Takashi Sawabe

Effects of molybdenum on precipitation behaviours in aged cast stainless steels

Abstract The effects of Mo on precipitation behaviours in aged cast stainless steels have been investigated. Mo-free CF3 steel and Mo-bearing CF3M steel, both of which consisted of a duplex structure of ferrite and austenite phases, were prepared. Microstructural evolution in the ferrite phase during ageing at 723 K has been observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Precipitates in CF3 steel were identified to belong to the G-phase and possess lattice coherency with the ferrite phase at interphase boundaries. On the other hand, precipitates in CF3M steel were found to be nanodomains of not only to the G-phase but also to another phase enriched in Mo. Some of the nanodomains containing Mo exhibited diffraction patterns having pseudo five-fold symmetry, but others exhibited regular periodicity in high-resolution TEM images. The atomic structure of the Mo-related nanodomains is proposed to be a distorted χ-phase that retains coherency with the matrix.

Evolution of nanoscopic iron clusters in irradiated zirconium alloys with different iron contents

ABSTRACT We investigate the distribution of alloying elements in irradiated Zr alloys with different Fe contents using atom probe tomography. Our results showed dense nanoscale regions (clusters) of Fe formed in the matrix. The average diameter of the Fe clusters in alloy with a high Fe content increased under a higher neutron fluence. Conversely, the number density of Fe clusters remained similar in all the Zr alloy specimens. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry showed that the maximum cluster size depended on the Fe content in the secondary phase particles. Fe clusters gathered along the basal plane of the Zr alloys at high fluence, indicating that irradiation defects influence Fe clustering. The solute concentration of Fe was estimated to be approximately 0.1 at%, which is the Fe concentration in the matrix exclusive of Fe clusters.