• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.29-34
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• 2010

As the steam temperature of fossil power plant boiler is increasing, the use of 9Cr-1Mo high alloy material is prevalent and it is needed to investigate the characteristics of low cycle fatigue for high alloy and austenite stainless steel that has used up to recently. As a result of test, in 9Cr-1Mo high alloy steel, the relation of strain and fatigue life is non-linear and the crack mode of low cycle fatigue is brittle but in the austenite stainless steel, that of strain and fatigue life is linear and the crack mode of low cycle fatigue is ductile. Comparing the fatigue life between high alloy and austenite stainless steel, there is no consistent characteristics as to strains. But the fatigue life of 9Cr-1Mo steel is longer by 25% than that of STS304 stainless steel in the relatively low, 0.3% strain. In the other strain, the fatigue life of two materials is similar.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.194-202
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• 2010

Application of a stronger and more durable material for reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) might be an effective way to insure the integrity and increase the efficiency of nuclear power plants. A series of research projects to apply the SA508 Gr.4 steel in ASME code to RPVs are in progress because of its excellent strength and durability compared to commercial RPV steel (SA508 Gr.3 steel). In this study, the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of SA508 Gr.3 Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel and SA508 Gr.4N Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steel were investigated. The differences in the stable phases between these two low alloy steels were evaluated by means of a thermodynamic calculation using ThermoCalc. They were then compared to microstructural features and correlated with mechanical properties. Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel shows the upper bainite structure that has coarse cementite in the lath boundaries. However, Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steel shows the mixture of lower bainite and tempered martensite structure that homogeneously precipitates the small carbides such as $M_{23}C_6$ and $M_7C_3$ due to an increase of hardenability and Cr addition. In the mechanical properties, Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steel has higher strength and toughness than Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel. Ni and Cr additions increase the strength by solid solution hardening. In addition, microstructural changes from upper bainite to tempered martensite improve the strength of the low alloy steel by grain refining effect, and the changes in the precipitation behavior by Cr addition improve the ductile-brittle transition behavior along with a toughening effect of Ni addition.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.100-106
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• 2014

There is a growing need to introduce advanced pressure vessel steels with higher strength and toughness for the optimizatiooCn of the design and construction of longer life and larger capacity nuclear power plants. SA508 Gr.4N Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steels have superior strength and fracture toughness, compared to SA508 Gr.3 Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel. Therefore, the application of SA508 Gr.4N low alloy steel could be considered to satisfy the strength and toughness required in advanced nuclear power plants. The purpose of this study is to characterize the microstructure and mechanical properties of SA508 Gr.4N low alloy steels. 1 ton ingot of SA508 Gr.4N model alloy was fabricated by vacuum induction melting followed by forging, quenching, and tempering. The predominant microstructure of the SA508 Gr.4N model alloy is tempered martensite having small packet and fine Cr-rich carbides. The yield strength at room temperature was 540MPa, and it was decreased with an increase of test temperature while DSA phenomenon occurred at around $288^{\circ}C$. Overall transition property of SA508 Gr.4N model alloy was much better than SA508 Gr.3 low alloy steel. The index temperature, $T_{41J}$, of SA508 Gr.4N model alloy was $-132^{\circ}C$ in Charpy impact tests, and reference nil-ductility transition temperature, $RT_{NDT}$ of $-105^{\circ}C$ was obtained from drop weight tests. From the fracture toughness tests performed in accordance with the ASTM standard E1921 Master curve method, the reference temperature, $T_0$ was $-147^{\circ}C$, which was improved more than $60^{\circ}C$ compared to SA508 Gr.3 low alloy steels.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2002.10b
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• pp.157-158
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• 2002

A surface hardenable low alloy carbon steel was implanted with medium energy (20 - 50KeV) $N_2^+$ ions to produced a modified hardened surface. The implantation conditions were varied and are given in several doses. The surface hardness of treated and untreated steels were measured using depth sensing ultra micro indentation system (UMIS). It is shown that the hardness of nitrogen ion implanted steels varied from 20 to 50GPa depending on the implantation conditions and the doses of implantation. The structure of the modified surfaces was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the high hardness on the implanted surfaces was as a result of formation of non-equilibrium nitrides. High-resolution XPS studies indicated that the nitride formers were essentially C and Si from the alloy steel. The result suggests that the ion implantation provided the conditions for a preferential formation of C and Si nitrides. The combination of evidences from nano-indentation and XPS, provided a strong evidence for the existence of $sp^3$ type of bonding in a suspected $(C,Si)_xN_y$ stoichiometry. The formation of ultra hard surface from relatively cheap low alloy steel has significant implication for wear resistance implanted low alloy steels.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.375-384
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• 2005

To investigate the flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) dependency of carbon steel (A106 Gr. B) and low-alloy steels (1Cr-1/2Mo, 21/4Cr-1Mo) on pH, orifice distance, and material, experiments were carried out. These experiments were performed using a flow velocity of 4 m/sec (partly 9 m/sec) at pH $8.0\~10.0$ in an oxygen-free aqueous solution re-circulated in an Erosion-Corrosion Test Loop at $130^{\circ}\;{\ldots}$ for 500 hours. The weight loss of the carbon steel specimens appeared to be positively dependent on the flow velocity. That of the carbon and low-alloy steel specimens also showed to be distinguishably dependent on the pH. At pH levels of $8.0\~9.5$ it decreased, but increased from 9.5 to 10.0. Utility water chemistry personnel should carefully consider this kind of pH dependency to control the water system pH to mitigate FAC of the piping system material. The weight loss of the specimens located further from the orifice in the distance range of $6.8\~27.2$ mm was shown to be greater, except for 21/4Cr-1Mo, which showed no orifice distance dependency. Low alloy steel specimens exhibited a factor of two times better resistance to FAC than that of the carbon steel. Based on this kind of FAC dependency of the carbon and low-alloy steels on the orifice distance and material, we conclude that it is necessary to alternate the composition of the secondary piping system material of NPPs, using low-alloy steels, such as 21/4Cr-1Mo, particularly when the system piping has to be replaced.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.771-779
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• 2008

