Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chris Hardie, Rhys Thomas, Yang Liu, Philipp Frankel, Fionn Dunne
Summary: A classical crystal plasticity formulation based on dislocation slip was extended to include dislocation channelling and strain softening observed in irradiated alloys. The model's performance was evaluated using experimental data on Zircaloy-4, showing good capture of the engineering stress-strain response but sensitivity in simulating characteristic strain heterogeneity.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Igor J. S. Cherubin, Matthew Topping, Mark R. Daymond
Summary: This study investigates the mechanical properties of hydrided and non-hydrided materials under proton irradiation. The results show an increase in true hardness and yield strength due to irradiation hardening. The defect density evolution varies in the two materials at different dpa levels.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Si-Mian Liu, Wei-Zhong Han
Summary: Characterization of irradiation defects in Zr alloys is crucial for mitigating irradiation damage, reducing irradiation growth, and tuning mechanical properties. A practical method using conventional TEM to characterize dislocation loops in irradiated Zr was described, including determining the nature, habit plane, size, and number of loops. As irradiation damage increases, the number density of TVPs significantly increases due to anisotropic diffusion and accumulation of point defects within the basal plane.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
A. Adrych-Brunning, C. P. Race
Summary: This study investigates the degree of high energy proton channelling in strongly textured samples and finds that specific crystal orientations can lead to higher degrees of proton channelling, affecting the energy deposition by 40%. Care must be taken when quantifying damage in textured samples using a single grain orientation, and to compensate for channelling effects, damage from ion irradiation should be quantified by averaging across multiple grain orientations.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Steve Johns, William E. Windes, David T. Rohrbaugh, David L. Cottle
Summary: Previous research has demonstrated that the properties of nuclear grade graphite are significantly influenced by atomic and microstructural changes caused by neutron irradiation. Factors such as irradiation dose, temperature, graphite composition, and initial microstructure play a role in these changes. Understanding the mechanisms and nature of these material changes can facilitate predicting property changes based on these variables. Other studies have shown that these atomic and microstructural changes can be reversed by heating the irradiated graphite above its irradiation temperature. This study investigates the recovery of irradiated graphite properties when heated, providing insight into the damage caused by neutron irradiation. The presented data shows the recovery of thermal diffusivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, Young's modulus, and electrical resistivity between annealing temperatures of 500 degrees C and 2380 degrees C. Graphite grades NBG-18, IG-110, and PCEA are considered, both stressed and unstressed during irradiation.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Christopher Jones, Mhairi Gass, Michael Preuss, Katie L. Moore
Summary: In this study, it was observed that irradiation increased oxide diffusivity and thickness in pre-transition oxides, leading to cracking perpendicular to the oxide-metal interface and increased local oxide thickness. However, in post-transition oxides, irradiation damage resulted in slower oxide growth through exacerbated cracking parallel to the oxide-metal interface, eventually causing spallation in the 0.75 dpa sample.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
K. Icin, H. Can, S. Akyol, P. Uslu Kiceci, U. Topal, S. oeztuerk, M. Bilge Demirkoez, H. Soezeri
Summary: Fluxgate magnetometers are widely used in space missions due to their stability, low cost, low mass, and good measuring sensitivity and range. Proton irradiation was used to simulate space weather conditions, and its effects on the structural, magnetic, and sensor performance of fluxgate sensors were studied.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Adam Gabriel, Laura Hawkins, Aaron French, Yongchang Li, Zhihan Hu, Lingfeng He, Pengyuan Xiu, Michael Nastasi, Frank. A. Garner, Lin Shao
Summary: This study investigates the effect of dpa rate on void swelling of pure chromium and observes the dependence of peak swelling temperature on dpa rate, providing temperature predictions.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shitong Xu, Jiansong Huang, Wen Pei, Meiyi Yao, Lijuan Hu, Yaoping Xie, Xiaodong Lin, Xue Liang, Jianchao Peng, Jing Xu, Bangxin Zhou
Summary: The experimental results showed that reducing the tin content can improve the corrosion resistance of the alloy in deaeration and oxygen-containing environments, while the presence of oxygen accelerated the corrosion rate of the alloy. However, with the increase of tin content, the enhancing effect of oxygen on corrosion weakened to some extent.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
E. Torres, C. Maxwell
Summary: In this study, the effects of neutron irradiation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of α-Zr were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The influence of radiation damage on single crystal α-Zr and α-Zr systems with symmetric tilt grain boundaries were evaluated.
COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Xinhui Guo, Huan Li, Junjie Wang, Chengze Liu, Jianping Xu, Yuntao Xi, Jinping Wu
Summary: By using molecular dynamics methods, atomic scale numerical simulations were conducted to study the irradiation behavior and displacement cascades in metals with different crystal structures. It was found that high-energy cascades can significantly promote defect formation and the formation of defect clusters, and bcc-Fe structure has good radiation resistance. These findings could provide a suitable idea for obtaining potential radiation-resistant materials.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Peyman Saidi, Matthew Topping, Cong Dai, Fei Long, Laurent K. Beland, Mark R. Daymond
Summary: This study presents an approach to determine the sensitivity of irradiation damage accumulation to the irradiation dose rate, and validates the model through experiments. The results show that the impact of the irradiation rate on damage accumulation varies in different scenarios, depending on the ratio of internal sink strength to the grain boundary sink strength.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
R. Rayaprolu, S. Moeller, I Spahn, D. Hoschen, Ch Linsmeier
Summary: In a pilot experiment, 16 MeV protons were used to irradiate 300 μm thick W samples to a damage dose of 0.006 dpa under low and high temperature conditions. The electronic loss in the sample was observed to be 1.5 MW·m(-2) in the pre-Bragg region. Post high-temperature irradiation, recrystallization of the W sample was observed, leading to a surface softening of 0.6 GPa.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Peng Wang, Josh Bowman, Mukesh Bachhav, Bruce Kammenzind, Richard Smith, Jesse Carter, Arthur Motta, Evrard Lacroix, Gary Was
Summary: This study evaluated the potential of proton irradiation to simulate neutron damage in Zircaloy-4, finding that the microstructures and irradiation-induced hardening after proton irradiation were similar to neutron irradiation. The significant amorphization of precipitates and iron redistribution observed in neutron irradiated materials can be effectively emulated using a two-step proton irradiation on Zircaloy-4.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
A. Makarochkin, E. Yahel, G. Makov
Summary: Tungsten and tungsten alloys are used as structural materials in nuclear facilities due to their excellent mechanical and thermal properties. Blistering, as a primary failure mechanism, may shorten the erosion lifetime of components. Recent studies have found larger blisters formed from MeV proton irradiation compared to keV irradiation. A model of blister growth under irradiation, combining plate bending and crack propagation mechanisms, is developed. The model is evaluated by comparing with experimental results from MeV proton irradiation on tungsten. The effect of irradiation on material properties is discussed in the context of the model and experimental results.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mia Maric, Rhys Thomas, Juan Nunez-Iglesias, Michael Atkinson, Johannes Bertsch, Philipp Frankel, Christopher Race, Pierre Barberis, Florent Bourlier, Michael Preuss, Pratheek Shanthraj
Summary: In this study, an open-source software package called HAPPy is introduced for the analysis of hydride networks in zirconium alloys. It can calculate the radial hydride fraction and mean hydride length, and characterize the connectivity of the microstructure. The proposed methodology is validated and shown to be robust, highlighting the importance of standardized image analysis workflows.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
D. Bowden, D. Stewart, M. Preuss
Summary: This study investigates the application of stainless steel hardfacing alloys in pressurised water reactor environments and observes the phase evolution of these alloys during hot isostatic pressing cycles using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrate the importance of considering the starting condition of the gas-atomised powder in the hot isostatic pressing process, as it heavily influences the alloy phase transformation rates.
