Effect of specimen size and shape on creep rupture behavior of creep strength enhanced ferritic steel welds

The creep strength enhanced ferritic (CSEF) steels such as Grades 91, 92, 122, 911, 23 and 24 have become very important key materials for high efficiency fossil-fired power plants for last decades, however the long-term creep rupture strength and strength reduction in welds due to Type IV failure of these steels are serious problem to be urgently resolved. In order to use CSEF steel welds safely setting new weld strength reduction factors have internationally discussed. For instance ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Committee recently developed a new creep strength reduction factors for CSEF steels intercritically post-weld heat treated to be 0.5 based upon the creep rupture data obtained for standard creep specimens. However it is needed to make further consideration on the specimen size/shape effect on the creep strength of the welds to determine more appropriate weld strength reduction factors and joint influence factors. Present report provides comprehensive creep rupture test results of the specimens with various size and shape, and full size components dealing with creep rupture location/behavior and specimen size/shape effect on the creep rupture strength of CSEF steel welds. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.