Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/K007866/1
Title:	DMW-Creep: Influence of Inhomogeneity on Creep of Dissimilar Metal Welds
Principal Investigator:	Truman, Professor CE
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Researcher Co-Investigators:
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Department:	Mechanical Engineering
Organisation:	University of Bristol
Scheme:	Standard Research - NR1
Starts:	01 March 2013	Ends:	28 February 2017	Value (£):	737,970
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Energy - Conventional Energy - Nuclear
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Energy
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Summary on Grant Application Form
This research is part of a national UK programme through the RCUK Energy programme and India's Department of Atomic Energy. The research involves the Universities of Bristol, Oxford and Manchester together with the Open University. The research is focussed on understanding the characteristics of welded joints between austenitic stainless steels and ferritic steels that are widely used in many nuclear power generating plants and petrochemical industries as well as conventional coal and gas fired power systems. In the steam generator circuit of sodium cooled fast breeder reactors stainless steel pipes from the intermediate heat exchangers are required to join with a ferritic steel pipe of steam generators. In these welds a transition bond is formed where the chemical composition, microstructure, stress state, physical properties, and mechanical properties vary spatially. These welds are called dissimilar metal welds. To reduce the mismatch between the two steels created when operated at high temperature the thermal expansion coefficient across the joint is reduced with the insertion of a nickel alloy pipe section and using nickel alloy welds having thermal expansion coefficients intermediate between austenitic and ferritic steels. However, premature creep failure is also encountered in such dissimilar weld joints. To provide an understanding of the operating life of the weld it is essential to gain an understanding of the microstructural changes across the weld interface between ferritic and austenitic alloys and their effects on high-temperature creep deformation and fracture behaviour. The objectives of this research are summarised as follows: 1) to model and test the effects of metallurgical and structural aspects of welds, 2) to develop material models and 3) to develop reliable methods to monitor the material.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.bris.ac.uk