Evaluation of radiation damage using nonlinear ultrasound

Journal Article · Thu Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 2012 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3692086· OSTI ID:22038879

Matlack, K H ^[1]; Wall, J J ^[1]; Kim, J -Y ^[2]; Qu, J ^[3]; Jacobs, L J ^[1]; Viehrig, H -W ^[4]

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1. G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States)
2. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States)
3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States)
4. Department of Structural Materials, Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Ion-Beam Physics and Materials Research, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden (Germany)

Nonlinear ultrasound was used to monitor radiation damage in two reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. The microstructural changes associated with radiation damage include changes in dislocation density and the formation of precipitates, and nonlinear ultrasonic waves are known to be sensitive to such changes. Six samples each of two different RPV steels were previously irradiated in the Rheinsberg power reactor to two fluence levels, up to 10{sup 20} n/cm{sup 2} (E > 1 MeV). Longitudinal waves were used to measure the acoustic nonlinearity in these samples, and the results show a clear increase in the measured acoustic nonlinearity from the unirradiated state to the medium dose, and then a decrease from medium dose to high dose.

• OSTI ID: 22038879
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 111; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ACOUSTICS
DISLOCATIONS
IRRADIATION
MEV RANGE
MICROSTRUCTURE
NEUTRON FLUENCE
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PRECIPITATION
PRESSURE VESSELS
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
STEELS
ULTRASONIC WAVES