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GB2054647A - Iron-nickel-chromium alloys - Google Patents

Iron-nickel-chromium alloys Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2054647A
GB2054647A GB8009329A GB8009329A GB2054647A GB 2054647 A GB2054647 A GB 2054647A GB 8009329 A GB8009329 A GB 8009329A GB 8009329 A GB8009329 A GB 8009329A GB 2054647 A GB2054647 A GB 2054647A
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Prior art keywords
nickel
alloy
iron
chromium
gamma
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GB8009329A
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GB2054647B (en
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CBS Corp
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Westinghouse Electric Corp
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    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22CALLOYS
    • C22C38/00Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys
    • C22C38/18Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium
    • C22C38/40Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium with nickel
    • C22C38/50Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium with nickel with titanium or zirconium
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22CALLOYS
    • C22C38/00Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys
    • C22C38/18Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium
    • C22C38/40Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium with nickel
    • C22C38/48Ferrous alloys, e.g. steel alloys containing chromium with nickel with niobium or tantalum

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Powder Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Rigid Pipes And Flexible Pipes (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

Iron-nickel-chromium age- hardenable alloy suitable for use in fast breeder reactor ducts and cladding which utilize the gamma- double prime strengthening phase and characterized in having a delta or eta phase distributed at or near grain boundaries. The alloys consist essentially about 33-39.5% nickel, 7.5-16% chromium, 1.5-4% niobium, 0.1-0.7% silicon, 0.01-0.08% zirconium, 1-3% titanium, 0.5-0.6% aluminum, and the remainder essentially all iron. Up to 0.4% manganese and up to 0.010% magnesium can be added to inhibit trace element effects.

