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From the creep rupture data for the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel F82H, the ratio between the load in the small punch (SP) creep test and the stress in the standard creep test is estimated to be 2.1 in an argon atmosphere and 2.3 in a vacuum. However, the reasons for the difference between the values of stress conversion coefficients and the physical meaning of these values have not been clarified. In this study, stress analyses of SP creep specimens were carried out for F82H by using finite element analysis to clarify the physical meaning of the stress conversion coefficient. The friction coefficient between the ball and specimen affected the SP creep properties, and an increase in the friction coefficient resulted in an increase in the rupture time. The applied load (F) and the averaged equivalent stress in the steady state (σs) correlated linearly, and the increasing friction coefficient tended to decrease σs. It was possible to replicate the test results obtained in the argon atmosphere with a friction coefficient of 0.39 and the results obtained in the vacuum with a friction coefficient of 1.3. It was also found that the SP creep test results, which were determined by σs, agree well with the standard creep test results.

In a preliminary study carried out for evaluating creep properties with the small punch (SP) creep testing method, creep tests were performed using reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steel (RAFMs) F82H specimens both in an argon atmosphere and in vacuum (less than 10−3 Pa). The results showed that the rupture time was approximately 2.5 times longer in the argon atmosphere compared to that in the vacuum. Changes in the deflection rate with the deflection and time and changes in the minimum creep deflection rate with the rupture time were almost independent of the test atmosphere, although the minimum creep deflection rate decreased as the rupture time increased. After comparing the SP creep test results, which were sorted by using the Larson-Miller parameter, and the standard creep test results, the ratio (F/σ) between the load (F) in the SP creep test and the stress (σ) in the standard creep test was determined to be 2.1 and 2.3 for the argon atmosphere and vacuum, respectively. Consequently, it was found that the ratio, namely, the load/stress conversion coefficient, depended on the test atmosphere. This result implied that the stress and/or strain distribution on the SP specimen varied with the type of atmosphere. This change with the test atmosphere seemed to be closely associated with changes in the friction between the specimen and the ball.

The dissimilar butt welded joint of reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel (RAF/M) F82H and austenite stainless steel (AISI304 (SUS304)) were studied by friction stir welding. The effect of the position of the steels and tool plunging was considered in order to prohibit the mixing of the F82H and SUS304. When the dissimilar butt welding was performed such that the F82H plate was on the advancing side and the tool was plunged on the F82H side, defect-free joints could be successfully fabricated. Optical microscopy and EDX analysis were used to characterize the dissimilar joint microstructures and the interface. It was confirmed that the dissimilar joint formed no mixed structure and inter-metallic compounds.

The small-punch (SP) test and the SP creep test were carried out by using a further miniaturized plate-type specimen (3 mm diameter × 0.25 mm thick). Those tests were applied to the electron-beam welded joint of reduced-activation ferritic steel for evaluating the distribution of high-temperature strength in the joint. The experimental results revealed that the distribution of the maximum load measured by the SP test at 873 K was very similar to that obtained from Vickers hardness, and the fusion zone was relatively devoid of high-temperature ductility. In addition, the ratio of the load of SP creep test to the stress of standard uniaxial creep test was calculated so that both the creep rupture curves were overlapped to convert the results of SP creep test into those of standard test. As a result, the ratio was determined to be 0.43 for the base metal and this load-stress conversion coefficient is in good agreement with that obtained from finite element analysis.

Thin foil of fcc and bcc metals subjected to tensile deformation has been found to exhibit an anomalously high density of small vacancy clusters, probably in the absence of dislocations. Deformation of fcc Au and bcc Fe containing pre-introduced He bubbles is carried out, at strain rates ranging from 10 −3 to 10 5 s −1 to a 10 2 % strain at −180 and 25 °C. Microstructures in the deformed regions are examined by transmission electron microscopy. Rows of bubbles are formed due to extreme elongation of bubbles under stress and its subsequent division into smaller pieces in response to vacancy diffusion around the bubble surfaces. The bubble rows are parallel to the low-index crystallographic directions, 〈001〉, 〈011〉, and 〈012〉 for Au and 〈011〉 and 〈001〉 for Fe, which can be resolved into ‘slip directions’. The results indicate that displacement of atoms in these thin-foil specimens during tensile deformation progresses while conforming to the nature of the crystal, even in the absence of dislocations.