Thermal and Mechanical Properties of the Cr-Mn (Ni-free) Austenitic Steels for Fusion Reactor Applications

HIGH-MANGANESE STAINLESS STEELS (NICKEL-FREE GRADES) ARE OF INTEREST IN THEMONUCLEAR FUSION REACTOR FIRST WALL AND BLANKET STRUCTURES BECAUSE THEY OFFER LOWER ACTIVATION LEVELS THAN THAT OF CONVENTIONAL STRAIN-LESS STEELS AS TYPE 316. HOWEVER, FOR SELECTING FIRST WALL MATERIALS IT IS NECESSARY TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALSO ATHER CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS RADIATION DAMAGE AND LIFETIME, MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES, COMPATIBILITY WITH COOLANTS AND TRITIUM, FABRICABILITY AND WELDING, INDUSTRIAL CAPABILITY AND DATA BASE AND RESOURCE AVAILABILITY. THE EVALUATION OF THESE PROPERTIES IS UNDER COURSE AT THE JRC-ISPRA ETABLISHMENT. IN THIS PAPER THE MECHANICAL AND THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS, MORE PRECISELY: YIELD STRENGTH, TENSILE STRENGTH FRACTURE TOUGHNESS, CREEP STRENGTH, THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, COEFFICIENT OF THEMAL EXPANSION, POISSON'S RATIO AND YOUNG'S MODULUS ARE REPORTED AND DISCUSSED FOR DIFFERENT HEATS OF STANILESS STEELS. MOREOVER, TWO DIFFERENT MATERIAL CONDITIONS GAVE BEEN CONSIDERED, MILL-ANNEALED AND WELDED. THE MAIN CONCLUSION IS THAT THESE MATERIALS SHOW AT THE PRESENT STATUS OF DEVE- LOPMENT ATTRACTIVE MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES IN COMPARISON WITH TYPE 316 STANLESS STEEL IN THE TEMPERATURE RANGE OF 450 C. HOWEVER, THE BACH OF DATA ON IRRADIATION EFFECTS DOES NOT PERMIT TO DRAW DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS.NA-NOT AVAILABL