APT AND EXTRACTION REPLICA CHARACTERIZATION OF Cu–RICH CLUSTERS PRECIPITATED IN PRESSURE VESSEL MODEL STEELS
CHU Dafeng 1, XU Gang 1, WANG Wei 1, PENG Jianchao 2, WANG Jun’an 2,ZHOU Bangxin 1
1. Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072
2. The Key Laboratory for Advanced Micro–Analysis, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444
Cite this article:
CHU Dafeng XU Gang WANG Wei PENG Jianchao WANG Jun’an ZHOU Bangxin. APT AND EXTRACTION REPLICA CHARACTERIZATION OF Cu–RICH CLUSTERS PRECIPITATED IN PRESSURE VESSEL MODEL STEELS. Acta Metall Sin, 2011, 47(3): 269-274.
Abstract The precipitation of Cu–rich clusters in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) model steel was investigated by means of atom probe tomography (APT), extraction replica (ER) and HRTEM. RPV model steel was prepared by vacuum induction furnace melting with higher content of Cu (0.6%, mass fraction). The ingot (about 50 kg of weight) was forged and hot–rolled to 4 mm in thickness and then cut to specimens of 40 mm×30 mm. Those specimens were further heat treated by 880 ℃/0.5 h water quenching and 660 ℃/10 h tempering, and finally aged at 370 ℃ for different time from 1000 to 6000 h. 4% nitric acid alcohol solution was used as an etchant to extract the precipitates of Cu–rich clusters from α–Fe matrix. The results obtained by APT analysis show that the number density of Cu–rich clusters reaches 3.1×1023 m−3 in the specimen aged at 370 ℃ for 4500 h, and the Cu content in the clusters increases rapidly during their growth from 1 nm to 5 nm. The segregation of Ni and Mn elements within and around the Cu–rich clusters was detected. The results obtained by ER, EDS and HRTEM analyses show that the majority of Cu–rich clusters are Cu–Fe (Ni, Mn) alloys with 10%—80% Cu (atomic fraction)but they are a single phaswith R or fcc crystal structure.
[1] Pareige P, Russell K F, Miller M K. Appl Surf Sci, 1996; 94: 362
[2] Worall G M, Buswell J T, English C A, Hetherington M G, Smith G D. J Nucl Mater, 1987; 148: 107
[3] Akamatsu M, Van Duysen J C, Pareige P, Auger P. J Nucl Mater, 1995; 225: 192
[4] Preige P, Van Duysen J C, Auger P. Appl Surf Sci, 1993; 67: 342
[5] Auger P, Pareige P, Welzel S, Van duysen J C. J Nucl Mater, 2000; 280: 331
[6] Miller M K, Burke M G. J Phys, 1987; 48C: 429
[7] Monzen R, Iguchi M, Jenkins M L. Philos Mag Lett, 2000; 80: 137
[8] Miller M K, Brenner S S. In: Swanson L W, Bell A, eds., Proc 28th Int Field Emission Symposium, The Oregon Graduate Center, Beaverton, OR, 1981; 6: 27
[9] Toyama T, Nagai Y, Tang Z, Hasegawa M, Almazouzi A, Van Walle E, Gerard R. Acta Mater, 2007; 55: 6852
[10] Zhou B X, Liu W Q. Mater Sci Technol, 2007; 15: 405
(周邦新, 刘文庆. 材料科学与工艺, 2007; 15: 405)
[11] Miller M K. Atom Probe Tomography: Analysis at the Atomic Level. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2000: 25
[12] Miller M K, Russell K F. J Nucl Mater, 2007; 371: 145
[13] Zhu C, Xiong X Y, Cerezo A, Hardwicke R, Krauss G, Smith G D. Ultramicroscopy, 2007; 107: 808
[14] Wang W, Zhu J J, Lin M D, Zhou B X, Liu W Q. J Univ Sci Technol Beijing, 2010; 1: 39
(王伟, 朱娟娟, 林民东, 周邦新, 刘文庆. 北京科技大学学报, 2010; 1: 39)
[15] Pareige P, Auger P, Moloudi S, Van Duysen J C, Akamatsu M. Ann Phys, 1997; 22C: 117
[16] Hornbogen E, Glenn R C. Trans Metall Soc AIME, 1960; 218: 1064
[17] Zhu J J, Wang W, Lin M D, Liu W Q, Wang J A, Zhou B X. J Shanghai Univ, 2008; 14: 525
