Correlation of radiation-induced changes in mechanical properties and microstructural development of Alloy 718 irradiated with mixed spectra of high-energy protons and spallation neutrons

Alloy 718 is a γ′(Ni3(Al,Ti))–γ″(Ni3Nb) hardenable superalloy with attractive strength, and corrosion resistance. This alloy is a candidate material for use in accelerator production of tritium (APT) target and blanket applications, where it would have to withstand low-temperature irradiation by high-energy protons and spallation neutrons. The existing data base, relevant to such irradiation conditions, is very limited. Alloy 718 has therefore been exposed to a particle flux and spectrum at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), closely matching those expected in the APT target and blanket applications. The yield stress of Alloy 718 increases with increasing dose up to ∼0.5 dpa, and then decreases with further increase in dose. The uniform elongation, however, drastically decreases with increasing dose at very low doses (<0.5 dpa), and does not recover when the alloy later softens somewhat. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation of Alloy 718 shows that superlattice spots corresponding to the age-hardening precipitate phases γ′ and γ″ are lost from the diffraction patterns for Alloy 718 by only 0.6 dpa, the lowest proton-induced dose level achieved in this experiment. Examination of samples that were neutron irradiated to doses of only ∼0.1 dpa showed that precipitates are faintly visible in diffraction patterns but are rapidly becoming invisible. It is proposed that the γ′ and γ″ first become disordered (by <0.6 dpa), but remain as solute-rich aggregates that still contribute to the hardness at relatively low dpa levels, and then are gradually dispersed at higher doses.