K. Sakaguchi

Role of Work-Hardened Surface Layer in Initiation of Environmentally Assisted Cracking in High-Temperature Water

Abstract The initiation of environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) in simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) high-temperature water was studied using specimens with work-hardened surface layers polished off. Compared to a previous initiation study on specimens with work-hardened surface layers in a similar water environment, it was concluded that a work-hardened surface layer can greatly accelerate EAC initiation in high-temperature water. In addition, it was shown that slip bands produced by the applied tensile stress are not obviously sensitive to EAC. Possible EAC initiation mitigation methods were suggested.

Water irradiation by high-frequency ultrasonic wave: effects on properties of passive film formed on stainless steel.

In this paper an aqueous solution was irradiated with a 1.63MHz ultrasonic wave. It is shown that if stainless steel can passivate under dynamic polarization in this medium, under static polarization, the latter does not show any repassivation behaviour with time. This is attributed to a diminution of the diffusion layer thickness that is developed at the electrode/electrolyte interface, which is associated with a production of H(2) species by sonolysis and which maintains reductive conditions at the interface. The oxide film formed under ultrasonic irradiation for 1h at a passive potential of+0.2V(SCE) shows an early stage of passivation and an increased disordered state, which implies a considerable decrease in the corrosion resistance behaviour of the sample. The polarization resistance of the stainless steel R(p) is divided by a value of 4.5 under ultrasonic conditions.

Lasers and Thermal Spray

Basically, thermal spray and laser processing can be considered as half brothers since they show many common features due to the use of a (more or less) high-energy source for both. Their combination can therefore be very fruitful and prominent to achieve coatings, which results in their most recent and advanced applications. In the materials processing development story, the laser will thus have moved from cutting to coating. This keynote presentation focuses on the recently-developed coupling of laser processing to cold spray). In this dual process, a cold spray gun is combined to a laser head in a single device, e.g. on a robot. Series of coating experiments using various laser irradiation conditions, primarily pulse frequency, were carried out for Al-based and Ni-based alloys. Laser pre-treatment of the substrate just prior to cold spray, was shown to be beneficial for adhesion of cold-sprayed coatings. Adhesion improvement was exhibited and studied from LASATesting (LASAT for “LAser Shock Adhesion Test”). Incidentally, through LASAT also, the role of lasers in the development of thermally-sprayed coatings can be considered as major. Results are discussed in the light of a TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) study of the coating-substrate interface with and without laser pre-treatment.

Comparison of the Electric Properties and ESCA Result of Oxide Films Formed on AISI 316L Steel in Simulated BWR Conditions during SSRT

A possible approach to describe the role of the environment in the phenomena behind crack initiation and crack propagation in stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is to assume that the transport of species through the oxide film on the material surface is one of the rate-controlling factors. The transport rates of ionic and electronic defects through the oxide film are, in addition to the environment, also affected by the stress and strain applied to the bulk material. In this paper, the surface oxide film formed on AISI 316L steel in slow strain rate tests (SSRT) in simulated BWR condition has been analyzed by using Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA). The obtained film composition and structure have been combined with in-situ contact electric resistance (CER) measurements in order to evaluate the changes in oxide film electric properties during straining in the above environment. The results show that oxide film resistance of the strained part exhibits a maximum at around 2% of strain, which seems to correlate with a maximum in the Cr(III) concentration in the inner layer of the oxide. The implications of these results to SCC are discussed based on Mixed-Conduction Model (MCM).

Quantifying the Crack Tip Oxidation Kinetics Parameters and Their Contribution to Stress Corrosion Cracking in High Temperature Water

Stress corrosion cracking is the result of the interaction between crack tip oxidation kinetics and crack tip mechanics. Oxidation kinetic processes for austenitic alloys in high temperate water environments are analyzed, emphasizing the effects of alloy composition and microstructure, temperature, water chemistry, etc. The crack chemistry is investigated with introducing the effect of aging on reactivity of crack sides and the throwing power of bulk water chemistry. Oxidation rate constants under various conditions are calculated based on quasi-solid state oxidation mechanism, which are incorporated in the theoretical growth rate equation to quantify the effects of several key parameters on stress corrosion cracking growth rates of austenitic alloys in high temperature water environments, especially the effect of environmental parameters on stress corrosion cracking of Ni-base alloys in simulated PWR environments and stainless steels in simulated boiling water environments.Copyright

Cracking Paths During Initiation of Environmentally Assisted Cracking in High Temperature Water

Fracture Research and Reliability Institute,Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University,Aramaki Aoba 01, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579(Received January 19, 2005and accepted in revised form May 13, 2005)KEYWORDS: cracking path, initiation, environmentallyassisted cracking, high temperature water, stainless steel