2002 Volume 43 Issue 7 Pages 1663-1669
The damage rate dependence of the yield stress change in a neutron-irradiated Fe–Cu model alloy was analyzed by a model calculation. The model was based on the rate theory, and focused on the description of the nucleation and growth of point defect clusters and copper clusters. The binding between copper atoms and vacancies and the effect of cascade damage which directly creates small point defect clusters were incorporated in this model. The instability of small point defect clusters caused by thermal dissociation was also included. From the result of the calculation, the yield stress changes were estimated using the Orowan model and the Russel-Brown model. As a result of this calculation, it was clarified that copper clusters are the main factor of yield stress change in almost all irradiation stages below 0.1 dpa. The contribution of copper clusters to yield stress change increased with decreasing damage rate. The nature of the damage rate dependence is not affected by the copper-vacancy binding but by the sink strength, which changes dynamically throughout irradiation.
