Microstructural characterization of joints of Inconel 718 brazed on vacuum furnace

Abstract

The spacer grids are part of the Fuel Element (FE) set of the PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) type reactor. These grids maintain the position of the fuel rods within the arrangement of the FE, conserving among them the spacing necessary for the operation of the reactor. The grids are manufactured from the union of the intersecting points of stamped strips of Base Material (BM) Inconel 718, by a joint process called brazing. The addition metal (AM) used consists of a brazing paste based on Ni-Cr-P (nickel-chromium-phosphorus), which is added dropwise in the intersection of grids with a clearance of 0.025 mm. For this purpose, Inconel 718 smooth strips of 0.35 mm thick nickel plated samples were prepared, the AM was added and the vacuum oven was 10-3 mbar, in different time and temperatures. The samples were prepared by metallography and characterized using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical microhardness test. The purpose of this work is to characterize the brazing joint by means evaluate the size of precipitates and the different compounds formed in the joint. It was found different precipitates composed mainly of titanium and niobium. Phosphorus rich phases were found in the brazed region. The mean hardness of the BM was 469 ± 12 HV and in the joint region hardness of 1345 ± 34 HV was found in the lighter phases.