The effect of tungsten on creep

The effect of tungsten on creep behavior and microstructural evolution was investigated for tempered martensitic 9Cr steels with various W concentrations from 0 to 4 wt pct. The creep rupture testing was carried out at 823, 873, and 923 K for up to 54 Ms (15,000 hours). The creep and creep rupture strength increased linearly with W concentration up to about 3 wt pct, where the steels consisted of the single constituent of the tempered martensite. It increased only slightly above 3 wt pct, where the matrix consisted of the tempered martensite and δ-ferrite. The minimum creep rate was described by a power law. The apparent activation energy for the minimum creep rate showed a tendency similar to the W concentration dependence of the creep-rupture strength and was larger than the activation energy for self-diffusion at high W concentrations above 1 wt pct. The martensite lath microstructure with fine carbides along lath boundaries was responsible for a high resistance to creep deformation. With increasing W con- centration, the martensite lath microstructure became stabilized, which decreased the minimum creep rate and increased the apparent activation energy for the minimum creep rate.