Hardening and microstructural evolution in A533B steels under neutron irradiation and a direct comparison with electron irradiation

A533B steels irradiated at 290 °C up to 10 mdpa in the Kyoto University Reactor were examined by hardness, positron annihilation and atom probe measurements. Dose dependent irradiation hardening and formation of Cu-rich clusters were confirmed in medium Cu (0.12% and 0.16%Cu) steels whereas neither hardening nor cluster formation was detected in low Cu (0.03%Cu) steel. No microvoids were formed in any of the steels. Post-irradiation annealing in medium Cu steels revealed that the hardening recovery at temperatures above 350–400 °C could be attributed to compositional changes and dissociation of the Cu-rich clusters. Compared to electron irradiation at almost the same dose and dose rate, KUR irradiation caused almost the same hardening and produced Cu-rich clusters, more solute-enriched with larger size and lower density. Considering lower production of freely-migrating vacancies in neutron irradiation, the results suggested that cascades enhance the formation of Cu-rich clusters.