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Volume 16
Issue 6
10.3390/met16060658
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Article

Oscillatory Precipitation and Re-Dissolution of Mn-Ni-(Si)-Based Precipitates in Aged Reactor Pressure Vessel Model Steels

by
Fan Yang
1,
Zhiwei Cao
1,
Jianbin Zhang
2 and
Ting Hao
1,*
1
School of Mechanical Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Nonferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Metals 2026, 16(6), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16060658 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 19 May 2026 / Revised: 11 June 2026 / Accepted: 13 June 2026 / Published: 14 June 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Metals and Alloys for Nuclear Applications)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The irradiation-induced precipitation of Mn-Ni-rich precipitates (MNPs) or Mn-Ni-Si-rich precipitates (MNSPs) is the primary cause of embrittlement in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. In this study, high-precision electrical resistivity (ER) measurements (10 nΩ·m accuracy) were employed to probe the thermal stability of aging-induced MNSPs in RPV model steels that were aged at 600 °C for 30 h. We report the discovery of oscillatory precipitation and re-dissolution of MNPs/MNSPs, evidenced by alternating ER peaks upon repeated thermal cycling to 950 °C. This oscillatory behavior is further confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) observations. Internal friction (IF) results indicate that the oscillatory precipitation and re-dissolution of MNPs/MNSPs should occur predominantly within the grain interiors rather than at grain boundaries (GBs).
Keywords: Mn-Ni-rich precipitates; grain boundaries; electrical resistivity; reactor pressure vessel steel; internal friction Mn-Ni-rich precipitates; grain boundaries; electrical resistivity; reactor pressure vessel steel; internal friction

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yang, F.; Cao, Z.; Zhang, J.; Hao, T. Oscillatory Precipitation and Re-Dissolution of Mn-Ni-(Si)-Based Precipitates in Aged Reactor Pressure Vessel Model Steels. Metals 2026, 16, 658. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16060658

AMA Style

Yang F, Cao Z, Zhang J, Hao T. Oscillatory Precipitation and Re-Dissolution of Mn-Ni-(Si)-Based Precipitates in Aged Reactor Pressure Vessel Model Steels. Metals. 2026; 16(6):658. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16060658

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yang, Fan, Zhiwei Cao, Jianbin Zhang, and Ting Hao. 2026. "Oscillatory Precipitation and Re-Dissolution of Mn-Ni-(Si)-Based Precipitates in Aged Reactor Pressure Vessel Model Steels" Metals 16, no. 6: 658. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16060658

APA Style

Yang, F., Cao, Z., Zhang, J., & Hao, T. (2026). Oscillatory Precipitation and Re-Dissolution of Mn-Ni-(Si)-Based Precipitates in Aged Reactor Pressure Vessel Model Steels. Metals, 16(6), 658. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16060658

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