Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
The dose dependence of radiation-induced segregation (RIS) is investigated for proton irradiated ultra high-purity (UHP) 304L stainless steel and Fe-20Cr-24Ni. Grain boundary compositions were measured in samples irradiated with 3.2 MeV protons at 400°C to doses ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 dpa. RIS measurements were made using scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (STEM/EDS) and compared to results from Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Comparison of the dose dependence for HP-304L and Fe- 20Cr-24Ni shows that RIS is alloy specific. The approach to steady-state Cr depletion was observed to be more rapid in the alloy with higher Ni content. Fe-2OCr-24Ni reaches a steady-state Cr depletion level by 0.5 dpa, and the amount of Cr depletion in HP-304L SS is still increasing between 1.0 and 3.0 dpa. RIS in the stainless steel alloys irradiated with 3.2 MeV protons is comparable to that in neutron irradiated steels of similar composition.