• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.1972-1981
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• 2022

A typical ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steel sheet was subjected to pulsed laser surface remelting (LSR) and corrosion test in lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 550 ℃. There present two modification zones with distinct microstructures in the LSRed specimen: (1) remelted zone (RZ) consisting of both bulk δ-ferrite grains and martensitic plates and (2) heat-affected zone (HAZ) below the RZ, mainly composed of martensitic plates and high-density precipitates. Martensitic transformation occurs in both the RZ and the HAZ with the Kurdjumov-Sachs and Nishiyama-Wassermann orientation relationships followed concurrently, resulting in scattered orientations and specific misorientation characteristics. Hardnesses of the RZ and the HAZ are 364 ± 7 HV and 451 ± 15 HV, respectively, considerably higher than that of the matrix (267 ± 3 HV). In oxygen-saturated and oxygen-depleted LBE, thicknesses of oxide layers developed on both the as-received and the LSRed specimens increase with prolonging corrosion time (oxide layers always thinner under the oxygen-depleted condition). The corrosion resistance of the LSRed F/M steel in oxygen-saturated LBE is improved, which can be attributed to the grain-refinement accelerated formation of dense Fe-Cr spinel. In oxygen-depleted LBE, the growth of oxide layers is very low with both types of specimens showing similar corrosion resistance.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.249-256
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• 2019

The 9Cr-1Mo ferritic-martensitic ODS steel is a promising structural material for the next generation nuclear power plants including fast reactors for application in reactor vessels and nuclear fuel. The ODS steel was cooled down by furnace cooling, air cooling, oil quenching and water quenching, respectively, after normalizing it at $1150^{\circ}C$ for 1 h and then tempering at $780^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. It is found that grain size, a relative portion of ferrite and martensite, martensitic lath configuration, behaviors of carbide precipitates, and hardness of the ODS steel are strongly dependent on a cooling rate. The grain size and martensitic lath width become smaller with the increase in a cooling rate. The carbides were precipitated at the grain boundaries formed between the ferrite and martensite phases and at the martensitic lath interfaces. In addition, the carbide precipitates become smaller and more widely dispersed with the increase in a cooling rate, resulting in that the faster cooling rate generated the higher hardness of the ODS steel.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.10
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• pp.914-921
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• 2010

Studies were carried out to assess the microstructural and mechanical properties of ferriticmartensitic steel under a flowing sodium environment. HT9 (12Cr-MoVW) and Gr.92 (9Cr-MoVNbW) steel were exposed to liquid sodium at $650^{\circ}C$ containing dissolved oxygen of 20 ppm for 2333 hours and evaluations of the microstructure as well as the mechanical properties of the microhardness and nanoindentation were carried out. The result showed that both HT9 and Gr.92 exhibited macroscopic weight loss caused by general corrosion as well as localized types such as intergranular corrosion and pitting. Decarburization at the steel surface took place as the test proceeded. As the Cr content increased, dissolution and decarburization were suppressed. Assessment of the actual cladding geometry revealed that an aging process rather than decarburization governed the mechanical properties, which resulted in a decrease of the microhardness and yield stress.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.487-488
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• 2005

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.1096-1108
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• 2016

Metal fuel is being developed for the prototype generation-IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR) to be built by 2028. U-Zr fuel is a driver for the initial core of the PGSFR, and U-transuranics (TRU)-Zr fuel will gradually replace U-Zr fuel through its qualification in the PGSFR. Based on the vast worldwide experiences of U-Zr fuel, work on U-Zr fuel is focused on fuel design, fabrication of fuel components, and fuel verification tests. U-TRU-Zr fuel uses TRU recovered through pyroelectrochemical processing of spent PWR (pressurized water reactor) fuels, which contains highly radioactive minor actinides and chemically active lanthanide or rare earth elements as carryover impurities. An advanced fuel slug casting system, which can prevent vaporization of volatile elements through a control of the atmospheric pressure of the casting chamber and also deal with chemically active lanthanide elements using protective coatings in the casting crucible, was developed. Fuel cladding of the ferritic-martensitic steel FC92, which has higher mechanical strength at a high temperature than conventional HT9 cladding, was developed and fabricated, and is being irradiated in the fast reactor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.569-575
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• 2017

One of the important requirements for the application of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel is to retain proper mechanical properties under irradiation and high-temperature conditions. To simulate the yield strength and stress-strain curve of steels during high-temperature and irradiation conditions, a multiscale simulation method consisting of both microstructure and strengthening simulations was established. The simulation results of microstructure parameters were added to a superposition strengthening model, which consisted of constitutive models of different strengthening methods. Based on the simulation results, the strength contribution for different strengthening methods at both room temperature and high-temperature conditions was analyzed. The simulation results of the yield strength in irradiation and high-temperature conditions were mainly consistent with the experimental results. The optimal application field of this multiscale model was 9Cr series (7-9 wt.%Cr) RAFM steels in a condition characterized by 0.1-5 dpa (or 0 dpa) and a temperature range of $25-500^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

