite matrix produced by Q-P-T process plays an important role in the improvement of ductility. However, some thin plates of twin-type martensite embedded in dislocation-type martensite matrix in high-carbon Q-P-T steel affect the further improvement of ductility.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2008-09-08

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.; Shibayama, T.

    1998-01-01

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

  6. Characterization of ASTM A335 P92 steel in continuous cooling cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xaubet, M. N.; Danón, C. A.; Ramos, C. P.

    2013-01-01

    The operating conditions demanded by Generation IV reactors include high temperatures, higher radiation doses and highly corrosive environments. Among the structural materials proposed both for in-core and out-of-core applications, elevated-temperature P91/P92 ferritic/martensitic steels have been considered. This work studies the transformation behavior and microstructural evolution of ASTM A335 P92 steel in continuous cooling cycles (CCT). The material was austenized at 1050 ºC and afterwards cooled down at controlled rates (300, 50 and 15 ºC/h). The determination and characterization of the phases present in the samples was performed by optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Samples whose cooling rates were on the limits of the studied range (300 and 15 ºC/h) presented completely martensitic and completely ferritic structures, respectively. The sample cooled down at intermediate rate exhibited, though, a mixed structure of martensite and ferrite. Second-phase precipitation has also been observed in all the samples. (author)

  7. Transformation and precipitation in vanadium treated steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vassiliou, Andreas D.

    A series of carbon manganese steels containing varying amounts of carbon, vanadium and nitrogen was investigated in relation to the solubility of VC and VN in austenite, the grain coarsening characteristics of austenite, the tempering of martensite and other structures, the transformation during continuous cooling, the effect of vanadium addition and increasing nitrogen content on the thermo-mechanical processing of austenite, and the transformation of various morphologies of austenite to ferrite.The sites for preferential nucleation and growth of ferrite were identified and the effect of ferrite grain size inhomogeneity was investigated with a view to minimising it.The C/N ratio in the V(CN) precipitates was largely controlled by C/N ratio in the steel and it was also influenced by the austenitising treatment. As expected, the solubility of VN was less than that of VC.A systematic investigation of austenitising time and temperature on the grain coarsening characteristics was carried out showing the effects of vanadium, carbon and nitrogen. It was tentatively suggested that C-C and N-N clustering in the vanadium free steels controlled the grain growth whereas in the presence of vanadium, it was shown that VN and VC pinned the austenite grain boundaries and restricted grain growth. However coarsening or solution of VC and VN allowed the grain bondaries to migrate and grain coarsening occurred. The grain coarsening temperature was controlled predominantly by VN, whilst the VC dissolved frequently below the grain coarsening temperature.In the as quenched martensite, increasing nitrogen progressively increased the as quenched hardness, and the hardness also greatly increased with increasing carbon and vanadium added together. Examining the precipitation strengthening in tempered martensite showed that in the absence of vanadium, martensite softened progressively with increasing temperature and time. Vanadium additions increased the hardness level during low temperature

  8. In-service thermal ageing of martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tampigny, R.; Molinie, E.; Foct, F.; Dignocourt, P.

    2011-01-01

    Martensitic stainless steels are largely used in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) mainly as valve stems, bolts or nuts due to their high mechanical properties and their good resistance to corrosion in primary water. At the end of the eighties, research studies have demonstrated a thermal ageing irreversible embrittlement due to the precipitation of a chromium-rich phase for X6 CrNiCu 17-04, X6 CrNiMo 16.04 and X12 Cr 13 martensitic stainless steels and a semi-empirical modeling has been proposed. Numerous metallurgical examinations have been performed in hot laboratories to consolidate the good correlation between in-service experience and the modeling developed by EDF RD. According to the feedback analysis, thermal ageing embrittlement can appear at different in-service temperatures or do not appear in relation with chemical composition of martensitic stainless steels and end of manufacturing heat treatments associated. A new campaign of metallurgical examinations has been proposed to consolidate previous studies and to contribute to maintenance policy for the next ten years after the third decennial outages for 900 MWe NPP. Influence of real in-service temperatures and end of manufacturing heat treatments have been examined to understand reasons why in some cases thermal ageing embrittlement does not occur or occur with a lowest intensity. These new results have contributed to reinforce EDF RD modeling validity and technical specifications defined in RCC-M for new valve stems, bolts or nuts. (authors)

  9. High burnup performance of an advanced oxide fuel assembly in FFTF [Fast Flux Test Facility] with ferritic/martensitic materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bridges, A.E.; Saito, G.H.; Lovell, A.J.; Makenas, B.J.

    1986-05-01

    An advanced oxide fuel assembly with ferritic/martensitic materials has successfully completed its sixth cycle of irradiation in the FFTF, reaching a peak pellet burnup greater than 100 MWd/KgM and a peak fast fluence greater than 15 x 10 22 n/cm 2 . The cladding, wire-wrap, and duct material for the ACO-1 test assembly is the ferritic/martensitic alloy, HT9, which was chosen for use in long-lifetime fuel assemblies because of its good nominal temperature creep strength and low swelling rate. Valuable experience on the performance of HT9 materials has been gained from this test, advancing our quest for long-lifetime fuel. Pertinent data, obtained from the ACO-1 test assembly, will support the irradiation of the Core Demonstration Experiment in FFTF

  10. Development of martensitic steels for high neutron damage applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelles, D.S.

    1998-01-01

    Martensitic stainless steels have been developed for both in-core applications in advanced liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR) and for first wall and structural materials applications for commercial fusion reactors. It can now be shown that these steels can be expected to maintain properties to levels as high as 175 or 200 dpa, respectively. The 12Cr-1Mo-0.5W-0.2C alloy HT-9 has been extensively tested for LMFBR applications and shown to resist radiation damage, providing a creep and swelling resistant alternative to austenitic steels. Degradation of fracture toughness and Charpy impact properties have been observed, but properties are sufficient to provide reliable service. In comparison, alloys with lower chromium contents are found to decarburize in contact with liquid sodium and are therefore not recommended. Tungsten stabilized martensitic stainless steels have appropriate properties for fusion applications. Radioactivity levels are being less than 500 years after service, radiation damage resistance is excellent, including impact properties, and swelling is modest. This report describes the history of the development effort. (author)

  11. Development of martensitic steels for high neutron damage applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelles, D. S.

    1996-12-01

    Martensitic stainless steels have been developed for both in-core applications in advanced liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR) and for first wall and structural materials applications for commercial fusion reactors. It can now be shown that these steels can be expected to maintain properties to levels as high as 175 or 200 dpa, respectively. The 12Cr1Mo0.5W0.2C alloy HT-9 has been extensively tested for LMFBR applications and shown to resist radiation damage, providing a creep and swelling resistant alternative to austenitic steels. Degradation of fracture toughness and Charpy impact properties have been observed, but properties are sufficient to provide reliable service. In comparison, alloys with lower chromium contents are found to decarburize in contact with liquid sodium and are therefore not recommended. Tungsten stabilized martensitic stainless steels have appropriate properties for fusion applications. Radioactivity levels are benign less than 500 years after service, radiation damage resistance is excellent, including impact properties, and swelling is modest. This report describes the history of the development effort.

  12. Effects of deformation and boron on microstructure and continuous cooling transformation in low carbon HSLA steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jun, H.J. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, J.S. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Seo, D.H. [Technical Research Laboratories, POSCO, Pohang 545-090 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, K.B. [Technical Research Laboratories, POSCO, Pohang 545-090 (Korea, Republic of); Park, C.G. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)]. E-mail: cgpark@postech.ac.kr

    2006-04-25

    The continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagram and continuous cooled microstructure were investigated for low carbon (0.05 wt.% C) high strength low alloy steels with/without boron. Microstructures observed in continuous cooled specimens were composed of pearlite, quasi-polygonal ferrite, granular bainite, acicular ferrite, bainitic ferrite, lower bainite, and martensite depending on cooling rate and transformation temperature. A rapid cooling rate depressed the formation of pearlite and quasi-polygonal ferrite, which resulted in higher hardness. However, hot deformation slightly increased transformation start temperature, and promoted the formation of pearlite and quasi-polygonal ferrite. Hot deformation also strongly promoted the acicular ferrite formation which did not form under non-deformation conditions. Small boron addition effectively reduced the formation of pearlite and quasi-polygonal ferrite and broadened the cooling rate region for bainitic ferrite and martensite.

  13. Aging in PWR conditions of martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boursier, J.M.; Buisine, D.; Fronteau, M.; Michel, D.; Rouillon, Y.; Yrieix, B.; Meyzaud, Y.

    1998-01-01

    Martensitic stainless steels are largely used in Nuclear Power Plant (pump impeller, valve stem...) because of their high mechanical characteristics and their good resistance to corrosion. Nevertheless some of those components could operate at temperature higher than 250 deg.C, which could embrittle the material by the precipitation of a chromium-rich phase during aging. In collaboration with Framatome, Electricite de France has undertaken numerous studies in order to understand this process of embrittlement. This paper presents a review of the metallurgical investigations on martensitic stainless steels components which were performed in the EDF hot laboratory. In peculiar, it should be noted the good correlation between inservice experience and the modelling developed by EDF R and D division. Finally and in association with safety analysis, these results will allow to establish the maintenance strategy of the French Nuclear Power Plants. (authors)

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2015-10-15

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

  15. EBSD characterization of deformed lath martensite in if steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lv, Z.A.; Zhang, Xiaodan; Huang, Xiaoxu

    2017-01-01

    Rolling deformation results in the transformation of a lath martensite structure to a lamellar structure characteristic to that of IF steel cold-rolled to medium and high strains. The structural transition takes place from low to medium strain, and electron backscatter diffraction analysis shows...... and the strength are characterized for lath martensite rolled to a thickness reduction of 30%, showing that large changes in the misorientation take place, while the strain hardening rate is low....

  16. Plasticity and fracture modeling of quench-hardenable boron steel with tailored properties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eller, Tom; Greve, L; Andres, M.T.; Medricky, M; Hatscher, A; Meinders, Vincent T.; van den Boogaard, Antonius H.

