Manganese-iron base and manganese-chromium-iron base austenitic alloys designed to have resistance to neutron irradiation induced swelling and low activation have the following compositions (in weight percent): 20 to 40 Mn; up to about 15 Cr; about 0.4 to about 3.0 Si; an austenite stabilizing element selected from C and N, alone or in combination with each other, and in an amount effective to substantially stabilize the austenite phase, but less than about 0.7 C, and less than about 0.3 N; up to about 2.5 V; up to about 0.1 P; up to about 0.01 B; up to about 3.0 Al; up to about 0.5 Ni; up to about 2.0 W; up to about 1.0 Ti; up to about 1.0 Ta; and with the remainder of the alloy being essentially iron.

These proceedings contain the papers presented at two conferences held at ASM International's Materials Week DEGREES87 and Materials Week DEGREES92 respectively. Most of the 1987 papers deal with the properties of various high-manganese steels for specific use: valve steels, free-machining steels,

Nickel-free manganese-stabilized stainless steels are being developed for fusion reactor applications. As the first part of this effort, the austenite-stable region in the Fe-Mn-Cr-C system was determined. Results indicated that the Schaeffler diagram developed for Fe-Ni-Cr alloys cannot be used to predict the constituents expected for high manganese steels. This indicator is true because manganese is not as strong an austenite stabilizer relative to ?-ferrite formation as predicted by the diagram, but it is a stronger austenite stabilizer relative to martensite than predicted. Therefore, the austenite-stable region for Fe-Mn-Cr-C alloys occurs at lower chromium and higher combinations of manganese and carbon than predicted by the Schaeffler diagram. Development of a manganese-stabilized stainless steel should be possible in the composition range of 20 to 25% manganese, 10 to 15% chromium, and 0.1 to 0.25% carbon. Tensile behavior of an Fe-20%Mn-12%Cr-0.25%C alloy was determined. The strength and ductility of this possible base composition was comparable to Type 316 (UNS 531600) stainless steel in both the solution-annealed and cold-worked condition.

Special austenitic steels are being designed in which alloying elements like molybdenum, niobium, and nickel are replaced with manganese, tungsten, vanadium, titanium, and/or tantalum to reduce the long-term radioactivity induced by fusion reactor irradiation. However, the new steels still need to have properties otherwise similar to commercial steels like Type 316. Precipitation strongly affects strength and radiation-resistance in austenitic steels during irradiation at 400 to 600°C, and precipitation is also usually quite sensitive to alloy composition. The initial stage of development was to define a base Fe-Cr-Mn-C composition that formed stable austenite after annealing and cold-working, and resisted recovery or excessive formation of coarse carbide and intermetallic phases during elevated temperature annealing. These studies produced a Fe-12Cr-20Mn-0.25C base alloy. The next stage was to add the minor alloying elements titanium, vanadium, phosphorous, and boron for more strength and radiation-resistance. One of the goals was to produce fine MC precipitation behavior similar to the Ti-modified Fe-Cr-Ni prime candidate alloy (PCA). Additions of Ti + V + P + B produced fine MC precipitation along network dislocations and recovery/re-crystallization resistance in 20% cold-worked material aged at 800° for 168 h, whereas tungsten, titanium, W + Ti, or Ti + P + B additions did not. Addition of W +Ti + V + P + B also produced fine MC, but caused some ? phase formation and more recrystallization as well. These new alloys, therefore, achieved several of the initial design goals. Their fine MC precipitation and recovery/recrystallization behavior during aging is similar to that of the PCA. Calculations show that the new steels have over 103 times less long-term radioactivity than Type 316.

The need for alternate energy sources has led to the develop ment of prototype fusion and MHD reactors. Both possible energy systems in current designs usually require the use of magnetic fields for plasma confinement and concentration. For the creation and maintenance of large 5 to 15 tesla magnetic fields, supercon ducting magnets appear more economical. But the high magnetic fields create large forces, and the complexities of the conceptual reactors create severe space restrictions. The combination of re quirements, plus the desire to keep construction costs at a mini mum, has created a need for stronger structural alloys for service at liquid helium temperature (4 K). The complexity of the required structures requires that these alloys be weldable. Furthermore, since the plasma is influenced by magnetic fields and since magnet ic forces from the use of ferromagnetic materials in many configur ations may be additive, the best structural alloy for most applica tions should be nonmagnetic. These requirements have led to consideration of higher strength austenitic steels. Strength increases at low temperatures are achieved by the addition of nitrogen. The stability of the austenitic structure is retained by adding manganese instead of nickel, which is more expensive. Research to develop these higher strength austenitic steels is in process, primarily in Japan and the United States.

The first of many important works featured in CRC Press’ Metals and Alloys Encyclopedia Collection, the Encyclopedia of Iron, Steel, and Their Alloys covers all the fundamental, theoretical, and application-related aspects of the metallurgical science, engineering, and technology of iron, steel, and their alloys. This Five-Volume Set addresses topics such as extractive metallurgy, powder metallurgy and processing, physical metallurgy, production engineering, corrosion engineering, thermal processing, metalworking, welding, iron- and steelmaking, heat treating, rolling, casting, hot and cold forming, surface finishing and coating, crystallography, metallography, computational metallurgy, metal-matrix composites, intermetallics, nano- and micro-structured metals and alloys, nano- and micro-alloying effects, special steels, and mining. A valuable reference for materials scientists and engineers, chemists, manufacturers, miners, researchers, and students, this must-have encyclopedia: Provides extensive coverage of properties and recommended practices Includes a wealth of helpful charts, nomograms, and figures Contains cross referencing for quick and easy search Each entry is written by a subject-matter expert and reviewed by an international panel of renowned researchers from academia, government, and industry. Also Available Online This Taylor & Francis encyclopedia is also available through online subscription, offering a variety of extra benefits for researchers, students, and librarians, including: Citation tracking and alerts Active reference linking Saved searches and marked lists HTML and PDF format options Contact Taylor and Francis for more information or to inquire about subscription options and print/online combination packages. US: (Tel) 1.888.318.2367; (E-mail) [email protected] International: (Tel) +44 (0) 20 7017 6062; (E-mail) [email protected]

Annotation New edition of a reference that presents the values of properties typical for the most common alloy processing conditions, thus providing a starting point in the search for a suitable material that will allow, with proper use, all the necessary design limitations to be met (strength, toughness, corrosion resistance and electronic properties, etc.) The data is arranged alphabetically and contains information on the manufacturer, the properties of the alloy, and in some cases its use. The volume includes 32 tables that present such information as densities, chemical elements and symbols, physical constants, conversion factors, specification requirements, and compositions of various alloys and metals. Also contains a section on manufacturer listings with contact information. Edited by Frick, a professional engineering consultant. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).