Abstract Zirconium and its alloys are widely used as fuel cladding in nuclear reactors because they have good mechanical properties, good corrosion resistance, and small thermal neutron absorption cross-section. Under irradiation, a large number of irradiation-induced defects are generated, which greatly reduce the mechanical properties and service life of zirconium alloys. In this work, molecular dynamics method is used to study the interaction between stacking fault pyramid (SFP) and point defects (self-interstitial atoms (SIAs), vacancies). At 0 K and 300 K, the SFP absorbs SIAs only; At 600 K, the SFP absorbs both SIAs and vacancies. In addition, the size of SFP has a negligible effect on the interaction mechanism. The binding energy between SIAs/vacancies and SFP is calculated. The binding energy of SIAs is much higher than that of vacancies, and SIAs are absorbed easily. Current work provides new insight into understanding the growth mechanism of irradiation-induced defects in zirconium.
Received: 25 May 2023
Published: 04 June 2024
Corresponding Authors:
Haidong Fan
E-mail: haidongfan8@foxmail.com
2024, Vol. 45 
