Fe2+ ion irradiated JRQ steel investigated by nanoindentation and slow-positron Doppler broadening spectroscopy

A model reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel, known as JRQ, was manufactured in Japan for IAEA neutron embrittlement research studies in late 80 s. This model alloy belongs to the commercially used steel of A533B-1 type and shows relatively large changes in mechanical properties after a neutron irradiation due to considerable copper content (0.15 wt%). In order to simulate neutron irradiation and investigate the hardening effect, studied specimens of JRQ steel were exposed to Fe2+ ion irradiation in five different exposures calculated using the SRIM code. The ion energy of 5 MeV, temperature at 300 °C and the flux of 1.0 × 1011 cm−2 s−1 were the same during the irradiations. The hardening was investigated and observed by means of nanoindentation technique and a defect profile of irradiated steels was measured by Slow-positron Doppler broadening spectroscopy (DBS). The observed increasing trend of nanohardness as a function of fluence is in good agreement with the trend observed on the basis of Vickers hardness measured for neutron-irradiated JRQ. This confirms that Cu precipitation is most likely responsible for the observed irradiation hardening and that neutron-irradiation-induced damage can be simulated using ion irradiation in the present case. We have also excluded open volume (vacancy type) defects in the crystal lattice of JRQ steel from a responsibility for the damage arising by the Fe2+ ion irradiation.