Modeling Material Properties From Microstructure in an Irradiated T91 Ferrite/Martensite Alloy
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by a student grant from the UI Office of Undergraduate Research.
Abstract
Ferritic/martensitic (F/M) alloys are good competitors for structural and fuel cladding applications in nuclear reactors, as they have high strength and resistance to embrittlement under radiation unlike many other alloys. Thus, for this material to be used in said applications it is critical that the long-term effects of irradiation on these alloys be known and documented. Since it is known that radiation causes microstructure damage from irradiation, this project focuses on relating microstructure changes to material properties in order to document the effects different levels of irradiation have on the same alloy. In this project I produced data on microstructural changes of T91 alloy samples, between three levels of irradiation, these changes include defects such as voids and dislocation loops. I characterized these defects from previously collected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and performed statistical analysis to calculate the average size and number density of each feature found during characterization. I then measured the material properties of the samples using Nanoindentation to measure nanohardness from which I determined a change in yield strength due to irradiation. Finally, I related the predicted embrittlement I calculated using the dispersed barrier hardening method and the data acquired from nano-indentation.
Modeling Material Properties From Microstructure in an Irradiated T91 Ferrite/Martensite Alloy
Ferritic/martensitic (F/M) alloys are good competitors for structural and fuel cladding applications in nuclear reactors, as they have high strength and resistance to embrittlement under radiation unlike many other alloys. Thus, for this material to be used in said applications it is critical that the long-term effects of irradiation on these alloys be known and documented. Since it is known that radiation causes microstructure damage from irradiation, this project focuses on relating microstructure changes to material properties in order to document the effects different levels of irradiation have on the same alloy. In this project I produced data on microstructural changes of T91 alloy samples, between three levels of irradiation, these changes include defects such as voids and dislocation loops. I characterized these defects from previously collected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and performed statistical analysis to calculate the average size and number density of each feature found during characterization. I then measured the material properties of the samples using Nanoindentation to measure nanohardness from which I determined a change in yield strength due to irradiation. Finally, I related the predicted embrittlement I calculated using the dispersed barrier hardening method and the data acquired from nano-indentation.
Comments
T17