Behavior of ferritic/martensitic steels after n-irradiation at 200 and 300 °C

Milena Matijasevic, Enrico Lucon, Abderrahim Al Mazouzi, Hamid Aït Abderrahim, Didier De Bruyn, Steven Van Dyck

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    High chromium ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels are considered as the most promising structural materials for accelerator driven systems (ADS). One drawback that needs to be quantified is the significant hardening and embrittlement caused by neutron irradiation at low temperatures with production of spallation elements. In this paper irradiation effects on the mechanical properties of F/M steels have been studied and comparisons are provided between two ferritic/martensitic steels, namely T91 and EUROFER97. Both materials have been irradiated in the BR2 reactor of SCK-CEN/Mol at 300 C up to doses ranging from 0.06 to 1.5 dpa. Tensile tests results obtained between 160 C and 300 C clearly show irradiation hardening (increase of yield and ultimate tensile strengths), as well as reduction of uniform and total elongation. Irradiation effects for EUROFER97 starting from 0.6 dpa are more pronounced compared to T91, showing a significant decrease in work hardening. The results are compared to our latest data that were obtained within a previous program (SPIRE), where T91 had also been irradiated in BR2 at 200 C (up to 2.6 dpa), and tested between 170 C and 300 C. Irradiation effects at lower irradiation temperatures are more significant.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)101-108
    JournalJournal of Nuclear Materials
    Volume377
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 30 Jun 2008

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