Abstract
The plastic properties of nonirradiated and irradiated Zr-2.5Nb pressure tube alloys were obtained from both nanoindentation and micropillar compression tests. A back-calculation model was used to calculate the plastic properties of both nonirradiated and irradiated materials based on the nanoindentation. The calculated indentation stress-strain curves were adopted as material property inputs in finite element models of nanoindentation and micropillar compression tests. The nanoindentation models using calculated properties produced good fits to the indentation load-displacement curves; the pileup behaviors simulated were also consistent with existing theories. It was found that the displacement-controlled micropillar compression test failed by localized shear damage; the micropillar model successfully predicted the shear failure behavior, but this occurred at higher stress than observed experimentally. This test is believed to be strongly affected by irradiation, the sample size, and grain boundary strength. It can, therefore, be concluded that the orientation dependence of irradiated material plastic properties, in terms of irradiation-induced changes to work hardening, can be readily studied by nanoindentation combined with the back-calculation model.
Published Version
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