On the onset of void ordering in metals under neutron or heavy-ion irradiation

Abstract

Formation of void lattices is observed in a number of metals and alloys under high-energy particle bombardment. The conditions were derived for destabilisation of homogeneous void arrangement using an approach developed for the description of lane formation in pedestrian crowds. The model is based on the Foreman's mechanism of void alignment due to one-dimensionally migrating clusters of self-interstitial atoms. The results show that spatial correlations between voids should exist above some very small size, unless correlations with other defects prevail. It is shown that spatial correlations of voids with dislocations and second-phase precipitates should also evolve and provide a powerful driving force for further swelling.

Keywords:

• void swelling
• void lattice
• displacement cascade
• interstitial cluster

Acknowledgements

The authors express their gratitude to Dr B.N. Singh (RisØ National Laboratory, Denmark), Dr H. Trinkaus (Forschungscentrum Jülich, Germany), and Drs S.J. Zinkle, R.E. Stoller and Yu.N. Osetsky (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA) for careful reading and useful discussions of the manuscript. The research was sponsored by a research grant from the UK Engineering and the Physical Sciences Research Council and by EU-funded project FP 7 GetMat (A.V.B) and by the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences U.S. Department of Energy, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC (S.I.G).