Electrical resistivity recovery in Fe-Cr-Ni alloys after neutron irradiation at low temperature

Isochronal and isothermal annealing processes of austenitic Fe-Cr-Ni alloys and Type 316 steel are studied by electrical resistivity after fast neutron irradiation up to 2.9 x 1021 n/m2 at 5 K and after quench from 1473 K. Little resistivity change is observed below 80 K in the irradiated specimens and below 280 K in the quenched ones. The resistivity variation of the annealing curves in the irradiated specimens is formed by the resistivity decrease due to defect annihilation and the resistivity increase due to structural change produced by the self-interstitial and vacancy migration. Self-interstitials and vacancies migrate above 100 K and 300 K, respectively. The radiation-induced resistivity consists of two contributions; the resistivity increase due to defect formation and the resistivity decrease due to disordering of solute atoms by cascade collision during neutron irradiation. (orig.)