Effects of neutron irradiation on microstructures and hardness of stainless steel weld-overlay cladding of nuclear reactor pressure vessels

原子炉圧力容器ステンレスオーバーレイクラッドの微細組織と硬さに対する中性子照射の影響

武内 伴照   ; 鹿窪 勇太*; 松川 義孝*; 野沢 康子*; 外山 健*; 永井 康介*; 西山 裕孝 ; 勝山 仁哉  ; 山口 義仁 ; 鬼沢 邦雄 

Takeuchi, Tomoaki; Kakubo, Yuta*; Matsukawa, Yoshitaka*; Nozawa, Yasuko*; Toyama, Takeshi*; Nagai, Yasuyoshi*; Nishiyama, Yutaka; Katsuyama, Jinya; Yamaguchi, Yoshihito; Onizawa, Kunio

照射量7.210cm(E1MeV)、照射速度1.110cms、照射温度290Cで中性子照射した原子炉圧力容器ステンレスオーバーレイクラッドの微細組織変化と硬さを、アトムプローブ法及びナノインデンテーション法により測定し、硬化に対する微細組織の影響を調べた。照射材は、-フェライト相においてCrの濃度変調が増大するとともに、300Cで照射時間と同じ時間の熱処理をした時効材では見られないようなSiの濃度変調の増大も観察された。一方で、硬さは照射材と時効材の両者とも増加したが、前者においてはCr濃度変調から予測されるよりもさらに大きく増加していた。この結果から、クラッド照射材の-相における硬化は、Crの濃度変調のみならずSi濃度変調や照射欠陥に由来することが示唆された。

Microstructural changes and hardness of stainless steel weld overlay cladding of reactor pressure vessels subjected to the neutron irradiation with a dose of 7.2 10n cm (E 1 MeV) and a flux of 1.1 10n cm s at 290C were investigated by atom probe tomography and with nanoindentation technique. In order to isolate the effect of the irradiation, we compared the results of the measurements of the irradiated sample with that of the aged one at 300C for the time equivalent to the irradiation. The Cr concentration fluctuation was enhanced in the -ferrite phase of the irradiated sample. In addition, the enhancement of the concentration fluctuation of Si, which was not observed in the aged sample, was observed. The hardening at the -ferrite phase was occurred by both the irradiation and the aging. However, the former was more than that expected from the Cr concentration fluctuation, which suggested that the Si concentration fluctuation and irradiation-induced defects were possible origins of the additional hardening.