Radiation Embrittlement of Manganese-Stabilized Martensitic Stainless Steel

摘要

Fractographic examination has been performed on selected Charpy specimens of manganese stabilized martensitic stainless steels in order to identify the cause of irradiation embrittlement. Embrittlement was found to be partly due to enhanced failure at grain boundaries arising from precipitation. Microstructural examination of a specimen irradiated at higher temperature has demonstrated the presence of Fe-Cr-Mn chi phase, a body centered cubic intermetallic phase known to cause embrittlement. This work indicated that manganese stabilized martensitic stainless steels are prone to intermetallic phase formation which is detrimental to mechanical properties. (ERA citation 12:016276)