Irradiation creep in fusion reactor candidate austentic stainless steels at 60 to 400 degree C

Irradiation creep is an important mechanism of deformation in components exposed to a high neutron flux such as fast breeder reactors and fusion reactors. An important characteristic of irradiation creep is its weak temperature dependence. The recent designs of experimental fusion reactors require high neutron flux exposure to components operating at temperatures below 300 degree C. The fusion environment is also unique in that a hard neutron spectrum, up to 14.2 MeV, produces significant (n,α) reactions in most common structural materials. This results in formation of high concentrations of helium, ∼12 appm/dpa. This paper describes the results of irradiation creep experiments carried out under simulated fusion irradiation conditions