Corrosion resistance ferritic steels for highly reliable electromagnetic drives of regulating rods in nuclear reactors

The investigation was made into magnetic and mechanical properties recently developed technologically effective steels types 14Kh17N2, 09Kh17N, 08Kh17T, 02Kh16MT, 01Kh16MT, 01Kh13MB, 01Kh16T with total nitrogen and carbon contents ranged of 0.02 to 0.25%. Stabilizing annealing at the temperatures of 730-800 deg C resulted in optimum combination of corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the steels. For the first time the temperature dependence of fracture toughness was plotted for high-chromium magnetically soft steels. The studies revealed low tendency to hydrogen absorption and high radiation resistance. Radiation-induced swelling was found to equal 1.5% whereas for chromium-nickel steels it constituted about 10%. The steels are recommended for manufacture of nuclear reactor components. 2 refs.; 1 tab.; 3 figs