Mechanical Properties of Heat-Resistant Alloys Exposed to Air and HTGR Helium at High Temperatures

The effect of a corroded surface layer on the tensile properties and the high-temperature low-cycle fatigue life was studied on Hastelloy-X and on Incoloy alloys 800 and 800H by comparing the properties between specimens exposed to air and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor helium at 1000°C prior to testing and specimens aged under the same temperature/time conditions as those of exposed specimens. The ratio of the corroded surface layer to the total cross-sectional area was controlled at 1000°C by environment, exposure time, and shape/size combinations of specimens. Tensile strength could be quantitatively expressed in terms of the intergranular oxidation, irrespective of the variation of materials and corrosive conditions. By comparing the low-cycle fatigue lives at 1000°C between exposed and aged materials, it was clarified that lifetime was remarkably reduced by the formation of a corroded surface layer. However, fatigue life of aged material was less than that of solution-treated materials. These two opposing effects of corrosion and aging brought about a small difference in fatigue life between solution-treated and exposed materials.