    2014-01-01

    In this article, a constitutive model for quench-hardenable boron steel is presented. Three sets of boron steel blanks are heat treated such that their as-treated microstructures are close to fully martensitic, bainitic and ferritic/pearlitic, respectively. Hardness measurements show that the

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nomakuchi, Michiyoshi

    1979-01-01

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

  18. Tribocorrosion wear of austenitic and martensitic steels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Rozing

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the impact of tribocorrosion wear caused by an aggressive acidic media. Tests were conducted on samples made of stainless steel AISI 316L, 304L and 440C. Austenitic steels were tested in their nitrided state and martensitic in quenched and tempered and then induction hardened state. Electrochemical corrosion resistance testing and analysis of the microstructure and hardness in the cross section was carried out on samples of selected steels. To test the possibility of applying surface modification of selected materials in conditions of use, tests were conducted on samples/parts in a worm press for final pressing.

  19. The evolution of internal stress and dislocation during tensile deformation in a 9Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) ODS steel investigated by high-energy X-rays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Guangming; Zhou, Zhangjian; Mo, Kun; Miao, Yinbin; Liu, Xiang; Almer, Jonathan; Stubbins, James F.

    2015-12-01

    An application of high-energy wide angle synchrotron X-ray diffraction to investigate the tensile deformation of 9Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) ODS steel is presented. With tensile loading and in-situ Xray exposure, the lattice strain development of matrix was determined. The lattice strain was found to decrease with increasing temperature, and the difference in Young's modulus of six different reflections at different temperatures reveals the temperature dependence of elastic anisotropy. The mean internal stress was calculated and compared with the applied stress, showing that the strengthening factor increased with increasing temperature, indicating that the oxide nanoparticles have a good strengthening impact at high temperature. The dislocation density and character were also measured during tensile deformation. The dislocation density decreased with increasing of temperature due to the greater mobility of dislocation at high temperature. The dislocation character was determined by best-fit methods for different dislocation average contrasts with various levels of uncertainty. The results shows edge type dislocations dominate the plastic strain at room temperature (RT) and 300 C, while the screw type dislocations dominate at 600 C. The dominance of edge character in 9Cr F/M ODS steels at RT and 300 C is likely due to the pinning effect of nanoparticles for higher mobile edge dislocations when compared with screw dislocations, while the stronger screw type of dislocation structure at 600 C may be explained by the activated cross slip of screw segments.

  20. High carbon microalloyed martensitic steel with ultrahigh strength-ductility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qin, Shengwei; Liu, Yu; Hao, Qingguo [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Wang, Ying [School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 200245 (China); Chen, Nailu, E-mail: nlchen@sjtu.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Zuo, Xunwei; Rong, Yonghua [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)

    2016-04-29

    Based on the idea of rising the mechanical stability of retained austenite by the addition of Si in Fe-Mn based steels, an Fe-0.63C-1.52Mn-1.49Si-0.62Cr-0.036Nb was designed, then its hot rolled plate was successively tread by normalization process as pretreatment of novel quenching-partitioning-tempering (Q-P-T) process. Product of tensile and elongation (PSE) of 53.94 GPa% were obtained for this high carbon Q-P-T martensitic steel, and the PSE (40.18 GPa%) obtained by the conversion of tensile sample size using Oliver formula still is more excellent PSE than those of other microalloyed advanced high strength steels reported. The microstructural characterization reveals origin of ultrahigh PSE resulting from both the increase of considerable and dispersed carbon enriched retained austenite with relative high mechanical stability in volume fraction and the decrease of brittle twin-type martensite with the sensitivity of notch.

  1. Ultrahigh strength martensite-austenite dual-phase steels with ultrafine structure: The response to indentation experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Misra, R.D.K., E-mail: dmisra@louisiana.edu [Laboratory for Excellence in Advanced Steel Research, Center for Structural and Functional Materials, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 44130, Lafayette, LA 70504 (United States); Venkatsurya, P. [Laboratory for Excellence in Advanced Steel Research, Center for Structural and Functional Materials, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 44130, Lafayette, LA 70504 (United States); Wu, K.M. [International Research Institute for Steel Technolgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); Karjalainen, L.P. [Centre for Advanced Steels Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4200, 90014 Oulu (Finland)

    2013-01-10

    In medium to high carbon steels, characterized by martensite-austenite microstructure processed by quenching and partitioning process, martensite potentially provides high strength, while austenite provides work hardening [Fu, Wu, and Misra, DOI: 10.1179/1743284712/068]. Given the significant interest in these steels in the steel community, the paper reports for the first time the nanoscale deformation experiments and accompanying microstructural evolution to obtain micromechanical insights into the deformation behavior of ultrahigh strength-high ductility dual-phase steels with significant retained austenite fraction of {approx}0.35. During deformation experiments with nanoindenter, dislocations were distributed on several slip systems, whereas strain-induced twinned martensite and twinning were the deformation mechanisms in carbon-enriched and thermally stabilized retained austenite. Furthermore, ultrafine dual-phase steels exhibited high strain rate sensitivity.

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2010-07-01

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

  3. Structure and tensile properties of ferro-martensitic alloys hardened by chi phase precipitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alamo, A.; Aubert, H.; Laniesse, J.; Lelong, C.; Pigoury, M.; Foucher, C.

    1985-08-01

    Transformation of ferrite into austenite and of austenite into martensite, precipitation of intermetallic phases and tensile properties of the steel Cr13-Mo1.5 are studied in function of Ti additions (from 0 to 3%) and Ni additions (from 2 to 8%) for its mechanical resistance at 400-650 0 C. 12 references are given [fr

  4. Corrigendum to 'On the influence of microstructure on the fracture behaviour of hot extruded ferritic ODS steels' [J. Nucl. Mater. 497 (2017) 60-75

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, A.; Viehrig, H. W.; Altstadt, E.; Heintze, C.; Hoffmann, J.

    2018-02-01

    ODS steels are known to show inferior fracture properties as compared to ferritic martensitic non-ODS steels. Hot extruded 13Cr ODS steel however, showed excellent fracture toughness at a temperature range from room temperature to 400 °C. In this work, the factors which resulted in superior and anisotropic fracture behaviour were investigated by comparing different orientations of two hot extruded materials using scanning electron, electron backscatter and transmission electron microscopy. Fracture behaviour of the two materials was compared using unloading compliance fracture toughness tests. Anisotropic fracture toughness was predominantly influenced by grain morphology. Superior fracture toughness in 13Cr ODS-KIT was predominantly influenced by factors such as smaller void inducing particle size and higher sub-micron particle-matrix interfacial strength.

  5. Influence of Z-phase on long-term creep stability of martensitic 9-12%Cr steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hald, J. [DONG Energy (Denmark)]|[Vattenfall Europe AG, Berlin (Germany)]|[DTU Mechanical Engineering (Denmark); Danielsen, H.K. [DTU Mechanical Engineering (Denmark)

    2008-07-01

    The long-term creep strength of the new generation of martensitic creep resistant 9- 12% Cr steels since the well-known steel Grade 91 relies strongly on particle strengthening by fine MN nitrides based on V and Nb. During long-term hightemperature exposures the MN nitrides may be replaced by the thermodynamically more stable Z-phases (Cr(V,Nb)N) causing a breakdown in creep strength. Cr contents above 10.5% strongly accelerate Z-phase precipitation, which explains the lack of success for all attempts to develop martensitic creep resistant steels with high Cr content for oxidation protection. The Z-phase nucleation process by Cr-diffusion into pre-existing MN nitrides is rate controlling for the Z-phase transformation. More work is needed before effects of chemical composition on the nucleation process can be reliably modeled. Careful control of the Z-phase precipitation process has led to the design of experimental 12%Cr martensitic steels strengthened by Z-phase. Such steels may again enable the combination of high strength and oxidation resistance in the same alloy. This opens a new pathway for further alloy development of the heat resistant martensitic steels. (orig.)

  6. Martensitic Stainless Steels Low-temperature Nitriding: Dependence of Substrate Composition

    OpenAIRE

    Ferreira, Lauro Mariano; Brunatto, Silvio Francisco; Cardoso, Rodrigo Perito

    2015-01-01

    Low-temperature plasma assisted nitriding is a very promising technique to improve surface mechanical properties of stainless steels, keeping unaltered or even improving their surface corrosion resistance. During treatment, nitrogen diffuses into the steel surface, increasing its hardness and wear resistance. In the present work the nitriding process of different martensitic stainless steels was studied. As-quenched AISI 410, 410NiMo, 416 and 420 stainless steel samples were plasma nitrided a...

  7. Surface enhancement of cold work tool steels by friction stir processing with a pinless tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, M. I.; Verdera, D.; Vieira, M. T.; Rodrigues, D. M.

    2014-03-01

    The microstructure and mechanical properties of enhanced tool steel (AISI D2) surfaces produced using a friction stir welding (FSW) related procedure, called friction stir processing (FSP), are analysed in this work. The surface of the tool steel samples was processed using a WC-Co pinless tool and varying processing conditions. Microstructural analysis revealed that meanwhile the original substrate structure consisted of a heterogeneous distribution of coarse carbides in a ferritic matrix, the transformed surfaces consisted of very small carbides, homogenously distributed in a ferrite- bainite- martensite matrix. The morphology of the surfaces, as well as its mechanical properties, evaluated by hardness and tensile testing, were found to vary with increasing tool rotation speed. Surface hardness was drastically increased, relative to the initial hardness of bulk steel. This was attributed to ferrite and carbide refinement, as well as to martensite formation during solid state processing. At the highest rotation rates, tool sliding during processing deeply compromised the characteristics of the processed surfaces.

