Helium bubble growth at BCC twist grain boundaries

We study the growth of helium bubbles in alpha-Fe at low angle twist grain boundaries and in bulk using molecular dynamics and Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations. We describe the pressures and volumes of the helium bubbles and analyze the maximum pressure a bubble can sustain before emitting interstitial loops. We give a quantitative analysis of how these emitted loops behave differently in the bulk and at the grain boundary. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.