• For the first time, impact bending properties of EUROFER97-3 were studied after neutron irradiation at 540 °C up to 20 dpa. • Irradiation at 540 °C causes only minor changes in the USE and DBTT of EUROFER97-3. • Irradiation at 330 °C produces strong degradation of USE and significant shift of DBTT to the right for EUROFER97-3. The reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) EUROFER97-3 steel of two heat treatments (EUROFER97-3₁100/700 and EUROFER97-3₉80/780) after irradiation in the BOR-60 fast reactor at temperatures of 330 °C and 540 °C, with damage doses ranging from 21. 6 to 22. 8 dpa showed big differences in the Charpy impact properties depending on the irradiation temperature. Significant drop in the upper shelf energy (USE) and shift of the ductile–brittle transition temperature (DBTT) occurred after irradiation at 330 °C. However, irradiation at 540 °C resulted in only minor changes in the USE and DBTT compared to the unirradiated reference state. Probably, these changes are attributed of the formation of radiation-induced defects and evolution in the phase structure.
Chakin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.