Evaluation on Degradation of Cr-Mo-V Steel by Micro-Vickers Hardness Measurement

미소 비커스경도에 의한 Cr-Mo-V강의 경년열화 평가

Since Cr-Mo-V steel has excellent fracture and creep properties at elevated temperature, they are extensively used as steam turbine components such as the turbine rotor. However, the turbine rotor steel used to suffer material degradation during long term service. Therefore, the assessment of the safety and residual life of the turbine rotor is periodically required during service. One of the most convenient techniques for that is the hardness method mainly due to its simplicity and nondestructive characteristics. In this research, six specimens with different aging times of turbine rotor steel were artificially prepared by an isothermal heat treatment at $630^{\circ}C$. The micro Vickers hardnesses of specimens were measured at room temperature. The relationships between the fracture properties and the hardness ratio were investigated. And also an indirect method to evaluate the residual life of degraded turbine rotor was proposed based on the micro Vickers hardness measurement.