Unique deformation behavior of ultrafine-grained 304 stainless steel at 20 K

Mao, W.*; Gong, W.; 川崎 卓郎; Gao, S.*; 伊東 達矢; 山下 享介*; Harjo, S.; Zhao, L.*; Wang, Q.*

Scripta Materialia, 264, p.116726_1 - 116726_6, 2025/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116726

An ultrafine-grained 304 austenitic stainless steel exhibited pronounced serrated Luders deformation at 20 K, with stress and temperature oscillations reaching 200 MPa and 20 K. neutron diffraction and digital image correlation revealed discontinuous Luders band propagation and burst martensite formation. During deformation, austenite phase stress remained lower than at upper yielding, indicating elastic behavior. Notably, martensite phase stress stayed lower than austenite until fracture, likely due to stress relaxation from burst martensitic transformation at 20 K. The low martensite stress delayed brittle fracture until austenite plastically yielded during uniform deformation.

Analysis of dissolved radionuclides trapped into corrosion products formed on carbon steel and the corresponding increase in radioactivity

青山 高士; 上野 文義; 佐藤 智徳; 加藤 千明; 佐野 成人; 山下 直輝; 大谷 恭平; 五十嵐 誉廣

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 214, p.111229_1 - 111229_6, 2025/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111229

To elucidate the effect of dissolved radionuclides on corrosion of carbon steels and on formation of corrosion products of carbon steel, corrosion tests and imaging plate analysis were conducted. Carbon steel samples immersed in 10 mM NaCl containing Sr and Cs were analyzed using an imaging plate. As a result, the distribution of Sr or Cs in the corrosion products formed on carbon steel was successfully visualized. Furthermore, the radioactivity of the corroded specimens was calculated from calibration curves prepared using a Sr standard.

Role of solute hydrogen on mechanical property enhancement in Fe-24Cr-19Ni austenitic steel; An neutron diffraction study

伊東 達矢; 小川 祐平*; Gong, W.; Mao, W.*; 川崎 卓郎; 岡田 和歩*; 柴田 曉伸*; Harjo, S.

Acta Materialia, 287, p.120767_1 - 120767_16, 2025/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2025.120767

Incorporating solute hydrogen into Fe-Cr-Ni-based austenitic stainless steels enhances both strength and ductility, providing a promising solution to hydrogen embrittlement by causing solid-solution strengthening and assisting deformation twinning. However, its impacts on the relevant lattice defects evolution (, dislocations, stacking faults, and twins) during deformation remains unclear. This study compared the tensile deformation behavior in an Fe-24Cr-19Ni (mass%) austenitic steel with 7600 atom ppm hydrogen-charged (H-charged) and without hydrogen-charged (non-charged) using neutron diffraction. Hydrogen effects on the lattice expansion, solid-solution strengthening, stacking fault probability, stacking fault energy, dislocation density, and strain/stress for twin evolution were quantitatively evaluated to link them with the macroscale mechanical properties. The H-charged sample showed improvements in yield stress, flow stress, and uniform elongation, consistent with earlier findings. However, solute hydrogen exhibited minimal influences on the evolution of dislocation and stacking fault. This fact contradicts the previous reports on hydrogen-enhanced dislocation and stacking fault evolutions, the latter of which can be responsible for the enhancement of twinning. The strain for twin evolution was smaller in the H-charged sample compared to the non-charged one. Nevertheless, when evaluated as the onset stress for twin evolution, there was minimal change between the two samples. These findings suggest that the increase in flow stress due to the solid-solution strengthening by hydrogen is a root cause of accelerated deformation twinning at a smaller strain, leading to an enhanced work-hardening rate and improved uniform elongation.

クリープ破断時間および高温引張強度予測モデルの連合学習

櫻井 惇也*; 鳥形 啓輔*; 松永 学*; 高梨 直人*; 日比野 真也*; 木津 健一*; 森田 聡*; 井元 雅弘*; 下畠 伸朗*; 豊田 晃大; et al.

