Micromechanical analysis of the effect of void swelling on elastic and electric properties of irradiated steel

Abstract

The paper focuses on changes in mechanical and electrical properties of austenitic steel due to radiation swelling. Various micromechanical models for the electrical conductivity and elastic moduli are assessed based on the experimental data available in literature. We show that, in the considered case, the effective field method provides the best prediction for both elastic and conductive properties. Comparing the two sets of experimental data, the cross-property connections that relate changes in the elastic and electrical conductivity of a material due to radiation swelling has been verified. It is shown that analytical cross-property connection is in a good agreement with experimental data and can be used to estimate changes in electrical resistivity of a material from the changes in Young’s modulus or vice versa.