Temperature Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Candidate SNS Target Container Materials after Proton and Neutron Irradiation

摘要

This report presents the tensile properties of EC316LN austenitic stainless steel and 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel after 800 MeV proton and spallation neutron irradiation to doses in the range 0.54 to 2.53 dpa. Irradiation temperatures were in the range 30 to 100 C. Tensile testing was performed at room temperature (20 C) and 164 C to study the effects of test temperature on the tensile properties. Test materials displayed significant radiation-induced hardening and loss of ductility due to irradiation. The EC316LN stainless steel maintained notable strain-hardening capability after irradiation, while the 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel posted negative strain hardening. In the EC316LN stainless steel, increasing the test temperature from 20 C to 164 C decreased the strength by 13 to 18% and the ductility by 8 to 36%. The tensile data for the EC316LN stainless steel irradiated in spallation conditions were in line with the values in a database for 316 stainless steels for doses up to 1 dpa irradiated in fission reactors at temperatures below 200 C. However, extra strengthening induced by helium and hydrogen contents is evident in some specimens irradiated to above about 1 dpa. The effect of test temperature for the 9Cr-2WVTa ferritic/martensitic steel was less significant than for the EC316LN stainless steel. In addition, strain-hardening behaviors were analyzed for EC316LN and 316L stainless steels. The strain-hardening rate of the 316 stainless steels was largely dependent on test temperature. It was estimated that the 316 stainless steels would retain more than 1% true stains to necking at 164 C after irradiation to 5 dpa. A calculation using reduction of area (RA) measurements and stress-strain data predicted positive strain hardening during plastic instability.