Vibratory Processes in Vessel Steel Damage Kinetics in Nuclear Reactors

The possible reasons for nonstandard embrittlement and significant variance of the experimental data in the study of the impact of neutron irradiation on the properties of reactor vessel materials are analyzed. The authors assume on the basis of experimental data and analysis of foreign research that the fluence dependence of the degree of radiation embrittlement can be of nonmonotonic as well as cyclic. The observation of vibratory processes in the embrittlement kinetics of vessel steel attests periodic transformation of structure and change in the properties of the metal. It is expected that the defect structure formed as a result of neutron bombardment undergoes transformation once or periodically in the direction of losses as well as restoration of the initial properties. The mentioned data shape the search for methods of regulating the radiation resistance of materials.