SEDL / STP / STP683-EB / STP38193S

Reduction of Irradiation-Induced Creep by Point-Defect Trapping

Mansur, LK
Research staff member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Wolfer, WG
Research staff member, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Pages: 16    Published: Jan 1979

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Abstract

The theory of point-defect trapping has been applied to predict the effect of solutes on the steady-state dislocation climb creep rate. A range of parameters of experimental relevance is considered. Vacancy loops generated in the cascades produced by heavy particles are included in the formalism. It is shown that the effect of vacancy loops on the creep rate is mathematically equivalent to a simultaneous reduction in the vacancy trapping rate at solutes as well as in the free point-defect generation rate and recombination coefficient. These parameters are reduced by the ratio of the sink strength without vacancy loops to the total sink strength. It is found that solute trapping and vacancy loops may reduce the unperturbed creep rates by up to an order of magnitude for the parametric range considered.