TY - JOUR
T1 - Study on hydrogen embrittlement and dynamic strain ageing on low-alloy reactor pressure vessel steels
AU - Rao, G. S.
AU - Yagodzinskyy, Y.
AU - Que, Z.
AU - Spätig, P.
AU - Seifert, H. P.
N1 - Funding Information:
The funding for the “SAFE-II” and “LEAD” projects from the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would like to express their gratitude for the experimental contributions and helpful suggestions from S. Ritter, H. Kottmann, B. Baumgartner, R. Schwenold and D. Stammbach from Paul Scherrer Institut.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - Tensile tests in air with hydrogen pre-charged smooth specimens and slow strain rate tests with smooth and notched specimens in hydrogenated high-temperature water (HTW) at elevated temperatures (250−288 °C) on low-alloy reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels revealed a softening in strength and a pronounced reduction in ductility, where the magnitude of hydrogen embrittlement (HE) increased with the dynamic strain ageing (DSA) susceptibility of the RPV steels. In hydrogen pre-charged specimens and in hydrogenated HTW, shear dominated transgranular fracture by microvoid coalescence with increasing amounts of macrovoids, quasi-cleavage regions and secondary cracking were observed. Thermal desorption spectroscopy showed an increase in the concentration of trapped hydrogen in high binding energy traps (vacancies & voids) induced by straining in DSA regime. The observed hydrogen effects on fracture behaviour is a consequence of plasticity localization resulting from the interaction between DSA and hydrogen. HESIV and HELP are the dominant HE mechanisms.
AB - Tensile tests in air with hydrogen pre-charged smooth specimens and slow strain rate tests with smooth and notched specimens in hydrogenated high-temperature water (HTW) at elevated temperatures (250−288 °C) on low-alloy reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels revealed a softening in strength and a pronounced reduction in ductility, where the magnitude of hydrogen embrittlement (HE) increased with the dynamic strain ageing (DSA) susceptibility of the RPV steels. In hydrogen pre-charged specimens and in hydrogenated HTW, shear dominated transgranular fracture by microvoid coalescence with increasing amounts of macrovoids, quasi-cleavage regions and secondary cracking were observed. Thermal desorption spectroscopy showed an increase in the concentration of trapped hydrogen in high binding energy traps (vacancies & voids) induced by straining in DSA regime. The observed hydrogen effects on fracture behaviour is a consequence of plasticity localization resulting from the interaction between DSA and hydrogen. HESIV and HELP are the dominant HE mechanisms.
KW - Dynamic strain ageing
KW - Hydrogen embrittlement
KW - Low-alloy steel
KW - Reactor pressure vessel
KW - Thermal desorption spectroscopy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85109582359&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153161
DO - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153161
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85109582359
VL - 556
JO - Journal of Nuclear Materials
JF - Journal of Nuclear Materials
SN - 0022-3115
M1 - 153161
ER -