Abstract
Combining spatially resolved x-ray Laue diffraction with atomic-scale simulations, we observe how ion-irradiated tungsten undergoes a series of nonlinear structural transformations with increasing radiation exposure. Nanoscale defect-induced deformations accumulating above 0.02 displacements per atom (dpa) lead to highly fluctuating strains at ∼0.1 dpa, collapsing into a driven quasisteady structural state above ∼1 dpa. The driven asymptotic state is characterized by finely dispersed vacancy defects coexisting with an extended dislocation network and exhibits positive volumetric swelling, due to the creation of new crystallographic planes through self-interstitial coalescence, but negative lattice strain.
Highlights
Combining spatially resolved x-ray Laue diffraction with atomic-scale simulations, we observe how ionirradiated tungsten undergoes a series of nonlinear structural transformations with increasing radiation exposure
Direct mechanistic models can correlate the evolution of irradiation-induced residual stresses and strains with components’ lifetime [3,4]; the dynamics of the damage microstructure are complex and nonlinear, span multiple length and timescales, and vary with exposure and environmental conditions [5,6]
Quantitative experimental observations of irradiation effects require samples formed under controlled conditions of exposure, temperature, and applied stress
Summary
Combining spatially resolved x-ray Laue diffraction with atomic-scale simulations, we observe how ionirradiated tungsten undergoes a series of nonlinear structural transformations with increasing radiation exposure. The 3D depth-resolved lattice strain induced by the entire population of irradiation defects is probed with ∼10−4 strain sensitivity using synchrotron x-ray microbeam Laue diffraction and interpreted quantitatively by direct atomic level simulations.
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