  8. Manufacturing test of large scale hollow capsule and long length cladding in the large scale oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) martensitic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narita, Takeshi; Ukai, Shigeharu; Kaito, Takeji; Ohtsuka, Satoshi; Fujiwara, Masayuki

    2004-04-01

    Mass production capability of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) martensitic steel cladding (9Cr) has being evaluated in the Phase II of the Feasibility Studies on Commercialized Fast Reactor Cycle System. The cost for manufacturing mother tube (raw materials powder production, mechanical alloying (MA) by ball mill, canning, hot extrusion, and machining) is a dominant factor in the total cost for manufacturing ODS ferritic steel cladding. In this study, the large-sale 9Cr-ODS martensitic steel mother tube which is made with a large-scale hollow capsule, and long length claddings were manufactured, and the applicability of these processes was evaluated. Following results were obtained in this study. (1) Manufacturing the large scale mother tube in the dimension of 32 mm OD, 21 mm ID, and 2 m length has been successfully carried out using large scale hollow capsule. This mother tube has a high degree of accuracy in size. (2) The chemical composition and the micro structure of the manufactured mother tube are similar to the existing mother tube manufactured by a small scale can. And the remarkable difference between the bottom and top sides in the manufactured mother tube has not been observed. (3) The long length cladding has been successfully manufactured from the large scale mother tube which was made using a large scale hollow capsule. (4) For reducing the manufacturing cost of the ODS steel claddings, manufacturing process of the mother tubes using a large scale hollow capsules is promising. (author)

  9. 75 FR 19369 - Certain Hot-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon Quality Steel Products from Brazil: Preliminary Results of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-14

    .... Hot-rolled dual phase steel, phase-hardened, primarily with a ferritic-martensitic microstructure.... See Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in... Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils From France, 68 FR 69379...

  10. On the corrosion resistance of 01Kh25 ferritic steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1989-01-01

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

  11. Strength of 10CR-N martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bahrami, F.; Hendry, A.

    1993-01-01

    10Cr stainless steel has been employed to examine the effect of nitrogen on microstructure and strength. Applying Solid state gaseous nitrogenising treatments a whole range of nitrogen martensite structures containing up to 0.45 wt% were obtained. It was found that a linear relationship exists between strength and nitrogen content in precipitate free martensitic structures. Yield strength increased from 705 to 1295 MPa for nitrogen free base material and alloys with 0.35 wt%N respectively. Pronounce secondary hardening was observed at a tempering temperature of 500 C. A linear relationship was also observed between the lattice parameter and nitrogen concentration in these alloys. A model for mechanical behaviour is presented. (orig.)

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zita Iždinská

    2009-04-01

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

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, T.; Mutoh, I.

    1988-01-01

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

  14. Damping Capacity of High Manganese Austenitic Stainless Steel with a Two Phase Mixed Structure of Martensite and Austenite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Tae Hyun; Kang, Chang-Yong

    2013-01-01

    The damping capacity of high manganese austenitic stainless steel with a two phase mixed structure of deformation-induced martensite and reversed austenite was studied. Reversed austenite with an ultra-fine grain size of less than 0.2 μm was obtained by reversion treatment. The two phase structure of deformation-induced martensite and reversed austenite was obtained by annealing treatment at a range of 500-700 °C and various times in cold rolled high manganese austenitic stainless steel. The damping capacity increased with an increasing annealing temperature and time. In high manganese stainless steel with the two phase mixed structure of martensite and austenite, the damping capacity decreased with an increasing volume fraction of deformation-induced martensite. Thus, the damping capacity was strongly affected by deformation-induced martensite. The results confirmed that austenitic stainless steel with a good combination of strength and damping capacity was obtained from the two phase mixed structure of austenite and martensite.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2008-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2008-12-15

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

  17. Charpy impact behavior of manganese-stabilized martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, W.L.; Gelles, D.S.

    1986-05-01

    Tests were conducted to evaluate the irradiation-induced shift in ductile-to-brittle transition behavior of two manganese stabilized martensitic steels. Miniature Charpy specimens were fabricated from two heats of steel similar in composition to HT-9 but with 0.1% C and Mn contents ranging from 3.3 to 6.6.%. The 3.3% Mn steel showed a transition temperature similar to that of HT-9 in both the unirradiated condition and in specimens irradiated to 11.3 dpa. The steel containing 6.6% Mn exhibited a higher transition temperature after irradiation than the steel containing 3.3% Mn. The upper shelf energy (USE) after irradiation for the manganese stabilized alloys was much higher than for HT-9. 6 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

  18. The Microstructure and Properties of Super Martensitic Stainless Steel Microalloyed with Tungsten and Copper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Dong; Li, Jun; Liu, Yu-Rong; Yong, Qi-Long; Su, Jie; Cao, Jian-Chun; Tao, Jing-Mei; Zhao, Kun-Yu

    2011-06-01

    The microstructure and properties of super martensitic stainless steel (SMSS) microalloyed with tungsten and copper were studied by means of optical microscopy, dilatometer, X-ray diffraction, and tensile tests. The results showed that the microstructure of SMSS, after quenching and tempering, was a typical biphase structure with tempered martensite and reversed austenite dispersedly distributed in the martensite matrix. W and Cu were added into the SMSS to reduce the transformation temperature (Ms) and improve the strength and hardness of the matrix by grain refining and solid solution strengthening. Thermocalc calculations confirmed that M23C6 compound and Laves phase were precipitated during tempering in the investigated steel. Compared with the traditional SMSS, the steel microalloyed with W and Cu performed better mechanical properties.

  19. Quantifying the effects of tempering on individual phase properties of DP980 steel with nanoindentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, G. [Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA (United States); Zhang, F. [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA (United States); Ruimi, A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A& M University, Doha (Qatar); Field, D.P. [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA (United States); Sun, X., E-mail: xin.sun@pnnl.gov [Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA (United States)

    2016-06-14

    Tempering treatment is conducted on a commercial dual phase (DP) 980 steel at 250 °C and 400 °C for 60 min each. Ferrite and martensite grains are distinguished using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM), and the martensite volume fractions (MVF) are determined based on the image quality (IQ) map. Indentation tests combined with a newly developed inverse method are used to obtain the individual phase flow properties in each sample. The results show that, i) tempering significantly reduces martensite yield strength, while it slightly reduces the ferrite yield strength; ii) tempering temperature has a more significant influence on the work hardening exponent of ferrite than that of martensite. As a validation, a simple rule-of-mixtures is used to verify the above-predicted individual phase flow stresses with the experimentally obtained overall true stress vs. true strain curves.

  20. Martensite in steels: its significance, recent developments and trends

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz-Beenken, A.S.

    1997-01-01

    Martensite is generally known as a hard but brittle microstructure. This is only true for high carbon plate martensite. Recently developed steels with a lath martensite microstructure offer an excellent toughness at yield strength of 1000 MPa yield strength. A transformation into lath martensite by glide as invariant shear mechanism is only possible at a carbon content below 0,03%. The source of both high strength and good toughness is the high dislocation density and the narrow lath width off less than 1 μm. By a thermomechanical treatment, that leads to a finer lath structure both strength and ductility can be improved to a yield strength of 1150 MPa and an elongation of 18%. As, unlike high carbon plate martensite, the hardness of lath martensite is not achieved by the distortion of the tetragonal cell by carbon atoms, the hardness of lath martensite remains stable up during an annealing treatment up to 600 C. This thermal stability of the lath martensit microstructure makes an additional increase of hardness by the precipitation of different types of intermetallic phases possible. The increase of the hardness from 300 HV to 600 HV by precipitation without volume changes and good cold deformability reveals many new application in manufacturing. In plate martensite too, comparatively high toughness values can be achieved, if carbon is replaced by nitrogen. The refining influence of nitrides on the austenite grain sizes and the precipitation of fine nitrides during the annealing process leads to impact values three times higher than those of comparable high carbon plate martensite. (orig.)

  1. Integrity assessment of the ferritic / austenitic dissimilar weld joint between intermediate heat exchanger and steam generator in fast reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jayakumar, T.; Laha, K.; Chandravathi, K. S.; Parameswaran, P.; Goyal, S.; Kumar, J. G.; Mathew, M. D. [Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam- 603 102 (India)

    2012-07-01

    Integrity of the modified 9Cr-1Mo / alloy 800 dissimilar joint welded with Inconel 182 electrodes has been assessed under creep condition based on the detailed analysis of microstructure and stress distribution across the joint by finite element analysis. A hardness peak at the ferritic / austenitic weld interface and a hardness trough at the inter-critical heat affected zone (HAZ) in ferritic base metal developed. Un-tempered martensite was found at the ferritic / austenitic weld interface to impart high hardness in it; whereas annealing of martensitic structure of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel by inter-critical heating during welding thermal cycle resulted in hardness tough in the inter-critical HAZ. Creep tests were carried out on the joint and ferritic steel base metal at 823 K over a stress range of 160-320 MPa. The joint possessed lower creep rupture strength than its ferritic steel base metal. Failure of the joint at relatively lower stresses occurred at the ferritic / austenitic weld interface; whereas it occurred at inter-critical region of HAZ at moderate stresses. Cavity nucleation associated with the weld interface particles led to premature failure of the joint. Finite element analysis of stress distribution across the weld joint considering the micro-mechanical strength inhomogeneity across it revealed higher von-Mises and principal stresses at the weld interface. These stresses induced preferential creep cavitation at the weld interface. Role of precipitate in enhancing creep cavitation at the weld interface has been elucidated based on the FE analysis of stress distribution across it. (authors)

  2. Low Cycle Fatigue Behaviour of DP Steels: Micromechanical Modelling vs. Validation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghazal Moeini

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to simulate the stabilised stress-strain hysteresis loop of dual phase (DP steel using micromechanical modelling. For this purpose, the investigation was conducted both experimentally and numerically. In the experimental part, the microstructure characterisation, monotonic tensile tests and low cycle fatigue tests were performed. In the numerical part, the representative volume element (RVE was employed to study the effect of the DP steel microstructure of the low cycle fatigue behavior of DP steel. A dislocation-density based model was utilised to identify the tensile behavior of ferrite and martensite. Then, by establishing a correlation between the monotonic and cyclic behavior of ferrite and martensite phases, the cyclic deformation properties of single phases were estimated. Accordingly, Chaboche kinematic hardening parameters were identified from the predicted cyclic curve of individual phases in DP steel. Finally, the predicted hysteresis loop from low cycle fatigue modelling was in very good agreement with the experimental one. The stabilised hysteresis loop of DP steel can be successfully predicted using the developed approach.

