Heat treatment effect on fracture toughness of F82H irradiated at HFIR

Okubo, Nariaki   ; Sokolov, M. A.*; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Hirose, Takanori; Jitsukawa, Shiro; Sawai, Tomotsugu; Odette, G. R.*; Stoller, R. E.*

Irradiation hardening and fracture toughness of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel F82H after irradiation were investigated with a focus on changing the fracture toughness transition temperature as a result of several heat treatments. The specimens were standard F82H-IEA (IEA), F82H-IEA with several heat treatments (Mod1 series) and a higher tantalum containing (0.1%) heat of F82H (Mod3). The specimens were irradiated up to 18 dpa at 300 C in High Flux Isotope Reactor under a collaborative research program between JAEA/US-DOE. The results of hardness tests showed that irradiation hardening of IEA was comparable with that of Mod3. However, the fracture toughness transition temperature of Mod3 was lower than that of IEA. The transition temperature of Mod1 was also lower than that of the IEA heat. These results suggest that tightening of specifications on the heat treatment condition and modification of the minor alloying elements seem to be effective to reduce the fracture toughness transition temperature after irradiation.