Remarkable embrittlement and its origins in quenched reactor pressure vessel steels
Source abstract
Abstract
Reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) are one of the main barriers against nuclear accidents, therefore good toughness is indispensable for keeping the integrity of RPVs to prevent the leakage of radioactive substances. It is well known that high temperature and large thermal gradient of nuclear accidents would lead to embrittlement or even rupture of RPVs. However, how damages originate in severe nuclear accidents is still indistinct. This study is aimed to reveal the embrittlement mechanism under a large temperature gradient in quenched RPV steels. It is found that certain strengthening as well as remarkable embrittlement occurs after quenched, further investigations find it probably derive from the generation of plenty of Moiré fringes and dislocation networks, which are supposed to be generated by shearing of crystal planes. This paper reports the deterioration phenomenon caused by a large thermal gradient, reveals the origins remarkable embrittlement and indicates that extra attention must be aroused to take this thermal-stress-induced embrittlement into consideration in nuclear accidents analysis.
Source: expertdata · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion behaviors in metals · Nuclear Materials and Properties · Fatigue and fracture mechanics
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (32)
Show source-provided references
1. Materials challenges in nuclear energy10.1016/j.actamat.2012.11.004 ↗
2. On the history and status of reactor pressure vessel steel ductile to brittle transition temperature shift prediction models10.1016/j.jnucmat.2019.151863 ↗
3. Ablation and thermal stress analysis of RPV vessel under heating by core melt10.1016/j.nucengdes.2018.02.008 ↗
4. Investigation of the pressure vessel lower head potential failure under IVR-ERVC condition during a severe accident scenario in APR1400 reactors10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111107 ↗
5. Investigation of water injection on molten zirconium-stainless steel pool in IVR strategy10.1016/j.anucene.2021.108475 ↗
6. Deformation mechanism-based true-stress creep model for SA508 Gr.3 steel over the temperature range of 450–750 °C10.1016/j.jnucmat.2019.151776 ↗
7. Microstructural evolutions of low carbon Nb/Mo-containing bainitic steels during high-temperature tempering10.1016/j.matchar.2017.07.022 ↗
8. Misfit strain affecting the lamellar microstructure in NbSi2/MoSi2 duplex crystals10.1016/j.actamat.2013.02.035 ↗
9. Effects of proton irradiation on nanocluster precipitation in ferritic steel containing fcc alloying additions10.1016/j.actamat.2012.02.008 ↗
10. Modelling of reactor pressure vessel subjected to pressurized thermal shock using 3D-XFEM10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.110237 ↗
11. Fracture studies on reactor pressure vessel subjected to pressurised thermal shock: a review10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.110471 ↗
12. Fracture mechanics analyses of a reactor pressure vessel under non-uniform cooling with a combined TRACE-XFEM approach10.1016/j.engfracmech.2020.107258 ↗
13. Simulation of the in-vessel retention device heat-removal capability of AP-1000 during a core meltdown accident10.1016/j.anucene.2016.09.052 ↗
14. Effect of the bainitic and martensitic microstructures on the hardening and embrittlement under neutron irradiation of a reactor pressure vessel steel10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.05.023 ↗
15. Effect of two-step tempering treatment on microstructure and impact toughness of bainitic steel for heavy wall thickness reactor pressure vessels10.1016/j.matchar.2019.110070 ↗
16. Grain-boundary phosphorus segregation in highly neutron-irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels and its effect on irradiation embrittlement10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152564 ↗
17. On the dominant mechanism of irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steels10.1016/0036-9748(83)90280-6 ↗
18. Effects of neutron-irradiation-induced intergranular phosphorus segregation and hardening on embrittlement in reactor pressure vessel steels10.1016/j.actamat.2008.05.026 ↗
19. Current understanding of radiation-induced degradation in light water reactor structural materials10.1080/00223131.2013.772448 ↗
20. The determination of dislocation densities in thin films10.1080/14786436108239679 ↗
21. Brown · 1999
22. The evolution of microbands and their interaction with NbC precipitates during hot deformation of a Fe-30Ni-Nb model austenitic steel10.1016/j.actamat.2015.08.003 ↗
23. Multiple precipitation pathways in an Al-7Si-0.6Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting10.1016/j.scriptamat.2018.09.045 ↗
24. New orientation relationship with low interfacial energy in MC/ferrite system observed in Nb-Ti bearing steel during isothermal quenching process10.1016/j.scriptamat.2019.01.008 ↗
25. Prismatic dislocation loops and concentric dislocation loops in HPHT-grown diamond single crystals10.1016/S0921-5093(02)00385-4 ↗
26. A micromechanical interpretation of the temperature dependence of Beremin model parameters for french RPV steel10.1016/j.jnucmat.2010.02.025 ↗
27. Application of local approach to fracture of an RPV steel: Effect of the crystal plasticity on the critical carbide size10.1016/j.prostr.2016.06.210 ↗
28. On the relationship between uniaxial yield strength and resolved shear stress in polycrystalline materials10.1016/S0022-3115(00)00378-0 ↗
29. Contributions of Cu-rich clusters, dislocation loops and nanovoids to the irradiation-induced hardening of Cu-bearing low-Ni reactor pressure vessel steels10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.02.031 ↗
30. Evaluation of dislocation structure in tensile and fatigue deformed steels by magnetic measurement10.2355/isijinternational.48.461 ↗
31. Application of a three-feature dispersed-barrier hardening model to neutron-irradiated Fe-Cr model alloys10.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.01.024 ↗
32. Wang · 2012