Effect of strain rate and temperature on the tensile properties of irradiated ASTM A533-B steel

The dynamic tensile properties of neutron-irradiated ASTM A533-B steel have been characterized by high strain-rate testing. Specimens were irradiated at a temperature of 5100F(2660C) to fluences of approximately 0.5, 4.0 and 6.5x1019 n/cm2 (E>1.0MeV). Test parameters for both control and irradiated specimens included strain rates from 1.3x10-4 to 102 sec-1 amd temperatures from -320 to 5000F (-196 to 2600C). A complete description of yield-strength behavior was obtained by correlation of the results of this study with a rate-temperature parameter. The yield strength of both unirradiated and irradiated material was observed to significantly increase with decreasing temperature and increasing strain rate. At all temperatures increasing fluence increased the yield strength and decreased the rate sensitivity of A533-B steel. Cleavage fractures occurred in irradiated Specimens when the yield strength was elevated to the effective cleavage stress by fluence, temperature, and strain rate. (Auth.)