Effect of rhenium and osmium on mechanical properties of a 9Cr–2W–0.25V–0.07Ta–0.1C steel

Abstract The nuclear transmutation of tungsten to rhenium and osmium in a tungsten-containing steel irradiated in a fission or fusion reactor will change the chemical composition of the steel. To determine the possible consequences of such compositional changes on the mechanical properties, tensile and Charpy impact properties were measured on five 9Cr–2W–0.25V–0.07Ta–0.1C steels that contained different amounts of rhenium, osmium, and tungsten. The mechanical properties changes caused by these changes in composition were minor. Observations were also made on the effect of carbon concentration. The effect of carbon on tensile behavior was minor, but there was a large effect on Charpy properties. Several of the steels showed little effect of tempering temperature on the Charpy transition temperature, a behavior that was tentatively attributed to the low silicon and/or manganese concentration of the experimental steels.