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

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

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.