Effect of neutron irradiation on tensile properties of austenitic steel XM-19 for the ITER application

Austenitic chromium manganese stainless alloy XM-19 is proposed to use as a material for the ITER in-vessel components such as divertor attachments. The paper presents the results of experimental investigation into the effect of neutron irradiation dose on radiation hardening and of XM-19 alloy. Specimens of XM-19 alloy were irradiated at a temperature of 300°C to doses of 10−3, 10−2, 10−1dpa in the RBT-6 reactor in Dimitrovgrad. It is shown that neutron irradiation to 0.1dpa at Tirr=300°C increases the yield strength of XM-19 alloy by 100MPa. The uniform elongation was slightly reduced from 45% to 40% at 0.1dpa, Tirr=300°C. The investigations performed show that XM-19 alloy demonstrates high level of the strength properties in the initial and irradiated state and has a good ductility after irradiation. The conclusion is made that XM-19 alloy holds promises for ITER application due to its good radiation resistance.