  3. A Shear Strain Route Dependency of Martensite Formation in 316L Stainless Steel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Suk Hoon; Kim, Tae Kyu; Jang, Jinsung; Oh, Kyu Hwan

    2015-06-01

    In this study, the effect of simple shearing on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of 316L austenitic stainless steel were investigated. Two different shear strain routes were obtained by twisting cylindrical specimens in the forward and backward directions. The strain-induced martensite phase was effectively obtained by alteration of the routes. Formation of the martensite phase clearly resulted in significant hardening of the steel. Grain-size reduction and strain-induced martensitic transformation within the deformed structures of the strained specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy - electron back-scattered diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and the TEM-ASTAR (transmission electron microscopy - analytical scanning transmission atomic resolution, automatic crystal orientation/phase mapping for TEM) system. Significant numbers of twin networks were formed by alteration of the shear strain routes, and the martensite phases were nucleated at the twin interfaces.

  4. Corrosion and Nanomechanical Behaviors of 16.3Cr-0.22N-0.43C-1.73Mo Martensitic Stainless Steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, Rahul; Krishna, S. Chenna; Venugopal, A.; Narayanan, P. Ramesh; Jha, Abhay K.; Ramkumar, P.; Venkitakrishnan, P. V.

    2016-01-01

    The effect of nitrogen on the electrochemical corrosion and nanomechanical behaviors of martensitic stainless steel was examined using potentiodynamic polarization and nanoindentation test methods. The results indicate that partial replacement of carbon with nitrogen effectively improved the passivation and pitting corrosion resistance of conventional high-carbon and high- chromium martensitic steels. Post-test observation of the samples after a potentiodynamic test revealed a severe pitting attacks in conventional martensitic steel compared with nitrogen- containing martensitic stainless steel. This was shown to be due to (i) microstructural refinement results in retaining a high-chromium content in the matrix, and (ii) the presence of reversed austenite formed during the tempering process. Since nitrogen addition also resulted in the formation of a Cr_2N phase as a process of secondary hardening, the hardness of the nitrogen- containing steel is slightly higher than the conventional martensitic stainless steel under tempered conditions, even though the carbon content is lowered. The added nitrogen also improved the wear resistance of the steel as the critical load (Lc2) is less, along with a lower scratch friction coefficient (SFC) when compared to conventional martensitic stainless steel such as AISI 440C.

  5. Corrosion and Nanomechanical Behaviors of 16.3Cr-0.22N-0.43C-1.73Mo Martensitic Stainless Steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghosh, Rahul; Krishna, S. Chenna; Venugopal, A.; Narayanan, P. Ramesh; Jha, Abhay K.; Ramkumar, P.; Venkitakrishnan, P. V. [Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (ISRO), Kerala (India)

    2016-12-15

    The effect of nitrogen on the electrochemical corrosion and nanomechanical behaviors of martensitic stainless steel was examined using potentiodynamic polarization and nanoindentation test methods. The results indicate that partial replacement of carbon with nitrogen effectively improved the passivation and pitting corrosion resistance of conventional high-carbon and high- chromium martensitic steels. Post-test observation of the samples after a potentiodynamic test revealed a severe pitting attacks in conventional martensitic steel compared with nitrogen- containing martensitic stainless steel. This was shown to be due to (i) microstructural refinement results in retaining a high-chromium content in the matrix, and (ii) the presence of reversed austenite formed during the tempering process. Since nitrogen addition also resulted in the formation of a Cr{sub 2}N phase as a process of secondary hardening, the hardness of the nitrogen- containing steel is slightly higher than the conventional martensitic stainless steel under tempered conditions, even though the carbon content is lowered. The added nitrogen also improved the wear resistance of the steel as the critical load (Lc2) is less, along with a lower scratch friction coefficient (SFC) when compared to conventional martensitic stainless steel such as AISI 440C.

  6. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF BANDED STRUCTURES IN DUAL-PHASE STEELS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benoit Krebs

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Dual-Phase (DP steels are composed of martensite islands dispersed in a ductile ferrite matrix, which provides a good balance between strength and ductility. Current processing conditions (continuous casting followed by hot and cold rolling generate 'banded structures' i.e., irregular, parallel and alternating bands of ferrite and martensite, which are detrimental to mechanical properties and especially for in-use properties. We present an original and simple method to quantify the intensity and wavelength of these bands. This method, based on the analysis of covariance function of binary images, is firstly tested on model images. It is compared with ASTM E-1268 standard and appears to be more robust. Then it is applied on real DP steel microstructures and proves to be sufficiently sensitive to discriminate samples resulting from different thermo-mechanical routes.

  7. The evolution of internal stress and dislocation during tensile deformation in a 9Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) ODS steel investigated by high-energy X-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Guangming; Zhou, Zhangjian; Mo, Kun; Miao, Yinbin; Liu, Xiang; Almer, Jonathan; Stubbins, James F.

    2015-01-01

    An application of high-energy wide angle synchrotron X-ray diffraction to investigate the tensile deformation of 9Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) ODS steel is presented. With tensile loading and in-situ X-ray exposure, the lattice strain development of matrix was determined. The lattice strain was found to decrease with increasing temperature, and the difference in Young's modulus of six different reflections at different temperatures reveals the temperature dependence of elastic anisotropy. The mean internal stress was calculated and compared with the applied stress, showing that the strengthening factor increased with increasing temperature, indicating that the oxide nanoparticles have a good strengthening impact at high temperature. The dislocation density and character were also measured during tensile deformation. The dislocation density decreased with increasing of temperature due to the greater mobility of dislocation at high temperature. The dislocation character was determined by best-fit methods for different dislocation average contrasts with various levels of uncertainty. The results shows edge type dislocations dominate the plastic strain at room temperature (RT) and 300 °C, while the screw type dislocations dominate at 600 °C. The dominance of edge character in 9Cr F/M ODS steels at RT and 300 °C is likely due to the pinning effect of nanoparticles for higher mobile edge dislocations when compared with screw dislocations, while the stronger screw type of dislocation structure at 600 °C may be explained by the activated cross slip of screw segments. - Highlights: • The tensile deformation of 9Cr ODS steel was studied by synchrotron irradiation. • The evolution of internal mean stress was calculated. • The evolution of dislocation character was determined by best-fit method. • Edge type dominates plasticity at RT and 300 °C, while screw type dominates at 600 °C.

  8. The evolution of internal stress and dislocation during tensile deformation in a 9Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) ODS steel investigated by high-energy X-rays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Guangming [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801 (United States); Zhou, Zhangjian, E-mail: zhouzhj@mater.ustb.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Mo, Kun [Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Miao, Yinbin; Liu, Xiang [Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801 (United States); Almer, Jonathan [X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Stubbins, James F. [Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801 (United States)

    2015-12-15

    An application of high-energy wide angle synchrotron X-ray diffraction to investigate the tensile deformation of 9Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) ODS steel is presented. With tensile loading and in-situ X-ray exposure, the lattice strain development of matrix was determined. The lattice strain was found to decrease with increasing temperature, and the difference in Young's modulus of six different reflections at different temperatures reveals the temperature dependence of elastic anisotropy. The mean internal stress was calculated and compared with the applied stress, showing that the strengthening factor increased with increasing temperature, indicating that the oxide nanoparticles have a good strengthening impact at high temperature. The dislocation density and character were also measured during tensile deformation. The dislocation density decreased with increasing of temperature due to the greater mobility of dislocation at high temperature. The dislocation character was determined by best-fit methods for different dislocation average contrasts with various levels of uncertainty. The results shows edge type dislocations dominate the plastic strain at room temperature (RT) and 300 °C, while the screw type dislocations dominate at 600 °C. The dominance of edge character in 9Cr F/M ODS steels at RT and 300 °C is likely due to the pinning effect of nanoparticles for higher mobile edge dislocations when compared with screw dislocations, while the stronger screw type of dislocation structure at 600 °C may be explained by the activated cross slip of screw segments. - Highlights: • The tensile deformation of 9Cr ODS steel was studied by synchrotron irradiation. • The evolution of internal mean stress was calculated. • The evolution of dislocation character was determined by best-fit method. • Edge type dominates plasticity at RT and 300 °C, while screw type dominates at 600 °C.

  9. Chromium Enrichment on P11 Ferritic Steel by Pack Cementation

    OpenAIRE

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

    2016-01-01

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

  10. Crystallography and Interphase Boundary of Martensite and Bainite in Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furuhara, Tadashi; Chiba, Tadachika; Kaneshita, Takeshi; Wu, Huidong; Miyamoto, Goro

    2017-06-01

    Grain refinements in lath martensite and bainite structures are crucial for strengthening and toughening of high-strength structural steels. Clearly, crystallography of transformation plays an important role in determining the "grain" sizes in these structures. In the present study, crystallography and intrinsic boundary structure of martensite and bainite are described. Furthermore, various extrinsic factors affecting variant selection and growth kinetics, such as elastic/plastic strain and alloying effects on interphase boundary migration, are discussed.

  11. Design of duplex low carbon steels for improved strength: weight applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koo, J.

    1977-08-01

    Duplex ferrite-martensite (DFM) steels with excellent combinations of strength and formability have been selected from first principles, and their microstructure-property relationships established through a systematic investigation of a series of ternary Fe/X/0.1 C steels (X being varying amount of Cr and Si). Duplex processing consists of initial austenitization and quenching to form 100% martensite, followed by annealing in the (..cap alpha.. + ..gamma..) range and subsequent quenching. The resultant DFM morphology is controlled by the type and amount of alloying element X.

