CORRELATION BETWEEN MICROSTRUCTURE AND HARDNESS OF A LOW-ACTIVATION FERRITIC STEEL (JLF-1) WELD JOINT

Fe-Cr-W ferritic steels are candidate low activation materials for fus ion reactor structural components. Under a surveillance test program o f the Japanese low activation Fe-9Cr-2WVTa steel (JLF-1), JLF-1-HEAT2 was made by Japanese universities. The present paper reports the resul ts of microstructural observation and hardness testing of JLF-1-HEAT2 and its weld joint. The relation of microstructure with local hardness and tensile properties at various positions on the weld joint was inv estigated, and the correlation qualitatively interpreted in terms of t he martensitic lath width. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights r eserved.