High dose neutron irradiations of Hi-Nicalon Type S silicon carbide composites, Part 1: Microstructural evaluations
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Aomori-ken (Japan)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in the development of silicon carbide (SiC) composites, composed of near-stoichiometric SiC fibers embedded in a crystalline SiC matrix, to the point that such materials can now be considered nuclear grade. Recent neutron irradiation studies of Hi-Nicalon Type S SiC composites showed excellent radiation response at damage levels of 30-40 dpa at temperatures of 300-800 °C. However, more recent studies of these same fiber composites irradiated to damage levels of >70 dpa at similar temperatures showed a marked decrease in ultimate flexural strength, particularly at 300 °C. Here, electron microscopy is used to analyze the microstructural evolution of these irradiated composites in order to investigate the cause of the degradation. While minimal changes were observed in Hi-Nicalon Type S SiC composites irradiated at 800 °C, substantial microstructural evolution is observed in those irradiated at 300° C. Furthermore, carbonaceous particles in the fibers grew by 25% compared to the virgin case, and severe cracking occurred at interphase layers.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1195799
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1246580
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Nuclear Materials, Vol. 462, Issue 7; ISSN 0022-3115
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Preparation and characterization of near-stoichiometric silicon carbon fibres
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journal | January 2018 |
Irradiation-induced β to α SiC transformation at low temperature
|
journal | April 2017 |
Microstructure of SiC fibers by swift heavy ion beam irradiation
|
journal | July 2019 |
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