THE EFFECTS OF HEATING NEUTRON IRRADIATED BERYLLIUM
Small pieces of a beryllium shim rod from the Materials Testing Reactor were heated, and changes in microstructure, volume, and mechanical properties observed. The beryllium which was estimated to have received a dose of about 7.6 x 10/sup 21/ fast neutrons/cm/sup 2/ contained about 10 cm/sup 3/ at N.T.P. of helium per cm/sup 3/ and this precipitated as fine gas bubbles during heating for an hour at temperatures above 600 deg C. These bubbles grew, particularly at the grain boundaries, during further heating, until at 1100 deg C they were about 10/ sup -3/ cm diameter. The precipitation and growth of the bubbles produced an increase in the volume of the samples, commencing at about 600 deg C and eventually reaching 30% at 1000 deg C. The irradiated beryllium is very brittle, even above room temperature, and this may be aggravated by the large gas bubbles lying on the grain boundaries. The observations are discussed in relation to those already reported for beryllium containing large local-concentrations of helium injected with a cyclotron. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, Berks, Eng.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-13-015411
- OSTI ID:
- 4251137
- Journal Information:
- J. Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: J. Nuclear Materials Vol. Vol: 1
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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