Modeling of chromium precipitation in Fe-Cr alloys

We have implemented a set of Embedded Atom Method (EAM) potentials for simulation of Fe-Cr alloys. The functions for the pure elements were fitted to the respective elastic constants, vacancy formation energy, and thermal expansion coefficients. For Cr, properties of the paramagnetic state were applied, providing a positive Cauchy pressure and hence applicability of the EAM. By relaxing the requirement of reproducing the pressure-volume relation at short interaction distances, stability of the <110> self-interstitial could be obtained. Our Fe-potential gives E-<110>(f)-E-<111>(f)=-0.23 eV. Mixed Fe-Cr pair potentials were fitted to the calculated mixing enthalpy of ferromagnetic Fe-Cr, which is negative for Cr concentrations below 6%. Simulation of thermal aging in Fe-Cr alloys using a potential fitted to the mixing enthalpy of Fe-20Cr exhibited pronounced Cr-precipitation for temperatures below 900 K, in agreement with the phase diagram. No such ordering was observed at any temperature using a potential fitted to the mixing enthalpy of Fe-5Cr. Applied to recoil cascade simulations the new potentials predict a smaller number of surviving defects than potentials found in the literature. We obtain a cascade efficiency of 0.135 NRT for damage energies inbetween 10 and 20 keV. An enhanced probability for Cr atoms to end up in defect structures is observed.