Bonding properties evaluation for an EBW joint of RAFM steel by using notched small tensile specimens

Abstract Besides fusion structural materials themselves, research and development of small specimen test technologies (SSTTs) are also important for their joints for mechanical properties evaluation on resistance to neutron irradiation. Because the specimens usually fracture at the base metals (BM), not at the weld metal (WM), and the bonding properties of the joints cannot be obtained directly during tensile tests, small tensile specimens with different sizes of notches at the WM were utilized to try to extrapolate the bonding properties in the present study. A joint of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel CLF-1 made by electron beam welding (EBW) after post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) were utilized to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. By combining tensile experiments, optical digital image correlation technology, and finite element method (FEM) simulation, effects of notch sizes on bonding properties such as strain, stress, and stress triaxiality were investigated. Finally, bonding properties for the joint were tentatively extrapolated from the results of the specimens with notches.