Grain boundary motion assisted via radiation cascades in bcc Fe

C Campana and KP Boyle and RE Miller, PHYSICAL REVIEW B, 78, 134114 (2008).

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.78.134114

Molecular-dynamic simulations were performed to study the influence of displacement cascades on grain boundary (GB) structure and stability in bcc Fe. A Sigma=5, (310)001 symmetric tilt boundary with a tilt angle of theta=36.9 degrees was used for the simulations. We find that GB motion, either sliding or migration, is activated under the influence of displacement cascades at lower internal stresses as compared to the unirradiated GBs. We postulate that radiation-induced GB damage aids the nucleation mechanisms that trigger GB motion. Furthermore, radiation- induced GB sliding significantly relaxes internal stress and may provide a viable mechanism for promoting irradiation creep via GB accommodation processes.

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