Porosity swelling and transmutation contributions to conductivity changes in some neutron-irradiated copper alloys

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3115(86)80030-7· OSTI ID:5979884

Frost, H M; Kennedy, J C

Fast-neutron irradiation of alloys for fusion-reactor applications produces bulk changes in density and composition via porosity swelling and transmutation which affect the dc volume electrical and thermal conductivities (sigma=1/rho/sub e/ and K). For the Cu materials of our study, neutron fluences of 2 x 10/sup 26/n/m/sup 2/ (E > 0.1 MeV) produced Ni and Zn weight increases of about 0.05 and 0.09%, respectively, and porosity swelling of 0 to 7%; rho/sub e/ accordingly increased as much as 18%. We also determined the individual rho/sub e/ changes due to both swelling and transmutation via use of an appropriate mixing rule and of Matthiessen's law to unmask any residual effects present, e.g., phase or microstructural changes. For four materials - two pure copper and two alumina-dispersion-strengthened (ADS) alloys - subtraction of these deltarho/sub e/'s from the irradiated values yielded or nearly yielded the respective control values. In contrast, the two precipitation-strengthened (PS) alloys studied, MZC and AMZIRC, had relatively large negative residues, apparently indicating effective radiation-induced conductivities.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5979884
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-86-940; CONF-860421-5; ON: DE86008737
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
360106* -- Metals & Alloys-- Radiation Effects
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700209 -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Component Development & Materials Testing
ALLOYS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
BARYON REACTIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
COPPER
COPPER ALLOYS
COPPER BASE ALLOYS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
HADRON REACTIONS
IRRADIATION
MATERIALS
METALS
MICROSTRUCTURE
NEUTRON FLUENCE
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NICKEL ALLOYS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEON REACTIONS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
SWELLING
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
ZINC ALLOYS