Effects of helium on ductile-brittle transition behavior of reduced-activation ferritic steels after high-concentration helium implantation at high temperature

The effects of He on the fracture behavior of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels, including oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels and F82H, was determined by characterizing the microstructural evolution in and fracture behavior of these steels after He implantation up to 1000 appm at around 550 °C. He implantation was carried out by a cyclotron with a beam of 50 MeV α-particles. In the case of F82H, the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) increase induced by He implantation was about 70 °C and the grain boundary fracture surface was only observed in the He-implanted area of all the ruptured specimens in brittle manner. By contrast, no DBTT shift or fracture mode change was observed in He-implanted 9Cr-ODS and 14Cr-ODS steels. Microstructural characterization suggested that the difference in the bubble formation behavior of F82H and ODS steels might be attributed to the grain boundary rupture of He-implanted F82H.