On the strain effect in dislocation loops produced by self-ion irradiation to emulate in-service reactor condition.

A series of experiments combining deformation, irradiation damage, and high temperature have been carried out. First, small tensile samples (less than 500 μm thick) will be subjected to constant deformation (supported by a suitably instrumented mini tensile machine) during irradiation of Fe ions at different temperatures (room temperature, RT, and 450 °C). Subsequently, FIB (Focused Ion Beam) samples will be extracted from the irradiated specimen, and an EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction) and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) characterisation will be carried out. The material studied is a high purity Fe- BCC model alloy. The objective is to determine the possible synergy between the effect of deformation and temperature during irradiation on the evolution of radiation-induced defects, whereby the chosen dose allows us to determine a potential bias for the generation of such defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]