Relation between Magnetism and Charpy Impact Properties in Thermally Aged Fe – Cu Model Alloys

The objective of this study is to investigate the correlati on between magnetic properties and the degree of embrittlement in thermally aged Fe –Cu alloys, with and without pre-deformation, which are the model specimens simulated for the irradia tion embrittlement of nuclear reactor pressure vessel steels. With increasing aging time, the ductile-brittle transition temperature of both specimens increased due to Cu precipitation. On the other hand, the coercive field of as-quenched specimens increased, whereas that of pre-deformed specimens decreased under thermal aging. These results suggest the importance of t he role of initial dislocation density for understanding the magnetic characteristics of irradiated steels.