Description

SPECIFICATION Iron-nickel-chromium alloys This invention relates to iron-nickel-chromium alloys.
While not limited thereto, the present invention is particularly adapted for use as a fast breeder reactor duct and fuel rod cladding alloy. Such an alloy requires strong mechanical properties at high temperatures and at the same time must have both swelling resistance under the influence of irradiation and low neutron absorbence. Alloys such as those described in U.S.Patent No. 3,046,108 (Eiselstein) disclose age-hardenable nickel-chromium base alloys which have high strength and good ductility over a wide temperature range up to about 14000 F. The aforesaid patent discloses a nickel-base alloy having a nominal composition consisting essentially of about 53% nickel, 1 9% chromium, 3% molybdenum 5% niobium,0.2% silicon, 0.2% manganese, 0.9% titanium, 0.45% aluminum, 0.04% carbon and the balance essentially iron.The alloy is characterized in the age-hardened condition by a yield strength (0.2% offset) of at least 100,000 pounds per square inch at room temperature and by a 100-hour rupture strength of at least 90,000 psi at 12000 F.
It is known that nickel-base alloys containing titanium and aluminum, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 3,046, 108, are strengthened by precipitation of a gamma-prime phase. It has also been found that by adjusting the amounts of titanium, aluminum and niobium in such alloys, a morphology can be obtained wherein precipitated gamma-prime particles are coated on their six faces with a shell of gamma-double prime precipitate. The resulting microstructure is very stable on prolonged aging and has good thermal stabiiity characteristics.
In copending application United States Patent Application Serial No. 917,832, filed June 22, 1978, an iron-nickel-chromium alloy is described which incorporates the gamma-prime and gammadouble prime phases to achieve high strength mechanical properties at elevated temperatures as well as good swelling resistance in response to irradiation. The alloy described in the aforesaid copending application contains about 0.3% aluminum, about 1.7% titanium, about 45% nickel, about 10% chromium and about 1.7% niobium.
Accordingly, the present invention resides in an iron-nickel-chromium age-hardenable alloy having gamma prime or gamma prime and gamma double prime phases present and consisting essentially of from 3339.5% nickel, 7.5-16% chromium, 1.5-4% niobium, 0.1-1% silicon, 0.01--0.8% zirconium, 1-3% titanium, 0.2-0.6% aluminum, and the remainder essentially all iron.
It has been found that the desirable properties of the alloys described in the aforesaid copending United States Patent Application Serial No. 917,832 can be further enhanced by reducing the nickel content to about 35% increasing the zirconium content and critically limiting the aluminum content.
Specifically, the alloys of the invention has a lower neutron absorption cross section than alloys containing higher amounts of nickel; has less tendency to form faulted dislocations; has higher post irradiation ductility; and, at the same time, has high swelling resistance in response to irradiation. The alloy of Patent No. 3,046, 108 has a neutron absorption cross section which is 56% higher than that of AISI 316. The alloys of this disclosure have cross sections on the order of 27% higher than that of AISI 31 6 - a significant improvement. Furthermore, the ductility of the alloy can be improved by an appropriate heat treatment.
The above and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention: The broad and preferred compositions of the alloy of the invention are listed in the following Table I: TABLE I Broad - Preferred - Nickel 33-39.5 37 Chromium 7.5-16 12 Niobium 1.5 4 2.9 Silicon 0.1-0.7 0.2 Zirconium 0.01--0.2 0.05 Titanium 1-3 1.75 Aluminum 0.2-0.6 0.3 Carbon 0.02-0.1 0.03 Boron 0.002-0.015 0.005 Manganese 0.05-0.4 0.2 Iron Bal Bal Additionally, up to 1.5% molybdenum and/or up to 0.010 magnesium can be added to improve long-term mechanical properties.
Normally, alloys containing less than 40% nickel, regardless of heat treatment, will not form the gamma-double prime phase, and thus the alloy will not achieve its ultimate characteristics. It has been found, however, that the nickel content can be less than 40% where other considerations are taken into account. In this respect, it has been found that the aluminum content is critical and cannot exceed 0.6% where the nickel content is below 40%; for example, 37% nickel, and still obtain the gamma-double prime precipitate. While on first consideration it may appear that a corresponding increase is also required in the zirconium content, it is not seen wherein zirconium content effects the transformation characteristics of this alloy.Moreover, a detrimental effect can be foisted upon the alloy where the zirconium content is too high since the alloy will not be able to be fabricated, for example, by a welding.
The foregoing alloys are characterized in having both the gamma-prime (') and gamma-double prime (") phases. At the same time, by virtue of the fact that the nickel content is beneath 40% by weight, the alloy is characterized by low neutron absorbence and at the same time has good swelling resistance under irradiation.
In order to derive the optimized alloy of the invention, a number of alloys were examined, the compositions of these alloys being listed in the following Table II: TABLE II Alloy Fe Ni Cr Mo Nb Hf Si Mn Mg D32 Bal 37 12 - 4.0 - - - - D33 Bal 45 12 - 4.0 - - - D66 Bal 45 12 3.0 - - 0.5 - D31-M-5 Bal 37 12 - 3.0 0.03 0.5 - D31-M-6 Bal 37 12 - 3.0 - 0.5 - D31-M-7 Bal 37 12 2.0 4.0 - 0.5 - 31-M-8 Bal 37 12 4.5 4.0 - 0.5 - D31-M-9 Bal 37 15 3.0 4.0 - 0.5 0.2 0.02 D31-M-10 Bal 45 12 - 4.0 - 0.5 0.2 0.02 D31-M-11 Bal 45 12 - 4.0 - 0.5 0.2 0.02 D31-M-12 Bal 45 12 - 4.0 - 0.5 0.2 0.02 D31-M-13 Bal 45 12 2.0 4.0 - 0.5 0.2 0.02 D31-M-14 Bal 45 12 2.0 4.0 - 0.5 0.2 0.02 D68 Bal 45 12 - 3.6 - 0.35 0.2 0.01 D68-B1 Bal 45 12 - 3.0 - 0.3 0.2 D68-B2(C-1) Bal 37 12 - 2.9 - 0.3 0.2 0.05 D68-C4 Bal 34 12 - 2.9 - 0.5 0.2 Identified Alloy Zr T1 Al C B Precipitate D32 0.03 2.8 0.8 0.03 0.010 D33 0.03 1.9 0.5 0.03 0.010 '," 066 0.05 2.5 2.5 0.03 0.005 D31-M-5 0.03 1.9 1.9 0.03 0.01 D31-M-6 0.05 2.5 2.5 0.03 0.005 D31-M-7 0.05 0.08 0.6 0.03 0.005 D31-M-8 0.05 0.8 0.6 0.03 0.005 D31-M-9 - 1.0 0.4 0.04 0.005 D31-M-10 0.05 1.8 0.8 0.03 0.005 D3 1 -M-1 1 0.05 1.8 1.0 0.03 0.005 D31-M-12 0.05 1.8 1.2 0.03 0.005 D31-M-13 0.05 1.8 0.8 0.03 0.005 D31-M-14 0.05 1.8 1.0 0.03 0.005 D68 0.05 1.7 0.3 0.03 0.005 068-81 0.5 1.75 0.3 0.03 0.005 '," D68-B2(C-1) 0.05 1.75 0.3 0.03 0.005 D68-C4 0.05 1.75 0.3 0.03 0.005 Alloys aged in the range of 1624hours at about 7600C.
From an examination of Table 11, it can be seen that most alloys (e.g., alloys D31-M-5 to D31-M-9) containing less than 40% nickel do not contain the gamma-double prime phase unless the aluminum content is less than 0.6% by weight. Likewise, the nickel content must be greater than 33 to 35% to obtain the" phase.
Stress rupture testing confirms that the 100-hour 6500C stress rupture strength of alloy D68-B2 is about 586 Mpa, which is about the same as that measured for alloy D68. In addition, alloy D68-B2 has approximately a 10% lower neutron absorption cross section than alloy D68 which translates into a significant savings for fuel cladding applications.
As was stated previously, the lower nickel range together with the presence of the gamma-double prime precipitate is effective for showing an improved ductility. This ductility is most critical in the post irradiation mode, and therefore any improvement in the bend ductility is highly effective for making such materials eminently suited for use in fast breeder reactors.
In order to demonstrate this phenomenon, the alloys listed hereinafter, whose chemical composition and phase identification are set forth in Table II, were irradiated to a fluence of 6.9 x 1022 neutrons per square centimeter at a temperature of 593 # 250C, and thereafter tested at 7300 C. The disc test to which the hereinafter specified alloys were subjected is a specially designed microductility test in which an indentor is pushed through a disc onto a mandrel. This has been correlated with tensile testing and found to give identical results to bulk tensile testing. It is used for reactor testing specimens because it permits the utilization of reduced size and configuration samples in order to obtain the data.
The discs that are normally tested are 1/8" or 3 mm in diameter and approximately 1/12,000" in thickness. The test is only accurate in the range of low ductility in which there is less than 2% ductility because the developmental work has not yet been completed on materials which exhibit higher ductilities. This test has been utilized by most of the major reactor manufacturers and ts compatible with government testing requirements.
Alloy Designation Bend Ductility (%) D68-B1 0.2 D68-C1 0.8 As stated, the use of this material in a nuclear environment requires that the material as irradiated to normal fluences must demonstrate low swelling of the composition. In order to demonstrate this outstanding feature in the present invention, reference is had to the following table in which alloy D68-B2 was irradiated to the nominal fluences indicated. For comparison, the table also contains data on the swelling resistance of AISI Type 316 under the same conditions.
PERCENT SWELLING (6.9 x 1022 n/cm2) Temperature 25% Cold Worked 20% Cold Worked C D68-82 AISI 316 427 -0.87 +0.17 482 -1.19 +0.79 510 -1.10 +1.9 538 -0.92 +2.47 593 -0.65 +3.20 649 -0.92 +0.5 From the foregoing, it is noted that alloy D68-B2 is still densifying, while AISI Type 316 is well into the void swelling regime regardless of the temperatures employed. These data make it clear that the alloys of the present invention are particularly suitable for use, for example, in a fast breeder reactor.