鉄と鋼, 111(5), p.246 - 262, 2025/04

https://doi.org/10.2355/tetsutohagane.TETSU-2024-124

Creep testing is time-consuming and costly, leading institutions to limit the number of tests conducted to the minimum necessary for their specific objectives. By pooling data from each institution, it is anticipated that predictive models can be developed for a wide range of materials, including welded joints and degraded materials exposed to service conditions. However, the data obtained by each institution is often highly confidential, making it challenging to share with others. Federated learning, a type of privacy-preserving computation technology, allows for learning while keeping data confidential. Utilizing this approach, it is possible to develop creep life prediction models by leveraging data from various institutions. In this paper, we constructed global deep neural network models for predicting creep rupture life of heat-resistant ferritic steels in collaboration with eight institutions using the federated learning system we developed for this purpose. Each institution built a local model using only its own data for comparison. While these local models demonstrated good predictive accuracy for their respective datasets, their predictive performance declined when applied to data from other institutions. In contrast, the global model constructed using federated learning showed reasonably good predictive performance across all institutions. The distance between each institution's data was defined in the space of explanatory variables, with the NIMS data, which had the largest dataset, serving as the reference point. The global model maintained high predictive accuracy regardless of the distance from the NIMS data, whereas the predictive accuracy of the NIMS local model significantly decreased as the distance increased.

Role of retained austenite and deformation-induced martensite in 0.15C-5Mn steel monitored by neutron diffraction measurement during tensile deformation

山下 享介*; 諸岡 聡; Gong, W.; 川崎 卓郎; Harjo, S.; 北條 智彦*; 興津 貴隆*; 藤井 英俊*

ISIJ International, 64(14), p.2051 - 2060, 2024/12

https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2024-196

An Fe-0.15C-5Mn-0.5Si-0.05Nb steel annealed at 660C and 685C showed Lders deformation followed by high work hardening, with variations in Lders strain and hardening behavior. neutron diffraction during tensile tests analyzed phase stresses, strength contributions, and austenite orientation. Deformation-induced martensite contributed 1000 MPa to strength near tensile failure, while austenite mainly enhanced ductility via transformation-induced plasticity. Austenite transformed to martensite during Lders deformation regardless of orientation, though 311-oriented grains tended to remain along the tensile direction.

First freezing experiments with a molten mixture of boron carbide and stainless steel in core disruptive accidents of sodium-cooled fast reactors

江村 優軌; 松場 賢一; 菊地 晋; 山野 秀将

Proceedings of 13th Korea-Japan Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS13) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2024/11

Assuming the CDA of SFRs, the eutectic melting between BC as a control rod material and stainless steel (SS) as a structural material could occur below their melting points. After that, the mixture produced by eutectic melting between BC and SS (BC-SS mixture) would relocate inside or outside of the original core region. From the viewpoint of core reactivity changes, the relocation behavior of BC-SS mixture induced by its melting/freezing behavior, is one of the key elements to evaluate the CDA consequences. Many experimental studies on freezing behavior using core materials and its simulants, including molten UO, SS, tin, wood's metal have been reported in the past. Based on these experimental findings, the freezing/blockage model for the severe accident simulation code was established and discussed through analyses of freezing process. Specifically, it has been considered that the experimental correlation of melt-penetration length was a key indicator to quantitatively describe freezing behavior. However, there was no experimental data for the freezing behavior of actual BC-SS mixture. Therefore, the freezing experiments of BC-SS mixture were conducted to investigate the freezing and blockage behavior inside a flow path such as fuel pin bundle. In the freezing experiments, BC powder and SS block were heated up to around 1,750 K using a graphite heating furnace, then BC-SS mixture flowed down into an SS pipe for cooling below 750 K. The experimental results showed that the BC-SS mixture solidified and resulted in the blockage in the SS pipe with 4 mm or 6.7 mm in inner diameter, respectively. Furthermore, the observations for cross section of SS pipe suggested that the BC-SS mixture penetrated deeper than molten SS. This difference is considered to be influenced by decrease of the melting point.

高速炉燃料用SUS316相当鋼の高温強度及び照射特性評価

宮澤 健; 上羽 智之; 矢野 康英; 丹野 敬嗣; 大塚 智史; 鬼澤 高志; 安藤 勝訓; 皆藤 威二

JAEA-Technology 2024-009, 140 Pages, 2024/10

JAEA-Technology-2024-009.pdf:8.03MB

SUS316相当鋼を用いた高速炉燃料設計の高信頼性化に向けて、SUS316相当鋼被覆管及びラッパ管の高温強度及び照射データを材料学的及び統計学的な観点で評価・解析することで、高温強度及び高照射量までの照射特性に係る設計用強度式を導出した。異常な過渡変化の上限温度を超える900CまでのSUS316相当鋼被覆管及びラッパ管(非照射材)の高温引張試験データ及び高温クリープ試験データを拡充し、0.2%耐力、引張強さ、クリープ破断強度の最適近似式と下限式並びに熱クリープひずみの最適近似式と上下限式を導出した。また、高速実験炉「常陽」、仏国・高速原型炉Phenix及び米国・FFTFで高照射量まで中性子照射したSUS316相当鋼被覆管及びラッパ管の照射後引張試験データ及びSUS316相当鋼被覆管の炉内クリープ破断試験データを解析することで、炉内Na中照射による引張強度及びクリープ強度の低下を表す強度補正係数を導出した。導出した式を実測値と比較することで、その妥当性を確認した。

