Effects of Dissolved Hydrogen on Crack Growth Rate of Warm-Rolled 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel in Primary Water Condition

With the extension of pressurized water reactor’s design life or continued operation, more careful study on the integrity of the internal structures needs to be pursued. In this study, warm-rolling and heat-treatment were applied to 316L stainless steel, in order to simulate the effect of radiation damage such as hardening and radiation-induced grain boundary segregation. And, the crack growth rate testing under constant load condition was performed in the primary water conditions of a pressurized water reactor. Also, in order to investigate the effect of dissolved hydrogen on the crack growth, the dissolved hydrogen concentration was varied between 30 to 50 cc/kg in simulated primary water condition of a pressurized water reactor. The warm-rolled specimens showed the higher crack growth rate than as-received one. Also, the crack growth rate increased as the dissolved hydrogen concentration increases.