Abstract
Structural degradations are often experienced on the components of nuclear power plants in reactor pressure vessels (RPV) and steam generators (SG) when these components are exposed to high temperature and high pressure for a long period of time. Such conditions result in the change of microstructures and of mechanical properties of materials, which requires an evaluation of the safeguards related to structural integrity. In a primary reactor cooling system (RCS), a dissimilar weld zone exists between cast stainless steel (CF8M) in a pipe and low-alloy steel (SA508 cl.3) in a nozzle. Thermal aging is observed in CF8M as the RCS is exposed for a long period of time under the operating temperature between 290 and 33$0^{\circ}C$. Under the same conditions, it is well known that degradation is not observed in low alloy steel. An investigation of the effect of thermal aging on the various mechanical properties of the dissimilar weld zone is required. The purpose of the present investigation is to find the effect of thermal aging on the dissimilar weld zone. The specimens are prepared by an artificially accelerated aging technique maintained for various times at 43$0^{\circ}C$, respectively. Then, The various mechanical test for the dissimilar welds are performed.