Stress-controlled hydrogen embrittlement failure in U-bend high-strength steel

柴山 由樹; 北條 智彦*; 小山 元道*; 秋山 英二*

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 88, p.1010 - 1016, 2024/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.09.123

The effect of plastic deformation on the hydrogen embrittlement behavior of high-strength martensitic steels was investigated using a U-bend test. The hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility appeared to be enhanced with increasing plastic strain. Based on fractographic and stress-strain analyses, the maximum principal stress dominated the hydrogen embrittlement fracture. Although the apparent enhancement with increasing plastic deformation was observed, the origin of the enhancement was increased residual stress arising from the evolution of graded plastic strain during U-bending. We conclude that residual stress rather than plastic strain induced by plastic deformation strongly affects hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility in deformed high-strength steel components.

Thermal stability of retained austenite with heterogeneous composition and size in austempered Fe-2Mn-1.5Si-0.4C alloy

渡邊 未来*; 宮本 吾郎*; Zhang, Y.*; 諸岡 聡; Harjo, S.; 小林 康浩*; 古原 忠*

ISIJ International, 64(9), p.1464 - 1476, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2024-044

The mechanical properties of TRIP steels depend on heterogeneities of chemical composition and grain size in the retained structure, although these heterogeneities have not been characterized in detail. Therefore, in this study, we quantitatively investigate the inhomogeneous carbon concentration and grain size distribution, and its effects on the thermal stability of the retained in Fe-2Mn-1.5Si-0.4C (mass%) TRIP steel using FE-EPMA, EBSD, Mssbauer spectroscopy, and in-situ neutron diffraction during bainitic transformation at 673 K. In-situ neutron diffraction experiments detects high-carbon evolving during bainite transformation, in addition to the original , and the time variation of the volume fraction of highcarbon agrees well with the fraction of retained at room temperature. Williamson-Hall analysis based on peak width suggests that heterogeneity of carbon content exists even within the high-carbon . Compositional analysis using FE-EPMA and three-dimensional atom probe directly revealed that fine filmy was highly enriched with carbon compared to larger blocky , and the carbon content in blocky decreases with increasing blocky size. DICTRA simulation qualitatively reproduces the size dependency of carbon enrichment into . It was also found that tends to be retained at higher carbon content and smaller grain size since the smaller grain size directly improves thermal stability and the smaller size further contributes to the thermal stability via enhanced carbon enrichment.

Thinning behavior of solid boron carbide immersed in molten stainless steel for core disruptive accident of sodium-cooled fast reactor

江村 優軌; 高井 俊秀; 菊地 晋; 神山 健司; 山野 秀将; 横山 博紀*; 坂本 寛*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(7), p.911 - 920, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2287109

Boron carbide (BC)- stainless steel (SS) eutectic reaction behavior is one of the most important issues in the core disruptive accidents (CDAs) of sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). In this study, the immersion experiments using BC pellets with molten SS were conducted to evaluate the CDA sequences such as contact event of solid BC with degraded core materials including SS at very high temperature. The immersion experiment aims at understanding the kinetic behavior of solid BC-liquid SS reaction based on the reduced thickness of BC pellet after the experiment in the temperature ranges from 1763 to 1943 K, which is higher than the temperature of solid BC-solid SS reaction. Based on the kinetic consideration of the reaction rate constants for solid BC-liquid SS reaction, it was found that similar temperature dependency was identified between solid BC-liquid SS and solid BC-solid SS. Besides, the reaction rate constants of solid BC-liquid SS were smaller than those of solid BC-solid SS extrapolated in higher temperature region by two or more orders of magnitude due to two different evaluation method for BC side/SS side. It was confirmed that this difference was reasonable through the consideration of previous reaction tests in solid-solid contact for BC side/SS side.