Microstructure and Fracture Property of 1A Grade Duplex Stainless Steel with the Addition of Gadolinium

CD4MCU duplex stainless steel with gadolinium was fabricated as a neutron absorbing material by the air induction melting method. The gadolinium formed intermetallic compounds of Cu-Gd-Fe. There were no significant differences in hardness or ultimate tensile strength between experimental alloys. With the addition of gadolinium the yield strength of the cast alloy significantly increased, from 478.8 ± 11.6 to 514.2 ± 29.9 MPa, whereas elongation of the cast alloy decreased with the addition of gadolinium, from 26.0 ± 7.1 to 7.0 ± 2.5% due to the formation of gadolinium based intermetallic compounds.