Interstitial Solute Trapping in Irradiated and Quenched Iron

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Abstract
The interaction of interstitial carbon and nitrogen solutes with defects produced by low temperature neutron irradiation and by quenching was studied in high purity and Ferrovac E iron. Magnetic disaccommodation techniques were applied to determine the interstitial solute content after irradiation and upon annealing. Doses of about 1017 neutrons/cm2 caused the trapping of about 20 ppm (atomic) interstitial solutes at 65 (carbon) and 40°C (nitrogen). Trapping of carbon in a Ferrovac E iron alloy occurred during a fast quench from 880°C. After trapping, the interstitial solutes reappeared in solid solution at 300 (carbon, neutron irradiation), 200 (nitrogen, neutron irradiation), and 620°C (carbon, quenching). Various possibilities for the defect traps were considered and it was concluded that trapping of the interstitial solutes occurred at iron interstitial clusters after neutron irradiation and at vacancy type defects after quenching.