Modeling microstructure and irradiation effects

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the strategy followed nowadays to model the evolution of metallic alloy microstructures under irradiation. For this purpose, multiscale approaches are very often used, which rely on modeling techniques appropriate to each time and space scale. The main methods used are ab-initio calculations, classical molecular dynamics (MD), kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC), mean field rate theory (MFRT), and dislocation dynamics (DD). These methods are briefly presented along with some of their typical uses and main drawbacks. Some examples are provided of the typical information obtained with each of the techniques. © 2010 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International.