Radiation-enhanced precipitation of Cr-rich α' in irradiated Fe-Cr alloys, which results in hardening and embrittlement, depends on the irradiating particle and the displacement per atom (dpa) rate. Here, we utilize a Cahn-Hilliard phase-field based approach, that includes simple models for nucleation, irradiating particle and rate dependent radiation-enhanced diffusion and cascade mixing to simulate α' evolution under neutrons, heavy ions, and electron irradiations. Different irradiating particles manifest very different cascade mixing efficiencies. The model was calibrated using neutron data. For cascade inducing neutron/heavy-ion dpa rates at 300 °C between 10 -8 and 10 -6 dpa/s the model predicts approximately constant number density, decreasing radius, decreasing α' Cr composition, and lower α' volume fraction. The model then predicts a dramatic transition to no α'formation above approximately 10 -5 dpa/s, while electron irradiation, with weak mixing, had little effect at dpa rates up to 10 -3 dpa/s. These model predictions are consistent with experiments. We explain the results in terms of the flux dependence of the radiation enhanced diffusion, cascade mixing, and their ratio, which all vary significantly in relevant flux ranges for neutron and cascade inducing ion irradiations. These results show that both cascade mixing and radiation enhanced diffusion must be accounted for when attempting to emulate neutron-irradiation effects using accelerated ion irradiations. flux effects by triple-beam ions at 450 °C to 10 dpa [17]. Pareige et al. recently reported an APT study of Fe-12Cr under heavy-ion irradiation at 1×10 -4 dpa/s at 300 °C that observed a low density of dilute Cr clusters after irradiation to 0.5 dpa [18]. Likewise, Marquis et al. [19] found no α' in Fe-15Cr irradiated by Fe ++ ions at a dose rate of 1×10 -4 dpa/s up to 60 dpa at 300 °C, but observed a small density clusters with only 35-50 at.% Cr in in a Fe-15Cr at a lower dose rate of ≈ 1×10 -5 dpa/s, suggesting a pronounced dose rate effect [19]. Korchuganova et al. carried out a heavy-ion irradiation at room temperature on a Fe-22Cr alloy that was pre-aged at 500 °C to form α' precipitates with a distribution of sizes [20]. APT showed that the heavy-ion irradiation dissolved the small preexisting α' precipitates and made the larger ones more diffuse. A similar effect of heavy-ion irradiation was also shown to retard spinodal decomposition of Cr-rich α' in a duplex stainless steel with 20 wt.% Cr at 300 °C [21]. In contrast to the heavy-ion irradiation microstructures, Tissot et al. reported that a 3.9×10 -5 dpa/s electron irradiation at 300 °C accelerated precipitation of near equilibrium α' [22]. Accelerated α' precipitation under neutron irradiation has been attributed to radiation-enhanced diffusion (RED). RED depends on both temperature and dose rate due to the corresponding effect on vacancy and self-interstitial atom recombination mediated concentrations through a variety of mechanisms. However, a dose rate effect on RED does not full...
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