Research Progress on Irradiation Damage of Inconel 718 Alloy
Nuclear energy,as one of the clean energy sources currently available for large-scale utilization,holds irreplaceable ap-peal for our country,which is also an important solution for achieving our nation's"dual carbon"strategy.The reactors are the core fa-cilities for nuclear power generation,within the reactor,fuel components are subjected to high-energy radiation,which may lead to damage and changes in material properties.Inconel 718 alloy is a high-strength,high-temperature,and corrosion-resistant nickel-based superalloy widely used in aerospace,nuclear energy,and petrochemical industries.However,in a radiation environment,Inco-nel 718 alloy will undergo irradiation damage,which can affect its performance and lifespan.At present,research on irradiation dam-age of Inconel 718 alloy is mainly focused on the following aspects.Firstly,irradiation can cause the formation of crystal defects,in-cluding vacancies and dislocations.These defects can lead to changes in the material's crystal structure and lattice distortion,thereby affecting its mechanical properties and fatigue life.Secondly,irradiation can induce microstructure evolution in Inconel 718 alloy,in-cluding grain boundary migration,phase transformations,and precipitation.These evolutions can alter the grain boundary strengthen-ing effect and phase transformation hardening effect of the material,thereby affecting its mechanical and thermal properties.The re-search on the irradiation damage of Inconel 718 alloy has been conducted using various methods.However,there are still some limita-tions in the current studies on irradiation damage of Inconel 718 alloy:(1)Simulating the irradiation environment of a real reactor is quite difficult;(2)There are few neutron irradiation devices available for simulating the irradiation environment of reactors,and the alloy after neutron irradiation has activation phenomena,requiring isolation and storage,resulting in problems such as long-time con-sumption and high cost.Therefore,most research focuses on ion irradiation and proton irradiation,while the data on neutron irradia-tion is scarce.Many studies have been reported on the ion irradiation-induced damage of nickel-based alloy Inconel 718.Some experi-ments have shown that under high-dose ion irradiation conditions,Inconel 718 alloy may undergo changes in its microstructure and damage.For instance,ion irradiation can lead to the formation of defects such as dislocations,vacancies,component segregation,and phase transformation in alloys,thereby affecting their mechanical and corrosion resistance properties.In terms of proton irradiation studies,due to the unique properties of protons and the relatively large collision cross-section,the behavior of Inconel 718 alloy under proton irradiation differs from their radiation sources.Some studies have shown that proton irradiation may lead to the formation and growth of lattice defects in alloys,such as dislocations,vacancies,and interstitial atoms.In addition,proton irradiation can also cause phase transformations,morphology evolution,and changes in mechanical properties of the microstructure.In neutron irradiation studies,some experimental results have shown significant changes in the crystal structure of Inconel 718 alloy under neutron irradia-tion conditions.These changes include lattice distortion,increased dislocation density,phase transition,and solute segregation at grain boundaries.These alterations have a significant impact on the macroscopic properties of the alloy,such as mechanical proper-ties,corrosion resistance,and radiation resistance.Furthermore,neutron irradiation can also cause the accumulation of radiation dam-age and the generation of radioactive nuclides in the alloy.Overall,the research on irradiation damage of Inconel 718 alloy still faces many challenges,but there are also many opportunities.But so far,the inconsistency of irradiation conditions,such as irradiation dose,temperature,and irradiation source,used in different studies have limited the comparability of results.Future research should focus on the mechanism of radiation damage,the study of damage behavior under high-dose irradiation,and the influence of radiation damage on mechanical properties and creep behavior.This paper reviewed the research progress of Inconel 718 alloy in ion,proton,and neutron irradiation from the perspective of irradiation damage in reactor materials.By deeply understanding and controlling the mechanism of irradiation damage,it could provide better guidance and support for the engineering application of Inconel 718 alloy,improving its reliability and service life in high temperature and high irradiation environments,and providing more accurate guidance for material design and engineering applications.