Influence of heat treatment on tritium distribution in V–4Cr–4Ti alloy

Tritium was loaded into cold-rolled and recrystallized specimens of a V–4Cr–4Ti alloy (NIFS-HEAT-2) at 673 K by a gas absorption method, and macroscopic distributions of tritium concentration in the specimens were examined by means of imaging plates. In the cold-rolled specimen, the distribution of tritium concentration was not uniform; bands of tritium-accumulated regions were observed along the rolling direction. Such bands of tritium-accumulated regions remained clearly visible even in the specimen recrytallized at 1173 K for 2 h. A more uniform concentration distribution, however, was observed for the specimen annealed at 1273 K for 2 h. The correlation between microstructure and tritium distribution is discussed.