Evaluation of structural stability and creep resistance of 9-12% Cr steels

During creep exposure of modified chromium steels lowering of solid solution strengthening due to precipitation of Laves phase as well as coarsening of all precipitates causes degradation of creep resistance. Two distinct domains of the stress dependence of creep rate and time to rupture have been observed in precipitation strengthened modified chromium steels. The stress characterizing the transition between these domains was found to be closely related to the Orowan stress. This stress consists in these steels of the contribution from large particles on subgrain boundaries (mainly M(23)C(6) and during the limited time also Laves phase) and from small precipitates (Nb(C,N) and VN) inside subgrains. This has to be considered when measuring the interparticle spacing and calculating Orowan stress. Larson-Miller parametric equation is used to elucidate the necessity of long-term creep testing. By means of two heats of CrMoVNbN steel it is shown that reliable extrapolation of creep properties is possible only in a stress and temperature domain in which only one creep creep rupture mechanism operate. In the high stress domain Larson-Miller constant C-LM is well above 30 while in the low stress domain this constant does not exceed 25. When the extrapolation is based mainly on short-term creep tests, the C-LM constant is close to that valid in the high stress domain and therefore it overestimates long-term creep strength.