Article
Physics, Applied
A. P. C. Wylie, K. B. Woller, S. A. A. Al Dajani, B. R. Dacus, E. J. Pickering, M. Preuss, M. P. Short
Summary: The development of radiation science has been accelerated by ion-irradiation experiments. This study used transient grating spectroscopy to investigate ion-irradiated single-crystals of iron, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten, and tracked the damage development through thermal diffusivity. The results showed a reduction in thermal diffusivity of tungsten with increasing irradiation dose.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
A. M. Garrett, C. P. Race
Summary: In this study, the segregation energies of Ni and Si at Fe-Cu interfaces were calculated, and the influence of point defects on solute segregation behavior was investigated. Strong co-segregation interaction between Ni and Si was observed, and vacancies promoted solute segregation. These findings highlight the importance of mixed solute interactions and vacancies in the formation of CRPs.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chris Hardie, Rhys Thomas, Yang Liu, Philipp Frankel, Fionn Dunne
Summary: A classical crystal plasticity formulation based on dislocation slip was extended to include dislocation channelling and strain softening observed in irradiated alloys. The model's performance was evaluated using experimental data on Zircaloy-4, showing good capture of the engineering stress-strain response but sensitivity in simulating characteristic strain heterogeneity.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
M. D. White, A. Tarakanov, P. J. Withers, C. P. Race, K. J. H. Law
Summary: The study aims to explore methods for converting microstructural image data into compressed numerical descriptions, referred to as microstructural fingerprints. The effectiveness of these fingerprints is assessed through classification tasks and can also be used for regression tasks. The study demonstrates that transfer learning methods based on convolutional neural networks outperform other methods in classification tasks.
COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria S. Yankova, Alistair Garner, Felicity Baxter, Samuel Armson, Christopher P. Race, Michael Preuss, Philipp Frankel
Summary: The corrosion properties of engineering alloys are influenced by microstructural variations at the local level. The orientation of metal grain can affect the protectiveness of oxide, providing a potential avenue for improving corrosion performance. Understanding corrosion mechanisms is crucial for reducing global corrosion costs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Sheng Cao, Liju Meng, Hongyu Liu, Yichao Zou, Albert Smith, Xinhua Wu, Jack Donoghue, Rhys Thomas, Michael Preuss, David Lunt
Summary: The influence of different bi-lamellar microstructures on the mechanical performance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was investigated. The results showed that a higher volume fraction of secondary alpha lamellae can significantly increase yield strength without compromising ductility.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Andrew R. Warwick, Rhys Thomas, M. Boleininger, O. Koc, G. Zilahi, G. Ribarik, Z. Hegedues, U. Lienert, T. Ungar, C. Race, M. Preuss, P. Frankel, S. L. Dudarev
Summary: Zirconium alloys used in pressurized water reactors are subjected to neutron exposure, resulting in the accumulation of defects and dislocations. Through synchrotron microbeam X-ray diffraction measurements and atomistic simulations, we observe and explain the variation of dislocation density as a function of exposure. In the high dose limit, the population of dislocation loops in dynamic equilibrium follows a power law distribution with an exponent of approximately 2.2, which compares favorably with experimentally measured values.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLASTICITY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Rhys Thomas, David Bowden, David Lunt, David Stewart, Michael Preuss
Summary: Hard-facing alloys in nuclear applications need to have resistance to deformation and wear, while minimizing transmutation to problematic elements. The Fe-based alloy RR2450 has been developed as a potential replacement for Co-based hard-facing alloys, showing high strength and complex multi-phase stainless steel properties. Through neutron diffraction and electron microscopy techniques, it was discovered that despite the high volume fraction of hard phases, the relatively soft ductile ferrite and austenite phases deform plastically first.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mia Maric, Rhys Thomas, Alec Davis, David Lunt, Jack Donoghue, Ali Gholinia, Marc De Graef, Tamas Ungar, Pierre Barberis, Florent Bourlier, Philipp Frankel, Pratheek Shanthraj, Michael Preuss
