Effect of high dose/high temperature irradiation on the microstructure of heat resistant 11Cr ferritic/martensitic steels

Yamashita, Shinichiro   ; Yano, Yasuhide  ; Tachi, Yoshiaki  ; Akasaka, Naoaki

The heat resistant 11Cr ferritic/martensitic steels were irradiated at 400-670 C up to 100 dpa in FFTF and JOYO. The microstructures of unirradiated 11Cr ferritic/martensitic steels consist of laths, dislocation, and carbide. Almost of the prior austenitic boundaries (PABs) were partially decorated with carbides. It was observed from the results of post irradiation microstructural examinations that the irradiation-induced microstructures were classified into the following three types depending on irradiation temperature; (1) When irradiated at 400-450 C, both dislocation loops and cavities with less than 30 nm in diameter were formed in the ferrite phase. On the other hand, the void swelling was about 0.05%. (2) In the case of irradiation at moderate temperature (500-600 C), the precipitates formation MC carbide was primarily dominated. It was a most noticeable microstructural feature that the carbides; MC and MC grew and covered the PABs at this temperature range. (3) Finally, when irradiation temperature was above 650 C microstructures were drastically-changed. Microstructural observations revealed that formation and growth of equi-axial grain occurred in addition to recovery of laths, growth of carbides simultaneously at high temperature. This remarkable microstructural change might be closely related to a severe degradation in the mechanical properties.