The interaction between a dislocation loop and a gas bubble

Abstract

During irradiation, dislocation loops, bubbles and voids are often formed in crystalline materials. The presence of these defects gives rise to irradiation hardening. At elevated temperatures, the strength may be dictated by the balance between the rate of creation of these defects by irradiation and their rate of thermal annihilation. The behaviour of these defects is often considered in isolation. The paper considers the interaction between dislocation loops and bubbles or voids. The conditions for the formation of loop-bubble complex defects are defined and the rate of diffusional equilibration is calculated. The annealing behaviour of the loop-bubble complex is discussed.