Summary: Hydride precipitation in zirconium alloys, specifically Zircaloy-4, was investigated using dictionary indexing of Kikuchi patterns, orientation relationship analysis, and x-ray diffraction. The presence of both delta and gamma hydride phases was confirmed, with the gamma phase exhibiting a distinct orientation relationship with the matrix. Local stresses influenced the morphology and orientation of the delta hydride, leading to changes during precipitation. By analyzing the orientation relationships, the stability of both delta and gamma hydrides at room temperature could be understood.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
A. P. C. Wylie, A. Reza, G. Harrison, M. Taylor, B. R. Dacus, F. Hofmannb, M. P. Short, S. Kirk, M. Preuss, E. J. Pickering
Summary: Eurofer97 steel was studied to investigate the effects of irradiation and heat treatment on weld hardness and thermal diffusivity. The results showed that both the irradiation temperature and post-weld heat treatment had a recovery effect on weld hardness. Proton-irradiation damage did not contribute to nanohardness. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed an increased dislocation density in the fusion zone, which decreased in the parent material. The thermal diffusivity was found to be systematically underestimated by transient grating spectroscopy compared to laser flash analysis.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Liuming Wei, Jingwen Li, Yonggang Li, Qirong Zheng, Fan Cheng, Chuanguo Zhang, Jingyu Li, Gaofeng Zhao, Zhi Zeng
Summary: This study investigates the influence of He-V complexes on H behaviors on different W surfaces using DFT calculations. The results show that H dissolution is most difficult but H trapping is easiest on the W (110) surface, while the opposite is true on the W (111) surface. Moreover, the presence of He-V complexes increases the difficulty of H diffusion from bulk to surface and desorption.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yan Meng, Song Zeng, Chen Chen, Chaowen Zhu, Huahai Shen, Xiaosong Zhou, Xiaochun Han
Summary: The characteristics of magnetron sputtered Cr coatings vary with different temperature, bias voltage, and pressure. Coatings with random orientation, good crystallinity, and small grain size exhibit favorable oxidation behavior, while coatings with strong (200) texture, poor crystallinity, and large grains have many intrinsic defects that are detrimental to the protection property of the Cr coatings.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xinyuan Xu, Zefeng Yu, Wei-Ying Chen, Aiping Chen, Arthur Motta, Xing Wang
Summary: This study presents an automated approach for characterizing grain morphology in TEM images recorded during ion irradiation. By combining a machine learning model and a computer vision algorithm, comparable results to human analysis can be achieved with significantly reduced analysis time. Researchers can train their own models following the procedures described in this study to automate grain morphology analysis of their own TEM images.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shihao Wu, Dong Wang, Yapei Zhang, Koji Okamoto, Marco Pellegrini, Wenxi Tian, Suizheng Qiu, G. H. Su
Summary: The oxidation and degradation mechanisms of Cr coating on Zr alloy cladding under high temperature steam atmosphere are summarized, and a mathematical analysis model is established to predict the changes in coating thickness. The model is applied in the analysis of structure evolution under different conditions.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
V. Diaz-Mena, J. de Prado, M. Roldan, I. Izaguirre, M. Sanchez, M. Rieth, A. Urena
Summary: The brazeability of a cupronickel alloy was evaluated as a filler alloy for high-temperature joining of tungsten to steel. The study investigated the brazing conditions and the impact of the selected filler on the joint quality using numerical software. The results showed different metallurgical interactions and diffusion phenomena between the filler alloy and the base materials at different temperatures. The study emphasized the importance of selecting a suitable filler to mitigate residual stresses in the joints.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Pengcheng Zhu, Yajie Zhao, Yan-Ru Lin, Jean Henry, Steven J. Zinkle
Summary: This study investigates the effect of heavy-ion irradiation on radiation hardening in high-purity binary alloy Fe18Cr. Nanoindentation testing and high-quality TEM imaging were conducted to extract hardness and microstructure information. The strength factor was accurately calculated based on the detailed TEM characterization of irradiated microstructures, and a refined hardening superposition method was applied to quantify the mechanical properties of ion-irradiated materials.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bin Wu, Haixia Ning, Hanzhen Zhu, Jianjun Chen, Kang Wang, Daiyu Zhang, Fu Wang, Qilong Liao
