SEDL / STP / STP1046V2-EB / STP49460S

Tensile and Charpy Impact Behavior of an Irradiated Three-Wire Series-Arc Stainless Steel Cladding

Haggag, Fahmy M.
Development staff member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Corwin, William R.
Program manager, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Alexander, David J.
Metallurgist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Nanstad, Randy K.
Group leader, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

Pages: 12    Published: Jan 1990

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Abstract

The potential for stainless steel cladding to improve the fracture behavior of an operating nuclear reactor pressure vessel, particularly during certain overcooling transients, may depend greatly on the properties of the irradiated cladding. Therefore, three-wire stainless steel cladding irradiated at temperatures and to fluences relevant to power reactor operation was examined. Postirradiation testing results show that, in the test temperature range from − 125 to 288°C, the yield strength increased by 8 to 30%, and ductility insignificantly increased, while there was almost no change in the ultimate tensile strength. All cladding exhibited ductile-to-brittle transition behavior during Charpy impact testing, owing to the dominance of delta-ferrite failures at low temperatures. On the upper shelf, the energy was reduced (owing to irradiation exposure) 15 and 20%, while the lateral expansion was reduced 43 and 41% at 2 and 5×1019n/cm2 (E>1MeV), respectively. In addition, radiation damage resulted in 13 and 28°C shifts of the Charpy impact transition temperature at the 41-J level for the low and high fluences, respectively.