A novel way to estimate the nanoindentation hardness of only-irradiated layer and its application to ion irradiated Fe-12Cr alloy

Abstract While nanoindentation is a very useful tool to examine the mechanical properties of ion irradiated materials, there are some issues that should be considered in evaluating the properties of irradiated layer. In this study, in order to properly extract the hardness of only-irradiated layer from nanoindentation data, a new procedure is suggested in consideration of the geometry of indentation-induced plastic zone. By applying the procedure to an ion irradiated Fe-12Cr alloy, the reasonable results were obtained, validating its usefulness in the investigation of practical effect of irradiation on the mechanical behavior of future nuclear materials.