Abstract
Neutron irradiation-induced embrittlement of the reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel EUROFER97 was studied under different heat treatment conditions. Irradiation was performed in the Petten High Flux Reactor within the HFR Phase-IIb (SPICE) irradiation project up to 16.3dpa and at different irradiation temperatures (250–450°C). Several reference RAFM steels (F82H-mod, OPTIFER-Ia, GA3X and MANET-I) were also irradiated at selected temperatures. The impact properties were investigated by instrumented Charpy-V tests with subsize specimens. Embrittlement and hardening of as-delivered EUROFER97 steel are comparable to those of reference steels. Heat treatment of EUROFER97 at a higher austenitizing temperature substantially improves the embrittlement behaviour at low irradiation temperatures. Analysis of embrittlement in terms of the parameter C=ΔDBTT/Δσ indicates hardening-dominated embrittlement at irradiation temperatures below 350°C with 0.17⩽C⩽0.53°C/MPa. Scattering of C at irradiation temperatures above 400°C indicates no hardening embrittlement.
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