Mechanical properties of 1950's vintage 304 stainless steel weldment components after low temperature neutron irradiation

Conference · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:7308716

Sindelar, R L; Caskey, Jr, G R; Thomas, J K ^[1]; Hawthorne, J R; Hiser, A L ^[2]; Lott, R A; Begley, J A; Shogan, R P ^[3]

---

1. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Materials Engineering Associates, Inc., Lanham, MD (United States)
3. Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Science and Technology Center

The reactor vessels of the nuclear production reactors at the Savannah River Site (SRS) were constructed in the 1950's from Type 304 stainless steel plates welded with Type 308 stainless steel filler using the multipass metal inert gas process. An irradiated mechanical properties database has been developed for the vessel with materials from archival primary coolant system piping irradiated at low temperatures (75 to 150{degrees}C) in the State University of New York at Buffalo reactor (UBR) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to doses of 0.065 to 2.1 dpa. Fracture toughness, tensile, and Charpy-V impact properties of the weldment components (base, weld, and weld heat-affected-zone (HAZ)) have been measured at temperatures of 25{degrees}C and 125{degrees}C in the L-C and C-L orientations for materials in both the irradiated and unirradiated conditions for companion specimens. Fracture toughness and tensile properties of specimens cut from an SRS reactor vessel sidewall with doses of 0.1 and 0.5 dpa were also measured at temperatures of 25 and 125{degrees}C. The irradiated materials exhibit hardening with loss of work hardenability and a reduction in toughness relative to the unirradiated materials. The HFIR-irradiated materials show an increase in yield strength between about 20% and 190% with a concomitant tensile strength increase between about 15% to 30%. The elastic-plastic fracture toughness parameters and Charpy-V energy absorption both decrease and show only a slight sensitivity to dose. The irradiation-induced decrease in the elastic-plastic fracture toughness (J{sub def} at 1 mm crack extension) is between 20% to 65%; the range of J{sub 1C} values are 72.8 to 366 kJ/m{sup 2} for the irradiated materials. Similarly, Charpy V-notch results show a 40% to 60% decrease in impact energies.

• 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: 7308716
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS-91-293; CONF-920673--7; ON: DE92017059
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
220600* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
360106 -- Metals & Alloys-- Radiation Effects
ALLOYS
AUSTENITIC STEELS
BARYONS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL STEELS
CONTAINERS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FILLER METALS
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
HADRONS
HEAT AFFECTED ZONE
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
HEAT RESISTING ALLOYS
HIGH ALLOY STEELS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
JOINTS
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
NEUTRONS
NICKEL ALLOYS
NUCLEONS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
PRODUCTION REACTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR VESSELS
REACTORS
SPECIAL PRODUCTION REACTORS
STAINLESS STEEL-304
STAINLESS STEEL-308
STAINLESS STEELS
STEEL-CR19NI10
STEEL-CR20NI11
STEELS
WELDED JOINTS
ZONES