Title: The hydrogen embrittlement of alloy X-750

The nature of intergranular stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of alloy X-750 was characterized in low- and high-temperature water by testing as-notched and precracked fracture mechanics specimens. Materials given the AH, BH, and HTH heat treatments were studied. While all heat treatments were susceptible to rapid low-temperature crack propagation (LTCP) below 150 C, conditions AH and BH were particularly susceptible. Low-temperature tests under various loading conditions (e.g., constant displacement, constant load, and increasing load) revealed that the maximum stress intensity factors (K{sub P{sub max}}) from conventional rising load tests provide conservative estimates of the critical loading conditions in highly susceptible heats,more » regardless of the load path history. For resistant heats, K{sub P{sub max}} provides a reasonable, but not necessarily conservative, estimate of the critical stress intensity factor for LTCP. Testing of as-notched specimens showed that LTCP will not initiate at a smooth surface or notch, but will readily occur if a cracklike defect is present. Comparison of the cracking response in water with that for hydrogen-precharged specimens tested in air demonstrated that LTCP is associated with hydrogen embrittlement of grain boundaries. The stress corrosion crack initiation and growth does occur in high-temperature water (>250 C), but crack growth rates are orders of magnitude lower than LTCP rates. The SCC resistance of HTH heats is far superior to that of AH heats as crack initiation times are two to three orders of magnitude greater and growth rates are one to two orders of magnitude lower.« less

This report presents a review of the stress corrosion cracking behavior of alloy X-750, the alloy chemistry, metallurgy, and mechanical properties as well as an interim material specification developed from these data. The material specification addresses requirements for heat treating, metallurgy, mechanical tests, microstructure, and quality assurance to optimize the stress corrosion resistance of alloy X-750 in light water reactor environments. The specification can be used to effectively identify and screen stress corrosion cracking resistant material. A justification for these specification requirements also is included. This information will enable the utility industry to purchase alloy X-750 in a manner whichmore » optimizes its corrosion performance with no degradation of its other properties. 26 refs.« less

When exposed to deaerated high purity water, Alloy X-750 is susceptible to both high temperature (> 249 C) intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and intergranular low temperature (< 149 C) fracture (LTF). However, the microstructural and microchemical factors that govern environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) susceptibility are poorly understood. The present study seeks to characterize the grain boundary microstructure and microchemistry in order to gain a better mechanistic understanding of stress corrosion crack initiation, crack growth rate, and low temperature fracture. Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, orientation imaging microscopy, scanning Auger microscopy, and thermal desorption spectroscopy were performedmore » on selected heats of Alloy X-750 AH. These data were correlated to EAC tests performed in 338 C deaerated water. Results show that grain boundary MC-type [(Ti,Nb)C] carbides and increased levels of grain boundary phosphorus correlate with an increase in LTF susceptibility but have little effect on the number of initiation sites or the SCC crack growth rate. Thermal desorption data show that multiple hydrogen trapping states exist in Alloy X-750 condition AH. Moreover, it appears that exposure to high temperature (> 249 C), hydrogen deaerated water increases the hydrogen concentration in strong hydrogen trap states and degrades the resistance of the material to low temperature fracture. These findings are consistent with a hydrogen embrittlement based mechanism of LTF where intergranular fracture occurs ahead of a crack tip and is exacerbated by phosphorus segregation to grain boundaries and grain boundary hydrogen trap states.« less

This report presents a review of the stress corrosion cracking behavior of alloy X-750, the alloy chemistry, metallurgy, and mechanical properties as well as an interim material specification developed from these data. The material specification addresses requirements for heat treating, metallurgy, mechanical tests, microstructure, and quality assurance to optimize the stress corrosion resistance of alloy X-750 in light water reactor environments. The specification can be used to effectively identify and screen stress corrosion cracking resistance material. A justification for these specification requirements also is included. This information will enable the utility industry to purchase alloy X-750 in a manner whichmore » optimizes its corrosion performance with no degradation of its other properties. 25 refs., 1 tab.« less

Alloy X-750 is a nickel-base alloy used extensively in Light Water Reactor (LWR) nuclear power systems due to its excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature strength. In spite of alloy X-750`s exceptional high temperature properties, it has been found to be susceptible to environmentally assisted fatigue and stress corrosion cracking in relatively low temperature aqueous environments such as those that exist in LWR systems. In order to develop a better understanding of the role that microstructure plays in the fatigue behavior of alloy X-750, three thermal treatments were studied. The treatments used were as hot worked + : (1) 24more » h at 885{degree}C + 20 h at 704{degree}C (AH), (2) lh at 982{degree}C + 20 h at 704{degree}C (BH), and (3) 1 h at 1093{degree}C + 20 h at 704{degree}C (HTH). Fatigue crack growth tests were conducted at frequencies of 0.1 and 10 Hz in the following aqueous environments: (1) high purity, air saturated water (8 ppM O{sub 2}) at 93{degree}C and 288{degree}C, (2) high purity, deoxygenated water (5 ppb O{sub 2}) at 93{degree}C, and (3) simulated BWR water chemistry with hydrogen additions at 288{degree}C. Crack growth rate data was collected at constant values of stress intensity factor range ({Delta}K). The results show that crack growth rates and morphology are a function of {Delta}K, frequency, thermal treatment and environment. Frequency effects were most significant for the AH material. Crack growth rates generally decrease, for a given value of {Delta}K, in the BH and HTH materials with the HTH material showing the lowest growth rate.« less