Effect of irradiation on the strain rate dependence of type 304 stainless-steel mechanical properties

High strain rate tensile data have been obtained on Type 304 stainless steel which was irradiated in EBR-II to a maximum fluence of 0.7 × 1022 n/cm2 (E > 0.1 MeV) at a temperature of ∼950°F. Tests were performed over a range of strain rates from 3 × 10−5 to 1 × 101 sec−1 at 800 and 1000°F to provide mechanical properties information for safety analyses for the Fast Flux Test Facility. The results of these tests demonstrate that the strength of irradiated Type 304 stainless steel remains essentially constant with increasing strain rate and the ductility decreases with strain rate at a fluence of 0.2 × 1022 n/cm2 and increases with strain rate at a fluence of 0.7 × 1022 n/cm2.