• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.196-203
• /
• 2021

To improve corrosion resistance and reduce the hydrogen uptake of 22MnB5, up to 5% Mg was added to the AlSi coating of 22MnB5. After hot-stamping and electrocoating were done on the metallic-coated specimen, the surface characteristics of the steel, hydrogen uptake content, and corrosion resistance were examined by transmittance electron microscopy, thermal desorption spectrometry, cyclic corrosion testing, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Mg was investigated as MgO on the surface layer after hot-stamping while it existed as Mg₂Si before hot-stamping. The total hydrogen content of 22MnB5 was decreased along with the Mg content. However, there was no difference at 0.2 wt% or more. When a small amount of Mg was added, the coating corrosion resistance was decreased, but when it was added at around 1.0 wt%, the greatest corrosion resistance increase was seen. However, when 3 wt% or more was added excessively, the corrosion resistance was decreased. MgO on the surface was considered to suppress H uptake by the AlSi melting solution and increase the barrier effect of the coating.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.103-110
• /
• 2019

As an anti-corrosion method in seawater, cathodic protection is widely recognized as the most effective and technically appropriate corrosion prevention methodology for marine structures against harsh corrosive environment. When applying the cathodic protection in seawater, the surface of the metal facilities the formation of compounds of $CaCO_3$ and $Mg(OH)_2$. These mixed compounds are generally called 'calcareous deposits'. This layer functions as a barrier against the corrosive environment and functions to further inhibit the corrosion process and then leading to a decrease in current demand for cathodic protection. However, calcareous deposit films are partially formed on the surface of the cathode and there are some difficulties to maintain both a corrosion resistance for a long period of time and a strong adhesion between deposits and base metal. In this study, the pulse electrodeposition process was applied to improve adhesion and corrosion resistance of the calcareous deposit films, and to solve the problem of hydrogen embrittlement at high current density. The uniform and compact calcareous deposit films were prepared by pulse electrodeposition process, and their properties were characterized using various surface analytical techniques together with electrochemical methods.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.266-274
• /
• 2019

Metal sealing is used to connecting the parts between valves and fuel pipes for a FCEV which utilizes hydrogen gas of 700 bar. Instead of general carbon steel, stainless steel is the primary material used to manufacture fuel pipes due to hydrogen embrittlement. The shape of deformation between metals is an important factor on the air-tightness of the metal to metal contact. Since the stainless steel pipe is hardened using the plastic forming during the tip shaping stage, this work hardening could have an effect on the deformed shape and characteristics of contact surfaces in fastening of pipes. In this paper, the deformation history of the pipe model was considered in order to analyze the hydrogen-tightness on the metal sealing part. The contact distance and the forward displacement for fastening were compared using experimental results and the simulation results. The simulation of the effect of material change on the fitting body demonstrated that the hardness or the strength of the formed tip of the pipe was designed to a proper valued level since the characteristics of the contact surface was exhibited better when the strength of the pipe was lower than that of the fitting body.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.411-420
• /
• 2019

It is essential to design crashworthy marine structures for operations in Arctic regions, especially ice-covered waters, where the structures must have sufficient capacity to resist iceberg impact. In this study, a numerical analysis of a colliding accident between an iceberg and stiffened plates was carried out employing the commercial finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit. The ice material model developed by Liu et al. (2011) was implemented in the simulations, and its availability was verified by performing some numerical simulations. The influence of the ambient temperature on the structural resistance was evaluated while the local stress, plastic strain, and strain energy density in the structure members were addressed. The present study revealed the risk of fracture in terms of steel embrittlement induced by ambient temperature. As a result, the need to consider the possibility of brittle failure in a plate-stiffener junction during operations in Arctic regions is acknowledged. Further experimental work to understand the structural behavior in a plate-stiffener junction and HAZ is required.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.296-303
• /
• 2008

Hydrogen permeation through dense palladium-based membranes has attracted the attention of many scientists largely due to their unmatched potential as hydrogen-selective membranes for membrane reactor applications. Although it is well known that the permeation mechanism of hydrogen through Pd involves various processes such as dissociative adsorption, transitions to and from the bulk Pd, diffusion within Pd, and recombinative desorption, it is still unclear which process mainly limits hydrogen permeation at a given temperature and hydrogen partial pressure. In this study, we report an all-electron density-functional theory study of hydrogen permeation through Pd membrane (using VASP code). Especially, we focus on the variation of the energy barrier of the penetration process from the surface to the bulk with hydrogen coverage, which means the large reduction of the fracture stress in the brittle crack propagation considering Griffith's criterion. It is also found that the penetration energy barrier from the surface to the bulk largely decreases so that it almost vanishes at the coverage 1.25, which means that the penetration process cannot be the rate determining process.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
• /
• v.48 no.5
• /
• pp.410-416
• /
• 2010

