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Title: Improved irradiation resistance of accident-tolerant high-strength FeCrAl alloys with heterogeneous structures

Journal Article · · Acta Materialia

In this work, post–neutron irradiation examination is performed on advanced accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys with ~10–13at. % Cr, ~10–12 at. % Al, ~1 at. % Mo, and minor alloying elements including Y irradiated to a damage level of 7 displacements per atom (dpa) at irradiation temperatures of 267–282 °C. A compositional dependency of the Cr and Al content is observed on the ratio of sessile and glissile dislocation loops, where the density of a$$\langle$$100$$\rangle$$ type loops is somewhat higher than the a/2$$\langle$$111$$\rangle$$ type loops. The α' precipitate number density is inversely correlated to the starting Cr concentration of the alloys of interest. The irradiation to a higher dose of 7 dpa results in a higher density of dislocation loops and α' precipitates for the same alloys at a lower irradiation dose, such as 1.8 dpa. In this work, the effect of α' precipitates on the dislocation loop density is discussed, and the presence of α' appears to inhibit the nucleation of loops. Compared with first-generation FeCrAl alloys, these advanced alloys with heterogeneous structure exhibit a lower Cr concentration in α' precipitation at the same dose level; they act as weaker obstacles deviating from the primary hardening contribution from the mature α'. Hence, the overall irradiation-induced hardening decreases; our alloys show improved radiation resistance because of their stronger sink strengths. The results presented in this paper could provide insights for the design and optimization of ATF cladding materials for future fission and space applications.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain. Advanced Fuel Campaign; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1886513
Journal Information:
Acta Materialia, Journal Name: Acta Materialia Journal Issue: June Vol. 231; ISSN 1359-6454
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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