Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels
Ion irradiation combined with nanoindentation is a promising tool for studying irradiation-induced hardening of nuclear materials, including reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. For RPV steels, the major sources of hardening are nm-sized irradiation-induced dislocation loops and solute atom cluster...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Metals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/14/3/257 |
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| author | Libang Lai Jann-Erik Brandenburg Paul Chekhonin Arnaud Duplessi Fabien Cuvilly Auriane Etienne Bertrand Radiguet David Rafaja Frank Bergner |
| author_facet | Libang Lai Jann-Erik Brandenburg Paul Chekhonin Arnaud Duplessi Fabien Cuvilly Auriane Etienne Bertrand Radiguet David Rafaja Frank Bergner |
| author_sort | Libang Lai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ion irradiation combined with nanoindentation is a promising tool for studying irradiation-induced hardening of nuclear materials, including reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. For RPV steels, the major sources of hardening are nm-sized irradiation-induced dislocation loops and solute atom clusters, both representing barriers for dislocation glide. The dispersed barrier hardening (DBH) model provides a link between the irradiation-induced nanofeatures and hardening. However, a number of details of the DBH model still require consideration. These include the role of the unirradiated microstructure, the proper treatment of the indentation size effect (ISE), and the appropriate superposition rule of individual hardening contributions. In the present study, two well-characterized RPV steels, each ion-irradiated up to two different levels of displacement damage, were investigated. Dislocation loops and solute atom clusters were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, respectively. Nanoindentation with a Berkovich indenter was used to measure indentation hardness as a function of the contact depth. In the present paper, the measured hardening profiles are compared with predictions based on different DBH models. Conclusions about the appropriate superposition rule and the consideration of the ISE (in terms of geometrically necessary dislocations) are drawn. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:01:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-731bf3e973004d59a6c79ee747ca27bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4701 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:01:36Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Metals |
| spelling | doaj.art-731bf3e973004d59a6c79ee747ca27bc2024-03-27T13:54:14ZengMDPI AGMetals2075-47012024-02-0114325710.3390/met14030257Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel SteelsLibang Lai0Jann-Erik Brandenburg1Paul Chekhonin2Arnaud Duplessi3Fabien Cuvilly4Auriane Etienne5Bertrand Radiguet6David Rafaja7Frank Bergner8Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, GermanyHelmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, GermanyHelmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, GermanyUniv Rouen Normandie, INSA Rouen Normandie, CNRS, Normandie Univ, GPM UMR 6634, F-76000 Rouen, FranceUniv Rouen Normandie, INSA Rouen Normandie, CNRS, Normandie Univ, GPM UMR 6634, F-76000 Rouen, FranceUniv Rouen Normandie, INSA Rouen Normandie, CNRS, Normandie Univ, GPM UMR 6634, F-76000 Rouen, FranceUniv Rouen Normandie, INSA Rouen Normandie, CNRS, Normandie Univ, GPM UMR 6634, F-76000 Rouen, FranceInstitute of Materials Science, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Gustav-Zeuner-Str. 5, 09599 Freiberg, GermanyHelmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, GermanyIon irradiation combined with nanoindentation is a promising tool for studying irradiation-induced hardening of nuclear materials, including reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. For RPV steels, the major sources of hardening are nm-sized irradiation-induced dislocation loops and solute atom clusters, both representing barriers for dislocation glide. The dispersed barrier hardening (DBH) model provides a link between the irradiation-induced nanofeatures and hardening. However, a number of details of the DBH model still require consideration. These include the role of the unirradiated microstructure, the proper treatment of the indentation size effect (ISE), and the appropriate superposition rule of individual hardening contributions. In the present study, two well-characterized RPV steels, each ion-irradiated up to two different levels of displacement damage, were investigated. Dislocation loops and solute atom clusters were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, respectively. Nanoindentation with a Berkovich indenter was used to measure indentation hardness as a function of the contact depth. In the present paper, the measured hardening profiles are compared with predictions based on different DBH models. Conclusions about the appropriate superposition rule and the consideration of the ISE (in terms of geometrically necessary dislocations) are drawn.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/14/3/257reactor pressure vessel steelsion irradiationmicrostructure characterizationtransmission electron microscopyatom probe tomographynanoindentation |
| spellingShingle | Libang Lai Jann-Erik Brandenburg Paul Chekhonin Arnaud Duplessi Fabien Cuvilly Auriane Etienne Bertrand Radiguet David Rafaja Frank Bergner Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels Metals reactor pressure vessel steels ion irradiation microstructure characterization transmission electron microscopy atom probe tomography nanoindentation |
| title | Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels |
| title_full | Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels |
| title_fullStr | Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels |
| title_short | Microstructure-Informed Prediction of Hardening in Ion-Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels |
| title_sort | microstructure informed prediction of hardening in ion irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels |
| topic | reactor pressure vessel steels ion irradiation microstructure characterization transmission electron microscopy atom probe tomography nanoindentation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/14/3/257 |
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