NSUF 12-353: Critical evaluation of radiation tolerance of nanocrystalline austenitic stainless steels
Objective: We propose to investigate the radiation tolerance of nanocrystalline austenitic stainless steels under proton and heavy ion irradiations. In particular we will use nanocrystalline (nc) Fe-14Cr-16Ni (wt%), 304L and 316L stainless steel (SS) as candidate materials. The following hypotheses will be examined. (1) High angle grain boundaries can effectively reduce void swelling in these SSs. (2) Radiation hardening in austenitic SSs (at moderate temperature, ~ 350oC) can be significantly suppressed. (3) High angle grain boundaries (or small grain sizes) are stable against radiation at elevated temperatures (up to 500oC). The rationale behind these hypotheses is that the large volume fraction of high grain boundaries can be effective sinks for point defects, and mitigate radiation damage by promoting the annihilation of vacancies and interstitials. Impact: Our long-term goal is to design and fabricate bulk nanostructured austenitic SSs with void swelling resistance of a F/M steel, such as HT-9, and with significantly reduced radiation hardening. We have successfully refined the grain size of austenitic SSs from several hundred µm down to ~ 100-400 nm. These nanograins are thermally stable up to 600oC, and show enhanced tolerance against He ion irradiation. These studies pave the way for the proposed studies: that is a much more rigorous examination of radiation and thermal stability of nc SSs under proton and heavy ion irradiations, and post radiation examinations. Period of performance: 4 weeks of instrument time. The post irradiation examination will occur at the PIs institution for about 6 months.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Objective: We propose to investigate the radiation tolerance of nanocrystalline austenitic stainless steels under proton and heavy ion irradiations. In particular we will use nanocrystalline (nc) Fe-14Cr-16Ni (wt%), 304L and 316L stainless steel (SS) as candidate materials. The following hypotheses will be examined. (1) High angle grain boundaries can effectively reduce void swelling in these SSs. (2) Radiation hardening in austenitic SSs (at moderate temperature, ~ 350oC) can be significantly suppressed. (3) High angle grain boundaries (or small grain sizes) are stable against radiation at elevated temperatures (up to 500oC). The rationale behind these hypotheses is that the large volume fraction of high grain boundaries can be effective sinks for point defects, and mitigate radiation damage by promoting the annihilation of vacancies and interstitials. Impact: Our long-term goal is to design and fabricate bulk nanostructured austenitic SSs with void swelling resistance of a F/M steel, such as HT-9, and with significantly reduced radiation hardening. We have successfully refined the grain size of austenitic SSs from several hundred µm down to ~ 100-400 nm. These nanograins are thermally stable up to 600oC, and show enhanced tolerance against He ion irradiation. These studies pave the way for the proposed studies: that is a much more rigorous examination of radiation and thermal stability of nc SSs under proton and heavy ion irradiations, and post radiation examinations. Period of performance: 4 weeks of instrument time. The post irradiation examination will occur at the PIs institution for about 6 months. |
| Award Announced Date | 2012-08-01T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | None |
| Facility | None |
| Facility Tech Lead | Kevin Field |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Xinghang Zhang |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 353 |