Development of a Portable Device for Thermoelectrical Power Measurement—Application to the Inspection of Duplex Stainless Steel Components

摘要

Some cast components of the primary loop of French Pressurized Water Reactors are made of cast duplex stainless steels. The mechanical characteristics of these components, working in the temperature range from 285°C to 325°C, may be altered by thermal aging : the hardness of the materials increases whereas its toughness decreases with aging time and temperature. The metallurgical explanation of this phenomena is the unmixing of the ferritic Fe-Cr-Ni solid solution by spinodal decomposition and the precipitation of intermetallic G-phase particles rich in nickel and silicium [1].