Segregation at grain boundaries: from equilibrium to irradiation induced steady states

Abstract

We present a model of radiation-induced segregation (RIS) at the grain boundary (GB), treating both segregation produced by interstitials and segregation due to vacancies. Predicted kinetics of RIS in austenitic steels reveal how thermodynamic properties control the formation of a transient ‘W-shaped’ profile, the oscillatory behaviour being a signature of an establishment of a local equilibrium at proximity of the GB. The impact of a pre-irradiation profile on the formation of a ‘W-shaped’ profile is shown to be negligible at least at the GB plane and the plane adjacent.

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to F. Soisson, B. Legrand and G. Martin for their judicious comments and their assistance.