Brittle Fracture and Irradiation Effects in Ferritic Pressure Vessel Steels

2009 ◽  
pp. 162-162-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Nichols ◽  
D. R. Harries
Keyword(s):  
Brittle Fracture ◽  
Pressure Vessel ◽  
Irradiation Effects ◽  
Pressure Vessel Steels

Intergranular Embrittlement of Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels

2013 ◽  
Vol 592-593 ◽  
pp. 577-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg O. Zabusov ◽  
Boris A. Gurovich ◽  
Evgenia A. Kuleshova ◽  
Michail A. Saltykov ◽  
Svetlana V. Fedotova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brittle Fracture ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Pressure Vessel ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Pressure Vessel ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Fracture Surfaces ◽  
Intergranular Embrittlement ◽  
Pressure Vessel Steels ◽  
Reactor Pressure

Service life of VVER-type nuclear reactor is limited by decrease in brittle fracture resistance of reactor pressure vessel produced of low-alloy low-carbon steel under effect of irradiation and/or elevated temperatures. In this work fracture surfaces were studied by Auger-electron spectroscopy in order to estimate the contribution of intergranular embrittlement to the degradation of reactor pressure vessel steels under the influence of operating conditions. It was demonstrated that irradiation induced segregation leads to an increase of P content in grain boundaries that promotes intergranular brittle fracture on fracture surfaces. The similar effect but to a lesser degree was shown in the case of long-term temperature exposure. The grain boundary structure was examined and an effect of carbides located on the grain boundaries is supposed due to increased phosphorus segregation on carbide/matrix interface boundaries.

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