Claims (2)

1.75% titanium, about 0.3% aluminum, and the remainder essentially all iron.
1. An iron-nickel-chromium age-hardenable alloy wherein said alloy has gamma prime or gamma prime and gamma double prime phases present and consisting essentially of from 33-39.5% nickel, 7.5-16% chromium, 1.5-4% niobium, 0.1-1% silicon, 0.01-0.8% zirconium, 1-3% titanium, 0.2-0.6% aluminum, and the remainder essentially all iron.
2. An alloy according to claim 1, wherein said alloy additionally contains 0.02-0.1% carbon, 0.002-0.015% boron, 0.05-0.4% manganese, and up to 0.010% magnesium.
3. An alloy according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said alloy consists essentially of about 37% nickel, about 12% chromium, about
2.9% niobium, about 0.2% silicon, about 0.5% zirconium, about
GB8009329A 1979-07-27 1980-03-20 Iron-nickel-chromium alloys Expired GB2054647B (en)

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US6122879A 1979-07-27 1979-07-27

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GB2054647B GB2054647B (en) 1983-10-26

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JP (1) JPS5620149A (en)
BE (1) BE882455A (en)
DE (1) DE3011432A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2462485A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2054647B (en)
IT (1) IT1136399B (en)
NL (1) NL8001934A (en)
SE (1) SE8005427L (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20170130603A1 (en) * 2015-11-11 2017-05-11 Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. Austenite steel, and austenite steel casting using same

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3902634A1 (en) * 1989-01-30 1990-08-02 Kernforschungsz Karlsruhe AUSTENITIC STEEL WITH IMPROVED RESISTANCE TO NEUTRON-INDUCED THRESHOLD AND HELIUM TESTING

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3705827A (en) * 1971-05-12 1972-12-12 Carpenter Technology Corp Nickel-iron base alloys and heat treatment therefor
US3871928A (en) * 1973-08-13 1975-03-18 Int Nickel Co Heat treatment of nickel alloys
US4165997A (en) * 1977-03-24 1979-08-28 Huntington Alloys, Inc. Intermediate temperature service alloy

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20170130603A1 (en) * 2015-11-11 2017-05-11 Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. Austenite steel, and austenite steel casting using same
US10415423B2 (en) 2015-11-11 2019-09-17 Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. Austenite steel, and austenite steel casting using same

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JPS5620149A (en) 1981-02-25
GB2054647B (en) 1983-10-26
DE3011432A1 (en) 1980-10-09
IT8041548A0 (en) 1980-03-27
FR2462485A1 (en) 1981-02-13
IT1136399B (en) 1986-08-27
SE8005427L (en) 1981-01-28
NL8001934A (en) 1981-01-29
BE882455A (en) 1980-09-26
FR2462485B1 (en) 1984-09-14

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