The Effect of Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Hydrogen on the Mechanical Properties of Cb-752

Abstract

Uniaxial tensile properties of the niobium-base alloy Cb-752 have been determined as a function of oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen content over a temperature range of −196 C to 200 deg C. Each of these impurities increased the temperature at which a ductile-brittle transition occurs. Although ductility was severely reduced, strength parameters were relatively unchanged making detection of embrittlement by hardness testing difficult. Impurity levels for embrittlement were sufficiently low and the affinity of Cb-752 for contamination sufficiently great that processing operations require strict control. The mechanism of this impurity embrittlement is not well understood. However, observations of fracture surfaces of brittle failures reveal mixed intergranular cleavage with a uniform distribution of precipitates throughout grain boundaries. These observations are discussed in the light of current theories.