skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Radiation-induced grain boundary segregation in austenitic stainless steels

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10116221

Radiation-induced segregation (RIS) to grain boundaries in Fe-Ni-Cr-Si stainless alloys has been measured as a function of irradiation temperature and dose. Heavy-ion irradiation was used to produce damage levels from 1 to 20 displacements per atom (dpa) at temperatures from 175 to 550{degrees}C. Measured Fe, Ni, and Cr segregation increased sharply with irradiation dose (from G to 5 dpa) and temperature (from 175 to about 350{degrees}C). However, grain boundary concentrations did not change significantly as dose or temperatures were further increased. Although interfacial compositions were similar, the width of radiation-induced enrichment or depletion profiles increased consistently with increasing dose or temperature. Impurity segregation (Si and P) was also measured, but only Si enrichment appeared to be radiation-induced. Grain boundary Si peaked at levels approaching 10 at% after irradiation doses to 10 dpa at an intermediate temperature of 325{degrees}C. No evidence of grain boundary silicide precipitation was detected after irradiation at any temperature. Equilibrium segregation of P was measured in the high-P alloys, but interfacial concentration did not increase with irradiation exposure. Comparisons to reported RIS in neutron-irradiated stainless steels revealed similar grain boundary compositional changes for both major alloying and impurity elements.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
10116221
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-25507; CONF-941144-51; ON: DE95005721; TRN: 95:001744
Resource Relation:
Conference: Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS),Boston, MA (United States),28 Nov - 9 Dec 1994; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1994
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English