Slow strain rate testing of Fe-10Cr-4Al ferritic steel in liquid lead and lead–bismuth eutectic

Christopher Petersson, Peter Szakálos, Daniel Stein

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    The susceptibility of Fe-10Cr-4Al steel to liquid metal embrittlement (LME) in low oxygen liquid lead and lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) environments has been investigated using a newly developed slow strain rate testing (SSRT) technique that can be employed at elevated temperatures. This study showed that the Fe-10Cr-4Al steel suffered embrittlement when exposed to LBE over a wide temperature range. The embrittlement, here measured as a reduction infracture strain, was observed at the melting temperature of LBE and reached a maximum at approximately 375 °C. At temperatures above 425 °C, the material's ductility regained its original levels. The exposures in liquid lead showed no indications of embrittlement, but a ductile behavior over the entire temperature range studied (340–480 °C).
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number101403
    Number of pages9
    JournalNuclear Materials and Energy
    Volume34
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Mar 2023

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Nuclear and High Energy Physics
    • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
    • Materials Science (miscellaneous)

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