Effect of injection temperature, 5% pre-strain and long time aging on the high-temperature mechanical properties of helium injected 316 stainless steel

The helium embrittlement of 316 stainless steel, helium injected to concentrations of 3 approx. 10 at ppm at 573 +- 50 or 1073 +- 20 K, was measured by tensile tests at 1023 K and was completly suppressed by the 5% pre-straining. This improved effect was lost by a post-injection again of 1000 h at 1123 K or 3000 h at 1023 K. It was concluded from the TEM observations that in the solution treated material helium bubbles were concentrated on the grain boundaries and caused embrittlement, but in the 5% pre-strained material helium bubbles nucleated on the dislocations and grew large enough to be unable to be dragged to the grain boundaries by the dislocations during the tensile test. The embrittlement after the long time aging was due to the gathering of the large helium bubbles at the sigma-phase boundaries by a sweepout mechanism due to dislocation climb during the long time thermal recovery process. (orig.)