A solution annealed 304 and a cold worked 316 austenitic stainless steels were irradiated from 0.36 to 5dpa at 350C using 160keV Fe ions. Irradiated microstructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Observations after irradiation revealed the presence of a high number density of Frank loops. Size and number density of Frank loops were measured. Results were in good agreement with those observed in the literature and show that ion irradiation was able to simulate dislocation loop microstructure obtained after neutron irradiation. Experimental results and data from literature were compared with predictions from the cluster dynamic model, MFVIC (Mean Field Vacancy and Interstitial Clustering). It was able to reproduce dislocation loop population for neutron irradiation. Effects of dose rate and temperature on the loop number density were simulated by the model. Calculations for ion irradiations show that simulation results were consistent with experimental observations. However, results also show the model limitations due to the lack of accurate parameters.

Dislocation Loop Evolution under Ion Irradiation in Austenitic Stainless Steels. A.Etienne, M.Hernández-Mayoral, C.Genevois, B.Radiguet, P.Pareige: Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2010, 400[1], 56-63