Modeling irradiation-induced intragranular gas bubble in tungsten under external tensile loading

Abstract

Microstructure damage created by high-energy particle irradiation has an inevitable effect on the performance of material. Helium (He) as the transmutation element in irradiated solid prefers to occupy the vacancy (V) center to form HeV complex, which in turn induces the formation of He bubble. Herein, the external applied stress driven irradiation-induced He bubble formation and evolution in single-crystalline tungsten (W) has been investigated using the phase-field method. Importantly, the trapping and resolution kinetic behavior between He atom and He bubble is described by the diffusion coefficient in terms of rate theory continuum model, and the effect of external stress on the movements of vacancy, self-interstitial and He atom has been implemented into their diffusivities as well. We first concentrate on the intrinsic lattice distortion (stress) patterns of void and bubble to validate the developed model by comparing the reported numerical results. Then, the accelerated growth velocity of bubble along the loading direction is predicted, which agrees well with the previously observed stress pattern around the void/bubble. The evolution behaviors of the stress-assisted single, bi-dispersed and multiple bubbles vary with the direction and magnitude of external loading, indicating a strong correlation between the size and density of bubble and the loading level. It is found that with the contribution of increasing external stress, more bubbles can be generated at the formation stage and visible bubbles tend to reduce at the coarsening stage due to bubble coalescence.