Papers by Author: Peter E.J. Flewitt

Abstract: The UK’s Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor (AGR) nuclear power generating plant operates at temperatures up to 550 °C, where creep life is important. We consider Type 316H austenitic stainless steel headers and tubes with thermo-mechanical fabrication histories that result in significantly different initial microstructures. The heat affected zone of weldments, in these thick section headers and thin walled boiler tubes, have been found to be susceptible to creep damage leading to cracking during service. In this work we explore these differences in the long term service aged microstructure and the link to overall creep life of these components. To achieve this, samples containing weldments have been removed from plant after extended periods of service. Specifically parent and HAZ regions have been examined to determine the types of precipitates arising from the long term ageing. In particular, thin foils have been examined in a JEOL ARM transmission electron microscope operating at 200KeV fitted with an Oxford Instruments energy dispersive spectrometer to allow comparison between high resolution images and chemical composition. The thin foils were removed from predetermined locations using gallium ion milling and finally thinned using a low ion current to minimise ion damage. Differences between the distributions and types of precipitates are considered in the context of the initial microstructure arising from the thermo-mechanical history on the loss of creep strength and initiation of creep cavities at grain boundaries. The impact on overall service life is addressed.

Abstract: A significant factor that influences the creep life of AISI Type 316H austenitic stainless steel components such as headers, and tubes is the initial microstructure. These components typically have a comparable specified composition but different thermo-mechanical fabrication histories. The variations in composition within the nominal range result in initial microstructures which become increasingly divergent during ageing. In this paper we explore effect of these contributions on the long term service aged microstructure and discuss the resulting impact on the overall creep life of these components. The microstructure of specific regions has been characterised with a range of techniques, including high resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging and chemical analyses undertaken using a JEOL ARM instrument operating at 200 KeV fitted with an energy dispersive spectrometer. This provides a unique identification of the service aged precipitates and the distribution of alloying and impurity elements. The results are discussed with respect to the initiation of creep cavities and the associated creep damage accumulation in the context of lifetime assessment of these AISI Type 316H austenitic stainless steel boiler components.

Abstract: Quasi-brittle materials are those where the addition of specific microstructural features such as porosity can lead to departure from linear elastic behaviour prior to maximum force, followed by graceful failure. A simple example of a quasi-brittle material is reticulated vitreous carbon foam; an open-cell structure consisting of brittle ligaments connected in a three-dimensional array. Tensile testing measurements have been made on foams with various pore and ligament dimensions; force - displacement combined with acoustic monitoring together with the evaluation of the associated elastic moduli and fracture strengths. These tests give insights into the mechanisms of quasi-brittle failure, and the results are explored using simple considerations of elastic energy storage throughout process zones.

Abstract: The role of stress state on the fracture properties of a quasi-brittle material are explored using reactor core Gilsocarbon graphite. The objective of the experiment was to study the initial propagation of cracks. Cruciform specimens have been tested by a biaxial flexural loading method. Pre-slots of 10 mm width and up to a quarter of the depth of the specimen were introduced at the centre of the specimen by electric discharge machining. The slots are located between two through-thickness holes, which are designed to guide crack propagation. A loading jig has been designed and built that allows a range of biaxial loading states to be applied by variation of the length of the loading arms. Clip gauges are used to measure the crack mouth opening displacements. Preliminary tests have studied the fracture of specimens under different loading conditions.

Abstract: Some designs of nuclear reactors involve a graphite moderator within their core. Different forms of graphite have been adopted in the UK gas-cooled reactors but all have a complex structure of filler particles, matrix and pores. Changes occur in the graphite during service and in particular, porosity increases from that found in the virgin material. As part of a structural assessment, it is important to analyse the effects of this change in porosity. Software has been developed to represent the microstructure of pile grade A (PGA) and Gilsocarbon graphite with a range of porosities, to support finite element determination of material properties. The models are three dimensional geometric and voxel models based on the observed microstructures of these different graphites. Creating a sequence of model specimens with increasing porosities while holding other parameters constant, provides a representative microstructure to test the effect of increasing porosity on mechanical and physical properties.

Abstract: The polycrystalline high purity 316H austenitic stainless steel has been thermo-mechanically treated to produce material with two layers of grain size, one of coarser and the other of finer grains. Small three point bend specimens containing a notch positioned in either the coarser or finer layer have been tested at a constant strain rate and a temperature of -196°C. The results are discussed with respect to the effect of grain size on the underlying deformation between the two layers of different grain size.

Abstract: Micro-scale cantilever beam specimens have been created in air plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (APS-TBC) by focus-ion beam milling and tested in-situ using a force measurement technique. The elastic modulus, fracture toughness and the flexural strength of the specimens are calculated from the loading-deflection curve. In addition, the failure modes of the tested TBC are analysed.

Abstract: A preliminary sensitivity examination of the ductility exhaustion based creep damage prediction model, currently used in the R5 high temperature assessment procedure, showed that material property inputs had significant effects on damage prediction. In the present work, the link between the microstructural factors and the susceptibility to inter-granular high temperature creep failure is considered. The latter was judged to be associated with the low creep ductility. Here, the longitudinal section of a creep specimen and the fracture surface were examined. Auger electron spectroscopy was used to investigate the grain boundary composition in this specimen, which failed after a creep test of 1038h at 550°C under a triaxial stress state. The present results demonstrate that there is a possibility to correlate the susceptibility to high temperature inter-granular fracture from the low temperature fracture investigations. Finally, the susceptibility of the pre-treated 316H stainless steel to inter-granular high temperature failure and the contribution to the creep damage model are briefly discussed.

Abstract: In this paper, we explored the relationship between thermal aging and the residual stresses developed within a thermal barrier coating (TBC) and the underlying thermally grown oxide (TGO). Superalloy model specimens (CMSX4) with a curved geometry designed to simulate key features of turbine blades coated with air plasma sprayed (APS) 7 wt.% Y₂O₃-stabilised ZrO₂ applied to an Amdry 995 bond coat were oxidised in the temperature range 900°C to 975°C for various lengths of time. Stress measurements on both the TBC and the underlying TGO were made at positions of known curvature using Raman and photo-stimulated piezo-luminescence spectroscopy (PLPS). The residual stress values reflect the interaction between TGO and TBC, which has the potential to be used as an indicator of service lifetime. The results are discussed with respect to the origin of the stress changes and the long term integrity of the coating.

Abstract: This study aims to develop computer models, with a microstructure representative of the PGA graphite, to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between the amount of porosity, the load-displacement behaviour and crack propagation. The project is in two linked parts, the first provides a model of the porous graphite which is then introduced into a lattice type finite element model to provide the load-displacement and crack propagation predictions. Microstructures consisting of matrix and pores with added aligned filler particles, typical of needle coke, were studied. The purpose was to isolate the effect of filler particles on fracture strength and the fracture path. In the paper crack paths and fracture mechanisms are discussed for different amounts of porosity and various filler particle arrangements.