Papers by Author: Ja Min Koo

Abstract: P92 steels as well as P91 are widely used as boiler tube materials of ultra super critical (USC) power plants these days. And thus embrittlement is very important for structural integrity of the USC plants. The embrittlement was observed when P92 (Modified 9Cr-1.8W-0.5Mo-V-Nb) steels were quenched to and held at the temperature of 320 to 350°C, which were the temperatures intermediate between Ms and Mf, and then air-cooled. Nearly same kind of the embrittlement had been observed with the T/P91 steels and a theory had been proposed to explain the mechanism of the embrittlement by us. From the theory, the embrittlement might be caused by the brittle martensite which is freshly formed during air-cooling. We tried to apply the theory for the embrittlement of the T/P92 steel. The behaviors of the embrittled T/P92 steel were explained well by the theory.

Abstract: The evolution of microstructure and its effects on the mechanical properties of modified 9%Cr-1%Mo steel during heat-treating at 1050°C for 15 min and then isothermal heat treatment at 380~760°C with subsequent air-cooling have been investigated. For the microstructural and mechanical property analyses, OM, SEM, EDS, XRD, hardness and impact tests were used. In accordance with the severity of the heat-treatment, the microstructure evolved from the untransformed martensite to the partially transformed dual phases of martensite and ferrite, and then fully transformed to ferrite. Impact values at ambient temperature for specimens isothermally heat-treated at 320 - 380°C, predominantly at about 350°C were lower than others’ with similar martensitic structure. The partially transformed specimens with dual phases of martensite and ferrite also showed lower impact values than samples with untransformed with martensitic, and transformed with ferritic structures.