Effect of ion irradiation and indentation depth on the kinetics of deformation during micro-indentation of Zr–2.5%Nb pressure tube material at 25 °C

Micro-indentation creep tests were performed at 25 °C on radial-normal samples cut from Zr–2.5Nb CANDU pressure tube material in both the as-fabricated condition and after irradiation with 8.5 MeV Zr+ ions. The average indentation stress, and hence the yield stress, was found to increase with decreasing indentation depth and with increasing levels of ion irradiation. The activation energy of the indentation creep rate and hence the, activation energy of the obstacles that limit the rate of dislocation glide, was independent of indentation depth but increased from ΔG0 = 0.185 to 0.215 μb3 with increasing ion irradiation damage. The magnitude of the activation energy indicates that ion irradiation introduces a new type of obstacle into the microstructure which reduces the low temperature indentation creep rate of Zr–2.5Nb pressure tubes. This is supported by TEM images showing that Zr+ ion irradiation produces small, nanometer size, dislocation loops which act as obstacles to dislocation glide and thus influence both the yield stress and the activation energy of the low-temperature thermal creep of Zr–2.5Nb pressure tube material. These findings suggest that neutron irradiation will have similar effect upon yield stress and low-temperature thermal creep as the Zr+ ion irradiation since both create similar crystallographic defects in Zr–2.5Nb pressure tubes.