EVOLUTION OF MICROSTRUCTURE IN FACE-CENTERED-CUBIC METALS DURING IRRADIATION

When fcc metals and alloys are irradiated at elevated temperatures, they tend to evolve toward saturation microstructures that are independent of the starting state of the metal and the early details of irradiation history. This leads to property changes and rates of dimensional change that also eventually become independent of the starting state. The evolution of microstructure in complex alloys, especially during the transient regime, is usually determined by the complex interaction of many microstructural and microchemical processes. The more complex the alloy, the more difficult it is to identify and define the separate influence of each participating mechanism. The use of irradiation studies conducted on simple metals or model alloys assists in understanding the behavior of alloys of engineering relevance. A review of such studies shows that a number of prevailing perceptions of radiation-induced microstructural evolution are not universally correct.