[T6] AM Beam Based Technologies

[15B-T6-12] Ductile to Brittle Transition Temperature Behavior of SA 508 Gr.3 via Additive Manufacturing

Y. B. Chun¹, *W. Jeong², S. H. Kang¹, H. Kim³, H. J. Ryu², C. K. Rhee¹ (1.Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea, 2.Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 3.HANA AMT, Korea)

Keywords:additive manufacturing, nuclear power plants, nuclear pressure vessel, SA 508 steel

The irradiation-induced increase in ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) restricts the operational life of nuclear power plants. This study explores the potential of additive manufacturing technology to address this challenge. Using powder bed fusion (PBF), we produced a sample of SA508 Gr.3, a reactor pressure vessel material, and compared its mechanical properties with a conventionally manufactured sample. The PBF-printed sample exhibited a remarkable 114% increase in yield strength and a 58.3% increase in ultimate tensile strength compared to the conventionally made sample. Furthermore, the DBTT of the PBF-printed sample decreased by over 50 K compared to its conventionally made counterpart. These findings highlight the significant improvements in mechanical strength and DBTT achievable through additive manufacturing, demonstrating its feasibility for manufacturing reactor pressure vessel components.