SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1981
STP28231S

Comparison of High-Fluence Swelling Behavior of Austenitic Stainless Steels

Source

High-fluence swelling data on stabilized and unstabilized austenitic stainless steels are reviewed with the goal of understanding compositional and thermomechanical treatment effects on swelling behavior. Data on Types 304, 316, 321, titanium-modified 316, 4970, and FV548 are considered. Comparison of the Type 304 and Type 316 data indicates that molybdenum may play a key role in the high swelling rates found for Type 316 stainless steel above 550°C, perhaps because molybdenum is required for the phase instabilities and precipitate evolution responsible for segregating nickel from the 316 matrix at these temperatures. The data on the titanium- and niobium-modified austenitic steels indicate that, for fast fluence levels up to 1.2 × 1023 neutrons/cm2, these elements suppress swelling for irradiation temperatures above 525°C, thus effectively shifting the peak swelling temperature to below 500°C for steels with the Type 316 base composition. Experimental results from EBR-II, Rapsodie, Phenix, and the Dounreay Fast Reactor indicate that stabilized and cold-worked austenitic alloys with a Type 316 stainless steel base composition will have significantly lower swelling than the unstabilized base composition.

Author Information

Weiner, RA
Westinghouse Advanced Reactors Division, Madison, Pa.
Boltax, A
Westinghouse Advanced Reactors Division, Madison, Pa.
Price: $25.00
Contact Sales
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Developed by Committee: E10
Pages: 484–499
DOI: 10.1520/STP28231S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-4794-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0755-7