Model for deformation-induced martensitic transformation in irradiated materials

Deformation-induced martensitic transformation (DIMT) is commonly reported to be easily activated in irradiated materials, but the existing transformation kinetics models of DIMT hardly capture the irradiation effect. In this work, we develop a transformation kinetics model considering the effect of irradiation hardening, shear band evolution and the role of irradiation-induced voids. A crystal plasticity framework incorporating the newly developed transformation kinetics model is established. We show that the framework is capable of capturing the accelerated evolution of martensite volume fraction in both cases with and without irradiation-induced voids. Moreover, the framework successfully simulates two post-irradiation phenomena observed in experiments, i.e. the localized distribution of martensite fraction and the evolution of the dominant transformation pathway. The present work is one of the first attempts at the theoretical modelling of DIMT in irradiated materials, and has the potential to benefit the application of irradiation in tailoring the martensitic transformation behaviour.

Automated summary

In this work, a transformation kinetics model considering the effect of irradiation hardening, shear band evolution and the role of irradiation-induced voids is developed, and a crystal plasticity framework incorporating the newly developed model is established. The framework is capable of capturing the accelerated evolution of martensite volume fraction and simulating two post-irradiation phenomena observed in experiments. This study is one of the first attempts at theoretically modeling the deformation-induced martensitic transformation in irradiated materials, and has the potential to benefit the application of irradiation in tailoring the martensitic transformation behavior.