An effective way of increasing the strength and fracture toughness of reactor pressure vessel steels is to change the material specification from that of Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel(SA508 Gr.3) to Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steel(SA508 Gr.4N). In this study, we evaluate the effects of alloying elements on the microstructural characteristics of Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steel. The changes in the stable phase of the SA508 Gr.4N low alloy steel with alloying elements were evaluated by means of a thermodynamic calculation conducted with the software ThermoCalc. The changes were then compared with the observed microstructural results. The calculation of Ni-Mo-Cr low alloy steels confirms that the ferrite formation temperature decreases as the Ni content increases because of the austenite stabilization effect. Consequently, in the microscopic observation, the lath martensitic structure becomes finer as the Ni content increases. However, Ni does not affect the carbide phases such as $M_{23}C_6 $ and $M_7C_3$. When the Cr content decreases, the carbide phases become unstable and carbide coarsening can be observed. With an increase in the Mo content, the $M_2C$ phase becomes stable instead of the $M_7C_3$ phase. This behavior is also observed in TEM. From the calculation results and the observation results of the microstructure, the thermodynamic calculation can be used to predict the precipitation behavior.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.628-634
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• 2011

SA508 Gr.4N Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel, in which Ni and Cr contents are higher than in commercial SA508 Gr.3 Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steels, may be a candidate reactor pressure vessel (RPV) material with higher strength and toughness from its tempered martensitic microstructure. The inner surface of the RPV is weld-cladded with stainless steels to prevent corrosion. The goal of this study is to evaluate the microstructural properties of the clad interface between Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel and stainless weldment, and the effects of post weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the properties. The properties of the clad interface were compared with those of commercial Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel. Multi-layer welding of model alloys with ER308L and ER309L stainless steel by the SAW method was performed, and then PWHT was conducted at $610^{\circ}C$ for 30 h. The microstructural changes of the clad interface were analyzed using OM, SEM and TEM, and micro-Vickers hardness tests were performed. Before PWHT, the heat affected zone (HAZ) showed higher hardness than base and weld metals due to formation of martensite after welding in both steels. In addition, the hardness of the HAZ in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel was higher than that in Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel due to a comparatively high martensite fraction. The hardness of the HAZ decreased after PWHT in both steels, but the dark region was formed near the fusion line in which the hardness was locally high. In the case of Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel, formation of fine Cr-carbides in the weld region near the fusion line by diffusion of C from the base metal resulted in locally high hardness in the dark region. However, the precipitates of the region in the Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel were similar to that in the base metal, and the hardness in the region was not greatly different from that in the base metal.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2013

This work is concerned with an evaluation of dynamic boric acid corrosion (BAC) of low alloy steel for reactor pressure vessel of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). Mockup test method was newly established to investigate dynamic BAC of the low alloy steel under various conditions simulating a primary water leakage incident. The average corrosion rate was measured from the weight loss of the low alloy steel specimen, and the maximum corrosion rate was obtained by the surface profilometry after the mockup test. The corrosion rates increased with the rise of the leakage rate of the primary water containing boric acid, and the presence of oxygen dissolved in the primary water also accelerated the corrosion. From the specimen surface analysis, it was found that typical flow-accelerated corrosion and jet-impingement occurred under two-phase fluid of water droplet and steam environment. The maximum corrosion rate was determined as 5.97 mm/year at the leakage rate of 20 cc/min of the primary water with a saturated content of oxygen within the range of experimental condition of this work.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.294-301
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• 2021

In the present study, we investigate the effects of long-term heat treatment at elevated temperatures on the mechanical softening of the Mn-Mo-Ni low-alloy steel. The influence of long-term heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical strength was evaluated. To simulate the long-term material degradation, heat treatment test was interrupted at several stages up to 10,000 hours in an electric furnace. The Mn-Mo-Ni low-alloy steel shows a typical bainitic phase, which consists of a well-developed lath substructure with fine precipitates along the lath boundaries. However, these fine precipitates were redissolved into the matrix with long-term heat treatment, and then the lath substructures were recovered. Consequently, ultimate tensile strength and yield strength decreased during long-term heat treatment showing a mechanical softening phenomenon.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.422-429
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• 2023

High-strength low-alloy steel is one of the widely used materials in onshore and offshore plant engineering. We investigated the alloying effect of solute atoms in α-Fe based alloy using ab initio calculations. Empirical equations were used to establish the effect of alloying on the Vicker's hardness, screw energy coefficient, and edge dislocation energy coefficient of the steel. Screw and edge energy coefficients were improved by the addition of V and Cr solute atoms. In addition, the addition of trace quantities of V, Cr, and Mn enhanced abrasion resistance. Solute atoms and contents with excellent mechanical properties were selected and their thermal conductivity and thermal expansion behavior were investigated. The addition of Cr atom is expected to form alloys with low thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient. This study provides a better understanding of the state-of-the-art research in low-alloy steel and can be used to guide researchers to explore and develop α-Fe based alloys with improved properties, that can be fabricated in smart and cost-effective manners.