Development and characterization of advanced 9Cr ferritic/martensitic steels for fission and fusion reactors

This paper presents the results on the physical metallurgy studies in 9Cr Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) and Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steels. Yttria strengthened ODS alloy was synthesized through several stages, like mechanical milling of alloy powders and yttria, canning and consolidation by hot extrusion. During characterization of the ODS alloy, it was observed that yttria particles possessed an affinity for Ti, a small amount of which was also helpful in refining the dispersoid particles containing mixed Y and Ti oxides. The particle size and their distribution in the ferrite matrix, were studied using Analytical and High Resolution Electron Microscopy at various stages. The results showed a distribution of Y2O3 particles predominantly in the size range of 5-20 nm. A Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic steel has also been developed with the replacement of Mo and Nb by W and Ta with strict control on the tramp and trace elements (Mo, Nb, B, Cu, Ni, Al, Co, Ti). The transformation temperatures (Ac1, Ac3 and Ms) for this steel have been determined and the transformation behavior of the high temperature austenite phase has been studied. The complete phase domain diagram has been generated which is required for optimization of the processing and fabrication schedules for the steel.