Effect of power pulses of deuterium plasma on the structure and mechanical properties of chromium steel
Effect of the high-power nanosecond pulse fluxes of deuterium ions and dense deuterium plasma (10<sup>8</sup> W/cm<sup>2</sup>), generated in the Plasma Focus apparatus, on the mechanical properties of chromium steel has been investigated. It is found that the replacement of carbon in composition of the ferrite 12 Cr - 2 W - 0,1 C steel to nitrogen leads to dramatic embrittlement and softening of the steel caused apparently by formation of brittle nitrides of iron and/or tungsten. Irradiation with powerful pulses of hot plasma improves the mechanical properties of nitrous ferrite steel due to dissolution of the brittle precipitations of nitride phases and formation of nanoscale particles of W, which is confirmed by X-ray analysis of irradiated steel. Ferrite chromium steels without nitrogen as well as austenitic manganese steels have shown a high stability of the mechanical properties under irradiation with powerful pulses of deuterium plasma.