Simulation of Microstructural Transformations in Fe–Cr–Al Alloys under Neutron Irradiation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/ujpe70.5.315Keywords:
phase separation, secondary phase precipitates, neutron irradiation, numerical simulationAbstract
Theoretical studies of the influence of irradiation conditions on the microstructure evolution in Fe–Cr–Al alloys and the statistical properties of α′-phase precipitates have been carried out. In the framework of the stability analysis, phase diagrams that describe the range of parameters for the implementation of the precipitation processes during thermal annealing and irradiation are determined. Numerical simulation is applied to study the influence of the irradiation on the kinetics of precipitates and the changes in their statistical characteristics. It is shown that the temperature growth at the irradiation leads to the same effects as a damage rate reduction owing to the competition between the ballistic mixing, which is responsible for the instability of homogeneous configuration, and the thermodynamic force that suppresses such an instability.
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