It was recalled that the intra-cascade clustering of vacancies and self-interstitial atoms, differences in the thermal stability and mobility of the resultant clusters and the 1-dimensional diffusional glide of self-interstitial atoms clusters played key roles in damage accumulation in metals under cascade damage conditions. The production bias model, which took account of these aspects, had succeeded in rationalizing important features of the microstructural evolution of pure metals, while the conventional rate theory model had failed with regard to explaining high overall swelling (even at low dislocation densities), enhanced swelling near to grain boundaries, decoration of dislocations with self-interstitial atom loops, saturation of void growth and void lattice formation. The main ideas and results were reviewed here. Recent work on the possible effects of deviations of self-interstitial atom cluster diffusion from strict 1-dimensionality was considered, and general reaction kinetics were formulated which included 1- and 3-dimensional cluster diffusion. Such reaction kinetics were considered to constitute a basis for the general description of cascade-damage accumulation.

Progress in Modelling the Microstructural Evolution in Metals under Cascade Damage Conditions. H.Trinkaus, B.N.Singh, S.I.Golubov: Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2000, 283-287[A], 89-98