SEDL / STP / STP529-EB / STP35460S

High-Temperature Embrittlement of Ferritic and Austenitic Stainless Steels Irradiated up to 1.6 × 10²² n/cm² (> 0.1 MeV)

Van Asbroeck, P
Centre d' Etude de l'Energie Nucleaire, C.E.N./S.C.K., MOL,

Snykers, M
Centre d' Etude de l'Energie Nucleaire, C.E.N./S.C.K., MOL,

Vandermeulen, W
Centre d' Etude de l'Energie Nucleaire, C.E.N./S.C.K., MOL,

Pages: 11    Published: Jan 1973

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Abstract

Tension specimens of four basic stainless steels having a body-centered cubic (bcc) or face-centered cubic (fcc) structure without or with nickel addition have been fabricated by casting and by powder metallurgy (without and with TiO² addition). These specimens have been irradiated at 60 C (140 F) up to a 1.6 × 10²² n/cm² fast fluence (> 0.1 MeV) and ruptured at 700 C (1292 F). A structural and statistical analysis shows that bcc structure, powder metallurgy fabrication methods, TiO² additions, and transgranular rupture enhance the 700 C resistance to fast neutron embrittlement. The degree of embrittlement is related to the rupture mode before irradiation.