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

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cipolla, Leonardo

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

  13. Influence of different cooling rates on the microstructure of the HAZ and welding CCT diagram of CLAM steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng Shuhui, E-mail: shzheng@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Wu Qingsheng [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Huang Qunying [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Liu Shaojun; Han Yangyang [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China)

    2011-10-15

    The evolution of microstructure in the weld HAZ (Heat Affected Zone) under welding thermal cycle was simulated by Gleeble-1500. The microstructures and properties of HAZ at different cooling rates were investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microhardness test. The results showed that when the cooling rates ranged from 3600 K/min to 60 K/min, fully martensitic transformations were achieved, and the cooling rates had little influence on the microstructure and microhardness of martensite. The maximum cooling rate to form ferrite was 60 K/min. When the cooling rates ranged from 60 K/min to 1 K/min, the microhardness of the HAZ began to decrease due to the presence of ferrite, and the lath sizes grew up to 0.13-0.15 {mu}m. The critical cooling rate to gain fully ferrite was found to be slower than 1 K/min. The welding CCT diagram of CLAM steel was constructed and it showed that there were ferrite and martensite transformation regions only. The diagram made it possible to predict the microstructures and properties of HAZ and became an important tool to evaluate weldability of CLAM steel.

  14. Influence of different cooling rates on the microstructure of the HAZ and welding CCT diagram of CLAM steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Shuhui; Wu Qingsheng; Huang Qunying; Liu Shaojun; Han Yangyang

    2011-01-01

    The evolution of microstructure in the weld HAZ (Heat Affected Zone) under welding thermal cycle was simulated by Gleeble-1500. The microstructures and properties of HAZ at different cooling rates were investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microhardness test. The results showed that when the cooling rates ranged from 3600 K/min to 60 K/min, fully martensitic transformations were achieved, and the cooling rates had little influence on the microstructure and microhardness of martensite. The maximum cooling rate to form ferrite was 60 K/min. When the cooling rates ranged from 60 K/min to 1 K/min, the microhardness of the HAZ began to decrease due to the presence of ferrite, and the lath sizes grew up to 0.13-0.15 μm. The critical cooling rate to gain fully ferrite was found to be slower than 1 K/min. The welding CCT diagram of CLAM steel was constructed and it showed that there were ferrite and martensite transformation regions only. The diagram made it possible to predict the microstructures and properties of HAZ and became an important tool to evaluate weldability of CLAM steel.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2010-01-01

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

  16. Simulation Kinetics of Austenitic Phase Transformation in Ti+Nb Stabilized IF and Microalloyed Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Sumit; Dasharath, S. M.; Mula, Suhrit

    2018-05-01

    In the present study, the influence of cooling rates (low to ultrafast) on diffusion controlled and displacive transformation of Ti-Nb IF and microalloyed steels has been thoroughly investigated. Mechanisms of nucleation and formation of non-equiaxed ferrite morphologies (i.e., acicular ferrite and bainitic ferrite) have been analyzed in details. The continuous cooling transformation behavior has been studied in a thermomechanical simulator (Gleeble 3800) using the cooling rates of 1-150 °C/s. On the basis of the dilatometric analysis of each cooling rate, continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams have been constructed for both the steels to correlate the microstructural features at each cooling rate in different critical zones. In the case of the IF steel, massive ferrite grains along with granular bainite structures have been developed at cooling rates > 120 °C/s. On the other hand, a mixture of lath bainitic and lath martensite structures has been formed at a cooling rate of 80 °C/s in the microalloyed steel. A strong dependence of the cooling rates and C content on the microstructures and mechanical properties has been established. The steel samples that were fast cooled to a mixture of bainite ferrite and martensite showed a significant improvement of impact toughness and hardness (157 J, for IF steel and 174 J for microalloyed steel) as compared to that of the as-received specimens (133 J for IF steel and 116 J for microalloyed steel). Thus, it can be concluded that the hardness and impact toughness properties are correlated well with the microstructural constituents as indicated by the CCT diagram. Transformation mechanisms and kinetics of austenitic transformation to different phase morphologies at various cooling rates have been discussed in details to correlate microstructural evolution and mechanical properties.

  17. The effect of deformation mode on the sensitisation of partially martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Briant, C.L.

    1981-01-01

    The metallurgical process by which austenitic stainless steels become susceptible to corrosion is defined as sensitisation. It is now well established that if the austenite is partially transformed to martensite by deformation, the kinetics of sensitisation will be accelerated. In this paper the effects of martensite induced by various deformation modes on sensitisation are examined. It will be shown that in all cases the martensite accelerates sensitisation which in turn leads to rapid corrosion. This effect is independent of the way the martensite is induced. The results also show that this effect is observed over a wide range of martensite content. (author)

  18. Ductility of high chromium stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peretyat'ko, V.N.; Kazantsev, A.A.

    1997-01-01

    Aimed to optimize the hot working conditions for high chromium stainless steels the experiments were carried in the temperature range of 800-1300 deg C using hot torsion tests and cylindrical specimens of ferritic and ferritic-martensitic steels 08Kh13, 12Kh13, 20Kh13, 30Kh13 and 40Kh13. Testing results showed that steel plasticity varies in a wide range depending on carbon content. Steels of lesser carbon concentration (08Kh13 and 12Kh13) exhibit a sharp increase in plasticity with a temperature rise, especially in the interval of 1200-1250 deg C. Steels 20Kh13 and 30Kh13 display insignificant plasticity increasing, whereas plastic properties of steel 40Kh13 increase noticeably in the range of 1000-1300 deg C. It is shown that optimal hot working conditions for specific steel must be selected with account of steel phase composition at high temperatures

  19. Effect of hydrogen on the microstructure, mechanical properties and phase transformations in austenitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Y.Y.; Xing, Z.S.

    1989-01-01

    Effect of high-pressure hydrogen charging on the microstructure, mechanical properties and phase transformations in austenitic steels has been investigated and discussed. The results show that the strength and impact toughness of the steels increase slightly and that the ductility decreases after hydrogen charging. The existence of δ-ferrite deteriorates the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of the steels. The occurrence of carbide in the steel resulted from aging reduces the ductility of the steel and makes the steel sensitive to HE. The existence of sufficient hydrogen promotes the ε-martensitic transformation and suppresses the α'-martensitic transformation. The permeabilities and diffusivities of hydrogen in the steels have also been determined. (orig.)

  20. Simple Heat Treatment for Production of Hot-Dip Galvanized Dual Phase Steel Using Si-Al Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Equihua-Guillén, F.; García-Lara, A. M.; Muñíz-Valdes, C. R.; Ortíz-Cuellar, J. C.; Camporredondo-Saucedo, J. E.

    2014-01-01

    This work presents relevant metallurgical considerations to produce galvanized dual phase steels from low cost aluminum-silicon steels which are produced by continuous strip processing. Two steels with different contents of Si and Al were austenized in the two-phase field ferrite + austenite (α + γ) in a fast manner to obtain dual phase steels, suitable for hot-dip galvanizing process, under typical parameters of continuous annealing processing line. Tensile dual phase properties were obtained from specimens cooled from temperature below Ar3, held during 3 min, intermediate cooling at temperature above Ar1 and quenching in Zn bath at 465 °C. The results have shown typical microstructure and tensile properties of galvanized dual phase steels. Finally, the synergistic effect of aluminum, silicon, and residual chromium on martensite start temperature ( M s), critical cooling rate ( C R), volume fraction of martensite, and tensile properties has been studied.

  1. Martensitic transformation of type 304 stainless steel by high-energy ion implantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chayahara, A.; Satou, M.; Nakashima, S.; Hashimoto, M.; Sasaki, T.; Kurokawa, M.; Kiyama, S.

    1991-01-01

    The effect of high-energy ion implantation on the structural changes of type 304 stainless steel were investigated. Gold, copper and silicon ions with an energy of 1.5 MeV was implanted into stainless steel. The fluences were in the range from 5x10 15 to 10 17 ions/cm 2 . It was found that the structure of stainless steel was transformed form the austenitic to the martensitic structure by these ion implantations. This structural change was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The depth profile of the irradiated ions was also analyzed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and glow discharge spectroscopy (GDS). The degree of martensitic transformation was found to be strongly dependent on the surface pretreatment, either mechanical or electrolytic polishing. When the surface damages or strains by mechanical polishing were present, the martensitic transformation was greatly accelerated presumably due to the combined action of ion irradiation and strain-enhanced transformation. Heavier ions exhibit a high efficiency for the transformation. (orig.)

  2. Characterization of D2 tool steel friction surfaced coatings over low carbon steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekharbabu, R.; Rafi, H. Khalid; Rao, K. Prasad

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Solid state coating by friction surfacing method. • D2 tool steel is coated over relatively softer low carbon steel. • Defect free interface between tool steel coating and low carbon steel substrate. • D2 coatings exhibited higher hardness and good wear resistance. • Highly refined martensitic microstructure in the coating. - Abstract: In this work D2 tool steel coating is produced over a low carbon steel substrate using friction surfacing process. The process parameters are optimized to get a defect free coating. Microstructural characterization is carried out using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Infrared thermography is used to measure the thermal profile during friction surfacing of D2 steel. Wear performance of the coating is studied using Pin-on-Disk wear tests. A lower rotational speed of the consumable rod and higher translational speed of the substrate is found to result in thinner coatings. Friction surfaced D2 steel coating showed fine-grained martensitic microstructure compared to the as-received consumable rod which showed predominantly ferrite microstructure. Refinement of carbides in the coating is observed due to the stirring action of the process. The infrared thermography studies showed the peak temperature attained by the D2 coating to be about 1200 °C. The combined effect of martensitic microstructure and refined carbides resulted in higher hardness and wear resistance of the coating

  3. In-situ analysis of redistribution of carbon and nitrogen during tempering of low interstitial martensitic stainless steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niessen, F.; Villa, M.; Danoix, F.

    2018-01-01

    The redistribution of C and N during tempering of X4CrNiMo16-5-1 martensitic stainless steel containing 0.034 wt% C and 0.032 wt% N was studied using in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atom probe tomography (APT). The unit cell volume of martensite decreased continuously during...... tempering. APT showed that this volume decrease is accounted entirely for by segregation of the interstitial atoms, implying that in low interstitial martensitic stainless steel stress relaxation only contributes negligibly to changes in the martensite unit cell volume....

