Experimental assessment of nanovoids growth

Abstract : The growth of nanovoids in crystalline metallic material is assessed experimentally as a function of the applied macroscopic plastic strain, stress triaxiality and crystal orientation. Nanovoids - of diameter ranging from 20 to 80nm - are generated by performing heavy-ion irradiation on austenitic steel, leading to a model material constituted of a well-defined nano voids distribution. Pre- and poststraining Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) observations allow to quantify the growth and the evolution of aspect ratio as a function of plastic strain. Size and crystal orientation effects are evaluated. Experiments are compared to the results of crystal plasticity finite element simulations.