Abstract
IT has been widely demonstrated that irradiation in thermal fluxes results in the loss of high-temperature tensile ductility in stainless steels1ā9, and strong evidence has been advanced to support the contention that helium produced from the boron-10 (nĪ±) reaction with thermal neutrons is responsible for this loss in ductility9,10. Development of bubbles in irradiated stainless steels has been observed by thin foil electron microscopy (Fig. 1), and consideration of mechanical property, metallographic and electron microscope data led to the formulation of a theory of high-temperature embrittlement11ā13. This was based on the weakening of grain boundaries by the migration to these areas, under stress, of helium to form bubbles larger than a critical size, failure occurring as the bubbles grew and linked together.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Fennell, J., and Roberts, A. G., J. Nuclear Materials, 12, 167 (1964).
Hughes, A. N., and Caley, J. R., J. Nuclear Materials, 10, 84 (1963).
Martin, W. R., and Weir, J. R., Nature, 202, 997 (1964).
Roberts, A. C., and Harries, D. R., Nature, 200, 772 (1963).
Chernock, W. P., et al., U.N. Geneva Conf., 28/P/255 (1964).
Tobin, J. C., et al., U.N. Geneva Conf., 28/P/242 (1964).
Gusev, E. V., et al., U.N. Geneva Conf., 28/P/339(a) (1964).
Harries, D. R., et al., U.N. Geneva Conf., 28/A/162 (1964).
Broomfield, G. H., Harries, D. R., and Roberts, A. C., J. Iron and Steel Inst., 203, 502 (1965).
Pfeil, P. C. L., and Barton, P., AERE-R 5027 (1965).
Berggren, R. G., et al., U.S.A.E.C. Conf., TID 7588 (1959).
Bagley, K. Q., Cawthorne, C., and Fraser, A. S. (unpublished results).
Barnes, R. S., Nature, 206, 1307 (1965).
Birss, I. R., Nuclear Eng., 10, 465 (1965).
Freeman, J. (unpublished results).
Plumensi, J., and Kohn, A., C.R. Acad. Sci., Paris, 258, 551 (1964).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
FRASER, A., BIRSS, I. & CAWTHORNE, C. High-temperature Embrittlement of Stainless Steel irradiated in Fast Fluxes. Nature 211, 291ā292 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/211291a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/211291a0
This article is cited by
-
The Irradiation Effect of a Simultaneous Laser and Electron Dual-beam on Void Formation
Scientific Reports (2013)
-
Voids in Irradiated Stainless Steel
Nature (1967)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
