Experimental atomic scale investigation of irradiation effects in CW 316SS and UFG-CW 316SS

Materials of the core internals of pressurized water reactor (austenitic stainless steels) are subject to neutron irradiation. To understand the ageing mechanisms associated with irradiation and propose life predictions of components or develop new materials, irradiation damage needs to be experimentally investigated. Atomic scale investigation of a neutron-irradiated CW316 SS with the laser pulsed atom probe gives a detailed description of the solute segregation in the austenitic grains. In order to understand the mechanism of solute segregation detected in the neutron-irradiated materials, ion irradiations were performed. These latest irradiations were realized on a CW 316SS as well as on a nanostructured CW 316SS. The study of irradiation effects in a nanograin material allows first, to easily analyse grain boundary segregation and second, to test the behaviour under irradiation of a new nanostructured material. The three aspects of this atomic scale investigation (neutron irradiation effect, model ion irradiation, new nanostructured CW 316 SS) are tackled in this paper.