A Study on Tensile Properties of Alloy 709, at various temperatures

In recent years, there have been several advancements in energy production from both fossil fuels and the alternate “clean” sources such as nuclear fission. These advancements are fueled by the need for more efficient systems that will optimize the use of the depleting fossil fuel reserves and shift the focus to cleaner sources of energy. The efficiency of any power generation cycle is dependent on the ability of the structural material to withstand the increased peak operating temperatures. Advanced austenitic stainless steels have been in the focus as structural material for the next generation nuclear power plants, due to their strength, corrosion resistance, weldability and the wide range of temperatures at which the austenitic phase is stable. Alloy 709, a recently developed advanced austenitic stainless steel, is being investigated in this paper. In this study, tensile tests were conducted on dog-bone samples of Alloy 709 in an in-situ scanning electron microscope (SEM) loading and heating stage, equipped with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), at various temperatures. The in-situ experiments indicated that the material primarily accommodated deformation by slip at lower temperatures. Void formation and coalescence at grain boundaries preceded slip at higher temperatures. Although crack initiation at all elevated temperatures was intergranular, the crack propagation through the material and the final fracture was trangranular ductile. Additionally, tensile tests were conducted on larger cylindrical samples at 550, 650 and 750 °C in air. The results of tests conducted in air and in-situ were found to be in agreement, at these temperatures.