About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Symposium
|
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Presentation Title |
Phase Interactions and Local Mechanical Response in EB-Welded RPV Steels |
| Author(s) |
Elliot H. Marrero, Grayson Nemets, Jasmyne Emerson, Maria Okuniewski, Janelle Wharry |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Elliot H. Marrero |
| Abstract Scope |
This talk aims to understand how electron beam (EB) welding and post-welding heat treatments influence phase composition in PM-HIP and forged reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels, and how resulting phase interactions shape structure–property relationships. RPVs are crucial safety components in nuclear power plants typically made by forging plates of low alloy steel. However, novel manufacturing techniques like PM-HIP and EB welding offer the opportunity to reduce manufacturing time and cost over conventional forgings. Interfaces between ferrite, bainite, and martensite serve as sites for strain localization and hardness gradients due to mismatches in lattice structure and mechanical properties. These interphase boundaries influence dislocation activity and can govern damage initiation under mechanical loading. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveals grain orientations and offers insights into how boundaries influence dislocation behavior through geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) mapping. Nanohardness mapping with Nanoblitz reveals hardness profiles across different weld regions, enabling direct correlation between microstructure and mechanical response. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |