Effects Of Radiation On Structural Materials

The effect of fast-neutron (>1 Mev) irradiation on the mechanical properties of structural metals and alloys was studied. Although the yield strengths and ultimate tensile strengths are increased su stantially for most materials, the ductility suffers severe decreases. This report presents these changes in properties of several structural metals for a number of neutron exposures within the 1.0 x 10 to the 18th power to 5.0 x 10 to the 21st power n/sq cm range. Data summarizing these effects on several classes of materials such as carbon steels, low-alloy steels, stainless steels, Zr-base alloys, ni-base alloys, Al-base alloys, and Ta are given. Additional data which show the influence f irradiation temperatures and of post-irradiation annealing on the radiation-induced property changes are also given and discussed. Increases as great as 175% in yield strength, 100% in ultimate strength, and decreases of 80% in total elongation are reported for fast-neutron exposures as great as 5 10 to the 21st power n/sq cm. (Author).

Annotation Effects of Radiation on Materials: Fourteenth International Symposium was presented at Andover, MA, June 1988. The symposium was sponsored by ASTM Committee E-10 on Nuclear Technology and Applications. The papers from the first three days of the symposium appear in the two volumes of this publication. Volume I encompasses radiation damage- induced microstructures; point defect, solute, and gas atom effects; atomic-level measurement techniques; and applications of theory. Volume II includes mechanical behavior, all papers dealing with pressure-vessel steels, breeder reactor components, dosimetry, and nuclear fuels. The fourth day of the symposium was devoted to the single topic of reduced-activation materials (see TK9204). The two volumes are separately sold at $127 and $128 respectively; each is independently indexed. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.