Mechanical Metallurgy Of Nuclear Materials

Mechanical Metallurgy of Nuclear Materials is a review of the mechanical metallurgy of metallic materials primarily in thermal and irradiation conditions and discusses the latest developments on this frontier. The contents contained in the book draws heavily upon the author's own research conducted over the past four decades on various metallic materials, as well as including the current research in the field. In the last six decades, materials for nuclear energy applications have seen unprecedented growth. We have come a long way in understanding alloy design and development that are resistant to aging and degradation effected by thermal, mechanical, environmental, and radiation boundary conditions. This book will detail the mechanical aspects of nuclear materials, including t materials processing, mechanical and fracture properties, and modelling and simulation of mechanical properties. It will conclude with a discussion of plant life management and extension. Provides an extensive evaluation of the mechanical behavior of nuclear materials under different service conditions in a nuclear reactor Includes a discussion of issues and challenges for materials in the past, present, and future for use in nuclear reactors Covers advances in materials for generation IV nuclear reactors

Covering both fundamental and advanced aspects in an accessible way, this textbook begins with an overview of nuclear reactor systems, helping readers to familiarize themselves with the varied designs. Then the readers are introduced to different possibilities for materials applications in the various sections of nuclear energy systems. Materials selection and life prediction methodologies for nuclear reactors are also presented in relation to creep, corrosion and other degradation mechanisms. An appendix compiles useful property data relevant for nuclear reactor applications. Throughout the book, there is a thorough coverage of various materials science principles, such as physical and mechanical metallurgy, defects and diffusion and radiation effects on materials, with serious efforts made to establish structure-property correlations wherever possible. With its emphasis on the latest developments and outstanding problems in the field, this is both a valuable introduction and a ready reference for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

The Metallurgy of Nuclear Fuel: Properties and Principles of the Technology of Uranium, Thorium and Plutonium is a systematic analysis of the metallurgy of nuclear fuel, with emphasis on the physical, mechanical, and chemical properties as well as the technology of uranium, thorium, and plutonium, together with their alloys and compounds. The minerals and raw material sources of nuclear fuel are discussed, along with the principles of the technology of the raw material processing and the production of the principal compounds, and of the pure metals and alloys. Comprised of three parts, this volume begins with an introduction to the history of the discovery of uranium and its position in the periodic system; its use as a nuclear fuel; radioactivity and isotopic composition; alloys and compounds; and physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. The effect of mechanical and thermal treatment, thermal cycling and irradiation on the physicochemical properties of uranium is also examined. The next two sections are devoted to thorium and plutonium and includes chapters dealing with their uses, alloys and compounds, and methods of recovery and purification. This book is written for university students, but should also prove useful to young production engineers and scientific workers who are concerned with problems in the metallurgy of nuclear fuel.

This book is an eye-opening treatise on the fundamentals of the effects of radiation on metals and alloys. When energetic particles strike a solid, numerous processes occur that can change the physical and mechanical properties of the material. Metals and alloys represent an important class of materials that are subject to intense radiation fields. Radiation causes metals and alloys to swell, distort, blister, harden, soften and deform. This textbook and reference covers the basics of particle-atom interaction for a range of particle types, the amount and spatial extent of the resulting radiation damage, the physical effects of irradiation and the changes in mechanical behavior of irradiated metals and alloys.