Abstract
Previous attempts to weld irradiated and helium doped steels under constrained conditions have shown that helium concentrations as low as 2 to 3 appm can lead to catastrophic cracking along the heat affected zone (HAZ) and in the fusion zone (FZ) upon cooling after welding. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a stress applied during welding on the weld cracking of three steels (20%CW 316 Stainless Steel, 25%CW PCA and HT-9) irradiated to 6 to 7 dpa. The irradiation temperature was 200°C with resulting helium contents of 75 appm, 86 appm and 2 appm, respectively. After irradiation, the material was welded using a full penetration, gas tungsten arc welding process with stresses of 0, 55, 110, and 165 MPa applied perpendicular to the welding direction. All 316 and PCA irradiated stainless steel specimens showed HAZ or FZ cracking in welds made with no applied stress. No cracking was observed in HT-9 irradiated specimens. No cracking was observed in welds produced with an applied stress. A comparison of irradiated and helium doped experimental results indicates that weld cracking of irradiated materials is no worse than weld cracking in materials doped with He by tritium decay.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