Summary: This study discusses the effects of ZrO2 and B2O3 on the phase composition and properties of SAP-based glass-ceramics. The results show that ZrO2 addition improves the formation of NZP phase while restricting the crystallization of AlPO4 phases. The correct ratios of ZrO2 and B2O3 allow only the formation of NZP phase within the SAP glass.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hwasung Yeom, Greg Johnson, Benjamin Maier, Tyler Dabney, Kumar Sridharan
Summary: Cr-Nb bilayer coatings were developed using cold spray deposition to improve the limiting operational temperature of Cr-coated Zr-alloy system. The coatings exhibited outstanding oxidation resistance at high temperatures and formed continuous intermetallic compound layers at the interfaces.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Padhraic L. Mulligan, Andrew T. Nelson, Chad M. Parish, Patrick A. Champlin, Xiang Chen, Daniel Morrall, Jason M. Harp
Summary: Environmental barrier coatings are being developed to reduce oxidation and embrittlement in Zr-based materials. Chromium nitride is a candidate for this application, but understanding its impact on irradiation-induced creep and microstructure is critical.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Dexuan Yan, Xinlei Cao, Ke Shen
Summary: This study investigated the purification mechanism of polycrystalline graphite by comparing IG-11 graphite with IG-110 nuclear grade graphite. The analysis revealed that metallic impurities in IG-11 were primarily segregated within graphite porosities, while IG-110 demonstrated a significant reduction in impurities. This research contributes to the development of innovative graphite purification techniques for greater purity and stronger oxidation resistance.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wei Xu, Wei Peng, Lei Shi, Qi Sun
Summary: This paper investigates the oxidation and shape evolution of matrix graphite in high temperature gas-cooled reactors during air-ingress accidents. A reaction kinetics model is established and computational fluid dynamics with a dynamic mesh method is used to simulate the oxidation process. The results show that the geometric shape of graphite changes significantly with increasing flow rate, and the graphite pebbles tend to form a structure with a narrow front and wide tail.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Allison Harward, Casey Elliott, Michael Shaltry, Krista Carlson, Tae-Sic Yoo, Guy Fredrickson, Michael Patterson, Michael F. Simpson
Summary: This paper investigates the hygroscopic properties of eutectic LiCl-KCl absorbed into zeolite-4A. The study finds that water absorption and corrosion worsen with increasing salt loading. It also suggests that the salt can be stored in a non-inert atmosphere for a certain period of time.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Takaaki Koyanagi, Xunxiang Hu, Christian M. Petrie, Gyanender Singh, Caen Ang, Christian P. Deck, Weon-Ju Kim, Daejong Kim, James Braun, Yutai Katoh
Summary: This study provides critical experimental data on the effects of irradiation on the hermeticity of SiC composite cladding, finding that irradiation can cause a decrease in hermeticity and cracking, and coating the outer surface can mitigate the cracking issue.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
S. Krat, A. Prishvitsyn, Yu. Gasparyan
Summary: This study proposes a probabilistic and diffusion-based model to describe the co-deposition of multiple hydrogen isotopes with slowly grown metal layers. The model calculates the relative concentrations of different hydrogen isotopes in the co-deposited metal layers. It is found that if hydrogen isotopes have different detrapping energies, only the isotope with the highest detrapping energy shows a monotonic decrease in concentration with deposition temperature. Furthermore, the study evaluates the uncertainty of tritium concentration in the co-deposited layer based on the uncertainty in detrapping energy of tritium and deuterium, predicting a >10% tritium concentration uncertainty for a 0.01 eV difference.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tijo Vazhappilly, Arup Kumar Pathak
Summary: This study investigates the effect of Ce atom substitution in UO2 on its thermophysical properties using density functional theory. The results show that the Ce substitution levels and the oxidation state of Ce/U atoms strongly influence the band structure and specific heat capacity of the UO2 lattice. These findings provide important insights into the fuel properties of UO2 under reactor conditions.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
