Influence of liquid lead and lead–bismuth eutectic on tensile, fatigue and creep properties of ferritic/martensitic and austenitic steels for transmutation systems

Abstract In this paper, the tensile, fatigue and creep properties of the Ferritic/Martensitic (F/M) steel T91 and of the Austenitic Stainless (AS) Steel 316L in lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) or lead, obtained in the different organizations participating to the EUROTRANS-DEMETRA project are reviewed. The results show a remarkable consistency, referring to the variety of metallurgical and surface state conditions studied. Liquid Metal Embrittlement (LME) effects are shown, remarkable on heat-treated hardened T91 and also on corroded T91 after long-term exposure to low oxygen containing Liquid Metal (LM), but hardly visible on passive or oxidized smooth T91 specimens. For T91, the ductility trough was estimated, starting just above the melting point of the embrittler (TM,E = 123.5 °C for LBE, 327 °C for lead) with the ductility recovery found at 425 °C. LME effects are weaker on 316L AS steel. Liquid Metal Assisted Creep (LMAC) effects are reported for the T91/LBE system at 550 °C, and for the T91/lead system at 525 °C. Today, if the study of the LME effects on T91 and 316L in LBE or lead can be considered well documented, in contrast, complementary investigations are necessary in order to quantify the LMAC effects in these systems, and determine rigorously the threshold creep conditions.