MX precipitate behavior in an irradiated advanced Fe-9Cr steel: Self-ion irradiation effects on phase stability

Green, T.M. Kelsy; Gräning, Tim; Zhong, Weicheng; Yang, Ying; Field, Kevin G.

doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2025.121203

MX precipitate behavior in an irradiated advanced Fe-9Cr steel: Self-ion irradiation effects on phase stability

Journal Article · Thu Jun 05 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Acta Materialia

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2025.121203· OSTI ID:2573091

^[1]; Gräning, Tim ^[2]; ^[2]; ^[2]; ^[1]

Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

In an effort to optimize Fe-9Cr reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels and to inform the design and operation of fusion reactors, this work represents the first in a series of cohesive studies dedicated to the evolution of MX-TiC precipitates under accelerated single and dual ion irradiations. This study investigates CNA9, a simplified Fe-9Cr RAFM steel featuring initial MX-TiC precipitate densities of (2.3±0.3)×10²¹ m⁻³. This material was subjected to single self-ion irradiation at damage levels ranging from 1 to 100 displacements per atom (dpa) over a temperature range of 300 to 600°C, with a nominal dose rate of 7×10⁻⁴ dpa/s. Irradiation-induced coarsening was observed, as evidenced by statistically significant increases in mean diameter sizes, at 15 dpa at both 500°C and 600°C, whereas no coarsening was noted at 300°C or 400°C. Further, complete dissolution of precipitates occurred at damage levels of 50 and 100 dpa across the two temperatures tested (300°C and 500°C) while no significant changes were observed at any doses below 15 dpa at 500°C. Experimentally parameterized recoil resolution modeling suggests that the observed radiation stability of MX-TiC precipitates is intricately linked to diffusional changes of solutes resulting from the co-evolution of microstructural features within the experiments. The findings align with current theoretical perspectives on radiation-induced precipitate stability in complex alloys.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2573091

Journal Information:: Acta Materialia, Journal Name: Acta Materialia Vol. 296; ISSN 1359-6454

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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MX precipitate behavior in an irradiated advanced Fe-9Cr steel: Self-ion irradiation effects on phase stability

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