The Effect of Tempering Duration on the Creep Behavior of the P91 Steels at 600℃

Abstract

High performance martensitic heat resistant steels are widely used in fossil fuel power plant industry due to because of their good creep resistance at high temperatures. In-depth understanding of the high temperature inelastic deformation mechanism of such steels is crucial to ensure the reliable, safe and efficient operation of the power plant [1]. The martensitic steels have a complex microstructure with a hierarchical arrangement, including a collection of packets in the prior austenite grain, blocks in the packet and laths along with dispersed nanoscale strengthening phases (e.g., MX precipitates and carbides). The purpose of this paper is to study the creep mechanisms with regard to the microstructure of the P91 martensitic steel at high temperature by means of experimental characterisation and finite element simulation.