The pipe diffusion of point defects was analyzed by means of computer simulation. The model took account of the possibility of grouping point defects in clusters that could be considered to be the nuclei of second-phase precipitates. For typical values of the parameters which characterized the diffusion process, a significant fraction of point defects in the vicinity of a dislocation core was shown to be able to form clusters that consisted of several defects. The evolution of the concentration of single defects and clusters on the dislocation line, and variations in the mean size of the clusters, was monitored.

I.T.Suprun: Physics of Metals and Metallography, 1996, 81[2], 140-6