Low temperature neutron irradiation effects on microstructure and tensile properties of molybdenum

Polycrystalline molybdenum was irradiated in the hydraulic tube facility at the High Flux Isotope Reactor to doses ranging from 7.2 × 10−5 to 0.28 dpa at ∼80 °C. As-irradiated microstructure was characterized by room-temperature electrical resistivity measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). Tensile tests were carried out between −50 and 100 °C over the strain rate range 1 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−2 s−1. Fractography was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the deformation microstructure was examined by TEM after tensile testing. Irradiation-induced defects became visible by TEM at ∼0.001 dpa. Both their density and mean size increased with increasing dose. Submicroscopic three-dimensional cavities were detected by PAS even at ∼0.0001 dpa. The cavity density increased with increasing dose, while their mean size and size distribution was relatively insensitive to neutron dose. It is suggested that the formation of visible dislocation loops was predominantly a nucleation and growth process, while in-cascade vacancy clustering may be significant in Mo. Neutron irradiation reduced the temperature and strain rate dependence of the yield stress, leading to radiation softening in Mo at lower doses. Irradiation had practically no influence on the magnitude and the temperature and strain rate dependence of the plastic instability stress.