Effect of neutron irradiation on intergranular stress corrosion cracking(IGSCC) of thermally-sensitized Type 304 Stainless Steels was studied. Neutron Irradiation was carried out to neutron fluences from 4x1022 to 1 x1024 n/m2(E>1 MeV) at 563~613 K in helium gas at the Japan Material Test Reactor. The irradiated specimens were examined by slow strain rate(SSR) stress corrosion cracking tests in 563K pure water of different dissolved oxygen concentrations, SSR tensile tests and microhardness measurements. The IGSCC susceptibility of the irradiated specimens increased with neutron fluence for the same irradiation temperature, although the IGSCC susceptibility at lower neutron fluences was lower than that for the unirradiated specimens. This trend was consistent with that for neutron fluence dependent grain boundary microhardness of the irradiated materials. Present materials irradiated in helium gas and low gamma ray field did not show any intergranular(IG) cracking in non-oxidizing water as well as in inert gas, despite the fact that previously another heat material irradiated to 3x1023 n/m2at 563 K in boiling water showed IG cracking in the same environment.

Subject
Water, Materials, Intergranular stress corrosion cracking, Fluxes, Yield stress, Trends, Irradiation, Aqueous environments, Irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking, Microhardness, Stainless steel, Grain boundary, High temperature
Keywords:
Type 304 stainless steel, thermal sensitization, neutron irradiation, slow strain rate, dissolved oxygen concentration, intergranular stress corrosion cracking susceptibility, neutron fluence, yield stress, grain boundary microhardness, intergranular cracking
© 1996 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1996
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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