The effect of the Mo addition on the high temperature creep properties of the 9Cr-3W steel was also evaluated. Two experimental steels, (9Cr-3W and 9Cr-3W-0.5Mo), were prepared using a vacuum induction melting process, followed by hot rolling and heat treatment processes. Three types of precipitates, ($M_{23}C_6$, Nb-rich MX and V-rich MX) were observed in a typical tempered martensitic matrix. Significant effects of the Mo addition on the tensile properties were not observed. However, the creep properties at $650^{\circ}C$ under applied stresses of 140 and 150 MPa were considerably enhanced by the Mo addition. The microstructural observation after the creep test indicated that the addition of Mo could function to retain the recovery of the martensitic matrix, thus resulting in the enhanced creep properties of the 9Cr-3W-0.5Mo steel. Furthermore coarsening of the $M_{23}C_6$ carbides and formation of Laves phases were observed in both samples after the creep tests.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2020

In this study, the effects of Co content on the microstructure and Charpy impact properties of Fe-Cr-W ferritic/martensitic oxide dispersion strengthened (F/M ODS) steels are investigated. F/M ODS steels with 0-5 wt% Co are fabricated by mechanical alloying, followed by hot isostatic pressing, hot-rolling, and normalizing/tempering heat treatment. All the steels commonly exhibit two-phase microstructures consisting of ferrite and tempered martensite. The volume fraction of ferrite increases with the increase in the Co content, since the Co element considerably lowers the hardenability of the F/M ODS steel. Despite the lowest volume fraction of tempered martensite, the F/M ODS steel with 5 wt% Co shows the highest micro-Vickers hardness, owing to the solid solution-hardening effect of the alloyed Co. The high hardness of the steel improves the resistance to fracture initiation, thereby resulting in the enhanced fracture initiation energy in a Charpy impact test at - 40℃. Furthermore, the addition of Co suppresses the formation of coarse oxide inclusions in the F/M ODS steel, while simultaneously providing a high resistance to fracture propagation. Owing to these combined effects of Co, the Charpy impact energy of the F/M ODS steel increases gradually with the increase in the Co content.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.53-60
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to examine a feasibility to substitute Ti for Ta in reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel by comparing a Ti-added RAFM steel with a conventional Ta-added RAFM steel. The microstructures and mechanical properties of Ta-, and Ti-added RAFM steels were investigated and a relationship between microstructures and mechanical properties was considered based on quantitative analysis of precipitates in two RAFM steels. Ta-, and Ti-added RAFM steels were normalized at $1000{\sim}1040^{\circ}C$ for 30 min and tempered at $750^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr. Both RAFM steels had very similar microstructures, that is, typical tempered martensite with relatively coarse $M_{23}C_6$ carbides at boundaries of grain and lath, and fine MX precipitates inside laths. The MX precipitates were identified as TaC in Ta-added RAFM steel and TiC or (Ti, W)C in Ti-added RAFM steel, respectively. It is believed that these RAFM steels show similar tensile and Charpy impact properties due to similar microstructures. Precipitate hardening and brittle fracture strength calculated with quantitative analysis of precipitates elucidated well the similar behaviors on the tensile and Charpy impact properties of Ta-, and Ti-added RAFM steels.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.178-188
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• 2017

To study the effects of zirconium (Zr) addition on the microstructure, hardness and the tensile properties of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic-martensitic steels, two kinds of 9Cr-ODS ferritic-martensitic steels with nominal compositions (wt.%) of $Fe-9Cr-2W-0.3Y_2O_3$ and $Fe-9Cr-2W-0.3Zr-0.3Y_2O_3$ were fabricated by the mechanical alloying (MA) of premixed powders and then consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) techniques. The experimental results showed that the average grain size decreases with Zr addition. The trigonal ${\delta}$-phase $Y_4Zr_3O_{12}$ oxides and body-centered cubic $Y_2O_3$ oxides are formed in the 9Cr-Zr-ODS steel and 9Cr non-Zr ODS steel, respectively, and the average size of $Y_4Zr_3O_{12}$ particles is much smaller than that of $Y_2O_3$. The dispersion morphology of the oxide particles in 9Cr-Zr-ODS steel is significantly improved and the number density is $1.1{\times}10^{23}/m^3$ with Zr addition. The 9Cr-Zr-ODS steel shows much higher tensile ductility, ultimate tensile strength and Vickers hardness at the same time.