Low cycle fatigue properties of neutron irradiated solid HIP 316L(N). ITER Task T214, NET deliverable GB6 ECN-5

The Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) properties of neutron irradiated Hot Isostatically Pressed (HIP) joints of type 316L(N) stainless steel (heat PM-130) have been measured, as well as the LCF properties of reference 316L(N)-ERHII. Cylindrical LCF test specimens of 3 mm diameter were irradiated in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, The Netherlands, simulating the first wall conditions of future fusion reactors by a combination of high displacement damage with proportional amounts of helium. The solid HIP specimens were irradiated up to a target dose level of 5 dpa at a temperature of 550K. The damage levels realised range from 3.0 to 4.4 dpa, with helium contents up to 41 appm. Testing temperature was equal to the irradiation temperature: 550K. The report contains the experimental conditions and summarises the results, which are given in terms of first cycle stress, the peak stress, the number of cycles where the peak stress is reached, the stress at half life and the plastic strain at half life, and the total number of cycles to failure, Nf. The main conclusions are that the unirradiated solid-HIP materials has the same LCF properties as unirradiated 316L(N)-ERHII plate material. The neutron irradiation induces both hardening and reduction of fatigue life. The bond does not seem to have any effect on the fatigue properties for the unirradiated solid HIP 316L(N), whereas a combined effect of irradiation and the bond cannot be established. No failures related to debonding of the joint were observed for the tests. 7 refs