EFFECT OF GAS ATOMS ON SWELLING OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS-STEEL

There have been many studies on the effect of He on swelling, however not so many on the effect of nitrogen on swelling. In this study the effect of nitrogen on swelling of 316 steel was investigated under HVEM irradiation for establishing a model of swelling. The nitrogen content was changed from 0.083 to 0.002 wt%, and for the comparison 321 steel containing Ti was used. Irradiation was performed by HVEM at 500 degrees C under 2x10(-3) dpa/s. The dislocation loop number density in the early stage was nearly equal to the cavity number density formed later and both increased with nitrogen content. The swelling increased and decreased through the maximum as the nitrogen content increased. The result was explained by the model of swelling. As for 321 steel, no cavities were found under HVEM until 6 dpa at 500 degrees C. This suggests the effect of scavenging of nitrogen by Ti.