  4. Response of ferritic steels to nonsteady loading at elevated temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swindeman, R.W.

    1984-01-01

    High-temperature operating experience is lacking in pressure vessel materials that have strength levels above 586 MPa. Because of their tendency toward strain softening, we have been concerned about their behavior under nonsteady loading. Testing was undertaken to explore the extent of softening produced by monotonic and cyclic strains. The specific materials included bainitic 2 1/4Cr-1Mo steel, a micro-alloyed version of 2 1/4Cr-1Mo steel, a micro-alloyed version of 2 1/4Cr-1Mo steel containing vanadium, titanium, and boron, and a martensitic 9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb steel. Tests included tensile, creep, variable stress creep, relaxation, strain cycling, stress cycling, and non-isothermal creep ratchetting experiments. We found that these steels had very low uniform elongation and exhibited small strains to the onset of tertiary creep compared to annealed 2 1/4Cr-1Mo steel. Repeated relaxation test data also indicated a limited capacity for strain hardening. Reversal strains produced softening. The degree of softening increased with increased initial strength level. We concluded that the high strength bainitic and martensitic steels should perform well when used under conditions where severe cyclic operation does not occur

  5. Deformation induced martensite in an AISI 301LN stainless steel: characterization and influence on pitting corrosion resistance

    OpenAIRE

    Abreu,Hamilton Ferreira Gomes de; Carvalho,Sheyla Santana de; Lima Neto,Pedro de; Santos,Ricardo Pires dos; Freire,Válder Nogueira; Silva,Paulo Maria de Oliveira; Tavares,Sérgio Souto Maior

    2007-01-01

    In austenitic stainless steels, plastic deformation can induce martensite formation. The induced martensite is related to the austenite (gamma) instability at temperatures close or below room temperature. The metastability of austenite stainless steels increases with the decreasing of stacking fault energy (SFE). In this work, the deformation induced martensite was analyzed by X ray diffraction, electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD), magnetic methods and atomic force microscope (AFM) in sa...

  6. Predictive modeling of interfacial damage in substructured steels: application to martensitic microstructures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maresca, F.; Kouznetsova, V.; Geers, M.G.D.

    2016-01-01

    Metallic composite phases, like martensite present in conventional steels and new generation high strength steels exhibit microscale, locally lamellar microstructures characterized by alternating layers of phases or crystallographic variants. The layers can be sub-micron down to a few nanometers

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2017-09-01

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

  8. Constitutive modelling of stainless steels for cryogenic applications. Strain induced martensitic transformation

    CERN Document Server

    Garion, C

    2001-01-01

    The 300-series stainless steels are metastable austenitic alloys: martensitic transformation occurs at low temperatures and/or when plastic strain fields develop in the structures. The transformation influences the mechanical properties of the material. The present note aims at proposing a set of constitutive equations describing the plastic strain induced martensitic transformation in the stainless steels at cryogenic temperatures. The constitutive modelling shall create a bridge between the material sciences and the structural analysis. For the structures developing and accumulating plastic deformations at sub-zero temperatures, it is of primary importance to be able to predict the intensity of martensitic transformation and its effect on the material properties. In particular, the constitutive model has been applied to predict the behaviour of the components of the LHC interconnections, the so-called bellows expansion joints (the LHC mechanical compensation system).

  9. Hydrogen Environment Assisted Cracking of Modern Ultra-High Strength Martensitic Steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pioszak, Greger L.; Gangloff, Richard P.

    2017-09-01

    Martensitic steels (Aermet®100, Ferrium®M54™, Ferrium®S53®, and experimental CrNiMoWV at ultra-high yield strength of 1550 to 1725 MPa) similarly resist hydrogen environment assisted cracking (HEAC) in aqueous NaCl. Cracking is transgranular, ascribed to increased steel purity and rare earth addition compared to intergranular HEAC in highly susceptible 300M. Nano-scale precipitates ((Mo,Cr)2C and (W,V)C) reduce H diffusivity and the K-independent Stage II growth rate by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude compared to 300M. However, threshold K TH is similarly low (8 to 15 MPa√m) for each steel at highly cathodic and open circuit potentials. Transgranular HEAC likely occurs along martensite packet and {110}α'-block interfaces, speculatively governed by localized plasticity and H decohesion. Martensitic transformation produces coincident site lattice interfaces; however, a connected random boundary network persists in 3D to negate interface engineering. The modern steels are near-immune to HEAC when mildly cathodically polarized, attributed to minimal crack tip H production and uptake. Neither reduced Co and Ni in M54 and CrNiMoWV nor increased Cr in S53 broadly degrade HEAC resistance compared to baseline AM100. The latter suggests that crack passivity dominates acidification to widen the polarization window for HEAC resistance. Decohesion models predict the applied potential dependencies of K TH and d a/d t II with a single-adjustable parameter, affirming the importance of steel purity and trap sensitive H diffusivity.

  10. Mechanical and microstructural behavior of oxide dispersion strengthened 8Cr-2W and 8Cr-1W steels during creep deformation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shinozuka, K.; Tamura, M.; Esaka, H. [National Defense Academy, Dept. MS and E, Kanagawa (Japan); Shiba, K.; Nakamura, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naga-gun, Ibaraki-ken (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel is a promising candidate for fusion reactor material because of excellent mechanical properties. However, the ODS steel exhibits some defects, such as mechanical anisotropy and little elongation . To reveal details of these defects, we investigated correlations between mechanical and microstructural behavior of ODS ferritic steels during creep deformation at high temperature. The materials used in this study are two kinds of hot rolled ODS steels: Fe-8Cr-2W-0.2V-0.1Ta-0.2Ti-0.4Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (J1) and Fe-8Cr-1W-0.2Ti-0.4Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (J2). Creep tests was carried out on specimens sampling along both the rolling direction and the cross direction at 670, 700 and 730 deg. C. Microstructural analyses were made on the normalized and tempered condition by using OM, SEM, TEM and XRD. Creep ruptured and interrupted specimens were also investigated. Both J1 and J2 existed two phases, namely martensite and {delta}-ferrite which was elongated in the rolling direction. Y-Ti complex oxide particles were finely dispersed in martensite and {delta}- ferrite phases. Results of creep tests indicated that the time-to-rupture of specimens of J1 were much longer than J2, and the time-to-rupture of specimens sampling along the rolling direction were longer than cross direction. Accordingly, J1 sampling along hot rolling direction was the strongest, for instance, the time-to-rupture was 11400 h at 700 deg. C and 162 MPa. All specimens indicated that elongation was less than 1.3 % and the rupture occurred at steady state creep region from creep curves. Internal cracks were propagated in martensite phase along elongated {delta}-ferrite phase in the direction of hot rolling. On the other hand, {delta}-ferrite phases seemed to prevent combining cracks. These results suggest that elongated {delta}-ferrite and internal clacks in martensite strongly affect on the anisotropy and little elongation of creep. (authors)

  11. Investigation of the relationships between mechanical properties and microstructure in a Fe-9%Cr ODS steel

    OpenAIRE

    Hary Benjamin; Guilbert Thomas; Wident Pierre; Baudin Thierry; Logé Roland; de Carlan Yann

    2016-01-01

    Ferritic-martensitic Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steels are potential materials for fuel pin cladding in Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) and their optimisation is essential for future industrial applications. In this paper, a feasibility study concerning the generation of tensile specimens using a quenching dilatometer is presented. The ODS steel investigated contains 9%Cr and exhibits a phase transformation between ferrite and austenite around 870 °C. The purpose was to generate different ...

  12. Sub-Zero Celsius treatment: a promising option for future martensitic stainless steels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villa, Matteo; Christiansen, Thomas Lundin; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2016-01-01

    A series of samples of (in wt.%) 11.5Cr-0.67C martensiticstainless steel grade were austenitized in Argon for 1 hour attemperatures ranging from 1010°C to 1190°C. Additionally, aseries of samples of (in wt.%) 15.0Cr-5.8Ni-1.0Mo-0.03C (EN1.4418) martensitic stainless steel grade were solution...... and Vickers micro-hardness indentation.Complementary electron back-scatter diffraction was appliedfor determining the phase fractions of austenite and martensite.Data shows that sub-zero Celsius treatment yields anadditional hardening response when austenite is retained in thematerial. The relevance...

  13. Behavior of ferritic steels irradiated by fast neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1979-01-01

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

  14. Characteristics of martensite as a function of the Ms temperature in low-carbon armour steel plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maweja, Kasonde; Stumpf, Waldo; Berg, Nic van der

    2009-01-01

    The microstructure, morphology, crystal structure and surface relief of martensite in a number of experimental armour steel plates with different M s temperatures were analysed. Atomic force microscopy, thin foil transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy allowed the identification of three groups of low-carbon martensitic armour steels. The investigation showed that the size of individual martensite products (plates or packets, laths or blocks) increases as the M s temperature increases. Comparison of ballistic performances suggests that the morphology (plate or lath) and size of the individual martensite products dictate the effective 'grain size' in resisting fracture or perforation due to ballistic impact.

  15. Effects of Cu and B addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength bainitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Sang Yong; Han, Seung Youb; Hwang, Byoungchul; Lee, Chang Gil; Lee, Sunghak

    2009-01-01

    Effects of Cu and B addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength bainitic steels were investigated in this study. Six kinds of steels were fabricated by controlling the amount of Cu and B addition, and their microstructures and tensile and Charpy impact properties were investigated. Their effective grain sizes were also characterized by the electron back-scatter diffraction analysis. The tensile test results indicated that the B- or Cu-containing steels had the higher yield and tensile strengths than the B- or Cu-free steels because their volume fractions of acicular ferrite and martensite were quite high. The B- or Cu-free steels had the higher upper shelf energy than the B- or Cu-containing steels because of their lower volume fraction of martensite. In the steel containing 10 ppm B without Cu, the best combination of high strengths, high upper shelf energy, and low energy transition temperature could be obtained by the decrease in effective grain size due to the presence of acicular ferrite having fine effective grain size.

