Critical evaluation of the small punch test as a screening procedure for mechanical properties


Critical evaluation of the small punch test as a screening procedure for mechanical properties

Altstadt, E.; Ge, H. E.; Kuksenko, V.; Serrano, M.; Houska, M.; Lasan, M.; Bruchhausen, M.; Lapetite, J.-M.; Dai, Y.

For quick screening of material properties, it is important to provide simple experimental test techniques to address specific aspects of material properties. Within work package 2 of the Euratom FP7-MATTER project, a small punch test collective exercise was conducted to critically evaluate the potential of this technique for the characterisation of irradiation hardening and embrittlement. The ferritic-martensitic 9%Cr-steel T91 was used. Several data sets were produced for two major specimen geometries by different European laboratories. The reproducibility and scatter of results expressed by coefficient of variation for the total and plastic energy, the elastic-plastic transition load, the maximum load and the displacement at maximum load was analysed. The largest scatter was observed for the elastic-plastic transition load and for the plastic energy. Correlations for the estimation of tensile properties were shown to be device dependent.The estimations of the ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures are in a good agreement in cases of identical main geometrical parameters. The SP tests of neutron irradiated T91 (dose between 2.3 and 4 dpa) showed that the equivalent Charpy transition temperature shifts obtained from SP tests are in very good agreement with KLST based values. Thus the small punch test is an appropriate tool for the screening of the neutron irradiation induced embrittlement. We also observed a significant effect of irradiation on the recalculated yield stress and ultimate tensile strength. In comparison with tensile data, the irradiation induced hardening was underestimated. The small punch test is less appropriate for the screening of hardening (yield stress increase) than it is for embrittlement.

Keywords: Small punch test; ferritic-martensitic steel; ductile-brittle transition temperature; yield stress; neutron irradiation

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-21960
Publ.-Id: 21960