Tensile properties and hardness of two types of 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel after aging up to 45,000 h

The relationship among tensile strength, Vickers hardness and dislocation density for two types of 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel (PNC-FMS) was investigated after aging at temperatures between 400 and 800 °C up to 45,000 h and after neutron irradiation. A correlation between tensile strength and Vickers hardness was expressed empirically. The linear relationship for PNC-FMS wrapper material was observed between yield stress and the square of dislocation density at RT and aging temperature according to Bailey-Hirsch relation. Therefore, it was clarified that the correlation among dislocation density, tensile strength and Vickers hardness to aging temperature was in good agreement. On the other hand, the relationship between tensile strength ratio when materials were tested at aging temperature and Larson-Miller parameter was also in excellent agreement with aging data between 400 and 700 °C. It was suggested that this correlation could use quantitatively for separately evaluating irradiation effects from neutron irradiation data containing both irradiation and aging effects.