Microstructure and dimensional changes of neutron-irradiated zirconium alloys

Experimental observations concerning the neutron-irradiation-induced defect structure in zirconium-based alloys are analyzed within the framework of an irradiation growth theory developed in the past years. The competition of those defects and the microstructure present in the material prior to irradiation as point defect sinks is studied as a function of irradiation temperature and dose. Owing to the different growth behavior of recrystallized and of cold-worked specimens at reactor temperatures, the cellular microstructure of the latter is considered in detail. In view of the highly anisotropic dislocation system in these materials, cell boundaries are reasoned to form with essentially edge components in the walls parallel to the c-axis, while the boundary segments normal to that axis should be of screw type. Since the latter would induce no dimensional change if the cell boundary absorbs defects by dislocation climb, it is argued - on the basis of growth data - that it must behave as a point defect sink/source of a different nature than that of free dislocations. The possibility of dislocation segments with a (c + a)-type Burgers vector in the cell boundary or rapid point defect diffusion along it are also discussed. The existing growth model is then enlarged in order to account quantitatively for the dimensional changes of cold-worked materials, and its results are compared with available experimental data. (orig.)