Investigation of heat treatment conditions on the structure of 12% chromium reduced activation steels

The properties of 12% chromium reduced activation steels of the martensitic and ferritic–martensitic classes are governed by alloying, microalloying and heat treatment. In this study, the influence of processing and heat treatment on the structure and mechanical properties of Fe–0.16C–12Cr–2W–V–Ta–B steels was analysed. The main metallurgical factors affecting the properties and irradiation resistance were found to be the ratio between martensite and δ-ferrite phases; a high homogeneity of the initial solid solution; an adequate level of martensitic block fragmentation and carbide phase dispersion. All of these are highly sensitive to the conditions of heat treatment and thermomechanical processing.