Analyzing the effect of displacement rate on radiation-induced segregation in 304 and 316 stainless steels by examining irradiated EBR-II components and samples irradiated with protons

Recent studies have indicated that, at temperatures relevant to fast reactors and light water reactors, void swelling in austenitic alloys progresses more rapidly when the radiation dose rate is lower. A similar dependency between radiation-induced segregation (RIS) and dose rate is theoretically predicted for pure materials and might also be true in complex engineering alloys. Radiation-induced segregation was measured on 304 and 316 stainless steel, irradiated in the EBR-II reactor at temperatures near 375 °C, to determine if the segregation is a strong function of damage rate. The data taken from samples irradiated in EBR-II is also compared to RIS data generated using proton radiation. Although the operational histories of the reactor irradiated samples are complex, making definitive conclusions difficult, the preponderance of the evidence indicates that radiation-induced segregation in 304 and 316 stainless steels is greater at lower displacement rate.