Department of Structural Materials

We investigate the behavior of materials exposed to energetic particle irradiation. The work contributes to the program NUSAFE (Nuclear Waste Management, Safety and Radiation Research) of the Helmholtz Association.

Neutron irradiation provokes the formation and long-term evolution of nm-scale defects such as dislocation loops and solute atom clusters. These defects give rise to hardening accompanied by a reduced fracture resistance of reactor pressure vessel steels of running nuclear power plants. Materials for advanced reactor concepts will be exposed to higher operation temperatures and higher neutron doses. The overall objectives of our research are to identify the mechanisms of irradiation-induced damage in structural materials and to assess the resulting changes of the mechanical properties.

We work on two main directions:

• In the case of running nuclear power plants, the work is focused on long-term irradiation effects in reactor pressure vessel steels.
• Our work in the field of advanced reactor concepts is dedicated to ferritic/martensitic Cr-steels, oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels and the emerging class of high-entropy alloys.

The new insight substantially contributes to the scientific background for the safety assessment of nuclear reactors. The work is embedded in the Euratom projects SOTERIA, MATISSE and M4F. A close cooperation with the Fundamentals and Simulation Group provides additional insight via atomistic simulation.

Our expertise:

• Mechanical testing of irradiated materials
• Characterization at the nm length scale
• Ion irradiation to emulate neutron irradiation effects

Staff

Head
Name	Bld./Office	+49 351 260	Email
Altstadt Dr., Eberhard	801/P151	2276	e.altstadthzdr.de
Heintze Dr., Cornelia	801/P102	3431	c.heintzehzdr.de
Employees
Name	Bld./Office	+49 351 260	Email
Bergner Dr., Frank	801/P150	3186	f.bergnerhzdr.de