Irradiation-induced precipitation modelling of ferritic steels

In high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels typically used in reactor pressure vessels (RPV), irradiation-induced microstructure changes affect the performance of the components. One such change is precipitation hardening due to the formation of solute clusters and/or precipitates which form as a result of irradiation-enhanced solute diffusion and thermodynamic stability changes. The other is irradiation-enhanced tempering which is a result of carbide coarsening due to irradiation-enhanced carbon diffusion. Both effects have been studied using a recently developed Monte Carlo based precipitation kinetics simulation technique and modelling results are compared with experimental measurements. Good agreements have been achieved.