Microstructure and impact properties of ferritic ODS ODM401 (14%Cr-ODS of MA957 type)

The oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel ODM401 is one of the ODS steels developed during the 1960–1970s as a structural tubing material for fast breeder reactors, mainly because of their high-temperature strength and swelling resistance under irradiation. Nowadays, these steels are taken under consideration as a structural material for blanket and heat exchanger components in fusion reactors. The aim of the work was to describe fracture behaviour of ODM401 steel in connection to the microstructure. The microstructure of as-extruded ODM401 steel has fine grains elongated in the extrusion direction. The two population of Y–Ti–O particles sizes were found in the microstructure of size about 10–20 nm and 2–3 nm. Temperature dependence of KLST impact energy was measured and transition temperature tDBTT evaluated about −110 °C. The fracture surface was formed by alternated cleavage areas connected by inclined areas fractured by dimple micro mechanism proportional to the impact energy.