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Effect of irradiation temperature and oxygen impurity on the yield strength of T(d,n) neutron irradiated niobium

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5635500
Tensile tests and microstructural examinations have been conducted on niobium wires and foils with differing oxygen contents following T(d,n) neutron irradiation at 300 K, 475 K, and 675 K. The yield strength of the irradiated wires was strongly dependent on both oxygen content and irradiation temperature. Increasing the oxygen content from 185 to 480 wppM produced 1.6 to 2.0 times greater increases, ..delta..sigma, in the measured yield strength for samples irradiated at the same temperature to a fluence of approx.5 x 10/sup 21/m/sup -2/. Maximum strengthening was observed following irradiation at 475 K where measured yield strength increases were at least a factor of 3 greater than for samples with similar oxygen contents irradiated at 300 K. Irradiation at 675 K produced 30 to 60% more strengthening at 5 x 10/sup 21/m/sup -2/ than irradiation at 300 K. Correlations between the measured yield strength and microstructural data suggest that oxygen impurities interact with the irradiation produced defects during irradiation at 475 K which results in more effective obstacles to dislocation motion and consequently greater strengthening.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
5635500
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-13513; CONF-860421-54; ON: DE86011619
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English