Visualization of tritium distribution by autoradiography technique

A method for registration of replica autoradiograms has been developed to derive combined information about the structure of the near-surface layer and the tritium distribution in this layer. The distribution of tritium in the 16Cr-15Ni-3Mo-1Ti austenitic steel and the martensitic steel DIN 1.4914 (MANET) was analyzed. It was shown that the sites, where tritium concentrates in these materials (hydrogen traps), were connected with dislocations and dislocation piles-up, especially at subboundaries and interfaces. Tritium occurred at grain boundaries only when they included particles of the secondary phase.