A major dilemma faced in the nuclear industry is repair of stainless steel reactor components that have been exposed to neutron irradiation. When conventional fusion welding is used for repair, intergranular cracks de...A major dilemma faced in the nuclear industry is repair of stainless steel reactor components that have been exposed to neutron irradiation. When conventional fusion welding is used for repair, intergranular cracks develop in the heat-affected zone(HAZ). Friction stir processing(FSP), which operates at much lower peak temperatures than fusion welding, was studied as a crack repair method for irradiated 304 L stainless steel. A numerical simulation of the FSP process in 304 L was developed to predict temperatures and recrystallized grain size in the stir zone. The model employed an Eulerian finite element approach,where flow stresses for a large range of strain rates and temperatures inherent in FSP were used as input. Temperature predictions in three locations near the stir zone were accurate to within 4%, while prediction of welding power was accurate to within 5% of experimental measurements. The predicted recrystallized grain sizes ranged from 7.6 to 10.6 μm, while the experimentally measured grains sizes in the same locations ranged from 6.0 to 7.6 μm. The maximum error in predicted recrystallized grain size was about 39%, but the associated stir zone hardness from the predicted grain sizes was only different from the experiment by about 10%.展开更多
Friction stir processing （FSP） was investigated as a method of repairing cracks in 12 mm thick 304L stainless steel plate. Healing feasibility was demonstrated by processing a tapered crack using a PCBN/W- Re tool w...Friction stir processing （FSP） was investigated as a method of repairing cracks in 12 mm thick 304L stainless steel plate. Healing feasibility was demonstrated by processing a tapered crack using a PCBN/W- Re tool with a 25 mm diameter shoulder and a pin length of 6.4 mm. The experiment showed that it was possible to heal a crack that begins narrow and then progressively grows up to a width of 2 mm. Bead on plate experiments were used to find the best parameters for creating a consolidated stir zone with the least amount of hardness difference compared to the base metal. Grain refinement in some specimens resulted in much higher stir zone hardness, compared to base metal, A plot of grain size versus microhardness showed a very strong inverse correlation between grain size and hardness, as expected from the Hall- Perch relationship. Corrosion testing was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of FSP on potential sensitization of the stir zone. After 1000 h of intermittent immersion in 3.5% saline solution at room temperature it was found that no corrosion products formed on the base material controls or on any of the friction stir processed specimens.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science Foundation grant CMMI-1405508
文摘A major dilemma faced in the nuclear industry is repair of stainless steel reactor components that have been exposed to neutron irradiation. When conventional fusion welding is used for repair, intergranular cracks develop in the heat-affected zone(HAZ). Friction stir processing(FSP), which operates at much lower peak temperatures than fusion welding, was studied as a crack repair method for irradiated 304 L stainless steel. A numerical simulation of the FSP process in 304 L was developed to predict temperatures and recrystallized grain size in the stir zone. The model employed an Eulerian finite element approach,where flow stresses for a large range of strain rates and temperatures inherent in FSP were used as input. Temperature predictions in three locations near the stir zone were accurate to within 4%, while prediction of welding power was accurate to within 5% of experimental measurements. The predicted recrystallized grain sizes ranged from 7.6 to 10.6 μm, while the experimentally measured grains sizes in the same locations ranged from 6.0 to 7.6 μm. The maximum error in predicted recrystallized grain size was about 39%, but the associated stir zone hardness from the predicted grain sizes was only different from the experiment by about 10%.
基金financial support of the project by National Science Foundation award CMII-1405508
文摘Friction stir processing （FSP） was investigated as a method of repairing cracks in 12 mm thick 304L stainless steel plate. Healing feasibility was demonstrated by processing a tapered crack using a PCBN/W- Re tool with a 25 mm diameter shoulder and a pin length of 6.4 mm. The experiment showed that it was possible to heal a crack that begins narrow and then progressively grows up to a width of 2 mm. Bead on plate experiments were used to find the best parameters for creating a consolidated stir zone with the least amount of hardness difference compared to the base metal. Grain refinement in some specimens resulted in much higher stir zone hardness, compared to base metal, A plot of grain size versus microhardness showed a very strong inverse correlation between grain size and hardness, as expected from the Hall- Perch relationship. Corrosion testing was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of FSP on potential sensitization of the stir zone. After 1000 h of intermittent immersion in 3.5% saline solution at room temperature it was found that no corrosion products formed on the base material controls or on any of the friction stir processed specimens.
