When the metal was irradiated with neutrons at 300C, interstitial clusters decorated the dislocations at fluences of the order of 5 x 1017/cm2. Computer simulation suggested that this was due to the accumulation of interstitial atoms in the dislocation strain field, and to the difficulty of absorption of interstitials to extended dislocations which existed before irradiation. The interstitial clusters which accumulated along dislocations coagulated into dislocation loops. The newly-grown loops and dipoles could absorb interstitial clusters, due to the unextended nature of these dislocations, and could cause the disappearance of decoration by interstitial clusters. The dislocations grew into a bowed-out shape and were pinned at voids.

Annihilation of Interstitial Atoms to Dislocations in Neutron-Irradiated Cu and Ni at High Temperature. I.Mukouda, Y.Shimomura: Materials Science and Engineering A, 2001, 309-310, 190-7