Due to extenuating circumstances Special Metals Corporation is terminating their role as prime contractor with this Vision 21 project. In response to this situation, a status report for the project as of this date, has been prepared and follows. Significant work has been accomplished on three major tasks of this project--increasing the circumferential strength of MA956 tubing, joining of the MA956 alloy, and determination of the high temperature corrosion limits of the MA956 alloy. With respect to increasing the circumferential strength of a MA956 tube, the first rod extrusion campaign has been completed with microstructure analysis providing valuable information on the strengthening mechanism of this alloy. Also, based on the results obtained thus far extrusions of tubes are in process and creep testing to determine the ''stress threshold'' curves for this alloy continues. Regarding joining of the MA956 alloy, welds have been produced using the friction, explosive, magnetic impulse, and diffusion bonding techniques. Complete elevated temperature mechanical testing has not been conducted on joints produced using these methods, however room temperature tensile and shear testing has shown promising results on friction and explosive welds. And finally, laboratory high temperature corrosion testing of the material continues in both fluid-side and fire-side …

Work continued on four major tasks of this project--increasing the circumferential strength of MA956 tubing, joining of the MA956 alloy, determining the bending limits of MA956 tubing, and determination of the high temperature corrosion limits of the MA956 alloy. With respect to increasing the circumferential strength of a MA956 tube, an additional 120 MA956 rods have been extruded (total of 180 rods) using 16:1 and 10:1 extrusion ratios and extrusion temperatures of 1000, 1075, 1150, and 1200 C. Also, approximately 40 cold work (0, 10, 20, 30, 40%) plus annealing treatments (1000, 1150, 1300 C) have been completed with the resulting sample microstructures presently being analyzed. Creep testing to determine the ''stress threshold'' curves for this alloy continues. Regarding joining of the MA956 alloy, work continued using friction welding, magnetic impulse welding, explosive welding, and transient liquid phase bonding, with encouraging results obtained from the friction, explosive, and transient liquid phase joining methods. Initial work on determining the bending limits of the MA956 tubing has shown that the recrystallized material shows good ductility but the unrecrystallized material does not. And finally, fluid-side high temperature corrosion testing of the material continues and the environment for the laboratory fireside corrosion testing has …

Work has begun under three major tasks of this project. With respect to increasing the circumferential strength of a MA956 tube, approximately 60 MA956 rods have been extruded using a 20:1 extrusion ratio and extrusion temperatures of 1000, 1075, 1150, and 1200 C. Also, creep testing is underway for the purpose of determining the ''stress threshold'' curves for this alloy. Regarding joining of the alloy MA956, work has begun on the friction welding, magnetic impulse welding, explosive welding, and transient liquid phase bonding aspects of this project. And finally, material is being prepared for the laboratory fire-side high temperature corrosion tests, with potential gas and deposits for a typical Vision 21 plant being reviewed for final determination of these variables in the test program.

Work continued on four major tasks of this project--increasing the circumferential strength of MA956 tubing, joining of the MA956 alloy, determining the bending limits of MA956 tubing, and determination of the high temperature corrosion limits of the MA956 alloy. With respect to increasing the circumferential strength of a MA956 tube, all of the extrusions plus decanning operations have been completed (total of 180 rods) for Task 2.1.1 (Extrusion Ratio = 20:1, 16:1, 10:1 and Extrusion Temperature = 1000, 1075, 1150, and 1200 C). Also, essentially all of the cold working operations have been completed (0, 10, 20, 30, 40%) with approximately 100 annealing treatments (1000, 1150, 1300 C) remaining. The sample microstructures produced by this processing continue to be analyzed. Creep testing to determine the ''stress threshold'' curves for this alloy continues. Regarding joining of the MA956 alloy, advances were made using transient liquid phase bonding. And finally, laboratory high temperature corrosion testing of the material continues (both fluid-side and fire-side) with fabrication of the field probes initiated.

Work continued on three major tasks of this project--increasing the circumferential strength of MA956 tubing, joining of the MA956 alloy, and determination of the high temperature corrosion limits of the MA956 alloy. With respect to increasing the circumferential strength of a MA956 tube, all of the cold working operations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40%) and annealing treatments (1000, 1150, 1300 C) have been completed. The sample microstructures produced by this processing continue to be analyzed with TEM results providing valuable information on the strengthening mechanism of this alloy. Creep testing to determine the ''stress threshold'' curves for this alloy continues. Regarding joining of the MA956 alloy, additional welds were produced with the friction welding and transient liquid phase bonding techniques. And finally, laboratory high temperature corrosion testing of the material continues in both fluid-side and fire-side simulated environments.