Effect of strain rate and temperature on the tensile properties of irradiated ASTM A533-B steel

Abstract The dynamic tensile properties of neutron-irradiated ASTM A533-B steel have been characterized by high strain-rate testing. Specimens were irradiated at a temperature of 510°F (266°C) to fluences of approximately 0.5, 4.0, and 6.5 × 10 19 n / cm 2 ( E > 1.0 MeV ). Test parameters for both control and irradiated specimens included strain rates from 1.3 × 10 −4 to 10 2 sec −1 and temperatures from −320 to 500°F (−196 to 260°C). A complete description of yield-strength behavior was obtained oy correlation of the results of this study with a rate-temperature parameter ( T ln A 1 ). The yield strength of both unirradiated and irradiated material was observed to significantly increase with decreasing temperature and increasing strain rate. At all temperatures increasing fluence increased the yield strength and decreased the rate sensitivity of A533-B steel. Cleavage fractures occurred in irradiated specimens when the yield strength was elevated to the effective cleavage stress by fluence, temperature, and strain rate.