Characterization of Nano Sized Microstructures in Fe and Ni Base ODS Alloys Using Small Angle Neutron Scattering

Ferritic ODS(Oxide-dispersion-strengthened) alloy is known as a primary candidate material of the cladding tubes of a sodium fast reactor (SFR) in the Generation IV research program. In ODS alloy, the major contribution to the enhanced high-temperature mechanical property comes from the existence of nano-sized oxide precipitates, which act as obstacles to the movement of dislocations. In addition for the extremely high temperature application(>950 .deg. C) of future nuclear system, Ni base ODS alloys are considered as candidate materials. Therefore the characterization of nano-sized microstructures is important for determining the mechanical properties of the material. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) technique non-destructively probes structures in materials at the nano-meter length of scale (1 - 1000 nm) and has been a very powerful tool in a variety of scientific/engineering research areas. In this study, nano-sized microstructures were quantitatively analyzed by small angle neutron scattering. Quantitative microstructural information on nanosized oxide in ODS alloys was obtained from SANS data. The effects of the thermo mechanical treatment on the size and volume fraction of nano-sized oxides were analyzed. For 12Cr ODS alloy, the experimental A-ratio is two-times larger than the theoretical A-ratio., and this result is considered to be due to the imperfections included in YTaO₄. For Ni base ODS alloy, the volume fraction of the mid-sized particles (- 30 nm) increases rapidly as hot extrusion temperature decreases