Creep-fatigue damage evaluation of grade 91 steel using interrupt creep fatigue test

The Sodium Fast-cooled Reactor (SFR), are generation IV nuclear power plants, have a target operating temperature of 550°C which makes creep-fatigue behavior more critical than a generation III nuclear power plants. So it is important to understand the nature of creep-fatigue behavior of the piping material, Grade 91 steel. The creep-fatigue damage diagram of Grade 91 steel used in ASME-NH was derived using a conventional time-fraction testing method which was originally developed for type 300 stainless steels. Multiple studies indicate that the creep-fatigue damage diagram of Grade 91 steel developed using this testing method has excessive conservatism in it. Therefore, an alternative testing method was suggested by separating creep and fatigue using interrupted creep tests. The suggested method makes it possible to control creep life consumption freely which was difficult with the previous method. It also makes it easier to observe the interaction between creep and fatigue mechanisms and microstructural evolution. In conclusion, an alternative creep-fatigue damage diagram for Grade 91 steel at 550°C was developed using an interrupt creep fatigue testing method and FE model simulation.