Abstract
In this work, liquid metal embrittlement (LME) susceptibility of 12Cr ferritic/martensitic (F/M) thin-walled tubes has been tested in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) under different temperatures (i.e., 350, 400 and 450 °C), oxygen concentrations (i.e., oxygen-poor and oxygen-saturated) and strain rates (i.e., 5 ×10−5, 1 ×10−6 and 5 ×10−7 s−1). The results show that LME occurs under nearly all the testing conditions, and the most influential factors upon the LME susceptibility are oxygen concentration and strain rate. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization at crack tips shows that LME cracks propagate preferentially along microstructural boundaries, such as martensite lath boundaries, subgrain boundaries and carbides/lath interphase boundaries.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
