This handbook compiles data on the effects of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of stainless steels and discusses this data within the context of current understanding of hydrogen compatibility of metals. All of the tabulated data derives from continuing studies of hydrogen effects on materials that have been conducted at the Savannah River Laboratory over the past fifteen years. Supplementary data from other sources are included in the discussion. Austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, and precipitation hardenable stainless steels have been studied. Damage caused by helium generated from decay of tritium is a distinctive effect that occurs in addition to the hydrogen damage from tritium which is the same as for the other hydrogen isotopes protium and deuterium. The handbook defines the scope of our current knowledge of hydrogen effects in stainless steels and serves as a guide to selection of stainless steels for service in hydrogen.
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 a multipass metal-inert-gas process. A mechanical properties database for irradiated material has been developed for the vessel with materials from archival primary coolant system piping irradiated at low temperatures (75 to 150°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°C and 125°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°C. The irradiated materials exhibit hardening with loss of work hardenability and a reduction in toughness relative to the unirradiated materials with a slight sensitivity to exposure. Irradiation increased the yield strength between 22% to 187% with a concomitant tensile strength increase between-9% to 29%. The irradiation-induced decrease in the elastic-plastic fracture toughness (JD at 1 mm crack extension) is between 26% to 64%; the range of JICvalues are 72.8 to 366 kJ/m2 for the irradiated materials. Similarly, Charpy V-notch results show a 38% to 59% decrease in impact absorbed energies. The C-L orientation shows significantly lower absorbed energies and fracture toughness parameters than the L-C orientation for both the base and HAZ components in both the unirradiated and irradiated conditions.
Hot-rolled uranium plate exhibited a pronounced directionality in mechanical properties which was reduced but not eliminated by beta transformation. Results of tensile, bend, impact, and hardness tests made at room temperature are summarized for both hot-rolled and beta-transformed uranium plate. Significant differences in mechanical properties existed between ten lots of uranium plate processed under similar conditions. Composition and processing data were inadequate to assign causes f o r the variations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.