Hardness and microstructural response to thermal annealing of irradiated ASTM A533B class 1 plate steel
- SMS Concast, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
- Univ. of Missouri, Rolla, MO (United States)
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Electric Power Research Inst., Charlotte, NC (United States)
Hardness measurements were used to determine the post-irradiation annealing response of A533B class 1 plate steel irradiated to a fluence of 1 {times} 10{sup 19} n/cm{sup 2} (E > 1 MeV) at 150 C. Rockwell hardness measurements indicated that the material had hardened by 6.6 points on the B scale after irradiation. The irradiation induced hardness increase was associated with a decrease in upper shelf energy from 63.4 J to 5-1.8 J and a temperature shift in the Charpy curve at the 41 J level from 115 C to 215 C. Specimens were annealed after irradiation at temperatures of 343 C (650 F), 399 C (750 F), and 454 C (850 F) for durations of up to one week (168 h). Hardness measurements were made to chart recovery of hardness as a function of time and temperature. Specimens annealed at the highest temperature 454 C recovered the fastest, fully recovering within 144 h. Specimens annealed at 399 C recovered completely within 168 h. Specimens annealed at the lowest temperature, 343 C recovered only {approximately}70% after 168 h of annealing. After neutron irradiation, a new feature of black spot damage was found to be superimposed on the unirradiated microstructure. The density of black spots was found to vary from 2.3 {times} 10{sup 15}/cm{sup 3} to 1.1 {times} 10{sup 16}/cm{sup 3} with an average diameter of 2.85 nm. Following annealing at 454 C for 24 h the black spot damage was completely annealed out. It was concluded that the black spot damage was responsible for 70% of the irradiation-induced hardness.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789; AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 679496
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960643-; TRN: 99:009429
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 18. symposium on effects of radiation on materials, Hyannis, MA (United States), 25-27 Jun 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1999; Related Information: Is Part Of Effects of radiation on materials: 18. international symposium; Nanstad, R.K. [ed.] [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)]; Hamilton, M.L.; Garner, F.A. [eds.] [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States)]; Kumar, A.S. [ed.] [Univ. of Missouri, Rolla, MO (United States)]; PB: 1261 p.; ASTM special technical publication 1325
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Exploratory assessment of postirradiation heat-treatment variables in notch-ductility recovery of A5333-B steel
Reirradiation Response Rate of a High-Copper Reactor Pressure Vessel Weld