Mechanical properties and plasticity size effect of Fe-6%Cr irradiated by Fe ions and by neutrons

The mechanical behaviour of Fe6%Cr in the un-irradiated, self-ion irradiated and neutron irradiated conditions was measured and compared. Irradiations were performed to the same dose and at the same temperature but to very different damage rates for both methods. The materials were tested using nanoindentation and micromechanical testing, and compared with microstructural observations from Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atom Probe Tomography (APT) reported elsewhere. Irradiated and un-irradiated micro-cantilevers with a wide range of dimensions were used to study the interrelationships between irradiation hardening and size effects in small-scale plasticity. TEM and APT results identified that the dislocation loop densities were ∼2.9 × 1022m−3 for the neutron irradiated material and only 1.4 × 1022m−3 for the ion irradiated material. Cr segregation to loops was only found for the neutron-irradiated material. The nanoindentation hardness increase due to neutron irradiation was 3 GPa and that due to ion irradiation 1 GPa. The differences between the effects of the two irradiation types are discussed, taking into account inconsistencies in damage calculations, and the differences in PKA spectra, dose rate and transmutation products for the two irradiation types.