SEDL / STP / STP1366-EB / STP12436S

Stress-Affected Dislocation Development of Stainless Steel During Neutron Irradiation

Porollo, SI
Head of Hot Laboratory, Head of Nuclear Materials Division, Leading Investigator, Leading Developer, Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk,

Konobeev, YV
Head of Hot Laboratory, Head of Nuclear Materials Division, Leading Investigator, Leading Developer, Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk,

Kruglov, AS
Head of Hot Laboratory, Head of Nuclear Materials Division, Leading Investigator, Leading Developer, Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk,

Pevchikh, YM
Head of Hot Laboratory, Head of Nuclear Materials Division, Leading Investigator, Leading Developer, Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk,

Garner, FA
Senior Staff Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA

Pages: 9    Published: Jan 2000

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Abstract

When stainless steels are irradiated at 530°C with neutrons to ∼0.2 dpa at stresses above the yield stress, the evolution of dislocation microstructure is very different from that which occurs when stresses are held below the yield stress. The dislocation network that forms is more uniform and crystallographically-oriented than the cell structure that forms in the absence of irradiation. Small defect clusters form instead of Frank loops, but their density decreases with the applied stress level.

Whereas network dislocations, defect clusters and Frank loops evolving at lower stress levels primarily communicate indirectly through their competition for point defects, stress-induced glide of dislocations is strongly activated above the yield strength and there is a strong, direct physical interaction between dislocations and loops that changes the nature of the saturation state of both components.