Publications Details
Tensile behavior of borated stainless steels
Borated stainless steel tensile testing is being conducted at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The goal of the test program is to provide data to support a code case inquiry to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section 3. The adoption by ASME facilitates a materials qualification for structural use in transport cask applications. The borated stainless steel being tested conforms to ASTM specification A-887, which specifies 16 grades of material as a function of boron content (0.20% to 2.25%) and fabrication technique. For transport cask basket applications, the potential advantage to using borated stainless steel arises from the fact that the structural and criticality control functions can be combined into one material. The test program at SNL involves procuring material, machining test specimens, and conducting the tensile tests. From test measurements obtained so far, general trends indicate that tensile properties (yield strength and ultimate strength) increase with boron content and are in all cases superior to the minimum required properties established in SA-240, Type 304, a typical grade of austenitic stainless steel. Therefore, in a designed basket, web thickness using borated stainless steel would be comparable to or thinner than an equivalent basket manufactured from a typical stainless steel without boron additions. 3 figs., 5 tabs.