SEDL / STP / STP801-EB / STP44817S

Fractography and Mechanisms of Environmentally Enhanced Fatigue Crack Propagation of a Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel

Törrönen, K
Head of the Reactor Materials Section, Metals Laboratory, and Research Officer, Metallurgy Laboratory, Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo,

Kemppainen, M
Head of the Reactor Materials Section, Metals Laboratory, and Research Officer, Metallurgy Laboratory, Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo,

Pages: 32    Published: Jan 1983

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Abstract

This paper describes the findings and interpretations of the fractographic survey conducted for the International Cyclic Crack Growth Rate (ICCGR) cooperative group round-robin specimens. Specimens of A533B pressure vessel steel were tested at several laboratories in the United States and elsewhere with the same nominal test parameters. A rather wide scatter of the results was found. A fractographic and metallographic survey was carried out in order to clarify the scatter and to evaluate the micromechanism of the crack growth. The fractographic findings are reported in detail and correlated to the crack growth behavior. A hydrogen-assisted crack propagation mechanism based on the fractography is proposed and applied to the observed crack growth behavior.