| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Mechanical Behavior of Nuclear Reactor Materials and Components IV
|
| Presentation Title |
Dislocation-Precipitate Interactions in Neutron-Irradiated RPV Steel |
| Author(s) |
Brandon Bohanon, Salil Bavdekar, Ghatu Subhash, Douglas Spearot, Assel Aitkaliyeva |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Brandon Bohanon |
| Abstract Scope |
The mechanical behavior of steel under load is dictated by the movement of dislocations. The formation of precipitates during neutron irradiation inhibits dislocation movement, resulting in hardening and embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. Current models assume a homogeneous distribution of fine precipitates throughout the matrix with pre-existing dislocations remaining free of obstacles. However, past work shows the precipitation of hardening phases occurs heterogeneously along pre-existing dislocations. In this work, nano-indentation is used to quantify the hardening as a function of depth in RPV steels irradiated to fluences exceeding 10^20 neutrons-cm^-2 and electron microscopy is used to characterize motion of dislocations and interaction with precipitates. This work will aid in understanding of the mechanisms governing hardening and embrittlement in high-fluence RPV steels. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Mechanical Properties, Characterization |