  16. Correlation of microstructure and strain hardening behavior in the ultrafine-grained Nb-bearing dual phase steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghatei Kalashami, A. [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kermanpur, A., E-mail: ahmad_k@cc.iut.ac.ir [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghassemali, E. [Jönköping University, School of Engineering, Department of Materials and Manufacturing, P.O. Box 1026, SE-551 11 Jönköping (Sweden); Najafizadeh, A. [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mazaheri, Y. [Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Materials Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan 65178-38695 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    Ultrafine-grained dual phase (DP) steels with different Nb contents (0.00, 0.06 and 0.12 wt%) were produced by cold-rolling followed by intercritical annealing of ferrite/martensite starting microstructure at 770 °C for different holding times. Scanning electron microscopy, equipped with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) detector, nanoindentation and tensile testing were used to characterize microstructural evolutions and their correlations to the strain hardening and fracture behavior. EBSD results confirmed the retardation effect of Nb on recrystallization. It was found that the strains stored in the grains and density of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) were increased with the addition of Nb. Strain hardening analysis showed that plastic deformation of the DP steels occurred in three distinct stages, which based on the EBSD results, nanoindentation and fracture analysis, were controlled by microstructural features such martensite volume fraction and size, density of GNDs and individual ferrite and martensite tensile properties.

  17. Friction stir welding of F82H steel for fusion applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Sanghoon, E-mail: shnoh@kaeri.re.kr [Fusion Structural Materials Division, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Rokkasho, Aomori (Japan); Nuclear Materials Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ando, Masami; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu [Fusion Structural Materials Division, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Rokkasho, Aomori (Japan); Fujii, Hidetoshi [Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka (Japan); Kimura, Akihiko [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto (Japan)

    2016-09-15

    In the present study, friction stir welding was employed to join F82H steels and develop a potential joining technique for a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel. The microstructures and mechanical properties on the joint region were investigated to evaluate the applicability of friction stir welding. F82H steel sheets were successfully butt-joined with various welding parameters. In welding conditions, 100 rpm and 100 mm/min, the stirred zone represented a comparable hardness distribution with a base metal. Stirred zone induced by 100 rpm reserved uniformly distributed precipitates and very fine ferritic grains, whereas the base metal showed a typical tempered martensite with precipitates on the prior austenite grain boundary and lath boundary. Although the tensile strength was decreased at 550 °C, the stirred zone treated at 100 rpm showed comparable tensile behavior with base metal up to 500 °C. Therefore, friction stir welding is considered a potential welding method to preserve the precipitates of F82H steel.

  18. Friction stir welding of F82H steel for fusion applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noh, Sanghoon; Ando, Masami; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Fujii, Hidetoshi; Kimura, Akihiko

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, friction stir welding was employed to join F82H steels and develop a potential joining technique for a reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel. The microstructures and mechanical properties on the joint region were investigated to evaluate the applicability of friction stir welding. F82H steel sheets were successfully butt-joined with various welding parameters. In welding conditions, 100 rpm and 100 mm/min, the stirred zone represented a comparable hardness distribution with a base metal. Stirred zone induced by 100 rpm reserved uniformly distributed precipitates and very fine ferritic grains, whereas the base metal showed a typical tempered martensite with precipitates on the prior austenite grain boundary and lath boundary. Although the tensile strength was decreased at 550 °C, the stirred zone treated at 100 rpm showed comparable tensile behavior with base metal up to 500 °C. Therefore, friction stir welding is considered a potential welding method to preserve the precipitates of F82H steel.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arash Fattah-alhosseini

    2015-10-01

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

  20. Comparison of hydrogen gas embrittlement of austenitic and ferritic stainless steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perng, T. P.; Altstetter, C. J.

    1987-01-01

    Hydrogen-induced slow crack growth (SCG) was compared in austenitic and ferritic stainless steels at 0 to 125 °Cand 11 to 216 kPa of hydrogen gas. No SCG was observed for AISI 310, while AISI 301 was more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement and had higher cracking velocity than AL 29-4-2 under the same test conditions. The kinetics of crack propagation was modeled in terms of the hydrogen transport in these alloys. This is a function of temperature, microstructure, and stress state in the embrittlement region. The relatively high cracking velocity of AISI 301 was shown to be controlled by the fast transport of hydrogen through the stress-induced α' martensite at the crack tip and low escape rate of hydrogen through the γ phase in the surrounding region. Faster accumulation rates of hydrogen in the embrittlement region were expected for AISI 301, which led to higher cracking velocities. The mechanism of hydrogen-induced SCG was discussed based upon the concept of hydrogen-enhanced plasticity.

  1. Mixed-mode I/III fracture toughness of a ferritic/martensitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Huaxin; Jones, R.H.; Gelles, D.S.; Hirth, J.P.

    1993-10-01

    The critical J-integrals of mode I (J IC ), mixed-mode I/III (J MC ), and mode III (J IIIC ) were examined for a ferritic stainless steel (F-82H) at ambient temperature. A determination of J MC was made using modified compact-tension specimens. Different ratios of tension/shear stress were achieved by varying the principal axis of the crack plane between 0 and 55 degrees from the load line. Results showed that J MC and tearing modulus (T M ) values varied with the crack angles and were lower than their mode I and mode III counterparts. Both the minimum J MC and T M values occurred at a crack angle between 40 and 50 degrees, where the load ratio of σ i /σ iii was 1.2 to 0.84. The J min was 240 Kj/M 2 , and ratios of J IC /J min and J IIIC /J min were 2.1 and 1.9, respectively. The morphology of fracture surfaces was consistent with the change of J MC and T M values. While the upper shelf-fracture toughness of F-82H depends on loading mode, the J min remains very high. Other important considerations include the effect of mixed-mode loading on the DBT temperature, and effects of hydrogen and irradiation on J min

  2. Thermal expansion characteristics of Fe–9Cr–0.12C–0.56Mn–0.24V–1.38W–0.06Ta (wt.%) reduced activation ferritic–martensitic steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Subramanian, Raju, E-mail: sraju@igcar.gov.in [Metallurgy & Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Tripathy, Haraprasanna; Rai, Arun Kumar; Hajra, Raj Narayan; Saibaba, Saroja; Jayakumar, Tammana [Metallurgy & Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Rajendra Kumar, Ellappan [TBM Division, Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhi Nagar (India)

    2015-04-15

    Highlights: • Lattice & bulk thermal expansion of RAFM steel characterized by HTXRD and dilatometry. • Mean thermal expansion of α-ferrite is 1.48 × 10{sup −5} K{sup −1}; that of γ-austenite, 2.4 × 10{sup −5} K{sup −1}. • Magnetism makes a small negative contribution to overall thermal expansion. - Abstract: The lattice and bulk thermal expansion behavior of an Indian version of reduced activation ferritic–martensitic (INRAFM) steel has been quantified using high temperature X-ray diffraction and dilatometry. The lattice parameter of tempered α-ferrite phase exhibited a smooth quadratic increase with temperature, while that of γ-austenite remained fairly linear up to 1273 K. The results suggest that α-ferrite + Carbides → γ-austenite transformation occurs upon continuous heating in the temperature range, 1146 ⩽ T ⩽ 1173 K. Further, this transformation is found to be accompanied by a reduction in average atomic volume. The mean linear thermal expansion coefficients of tempered α-ferrite and γ-austenite phases are estimated to be about 1.48 × 10{sup −5} and 2.4 × 10{sup −5} K{sup −1} respectively. The magnetic contribution to relative thermal dilatation (Δl/l{sub 298}){sub mag} is found to be small and negative, as compared to phonon contribution.

  3. Microstructural Characterization of Low Temperature Gas Nitrided Martensitic Stainless Steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fernandes, Frederico Augusto Pires; Christiansen, Thomas Lundin; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2015-01-01

    The present work presents microstructural investigations of the surface zone of low temperature gas nitrided precipitation hardening martensitic stainless steel AISI 630. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction was applied to investigate the present phases after successive removal of very thin sections...... of the sample surface. The development of epsilon nitride, expanded austenite and expanded martensite resulted from the low temperature nitriding treatments. The microstructural features, hardness and phase composition are discussed with emphasis on the influence of nitriding duration and nitriding potential....

  4. Microstructure design of low alloy transformation-induced plasticity assisted steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Ruixian

    The microstructure of low alloy Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) assisted steels has been systematically varied through the combination of computational and experimental methodologies in order to enhance the mechanical performance and to fulfill the requirement of the next generation Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS). The roles of microstructural parameters, such as phase constitutions, phase stability, and volume fractions on the strength-ductility combination have been revealed. Two model alloy compositions (i.e. Fe-1.5Mn-1.5Si-0.3C, and Fe-3Mn-1Si-0.3C in wt%, nominal composition) were studied. Multiphase microstructures including ferrite, bainite, retained austenite and martensite were obtained through conventional two step heat treatment (i.e. intercritical annealing-IA, and bainitic isothermal transformation-BIT). The effect of phase constitution on the mechanical properties was first characterized experimentally via systematically varying the volume fractions of these phases through computational thermodynamics. It was found that martensite was the main phase to deteriorate ductility, meanwhile the C/VA ratio (i.e. carbon content over the volume fraction of austenite) could be another indicator for the ductility of the multiphase microstructure. Following the microstructural characterization of the multiphase alloys, two microstructural design criteria (i.e. maximizing ferrite and austenite, suppressing athermal martensite) were proposed in order to optimize the corresponding mechanical performance. The volume fraction of ferrite was maximized during the IA with the help of computational thermodyanmics. On the other hand, it turned out theoretically that the martensite suppression could not be avoided on the low Mn contained alloy (i.e. Fe- 1.5Mn-1.5Si-0.3C). Nevertheless, the achieved combination of strength (~1300MPa true strength) and ductility (˜23% uniform elongation) on the low Mn alloy following the proposed design criteria fulfilled the

