Mechanical and corrosion analysis

Tailored Mechanical or Corrosion testing programme on irradiated material

We can establish a tailored mechanical or corrosion testing programme on irradiated material on request.

The programme can include any of the following items.

• Tensile testing

  • miniature (1 mm² cross section) to standard size specimens
  • strain rates from quasi-static to impact (5 m/s)
  • from cryogenic (-196 °C) to high temperature testing (1000 °C)
  • standards: ASTM E8M, ASTM E21

• Charpy impact testing

  • sub-size and standard Charpy specimens
  • DIN and ASTM strikers
  • impact velocities from 1 to 5 m/s
  • instrumented tests
  • from cryogenic (-196 °C) to high temperature testing (1200 °C)
  • standards: ASTM E23, EN 10045, ISO 14556
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• Hardness testing

  • standard Vickers hardness measurements
  • standard: ASTM E92

• Fracture toughness testing

  • from miniature (4 mm thickness) to large specimens (100 mm thickness)
  • different geometries: C(T), DC(T), SEN(B), PCCv, sub-size PCCv, CRB
  • from cryogenic (-196 °C) to high temperature testing (1000 °C)
  • from quasi-static to impact strain rates (5 m/s)
  • initiation, ductile tearing and crack arrest toughness determination
  • use of unloading compliance or DC potential drop test techniques
  • standards: ASTM E399, ASTM E1921, ...
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• Fatigue testing

  • low cycle fatigue testing
  • crack growth rate determination
  • from cryogenic (-196 °C) to high temperature testing (1000 °C)
  • standards: ASTM E606, E647
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• Swelling and creep testing

  • irradiation induced swelling and creep are determined in Post Irradiation Experiments (PIE)
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• Burst testing

  • Bi-axial burst tests on tubes
  • from room temperature to high temperature testing (1000 °C)
  • standards: ASTM B353, B811
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• SSRT

  • Slow Strain Rate Tests (SSRT) according to ASTM G-129 to test susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking
  • Tests under well controlled PWR water chemistry (max pressure 200 bar, max temperature 350°C)
  • Test facilities for non-active samples and irradiated samples (autoclaves and PWR loop in hot cell)
  • Constant load, rising load, slow cycle fatigue with crack growth rate measurement by potential drop technique
  • Measurement of ECP in high temperature water with YSZ high temperature reference electrode
  • Electrochemical characterization with potentiodynamic techniques and impedance measurements

Master curve

Master curve is an application that allows you to perform an on-line master curve analysis of homogeneous and heterogeneous data set.

Website: www.sckcen.be/mastercurve/

Precracking Service

For the most commonly used fracture toughness specimens, SCK•CEN provides a precracking service to establish the fatigue crack.

Website: www.sckcen.be/precracking/

Our equipment

LHMA

Expert Groups

Contact: Ramesh Mage

Supervision: Konstantinovic Milan