Abstract
AbstractNanoscale Cu rich precipitates (CRPs) are widely believed to be the dominant hardening feature resulting in severe embrittlement in irradiated reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. However, this view has recently been challenged by interpretations of atom probe field ion microscopy (APFIM) measurements that describe the dominant nanofeatures as dilute solute atmospheres (DSAs). The practical impact of these differing views is very significant. This work compares and contrasts the CRP versus DSA descriptions to a wide variety of pertinent data. Mechanical property trends as well as small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and field emission scanning transmission electron microscopy (FEGSTEM) measurements support the presence of CRPs. CRPs are also consistent with the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic laws. However, standard theory cannot provide the atomic level resolution needed to fully understand the nanofeatures. Therefore, a new Lattice Monte Carlo (LMC) atomistic method is used to simulate the complex chemical structures of the CRPs. The LMC method unifies the SANS/FEGSTEM and APFIM data within a well founded physical framework.
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