Segregation Behavior Induced by Various Particle Irradiations in Austenitic Stainless Steels

Radiation induced segregation (RIS) occurred in austenitic stainless steels was investigated to account for differences in RIS behavior under various irradiation conditions. Measured composition profiles in austenitic stainless steels irradiated by neutron in a boiling water reactor, 1 MeV electron or 60 MeV He, were analyzed by computer simulations based on the inverse-Kirkendall model. By using corresponding damage efficiency of each irradiation as an input parameter in addition to dose rate and irradiation temperature, calculations almost reproduced the measured RIS behavior. This suggested that the damage efficiency was a useful parameter of RIS for different particle irradiations. However, inconsistencies between measurements and calculations appeared in the irradiation conditions at high dose and high dose rate at about 570 K. To account for them consistently, further studies including the effect of microstructural evolution on RIS behavior were required.