Ductility Loss in Fast Reactor Irradiated Stainless Steel

Results from a postirradiation annealing study show that ductility losses in austenitic stainless steels result from a combination of helium embrittlement and displacement damage at temperatures above T_m/2. Residual losses following removal of the displacement damage by annealing at ∼0.8 T_m are attributed to helium embrittlement alone.