Significance and Use
The requirements contained herein can be used as a basis for establishing conditions for safe operation of critical components. The requirements provide for general plant assessment and verification that materials meet design criteria. The test specimens and procedures presented in this practice are for guidance when establishing a surveillance program.
This practice for high-temperature materials surveillance programs is used when nuclear reactor component materials are monitored by specimen testing. Periodic testing is performed through the service life of the components to assess changes in selected material properties that are caused by neutron irradiation and thermal effects. The properties are those used as design criteria for the respective nuclear components. The extent of material property change caused by neutron irradiation depends on the composition and structure of the initial material, its conditioning in component fabrication, as well as the nature of the irradiation exposure. The need for surveillance arises from a concern of specific material behavior under all irradiation conditions including spectrum and rate effects on material properties.
1. Scope
1.1 This practice covers procedures for specimen testing to establish changes occurring in the mechanical properties due to irradiation and thermal effects of nuclear component metallic materials where these materials are used for high temperature applications above 370°C (700°F).
2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) 
The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.
ASTM Standards
A370 Test Methods and Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel Products
E3 Guide for Preparation of Metallographic Specimens
E8 Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials
E21 Test Methods for Elevated Temperature Tension Tests of Metallic Materials
E23 Test Methods for Notched Bar Impact Testing of Metallic Materials
E29 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications
E45 Test Methods for Determining the Inclusion Content of Steel
E112 Test Methods for Determining Average Grain Size
E139 Test Methods for Conducting Creep, Creep-Rupture, and Stress-Rupture Tests of Metallic Materials
E185 Practice for Design of Surveillance Programs for Light-Water Moderated Nuclear Power Reactor Vessels
E206 Discontinued 1988; Definitions of Terms Relating to Fatigue Testing and the Statistical Analysis of Fatigue Data; Replaced by E 1150
E261 Practice for Determining Neutron Fluence, Fluence Rate, and Spectra by Radioactivation Techniques
E399 Test Method for Linear-Elastic Plane-Strain Fracture Toughness K Ic of Metallic Materials
E453 Practice for Examination of Fuel Element Cladding Including the Determination of the Mechanical Properties
E482 Guide for Application of Neutron Transport Methods for Reactor Vessel Surveillance, E706 (IID)
E844 Guide for Sensor Set Design and Irradiation for Reactor Surveillance, E 706(IIC)
Keywords
irradiation; nuclear reactor vessels (high temperature); radiation exposure; surveillance (of nuclear reactor vessels);
ICS Code
ICS Number Code 27.120.10 (Reactor engineering)
DOI: 10.1520/E0531-76R07
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.
Citing ASTM Standards
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