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

    OpenAIRE

    Zita Iždinská; František Kolenič

    2009-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2016-03-28

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

  7. Materials design data for reduced activation martensitic steel type EUROFER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tavassoli, A.-A.F. E-mail: tavassoli@cea.fr; Alamo, A.; Bedel, L.; Forest, L.; Gentzbittel, J.-M.; Rensman, J.-W.; Diegele, E.; Lindau, R.; Schirra, M.; Schmitt, R.; Schneider, H.C.; Petersen, C.; Lancha, A.-M.; Fernandez, P.; Filacchioni, G.; Maday, M.F.; Mergia, K.; Boukos, N.; Baluc,; Spaetig, P.; Alves, E.; Lucon, E

    2004-08-01

    Materials design limits derived so far from the data generated in Europe for the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel type Eurofer are presented. These data address the short-term needs of the ITER Test Blanket Modules and a DEMOnstration fusion reactor. Products tested include plates, bars, tubes, TIG and EB welds, as well as powder consolidated blocks and solid-solid HIP joints. Effects of thermal ageing and low dose neutron irradiation are also included. Results are sorted and screened according to design code requirements before being introduced in reference databases. From the physical properties databases, variations of magnetic properties, modulus of elasticity, density, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat, mean and instantaneous linear coefficients of thermal expansion versus temperature are derived. From the tensile and creep properties databases design allowable stresses are derived. From the instrumented Charpy impact and fracture toughness databases, ductile to brittle transition temperature, toughness and behavior of materials in different fracture modes are evaluated. From the fatigue database, total strain range versus number of cycles to failure curves are plotted and used to derive fatigue design curves. Cyclic curves are also derived and compared with monotonic hardening curves. Finally, irradiated and aged materials data are compared to ensure that the safety margins incorporated in unirradiated design limits are not exceeded.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1988-01-01

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

  9. Effect of Cu addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of 15%Cr super martensitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye, Dong; Li, Jun; Jiang, Wen; Su, Jie; Zhao, Kunyu

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Cu contributes to refine the grains. ► Cu solutes in matrix under quenching and precipitates as ε-Cu during tempering. ► Cu promotes the kinetics of reversed austenite formation. ► Mechanical properties are significantly influenced by austenite amount. ► Cu alloyed super martensitic stainless steel exhibits greatly improved mechanical properties. -- Abstract: The effect of adding different content of Cu (0 wt.%, 1.5 wt.% and 3 wt.%) to the 15%Cr super martensitic stainless steel (SMSS) was investigated using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Its consequence on mechanical properties was examined to clarify the role of Cu in the tested steels. The experimental results indicate that the microstructures of three tested steels are tempered martensite, retained austenite and reversed austenite; two kinds of austenites are dispersedly distributed among martensite matrix. Cu can solute in matrix under quenching condition and can precipitate as Cu-rich nanometer phase (ε-Cu) during tempering. Cu is helpful for the grain refinement and to promote the formation of reversed austenite during tempering. The maximum volume fraction of austenite is 55.9% in the steel with 3 wt.% Cu, which is responsible for the improvement of ductility. The results of the mechanical properties tests reveal that the mechanical properties are significantly influenced by the volume fraction of austenite. Cu can cause solid solution strengthening, precipitation strengthening and grain refinement strengthening in SMSS. Cu alloyed super martensitic stainless steel exhibits greatly improved mechanical properties.

  10. Morphology, crystallography, and crack paths of tempered lath martensite in a medium-carbon low-alloy steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Chengduo; Qiu, Hai; Kimura, Yuuji; Inoue, Tadanobu

    2016-01-01

    The tempered lath martensite and its crack propagation have significant influence on the ductility and toughness of the warm tempformed medium-carbon steel. The martensitic microstructures of these medium-carbon steels are transformed from twinned austenite and the orientation relationship of lath martensite (α′) with prior austenite (γ) is distinctive. In the present paper we investigate the microstructure and fracture mode of a quenched and tempered 0.4%C-2%Si-1%Cr-1%Mo steel using electron backscatter diffraction technique. The results showed that the orientation relationship between γ and α′ is Greninger-Troiano (G-T) relationship. A single γ grain was divided into 4 packets and each packet was subdivided into 3 blocks. The misorientation angles between adjacent blocks were ~54.3° or ~60.0° in a packet. Most γ grains were twins sharing a {111} γ plane. There were 7 packets in a twinned γ grain and the twin boundaries were in a special packet. Besides the common packet, there were three packets in each twin. Being different from the cleavage fracture along the {001} planes in conventional martensitic steels, both cleavage and intergranular cracks were present in our medium-carbon steel. The former was in the larger blocks and it propagated along the {001}, {011}, and {112} planes. The latter propagated along the block, packet, or prior austenite boundaries. The intergranular cracks were generally in the fine block region. These results suggested that the block size is the key factor in controlling the brittle fracture mode of lath martensitic steel.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1998-01-01

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

  12. The filler powders laser welding of ODS ferritic steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2015-01-15

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

  13. Depth distribution analysis of Martensitic transformations in Xe implanted austenitic stainless steel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johnson, E.; Gerritsen, E.; Chechenin, N.G.

    1989-01-01

    In recent years the implantation of noble gases in metals has been found to induce some exciting phenomena such as formation of inclusions containing solid gas at extremely high pressures. In stainless steels these inclusions are the origin of a stress-induced martensitic fcc → bcc phase...... transformation in the implanted layer. In this work we present results from a depth distribution analysis of the martensitic phase change occurring in Xe implanted single crystals of austenitic stainless steel. Analysis was done by in situ RBS/channeling analysis, X-ray diffraction and cross-section transmission...... electron microscopy (XTEM) of the implanted surface. It is found that the martensitic transformation of the surface layer occurs for fluences above 1 × 1020 m−2. The thickness of the transformed layer increases with fluence to ≈ 150 nm at 1 × 10 21 m−2, which far exceeds the range plus straggling...

  14. Characteristics of modified martensitic stainless steel surfaces under tribocorrosion conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rozing, Goran; Marusic, Vlatko; Alar, Vesna

    2017-01-01

    Stainless steel samples were tested in the laboratory and under real conditions of tribocorrosion wear. Electrochemical tests were also carried out to verify the corrosion resistance of modified steel surfaces. Metallographic analysis and hardness testing were conducted on stainless steel samples X20Cr13 and X17CrNi16 2. The possibilities of applications of modified surfaces of the selected steels were investigated by testing the samples under real wear conditions. The results have shown that the induction hardened and subsequently nitrided martensitic steels achieved an average wear resistance of up to three orders of magnitude higher as compared to the delivered condition.

  15. Characteristics of modified martensitic stainless steel surfaces under tribocorrosion conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rozing, Goran [Osijek Univ. (Croatia). Chair of Mechanical Engineering; Marusic, Vlatko [Osijek Univ. (Croatia). Dept. of Engineering Materials; Alar, Vesna [Zagreb Univ. (Croatia). Dept. Materials

    2017-04-01

    Stainless steel samples were tested in the laboratory and under real conditions of tribocorrosion wear. Electrochemical tests were also carried out to verify the corrosion resistance of modified steel surfaces. Metallographic analysis and hardness testing were conducted on stainless steel samples X20Cr13 and X17CrNi16 2. The possibilities of applications of modified surfaces of the selected steels were investigated by testing the samples under real wear conditions. The results have shown that the induction hardened and subsequently nitrided martensitic steels achieved an average wear resistance of up to three orders of magnitude higher as compared to the delivered condition.

  16. Strain-tempering of low carbon martensite steel wire by rapid heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torisaka, Yasunori; Kihara, Junji

    1978-01-01

    In the production of prestressed concrete steel wires, a series of the cold drawing-patenting process are performed to improve the strength. In order to reduce cyclic process, the low carbon martensite steel wire which can be produced only by the process of hot rolling and direct quench has been investigated as strain-tempering material. When strain-tempering is performed on the low carbon martensite steel wire, stress relaxation (Re%) increases and mechanical properties such as total elongation, reduction of area, ultimate tensile strength and proof stress decrease remarkably by annealing. In order to shorten the heating time, the authors performed on the steel wire the strain-tempering with a heating time of 1.0 s using direct electrical resistance heating and examined the effects of rapid heating on the stress relaxation and the mechanical properties. Stress relaxation decreases without impairment of the mechanical properties up to a strain-tempering temperature of 573 K. Re(%) after 10.8 ks is 0% at the testing temperature 301 K, 0.49% at 363 K and 1.39% at 433 K. (auth.)

  17. Plasma spot welding of ferritic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lesnjak, A.; Tusek, J.

    2002-01-01

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

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

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    2015-10-15

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

  19. Influence of helium embrittlement on post-irradiation creep rupture behaviour of austenitic and martensitic stainless steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wassilew, C.

    1982-01-01

    The author has investigated the influence of helium embrittlement on the creep rupture properties of the austenitic stainless steels 1.4970 and 1.4962 and the martensitic stainless steel 1.4914 after irradiation in the BR-2 reactor in Mol, Belgium. The results show that austenitic steels react much more strongly to the embrittlement effect of the helium than do martensitic steels. The causes of the lower embrittlement tendency of the martensitic than of both austenitic stainless steels were analysed carefully. A new embrittlement model was developed on the basis of data derived from the creep rupture experiments, and reinforced by a simple metallographic investigation of the fracture zone and its immediate environment. This model pays specific attention to the role of the twin planes as the most efficient area of increased vacancy production, and takes into account the ability of the twin boundaries to transport these vacancies with reduced energy and low loss into the high-angle grain boundaries. (author)

  20. Transformation-induced plasticity in multiphase steels subjected to thermomechanical loading

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tjahjanto, D.D.; Turteltaub, S.R.; Suiker, A.S.J.; Zwaag, van der S.

    2008-01-01

    The behaviour of transformation-induced plasticity steels subjected to combined thermomechanical loading is studied at the microscale by means of numerical simulations. The microstructure is composed of an austenitic phase that may deform plastically and/or transform into martensite, and a ferritic