High temperature embrittlement of metals by helium

Abstract

The present knowledge of the influence of helium on the high temperature mechanical properties of metals to be used as structural materials in fast fission and in future fusion reactors is reviewed. A wealth of experimental data has been obtained by many different experimental techniques, on many different alloys, and on different properties. This review is mostly concentrated on the behaviour of austenitic alloys—especially austenitic stainless steels, for which the data base is by far the largest—and gives only a few examples of special bcc alloys. The effect of the helium embrittlement on the different properties—tensile, fatigue and, with special emphasis, creep—is demonstrated by representative results. A comparison between data obtained from in-pile (-beam) experiments and from post-irradiation (-implantation) experiments, respectively, is presented. Theoretical models to describe the observed phenomena are briefly outlined and some suggestions are made for future work to resolve uncertainties and differences between our experimental knowledge and theoretical understanding of high temperature helium embrittlement.