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The influence of the local environment on vacancy and self-interstitial formation energies has been investigated in a face-centered-cubic (fcc) Fe-10Ni-20Cr model alloy by analyzing an extensive set of first-principle calculations based on density functional theory. Chemical disorder has been considered by designing special quasirandom structures and four different collinear magnetic structures have been investigated in order to determine a relevant reference state to perform point defect calculations at 0 K. Two different convergence methods have also been used to characterize the importance of the method on the results. Although our fcc Fe-10Ni-20Cr would be better represented in terms of applications by the paramagnetic state, we found that the antiferromagnetic single-layer magnetic structure was the most stable at 0 K and we chose it as a reference state to determine the point defect properties. Point defects have been introduced in this reference state, i.e., vacancies and Fe-Fe, Fe-Ni, Fe-Cr, Cr-Cr, Ni-Ni, and Ni-Cr dumbbell interstitials oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the single layer antiferromagnetic planes. Each point defect studied was introduced at different lattice sites to consider a sufficient variety of local environments and analyze its influence on the formation energy values. We have estimated the point defect formation energies with linear regressions using variables which describe the local environment surrounding the point defects. The number and the position of Ni and Cr first nearest neighbors to the point defects were found to drive the evolution of the formation energies. In particular, Ni is found to decrease and Cr to increase the vacancy formation energy of the model alloy, while the opposite trends are found for the dumbbell interstitials. This study suggested that, to a first approximation, the first nearest atoms to point defects can provide reliable estimates of point defect formation energies., QC 20140317

The long-term objective of the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) fusion materials programme is to develop structural and armor materials in combination with the necessary production and fabrication technologies for reactor concepts beyond the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The programmatic roadmap is structured into four engineering research lines which comprise fabrication process development, structural material development, armor material optimization, and irradiation performance testing, which are complemented by a fundamental research programme on "Materials Science and Modeling." This paper presents the current research status of the EFDA experimental and testing investigations, and gives a detailed overview of the latest results on materials research, fabrication, joining, high heat flux testing, plasticity studies, modeling, and validation experiments., QC 20131212

The current magnetic confinement nuclear fusion power reactor concepts going beyond ITER are based on assumptions about the availability of materials with extreme mechanical, heat, and neutron load capacity. In Europe, the development of such structural and armour materials together with the necessary production, machining, and fabrication technologies is pursued within the EFDA long-term fusion materials programme. This paper reviews the progress of work within the programme in the area of tungsten and tungsten alloys. Results, conclusions, and future projections are summarized for each of the programme's main subtopics, which are: (1) fabrication, (2) structural W materials, (3) W armour materials, and (4) materials science and modelling. It gives a detailed overview of the latest results on materials research, fabrication processes, joining options, high heat flux testing, plasticity studies, modelling, and validation experiments., QC 20130205

All the recent DEMO design studies for helium cooled divertors utilize tungsten materials and alloys, mainly due to their high temperature strength, good thermal conductivity, low erosion, and comparably low activation under neutron irradiation. The long-term objective of the EFDA fusion materials programme is to develop structural as well as armor materials in combination with the necessary production and fabrication technologies for future divertor concepts. The programmatic roadmap is structured into four engineering research lines which comprise fabrication process development, structural material development, armor material optimization, and irradiation performance testing, which are complemented by a fundamental research programme on "Materials Science and Modeling". This paper presents the current research status of the EFDA experimental and testing investigations, and gives a detailed overview of the latest results on fabrication, joining, high heat flux testing, plasticity, modeling, and validation experiments., QC 20120109

The objective of the FP6 Perfect Project was to develop a first example of integrated multiscale computational models, capable of describing the effects of irradiation in nuclear reactor components, namely vessel and internals. The use of ab initio techniques to study, in the most reliable way currently possible, atomic-level interactions between species and defects, and the transfer of this knowledge to interatomic potentials, of use for large scale dynamic simulations, lie at the core of this effort. The target materials of the Project were bainitic steels (vessel) and austenitic steels (internals), i.e. iron alloys. In this article, the advances made within the Project in the understanding of defect properties in Fe alloys, by means of ab initio calculations, and in the development of interatomic potentials for Fe and Fe alloys are overviewed, thereby providing a reference basis for further progress in the field. Emphasis is put in showing how the produced data have enhanced our level of understanding of microstructural processes occurring under irradiation in model alloys and steels used in existing nuclear power plants., QC 20120124

The performance of four recent semi-empirical interatomic potentials for iron, developed or used within the FP6 Perfect Project, is evaluated by comparing them between themselves and with available experimental or, more often, density functional theory data. The quantities chosen for the comparison are of specific interest for radiation damage studies, i.e. they concern mainly properties of point-defects and their clusters, as well as dislocations. For completeness, an earlier, widely used (also within the Project) iron potential is included in the comparison exercise as well. This exercise allows conclusions to be drawn about the reliability of the available potentials, while providing a snapshot of the state-of-the-art concerning fundamental properties of iron, thereby being also useful as a kind of handbook and as a framework for the validation of future semi-empirical interatomic potentials for iron. It is found that Mendelev-type potentials are currently the best choice in order to "extend density functional theory" to larger scales and this justifies their widespread use, also for the development of iron alloy potentials. However, a fully reliable description of self-interstitial atom clusters and dislocations with interatomic potentials remains largely an elusive objective, that calls for further effort within the concerned scientific community., QC 20120124

The evolution of the microstructure of dilute Fe alloys under irradiation has been modelled using a multiscale approach based on ab initio and atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo simulations In these simulations both self interstitials and vacancies isolated or in clusters are considered Isochronal annealing after electron irradiation experiments have been simulated in pure Fe Fe-Cu and Fe-Mn dilute alloys focusing on recovery stages I and II The parameters regarding the self interstitial - solute atom interactions are based on ab initio predictions and some of these interactions have been slightly adjusted without modifying the interaction character on isochronal annealing experimental data The different recovery peaks are globally well reproduced These simulations allow interpreting the different recovery peaks as well as the effect of varying solute concentration For some peaks these simulations have allowed to revisit and re-interpret the experimental data In Fe-Cu the trapping of self interstitials by Cu atoms allows experimental results to be reproduced although no mixed dumbbells are formed contrary to the former inter pretations Whereas in Fe-Mn the favorable formation of mixed dumbbell plays an important role in the Mn effect., QC 20120217

The primary state of damage obtained in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of displacement cascades in alpha-Fe, particularly the fraction of point-defects in clusters, depends on the interatomic potential used to describe the atomic interactions. The differences may influence the microstructural evolution predicted in damage accumulation models which use results from MD cascade simulations as input. In this work, a number of displacement cascades of energy ranging from 5 to 40 keV have been simulated using the same procedure with four different interatomic potentials for alpha-Fe, each of them providing, among other things, varying descriptions of self-interstitial atoms (SIA) in this metal. The behaviour of the cascades at their different phases and the final surviving defect population have been studied and compared applying the same cascade analysis criteria for all potentials. The outcome is discussed trying to identify the characteristics of the potential that have the largest influence on the predicted primary state of damage., QC 20100525 QC 20111004.