Radiation-Induced Segregation in 316 and 304 Stainless Steels Irradiated at Low Dose Rate
ABSTRACTAs part of the shutdown of the EBR-II reactor, structural materials were retrieved to analyze the effects of long-term irradiation on mechanical properties and microstructure. In this work, the effect of low dose rate irradiation (10−7 to 10−8 dpa/s) on grain boundary composition in 316 and 304 stainless steels was analyzed. Samples were taken from surveillance specimens and subassemblies irradiated in the reflector region of EBR-II at temperatures from 371-390°C to maximum doses of 30 dpa. The effects of dose, dose rate, and bulk composition on radiation- induced segregation are analyzed. In 316 stainless steel, changes in grain boundary chromium and nickel concentrations occur faster than changes in iron and molybdenum concentrations. In 304 stainless steel, decreasing the dose rate increases the amount of grain boundary segregation. For a dose of 20 dpa, chromium depletion and nickel enrichment are greater in 304 stainless steel than in 316 stainless steel, the difference most likely due to dose rate. In both 304 and 316 stainless steels, the presence of a grain boundary precipitate significantly changes the composition of the adjacent grain boundary.