Irradiation damage in 304 and 316 stainless steels: experimental investigation and modeling. Part II: Irradiation induced hardening

The consequences of irradiation damage in austenitic stainless steels on their mechanical properties, namely the yield stress, are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The observed hardening is correlated with the quantitative characteristics of irradiation defects population. A simple model allowing for the defaulting of Frank loops under stress predicts the hardening and its saturation at large doses.