Displacement cascades have a much greater power to disrupt the crystal
line lattice than do single displacement events. The effects of displa
cement cascades on particle resolution, on disordering, and on amorphi
zation are considered herein. Particle resolution is found to be a rel
atively slow process, even with the assistance of displacement cascade
s. Larger displacement cascades which give greater recoil distances ar
e found to give faster resolution. Numerous experimental studies of ox
ide particles in metallic matrices have revealed at most the first sta
ges of radiation recoil dissolution. Ordered intermetallic compounds a
re readily disordered by low temperature irradiation, even in the abse
nce of displacement cascades. It was recently shown theoretically that
displacement cascades may give disordering when equivalent displaceme
nt conditions without cascades leave the alloy ordered. Radiation amor
phization of intermetallic compounds has been observed under a variety
of irradiation conditions. Some compounds amorphize readily under cas
cade-inducing heavy ion irradiation but not under electron irradiation
. Recent modelling. studies have shown that clusters of defects, such
as may be formed in cascades, may be needed for amorphization.