Studies were carried out to establish the technology for sodium-clad compatibility and to analyze the compatibility behavior of the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) cladding material under a flowing sodium environment. The natural circulation facility caused by the thermal convection of the liquid sodium was constructed and the 316-series stainless steels were exposed at $650{^{\circ}C}$ liquid sodium for 1458 hours. The weight change and related microstructural change were analyzed. The results showed that the quasi-dynamic facility represented by the natural convection exhibited similar results compared to the conventional dynamic facility. Selective leaching and local depletion of the chromium, re-distribution of the carbide, and the decarburization process took place in the 316-series stainless steel under a flowing sodium environment. This process decreased as the sodium flowed along the channel, which was caused by the change in the dissolved oxygen and carbon activity in the liquid sodium.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.304-313
• /
• 2021

Nickel base Alloy X-750, which is used as fastener parts in light-water reactor (LWR), has experienced many failures by environmentally assisted cracking (EAC). In order to improve the reliability of passive components for nuclear power plants (NPP's), it is necessary to study the failure mechanism and to predict crack growth behavior by developing a probabilistic failure model. In this study, The Bayesian inference was employed to reduce the uncertainties contained in EAC modeling parameters that have been established from experiments with Alloy X-750. Corrosion fatigue crack growth rate model (FCGR) was developed by fitting into Paris' Law of measured data from the several fatigue tests conducted either in constant load or constant ΔK mode. These parameters characterizing the corrosion fatigue crack growth behavior of X-750 were successfully updated to reduce the uncertainty in the model by using the Bayesian inference method. It is demonstrated that probabilistic failure models for passive components can be developed by updating a laboratory model with field-inspection data, when crack growth rates (CGRs) are low and multiple inspections can be made prior to the component failure.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.109-118
• /
• 2021

In the periodic surveillance material test for the spacer component of fuel channel assembly in CANDU, a microstructural characterization analysis is required in addition to the mechanical property evaluation test. In this study, detailed microstructure analysis and simple mechanical property evaluation of archive spacer parts were conducted to indirectly support the surveillance test and assist in the study of spacer material degradation. We investigated the microstructural characteristics of the spacer garter spring coil through comparative analysis with the plate material. The main microstructure characteristics of the garter spring coil X-750 are represented by the fine grain size distribution, the ordering phase distribution developed inside the matrix, the high dislocation density inside the grains, and the arrangement of coarse carbides. In addition, the yield strength of the garter spring coil X-750 was indirectly evaluated to be approximately 1 GPa. We also established an analytical method to elucidate the microstructural evolution of the radioactive spacer garter spring coil X-750 based on Canadian research experiences. Finally, we confirmed the measurement technique for helium bubble formation through TEM examination on the helium implanted X-750 material.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.12
• /
• pp.4499-4513
• /
• 2022

Spent fuel behavior of dry storage was simulated in a continuous state from steady-state operation by modifying FRAPCON-4.0 to incorporate spent fuel-specific fuel behavior models. Spent fuel behavior of a typical PWR was compared with that of NuScale Power Module (NPM^TM). Current PWR discharge burnup (60 MWd/kgU) gives a sufficient margin to the hoop stress limit of 90 MPa. Most hydrogen precipitation occurs in the first 50 years of dry storage, thereby no extra phenomenological safety factor is identified for extended dry storage up to 100 years. Regulation for spent fuel management can be significantly alleviated for LWR-based SMRs. Hydride embrittlement safety criterion is irrelevant to NuScale spent fuels; they have sufficiently lower plenum pressure and hydrogen contents compared to those of PWRs. Cladding creep out during dry storage reduces the subchannel area with burnup. The most deformed cladding outer diameter after 100 years of dry storage is found to be 9.64 mm for discharge burnup of 70 MWd/kgU. It may deteriorate heat transfer of dry storage by increasing flow resistance and decreasing the view factor of radiative heat transfer. Self-regulated by decreasing rod internal pressure with opening gap, cladding creep out closely reaches the saturated point after ~50 years of dry storage.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.131-136
• /
• 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of microstructure control on hydrogen diffusivity, trap activation energy, and cracking behaviors of high-strength steel using a range of experimental techniques. Results of this study showed that susceptibility to hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) was significantly associated with hydrogen diffusivity and trap activation energy, which were primarily influenced by the microstructure. On the other hand, microstructural modifications had no significant impact on electrochemical polarization behavior on the surface at an early corrosion stage. To ensure high resistance to HIC of the steel, it is recommended to increase the cooling rate during normalizing to avoid formation of banded pearlite in the microstructure. However, it is also essential to establish optimal heat treatment conditions to ensure that proportions of bainite, retained austenite (RA), and martensite-austenite (MA) constituents are not too high. Additionally, post-heat treatment at below A₁ temperature is desired to decompose locally distributed RA and MA constituents.