  In the present work, authors focused on verifying structural and mechanical
properties of Oxide Dispersed Strengthening (ODS) steels strengthened by three
different types of refractory oxides submitted to ion-irradiation. Three
materials strengthened with Y2O3 or Al2O3 or ZrO2 were produced by mechanical
alloying and Spark Plasma Sintering technique. Specimens have been submitted to
high energy Ar-ion irradiation at room temperature with three fluences. This
procedure allowed to generate strongly damaged zone with a thickness of 230nm.
SEM/EBSD and TEM observations, GIXRD analysis, and nanoindentation tests have
been included in examination of modified layers. Investigation revealed
alteration of structural and mechanical features as a result of Ar-irradiation.
Obtained results showed a strong correlation between the strengthening oxide
and materials' behavior under radiation damage. It has been proved that below
1x1015ions/cm2 mechanical properties in the modified layer of all materials are
very similar. Reported behavior may be related to the efficient annealing of
the radiation defect process. Above this limit, significant differences between
the materials are visible. It is believed that described phenomenon is directly
related to the presence of the structural features and their capacity to act as
defect sinks. Consequently, type of dominant mechanisms occurring in modified
layer is proposed.

Materials Science