Influence of the austenitic stainless steel microstructure on the void swelling under ion irradiation

To understand the role of different metallurgical parameters on the void formation mechanisms, various austenitic stainless steels were elaborated and irradiated with heavy ions. Two alloys, in several metallurgical conditions (15Cr/15Ni–Ti and 15Cr/25Ni–Ti), were irradiated in the JANNUS-Saclay facility at 600 °C with 2 MeV Fe 2+ ions up to 150 dpa. Resulting microstructures were observed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Different effects on void swelling are highlighted. Only the pre-aged samples, which were consequently solute and especially titanium depleted, show cavities. The nickel-enriched matrix shows more voids with a smaller size. Finally, the presence of nano-precipitates combined with a dense dislocation network decreases strongly the number of cavities.