Stability of uranium silicides during high energy ion irradiation

Conference · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:10110583

Birtcher, R C; Wang, L M

Changes induced by 1.5 MeV Kr ion irradiation of both U{sub 3}Si and U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} have been followed by in situ transmission electron microscopy. When irradiated at sufficiently low temperatures, both alloys transform from the crystalline to the amorphous state. When irradiated at temperatures above the temperature limit for ion beam amorphization, both compounds disorder with the Martensite twin structure in U{sub 3}Si disappearing from view in TEM. Prolonged irradiation of the disordered crystalline phases results in nucleation of small crystallites within the initially large crystal grains. The new crystallites increase in number during continued irradiation until a fine grain structure is formed. Electron diffraction yields a powder-like diffraction pattern that indicates a random alignment of the small crystallites. During a second irradiation at lower temperatures, the small crystallizes retard amorphization. After 2 dpa at high temperatures, the amorphization dose is increased by over twenty times compared to that of initially unirradiated material.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10110583
• Report Number(s): ANL/CP--73624; CONF-911202--18; ON: DE92005239
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360202
360206
AMORPHOUS STATE
GRAIN BOUNDARIES
IRRADIATION
KRYPTON IONS
MICROSTRUCTURE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
STRUCTURE AND PHASE STUDIES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
URANIUM SILICIDES