HELIUM EFFECTS ON THE POSTIMPLANTATION CREEP-PROPERTIES AND THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF AISI-316L WELDS AND PARENT MATERIAL

The influence of implanted helium on the creep properties in electron-beam welds of the Next European Torus (NET) reference material, AISI 316L, and its parent material in the as-received condition has been investigated at 873 K. Helium degredation effects (i.e. reduced creep rupture time and creep rupture strain) are more serious in the parent material than in the welds. The fracture mode for implanted weld specimens is usually transgranular, while for the parent material specimens it is mixed trans- and intergranular. TEM investigations show that in the welds there is a lot of &ferrite at grain boundaries (occupying about 50% of grain boundary area) and in the interior of grains as well. Helium bubble sizes increase with increasing helium concentration, while helium bubble densities remain constant. Helium bubbles in the matrix are larger in size but much lower in density than those at boundaries or interfaces.