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In-situ and ex-situ characterization of ion-irradiated AM materials

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1992453· OSTI ID:1992453

Additive manufacturing (AM) has attracted increasing attention in recent years as a new way of making high-quality components for nuclear reactors. While AM materials are compositionally similar to their conventionally produced counterparts, they do possess different microstructures, such as dislocation cells and chemical inhomogeneity, that can lead to different mechanical properties and performance behavior. In this study, the irradiation response of AM materials was investigated. In-situ and ex-situ ion irradiations were performed on AM316L and AM316H stainless steels (SS) at 300 and 600°C. The influence of the dislocation cell structure on the evolution of irradiation-induced dislocation loops was evident at 600ºC, but was much weaker at 300ºC. No voids were observed with the in-situ ion irradiation up to 10 dpa at both temperatures. Post-irradiation energy dispersive spectroscopy showed radiation-induced segregation (RIS) near grain boundaries and the formation of Cr-rich oxides throughout the matrix. The extent of segregation at dislocation cell walls varies with dose. Nanoindentation tests performed on the AM316L SS irradiated at 600ºC showed a complex dose dependence with softening at low doses and hardening at high doses.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1992453
Report Number(s):
ANL-AMMT--005; 183670
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English