Effect of Radiation Dose on the Deformation Behavior of the Single-Crystal Fe–10Ni–20Cr Alloy

A molecular dynamics study was carried out on the radiation damage and the onset of plastic deformation in the single-crystal Fe–10Ni–20Cr alloy exposed to different radiation doses under uniaxial tension. It has been shown that upon reaching a threshold radiation dose of ~0.020–0.025 dpa, the number of radiation-induced defects levels off. This behavior of the material is explained by the establishment of equilibrium between the generation and annihilation of radiation defects at radiation doses exceeding the threshold value. The major part of interstitial atoms and vacancies form large-sized clusters and dislocation loops. The formed clusters are characterized by decreased and increased Ni and Cr concentrations, respectively. Stacking faults, as the main carriers of plasticity in such samples, always originate near the largest radiation defects.