Evaluation of the toughness of austenitic stainless steel pipe weldments. Final report

The strength of stainless steel weldments in nuclear piping systems is typically chosen larger than that of the base piping material to address welding uncertainties. Associated with this higher strength one often finds a degradation in fracture toughness and reduced ability to support load in the presence of a weldment crack. In this research, typical nuclear piping flux welds were tested to determine if their load-carrying ability was consistent with ASME flaw acceptance criteria. Fracture behavior, tensile properties, and Charpy toughness were evaluated at LWR operating temperatures. The measured toughness was well above the minimum value assumed in the Section XI flaw acceptance criteria for austenitic flux weldments. 16 refs., 51 figs.