Development of microstructure and irradiation hardening of Zircaloy during low dose neutron irradiation at nominally 377-440 degrees C

作者：Cockeram B V^*; Leonard K J; Byun T S; Snead L L; Hollenbeck J L

来源：Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2014, 449(1-3): 69-87.

DOI：10.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.03.004

Neutron irradiation of wrought Zircaloy-2 and Zircaloy-4 was performed in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at irradiation temperatures of nominally 377-440 degrees C to relatively low neutron fluences between 3 and 31 x 10(24) n/m(2) (E >1 May). The irradiation hardening was measured using tensile testing. For this relatively high application temperature (377-440 degrees C) saturation of hardening was observed at the relatively low dose of 3 and 8 x 10(24) n/m(2), but the magnitude of irradiation hardening is much less than reported in the literature for lower irradiation temperatures of 260-326 degrees C. Examinations of microstructure were used to show that a lower number density of < a > loops is present that results in the lower level of irradiation hardening. The lower irradiation hardening for the higher irradiation temperature is consistent with literature data. The amorphization of Zr(Fe,Cr)(2) precipitates and resulting change in precipitate composition during irradiation is characterized, and the potential role of these effects on < a > loop and < c > loop formation and irradiation hardening is discussed.

• 出版日期2014-6