Overview of microstructural evolution in neutron-irradiated austenitic stainless steels

Austenitic stainless steels are important structural materials common to several different reactor systems, including light water and fast breeder fission, and magnetic fusion reactors (LWR, FBR, and MFR, respectively). The microstructures that develop in 300 series austenitic stainless steels during neutron irradiation at 60–700°C include combinations of dislocation loops and networks, bubbles and voids, and various kinds of precipitate phases (radiation-induced, or -enhanced or -modified thermal phases). Many property changes in these steels during neutron irradiation are directly or indirectly related to radiation-induced microstructural evolution. Even more important is the fact that radiation-resistance of such steels during either FBR or MFR irradiation is directly related to control of the evolving microstructure during such irradiation. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the large and complex body of data accumulated from various fission reactor irradiation experiments conducted over the many years of research on microstructural evolution in this family of steels. The data can be organized into several different temperature regimes which then define the nature of the dominant microstructural components and their sensitivities to irradiation parameters (dose, helium/dpa ratio, dose rate) or metallurgical variables (alloy composition, pretreatment). The emphasis in this paper will be on the underlying mechanisms driving the microstructure to evolve during irradiation or those enabling microstructural stability related to radiation resistance.