Modeling of Late Blooming Phases and Precipitation Kinetics in Aging Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) Steels

The principle work at the atomic scale is to develop a predictive quantitative model for the microstructure evolution of RPV steels under thermal aging and neutron radiation. We have developed an AKMC method for the precipitation kinetics in bcc-Fe, with Cu, Ni, Mn and Si being the alloying elements. In addition, we used MD simulations to provide input parameters (if not available in literature). MMC simulations were also carried out to explore the possible segregation/precipitation morphologies at the lattice defects. First we briefly describe each of the simulation algorithms, then will present our results

An analysis of creep crack growth of interface cracks in layered/graded materials

In this study, the growth behavior of interface cracks in bimaterials and in layered materials resulting from the creep cavitation was studied. The growth model includes the effects of material deposition resulting from the growth of creep cavities on the crack tip stress fields. The results indicate that in layered materials under identical applied loading, the location of the interface crack strongly influence the amplitude of the stress field at steady-state. Due to large variation in the distribution of the stresses ahead of the interface cracks at creep regime, depending upon the crack location, the creep crack growth rates will be significantly different from each other under identical loading for a given layered material

Variation of stresses ahead of the internal cracks in ReNi{sub 5} powders during hydrogen charging and discharging cycles

In this study, the evolution of the stress-states ahead of the penny shaped internal cracks in both spherical and disk shaped ReNi{sub 5} particles where Re denotes the rare earths La, Ce, and Misch-metals during hydrogen charging and discharging cycles were investigated using coupled diffusion/deformation FEM analyses. The results indicate that large tensile stresses, on the order of 20--30% of the modulus of elasticity, develop in the particles. The disk shaped particles, in addition to having faster charging/discharging cycles, may offer better resistance to fracture than the spherical particles

Evaluation of Low-Cylce Fatigue Damage in Steel Structural Components by a Magnetic Measurement Technique

Fatigue is one of the leading causes of failure in structural components. The development of a viable NDE technique which can detect fatigue damage in its early stages of development, monitor its progress and be capable of predicting the onset of catastrophic failure is very essential. If the damage can be detected at an early stage, corrective measures can be taken either in the form of repairs to, or replacement of, the damaged part

Effects of fatigue-induced changes in microstructure and stress on domain structure and magnetic properties of Fe–C alloys

A study of the effects of microstructural changes on domain structure and magnetic properties as a result of fatigue has been made on Fe–C alloys subjected to either cold work, stress-relief annealing, or heat treatment that produced a ferritic/pearlitic structure. The magnetic properties varied with stress cycling depending on the initial condition of the samples. Variations in coercivity in the initial stage of fatigue were closely related to the changes in dislocation structure. In the intermediate stage of fatigue the observed refinement of domain structures was related to the development of dislocation cell structures and formation of slip bands. In the final stage of fatigue the remanence and maximum permeability decreased dramatically, and this rate of decrease was dependent on the crack propagation rate

Modeling the Ductile Brittle Fracture Transition in Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels Using a Cohesive Zone Model Based Approach

Fracture properties of Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) steels show large variations with changes in temperature and irradiation levels. Brittle behavior is observed at lower temperatures and/or higher irradiation levels whereas ductile mode of failure is predominant at higher temperatures and/or lower irradiation levels. In addition to such temperature and radiation dependent fracture behavior, significant scatter in fracture toughness has also been observed. As a consequence of such variability in fracture behavior, accurate estimates of fracture properties of RPV steels are of utmost importance for safe and reliable operation of reactor pressure vessels. A cohesive zone based approach is being pursued in the present study where an attempt is made to obtain a unified law capturing both stable crack growth (ductile fracture) and unstable failure (cleavage fracture). The parameters of the constitutive model are dependent on both temperature and failure probability. The effect of irradiation has not been considered in the present study. The use of such a cohesive zone based approach would allow the modeling of explicit crack growth at both stable and unstable regimes of fracture. Also it would provide the possibility to incorporate more physical lower length scale models to predict DBT. Such a multi-scale approach would significantly improve the predictive capabilities of the model, which is still largely empirical

Ultra-hard boride-based metal matrix reinforcement

A composite of M/AlMgB14 or M alloy/AlMgB14 is synthesized, where M=Al, Ti, W, or Cu. Small particles and/or fibers of AlMgB14 are distributed throughout a metal matrix to strengthen the resulting composite

Monitoring fatigue damage in materials using magnetic measurement techniques

Measurements of hysteresis and Barkhausen effect (BE) have been made on 0.1 wt % C Fe–C alloys subjected to strain-controlled fatigue at various strain amplitudes. A relationship between the fatigue lifetime and strain amplitude was observed. The hysteresis properties of the samples cycled at different strain amplitudes were found to vary systematically with expended fatigue life. These properties showed significant changes in the initial and final stages of fatigue, while between these stages they remained stabilized. In the stable stage the remanence was found to decrease, whereas the coercivity increased with increasing strain amplitude. Variations in BE signal during fatigue were found to be closely related to the microstructural changes observed on the sample surface. These results are interpreted in the context of the changes in microstructure caused by fatigue damage, and the effects of the formation and propagation of fatigue cracks on the field distribution and domain structure in the vicinity of the cracks

Bound states and field-polarized Haldane modes in a quantum spin ladder

The challenge of one-dimensional systems is to understand their physics beyond the level of known elementary excitations. By high-resolution neutron spectroscopy in a quantum spin ladder material, we probe the leading multiparticle excitation by characterizing the two-magnon bound state at zero field. By applying high magnetic fields, we create and select the singlet (longitudinal) and triplet (transverse) excitations of the fully spin-polarized ladder, which have not been observed previously and are close analogs of the modes anticipated in a polarized Haldane chain. Theoretical modelling of the dynamical response demonstrates our complete quantitative understanding of these states.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures plus supplementary material 7 pages 5 figure