Investigation of mechanisms of environmentally accelerated crack growth in reactor pressure vessel steels
Technical Report
·
OSTI ID:6666048
- SRI International, Menlo Park, CA (USA)
The fracture surface topography analysis (FRASTA) technique was applied to several pressure vessel steels tested under simulated PWR service conditions in attempting to establish the mechanism underlying environmentally accelerated cyclic crack growth. FRASTA, which seeks to reconstruct the crack propagation process in microscopic detail by comparing the topographies of conjugate fracture surfaces, showed differences in the process zone microfeatures in A533B-1 and A508-2 steel and also differences in A508-2 tested in a dry argon environment. Conclusions from these observations in terms of the slip dissolution and hydrogen embrittlement crack propagation mechanisms must await further FRASTA studies aimed at clarifying the effects of the test environment and the post-test cleaning solution on the fracture surface topography. Constant extension rate tests performed in simulated PWR environments containing purposefully high sulfur concentrations resulted in no stress corrosion cracking. These results do not support the hypothesis that sulfur in the environment promotes crack propagation. 14 refs., 26 figs., 3 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (USA); SRI International, Menlo Park, CA (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- EPRI
- OSTI ID:
- 6666048
- Report Number(s):
- EPRI-NP-6958
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
ALLOYS
CARBON STEELS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CONTAINERS
CORROSION
CRACK PROPAGATION
CRACKS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
EMBRITTLEMENT
FATIGUE
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LOW ALLOY STEELS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
METALLOGRAPHY
MICROSTRUCTURE
NONMETALS
PRESSURE VESSELS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTORS
RECOMMENDATIONS
STEEL-ASTM-A508
STEEL-ASTM-A533-B
STEELS
STRESS CORROSION
SULFUR
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
ALLOYS
CARBON STEELS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CONTAINERS
CORROSION
CRACK PROPAGATION
CRACKS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
EMBRITTLEMENT
FATIGUE
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LOW ALLOY STEELS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
METALLOGRAPHY
MICROSTRUCTURE
NONMETALS
PRESSURE VESSELS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTORS
RECOMMENDATIONS
STEEL-ASTM-A508
STEEL-ASTM-A533-B
STEELS
STRESS CORROSION
SULFUR
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS