Modeling copper precipitation hardening and embrittlement in a dilute Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.08.042

Title: Modeling copper precipitation hardening and embrittlement in a dilute Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation

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Abstract

The neutron irradiation in light water reactors can induce precipitation of nanometer sized Cu clusters in reactor pressure vessel steels. The Cu precipitates impede dislocation gliding, leading to increase of yield strength (hardening) and upward shift of ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (embrittlement). In this work, cluster dynamics modeling is used to model the entire Cu precipitation process (nucleation, growth, and coarsening) in a Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation at 300 °C. The evolution of the Cu cluster number density and mean radius predicted by the modeling agrees well with experimental data reported in literature for the same alloy under the same irradiation conditions. The predicted precipitation kinetics are used as input for a dispersed barrier hardening model to correlate the microstructural evolution with the radiation hardening and embrittlement in this alloy. The predicted radiation hardening agrees well with the mechanical test results in literature. In conclusion, the limitation of the model and future improvement directions are also discussed in this work.

Authors:

Bai, Xian -Ming ^[1];

^[2];

^[3];

^[3]

Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI (United States)
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Publication Date:: 2017-09-04

Research Org.:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1473963

Report Number(s):: [INL/JOU-17-42045-Rev000]
[Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115]

Grant/Contract Number:: [AC07-05ID14517]

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Journal of Nuclear Materials

Additional Journal Information:: [ Journal Volume: 495; Journal Issue: C]; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING; 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; precipitation; cluster dynamics; reactor pressure vessel

Citation Formats


                    Bai, Xian -Ming, Ke, Huibin, Zhang, Yongfeng, and Spencer, Benjamin W. Modeling copper precipitation hardening and embrittlement in a dilute Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
        Web.  doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.08.042.

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                    Bai, Xian -Ming, Ke, Huibin, Zhang, Yongfeng, & Spencer, Benjamin W. Modeling copper precipitation hardening and embrittlement in a dilute Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation.  United States.  doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.08.042.

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                    Bai, Xian -Ming, Ke, Huibin, Zhang, Yongfeng, and Spencer, Benjamin W. Mon .  
        "Modeling copper precipitation hardening and embrittlement in a dilute Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation".  United States.  doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.08.042.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1473963.

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@article{osti_1473963,

  title        = {Modeling copper precipitation hardening and embrittlement in a dilute Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation},

  author       = {Bai, Xian -Ming and Ke, Huibin and Zhang, Yongfeng and Spencer, Benjamin W.},

  abstractNote = {The neutron irradiation in light water reactors can induce precipitation of nanometer sized Cu clusters in reactor pressure vessel steels. The Cu precipitates impede dislocation gliding, leading to increase of yield strength (hardening) and upward shift of ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (embrittlement). In this work, cluster dynamics modeling is used to model the entire Cu precipitation process (nucleation, growth, and coarsening) in a Fe-0.3at.%Cu alloy under neutron irradiation at 300 °C. The evolution of the Cu cluster number density and mean radius predicted by the modeling agrees well with experimental data reported in literature for the same alloy under the same irradiation conditions. The predicted precipitation kinetics are used as input for a dispersed barrier hardening model to correlate the microstructural evolution with the radiation hardening and embrittlement in this alloy. The predicted radiation hardening agrees well with the mechanical test results in literature. In conclusion, the limitation of the model and future improvement directions are also discussed in this work.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.08.042},

  journal      = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},

  number       = [C],

  volume       = [495],

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2017},

  month        = {9}

}

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.08.042

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