Development of optimized advanced austenic steels (II); Evaluation of out-of-pile testing results of the fabricated fuel claddings

Uwaba, Tomoyuki ; Mizuta, Shunji ; not registered  

14Cr-25Ni optimized advanced austenic steels have been developed to improve the swelling resistance of 15Cr-20Ni austenic stainless steels used for FBR fuel cladding. ln this improvement, Ti,Nb,V and P were dissolved into 14Cr-25Ni marix by means of the high-temperature solution treatment to make finely distributed and stabilized precipitates in the operation. Furthermore, at the final stage of cold-working, cold-working level increased and residual stress was reduced. ln this study, as fablicated microstructure observation, solubility of alloying elements and grain size test in the manufacturing process were evaluated. Following results were obtained. (1)Spherical precipitates were observed in the grain. Most of them were identified as conjugated carbo-nitride [Ti,Nb(C,N)] by EDX analysis. (2)The dissolved percentages of Ti and Ni in the matrix were about 70% and 30% respectively. Undissoved Ti and Nb may react with undissolved carbon and precipitate as MC carbides. (3)High-temperature solution treatment is effective for the sufficient solubility of alloying elements, but it is likely to induce very large grains, which is the cause of defective signal in the ultrasonic alloy testing. The results of the grain size test showed that the large grain size is reduced in low Nb (0.1wt%) alloy compared with the standard alloy (0.2wt%Nb), and the effectiveness for the grain size control by reducing the Nb content was confirmed. Also, it was suggested that the intermediate heat treatment and cold work conditions would possibly avoid the occurrence of the large grain at the final heat treatment.