Fatigue Crack Growth and Fracture Toughness Properties of Low Fluence Neutron-Irradiated Type 316 and Type 304 Stainless Steels

Fatigue Crack Growth and Fracture Toughness Properties of Low Fluence Neutron-Irradiated Type 316 and Type 304 Stainless Steels
Author: MI. De Vries
Publisher:
Total Pages: 17
Release: 1987
Genre: Crack propagation
ISBN:

Small compact-tension specimens of Type 316 plate and Type 304 forging have been irradiated in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) at Petten, The Netherlands, up to a fluence level of 2 x 1024 neutrons (n) . m-2 (E > 0.1 MeV) at 573 K. Post-irradiation fatigue crack propagation tests and J-integral fracture toughness tests have been performed at the irradiation temperature. Additional tests were made at the higher temperatures of 723 and 823 K.

Effect of Neutron Irradiation on Fatigue Crack Propagation in Types 304 and 316 Stainless Steels at High Temperatures

Effect of Neutron Irradiation on Fatigue Crack Propagation in Types 304 and 316 Stainless Steels at High Temperatures
Author: P. Shahinian
Publisher:
Total Pages: 16
Release: 1973
Genre: Compressible flow
ISBN:

Resistance to fatigue crack propagation of pre- and postirradiation AISI Types 304 and 316 stainless steels was determined at 800 and 1100 F (427 and 593 C) using the fracture mechanics approach. The effect of irradiation on fatigue resistance was dependent upon test temperature and irradiation conditions. In general, irradiation degraded fatigue resistance at 1100 F (593 C) but at 800 F (427 C) enhancement as well was observed. In both steels irradiated in a thermal reactor to a fluence of 1.8 x 1021 n/cm2 >0.1 MeV, fatigue crack growth rates at 800 F (427 C) were lower than in the unirradiated steels for a given stress intensity factor range (?K). However, at 1100 F (593 C) the effect was reversed and crack growth rates were higher in the irradiated steels. Irradiation in a fast reactor to a fluence of ~1.2 x 1022 n/cm2 >0.1 MeV caused fatigue crack growth rates at 800 F (427 C) to increase at low values of ?K and decrease at high values of ?K. At 1100 F (593 C) the crack growth rates in the irradiated steel were either the same as or higher than in the unirradiated steel. The influence of irradiation on fatigue life generally reflected the effect observed on crack growth rate.

Fatigue Life and Crack Growth Predictions of Irradiated Stainless Steels

Fatigue Life and Crack Growth Predictions of Irradiated Stainless Steels
Author: Robert William Fuller
Publisher:
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2018
Genre:
ISBN:

One of prominent issues related to failures in nuclear power components is attributed to material degradation due the aggressive environment conditions, and mechanical stresses. For instance, reactor core support components, such as fuel claddings, are under prolonged exposure to an intense neutron field from the fission of fuel and operate at elevated temperature under fatigue loadings caused by start-up, shut-down, and unscheduled emergency shut-down. Additionally, exposure to high-fluence neutron radiation can lead to microscopic defects that result in material hardening and embrittlement, which significantly affects the physical and mechanical properties of the materials, resulting in further reduction in fatigue life of reactor structural components. The effects of fatigue damage on material deterioration can be further exacerbated by the presence of thermal loading, hold-time, and high-temperature water coolant environments. In this study, uniaxial fatigue models were used to predict fatigue behavior based only on simple monotonic properties including ultimate tensile strength and Brinell hardness. Two existing models, the Bäumel-Seeger uniform material law and the Roessle-Fatemi hardness method, were employed and extended to include the effects of test temperature, neutron irradiation fluence, irradiation-induced helium and irradiation-induced swellings on fatigue life of austenitic stainless steels. Furthermore, a methodology to estimate fatigue crack length using a strip-yield based model is presented. This methodology is also extended to address the effect of creep deformation in a presence of hold- times, and expanded to include the effects of irradiation and water environment. Reasonable fatigue life predictions and crack growth estimations are obtained for irradiated austenitic stainless steels types 304, 304L, and 316, when compared to the experimental data available in the literature. Lastly, a failure analysis methodology of a mixer unit shaft made of AISI 304 stainless steel is also presented using a conventional 14-step failure analysis approach. The primary mode of failure is identified to be intergranular stress cracking at the heat affected zones. A means of circumventing this type of failure in the future is presented.