HARDENING OF SS316 STAINLESS STEEL CAUSED BY THE IRRADIATION WITH ARGON IONS

摘要

We study the correlation between the radiation-induced hardening and the evolution of microstructure of SS316 stainless steel irradiated with 1.4 MeV Ar+ ions within the dose range 0-25 dpa at 300 and 900 degrees K. It is shown that the degree of hardening attained under these doses can be as high as 75% and its saturation is observed at 2 dpa. The clusters of defects and dislocation loops with sizes smaller than 15 nm make the principal contribution to the radiation-induced hardening.