Fluence dependence of defect evolution in austenitic stainless steels during fission neutron irradiation

To understand microstructural evolution during fission neutron irradiation, a pure Fe-Cr-Ni ternary alloy, phosphorus-containing model austenitic stainless steels and SUS316 were irradiated in a Japanese Material Testing Reactor (JMTR) at 493 and 613 K, At 493 K, the density of defect cluster increased with the irradiation dose, but there was no significant change in loop density and loop size among all the materials. At 613 K, on the other hand, interstitial type dislocation loops and phosphides were formed in pure ternary and phosphorus-containing alloys, respectively, by an early stage of irradiation. These results suggest that the defect cluster formation at 493 and 613 K is mainly controlled by the cascade damage and long-range migration of free point defects, respectively. (C) 1999 Elsevier science B.V. All rights reserved.