Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of alloy 600 is regarded as one of the most important challenges to nuclear power plant operation worldwide. This study investigates two heats of alloy 600 (forged control rod drive mechanismnozzle and rolled divider plate) in order to obtain a better understanding of the effects of the material parameter on the SCC phenomenon. The experimental approach was designed to determine the effect of the manufacturing process (forged vs. rolled), the cold-work (as-received vs. cold-worked) and the strain path (monotonic vs. complex) on SCC of alloy 600. Specimens with different strain paths have been produced from two materials representative of plant components and tested in high temperature (360°C) high pressure primary water environment. The manufacturing process has been proven to have a great effect on the stress corrosion cracking behaviour of alloy 600. Indeed, the SCC susceptibility assessment has demonstrated that the rolled materialis resistant to SCC even after cold work, whereas the forged material is susceptible in the as-received state. Microstructural characterisations have been undertaken to explain these differences in SCC behaviour. The carbide distribution is the main microstructural parameter influencing SCC but the misorientation, in synergy with the carbide distribution, has been proven to give a better representation of the materials SCC susceptibilities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:521568 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Leonard, Fabien |
| Contributors | Cottis, Robert |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/study-of-stress-corrosion-cracking-of-alloy-600-in-high-temperature-high-pressure-water(73edf35d-2bf4-42be-9816-b0746620dcf5).html |
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