Effects of alloying elements and thermomechanical treatment on 9Cr Reduced Activation Ferritic–Martensitic (RAFM) steels

RAFM steels are one of the candidate structural materials for fusion reactors, in which tantalum (Ta) and tungsten (W) are alloyed to replace niobium (Nb) and molybdenum (Mo) in conventional FM steels, respectively. This paper, using three RAFM heats, presents the effects of Ta and the primary austenite stabilizer carbon (C) on microstructure and strength. Thermomechanical treatment (TMT) was also applied to the heats, leading to significant increases in strength, attributable to the TMT-refined sub-grains and precipitates. The Ta-alloying favored the formation of (V, Ta)(N, C) and (Ta, V)C and exhibited greater strength. Fractographs also revealed the beneficial effects of TMT and Ta-alloying. However, extra C content, favoring a larger amount of M23C6 precipitates, did not show strengthening effect.