Effect of ballistic re-solution on the nucleation kinetics of precipitates in diluted binary alloys under irradiation. Part 1: Stoichiometric gamma' precipitates in Ni-Al alloys

Abstract

A modification of classical nucleation theory is carried out as applied to solid solutions under irradiation, taking into account the influence of ballistic re-solution on the nucleation kinetics of pure unary (single-component) and stoichiometric binary precipitates. The effects of excessive point defects formed under steady irradiation conditions and operating alongside the ballistic re-solution mechanism are incorporated into the new model for a consistent description of the nucleation of incoherent and coherent particles. The developed model was applied to interpret the results of Nelson, Hudson and Mazey (NHM) tests, in which the stability of gamma' phase (Ni3Al) precipitates in diluted Ni-Al alloys under irradiation was studied.