Low-Alloy Steels

Williams, Tim; Nanstad, R.K.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-397046-6.00010-1

Cited by 9 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…This leads to degradation of the mechanical properties of the RPV materials during the service life and can lead to premature unacceptable failure of the RPV. The degradation of properties is mostly manifested in the loss of ductility and a noticeable shift of the interval of the ductile-to-brittle fracture transition, typical for steels with bcc lattice, to a higher temperature area, known as radiation embrittlement [1,2]. It is the shift of the critical embrittlement temperature that is the key industry parameter used to determine the degree of the RPV radiation embrittlement and service life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerous studies have shown that RPV steel radiation embrittlement is caused both by the formation of precipitates and radiation defects-dislocation loops, which act as barriers to the movement of dislocations and lead to radiation hardening (hardening mechanism) and grain-boundary embrittlement due to the weakening of grain-boundary cohesion caused by the formation of grain-boundary segregation of impurity and alloying elements (non-hardening mechanism) [2][3][4][5][6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The major embrittling elements are Cu, P, Ni, and Mn, and to a lesser extent also, Si [7,8]. In steels with a high-Cu content, copper-enriched high-density precipitates are formed, while in steels with a low Cu content but alloyed with Ni and Mn, precipitates based on Ni, Mn, and Si are formed [2]. In addition, elements P, as well as Ni and Mn, contribute to the grain-boundary embrittlement [4,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the segregation kinetics for RPV steels is of a damped nature, the contribution of the non-hardening mechanism should reach saturation during the long operation of reactor vessels (more than 30 years in case of RPV service life extension) [10]. Therefore, the main contributor to the change in properties should be the hardening mechanism [1,2]. At the same time, the density of radiation defects does not depend on the steel composition and is significantly lower than that of radiation-induced precipitates [2,11], which makes the contribution of the latter crucial for long service life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the main contributor to the change in properties should be the hardening mechanism [1,2]. At the same time, the density of radiation defects does not depend on the steel composition and is significantly lower than that of radiation-induced precipitates [2,11], which makes the contribution of the latter crucial for long service life. In this regard, this paper investigates the peculiarities of phase formation in various RPV steels depending on operational factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of Operational Factors on Phase Formation Patterns in the Light-Water Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels

Fedotova,

Kuleshova

2023

Metals

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This paper presents the results of atom probe tomography studies on radiation-induced phase formation in light-water reactor pressure vessel steels after neutron irradiation under various conditions in comparison with the literature data. The given irradiation conditions are fluence (10–100) × 1022 m−2, flux (5–2700) × 1014 m−2s−1 and irradiation temperature (50–400) °C. The composition of the studied steels varies in a wide range for the elements significantly affecting radiation and thermal resistance of steels: Ni in the range of 0.2–6.0 wt.%, Mn–0.03–1.1 wt.%, Cu–0.01–0.16 wt.%, and P–0.01–0.03 wt.%. The number density, volume fraction, size, composition, and nucleation sites of precipitates are determined. The regularities of the effect of various operational factors on the phase formation in these steels have been analyzed and revealed. The study shows that in materials with high copper content, Cu-rich precipitates are formed by a radiation-enhanced mechanism. In materials with low copper content, their formation upon irradiation at 300 °C occurs by a radiation-induced mechanism since the main nucleation sites are point defect clusters formed in cascades. At the same time, the density, volume fraction, and composition of the precipitates depend on the steel composition (Ni and Mn content). In the steel with increased Ni content up to 5 wt.% but with ultra-low Mn content ≤ 0.03 wt.%, it is possible to suppress the formation of Ni-Si-Mn precipitates under irradiation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%