Preliminary Results on FeCrAl Alloys in the As-received and Welded State Designed to Have Enhanced Weldability and Radiation Tolerance

First Annual Progress Report on Radiation Tolerance of Controlled Fusion Welds in High Temperature Oxidation Resistant FeCrAl Alloys

“…At the time of original reporting, it was determined that the C35M01TC, C35M10TC, and C36M alloy would not be irradiated within this program [23]. After evaluating the preliminary data in Reference [25], it was deemed that the C35M10TC would undergo irradiation but at the expense of the C35M03TC alloy. Several other experimental alloys…”

“…Preliminary tests have indicated that cathodic hydrogen charging is the most repeatable and efficient method to introduce hydrogen into the candidate samples and evaluate their susceptibility to hydrogen ingress [25]. Cathodic charging is completed in a solution of 0.1M sulfuric acid, containing 0.25 g/L sodium arsenite powder which is readily soluble in sulfuric acid and acts as a hydrogen recombination inhibitor.…”

“…Details on the operation of the LECO ® OH836 oxygen and hydrogen analyzer can be found in Ref. [25]. To limit hydrogen loss during sample transfers between the charging and analyzing system, a small Dewar filled with liquid nitrogen was used.…”

“…Full details on the preliminary and optimized welding trials can be found in previous reports of this program [23,25]. Here, only details on the optimized welding trials will be provided.…”

“…This includes the fabrication of seven candidate FeCrAl alloys with well-controlled chemistry and microstructure, the microstructural characterization of these alloys using standardized and advanced techniques, mechanical properties testing and evaluation of base alloys, the completion of welding trails and production of weldments for subsequent testing, the design of novel tensile specimen geometry to increase the number of samples that can be irradiated in a single capsule and also shorten the time of their assessment after irradiation, the development of testing procedures for controlled hydrogen ingress studies, and a detailed mechanical and microstructural assessment of weldments prior to irradiation or hydrogen charging. Many of the details of these program outputs can be found in the previously published milestone reports for this program [23][24][25]. As a vehicle to provide a concise and consolidated repository of information on this research, the following report briefly describes the highlights from the program on Radiation Tolerance of Controlled Fusion Welds in High Temperature Oxidation Resistant FeCrAl Alloys completed in the first fiscal year of execution, FY2015.…”