Evaluation of liquid metal embrittlement of SS304 by Cd and Cd-Al solutions

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7031548

Thomas, J K; Iyer, N C ^[1]; Begley, J A ^[2]

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1. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Westinghouse Science and Technology Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

The susceptibility of stainless steel 304 to liquid metal embrittlement (LME) by cadmium (Cd) and cadmium-aluminum (Cd-Al) solutions was examined as part of a failure evaluation for SS304-clad cadmium reactor safety rods which had been exposed to elevated temperatures. The active, or cadmium (Cd) bearing, portion of the safety rod consists of a 0.756 in. diameter aluminum allow (Al-6061) core, a 0.05 in. thick Cd layer, and a 0.042 in. thick Type 304 stainless steel cladding. The safety rod thermal tests were conducted as part of a program to define the response of reactor core components to a hypothetical LOCA for the Savannah River Site (SRS) production reactor. LME was considered as a potential failure mechanism based on the nature of the failure and susceptibility of austenitic stainless steels to embrittlement by other liquid metals.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 7031548
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS-92-181; CONF-921102--4; ON: DE92015884
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
360105 -- Metals & Alloys-- Corrosion & Erosion
ACCIDENTS
ALLOYS
ALUMINIUM
AUSTENITIC STEELS
CADMIUM
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL STEELS
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
ELEMENTS
EMBRITTLEMENT
FAILURES
FLUIDS
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
HEAT RESISTING ALLOYS
HIGH ALLOY STEELS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LIQUID METALS
LIQUIDS
LOSS OF COOLANT
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NICKEL ALLOYS
PRODUCTION REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SCRAM RODS
STAINLESS STEEL-304
STAINLESS STEELS
STEEL-CR19NI10
STEELS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS