Fracture toughness and crack growth rates of irradiated austenitic stainless steels.
Austenitic stainless steels (SSs) are used extensively as structural alloys in the internal components of reactor pressure vessels because of their superior fracture toughness properties. However, exposure to high levels of neutron irradiation for extended periods leads to significant reduction in the fracture resistance of these steels. Experimental data are presented on fracture toughness and crack growth rates (CGRs) of austenitic SSs irradiated to fluence levels up to 2.0 x 10{sup 21} n/cm{sup 2} (E > 1 MeV) ({approx}3.0 dpa) at {approx}288 C. Crack growth tests were conducted under cycling loading and long hold time trapezoidal loading in simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) environments, and fracture toughness tests were conducted in air. Neutron irradiation at 288 C decreases the fracture toughness of the steels; the data from commercial heats fall within the scatter band for the data obtained at higher temperatures. In addition, the results indicate significant enhancement of CGRs of the irradiated steels in normal water chemistry BWR environment; the CGRs for irradiated steels are a factor of {approx}5 higher than the disposition curve proposed for sensitized austenitic SSs. The rates decreased by more than an order of magnitude in low-dissolved-oxygen BWR environment.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 822551
- Report Number(s):
- ANL-03/22; TRN: US200413%%341
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 25 Jun 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Crack growth rates of irradiated austenitic stainless steel weld heat affected zone in BWR environments.
Environmentally assisted cracking in light water reactors : semiannual report, July 2000 - December 2000.