Tensile properties of neutron-irradiated 6061 aluminum alloy in annealed and precipitation-hardened conditions

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6886356

Farrell, K.; King, R. T.

Tensile specimens of 6061 aluminum alloy (nominally 1 wt percent Mg, 0.6 Si) were heat treated to give fully annealed (''0'') temper) and precipitation-hardened (''T6'' temper) conditions and were irradiated in water at 328/sup 0/K (0.35 T/sub m/) to fast (greater than 0.1 MeV) fluences up to 1.8 x 10/sup 27/ n/m/sup 2/ and thermal (less than 0.025 eV) fluences up to 3.0 x 10/sup 27/ n/m/sup 2/. The corresponding maximum displacement level was 260 dpa, and over 7 wt percent Si was created from transmutation reactions. The major microstructural defects were voids, dislocations and a precipitate of silicon. Swelling from voids was less than 1 percent. In the ''T6'' material tested at 323/sup 0/K (0.35 T/sub m/) and 373/sup 0/K (0.4 T/sub m/) irradiation raised the 0.2 percent flow stress and the UTS by 45 to 60 percent from the unirradiated values of about 280 and 330 MPa, respectively; ductility was reduced from 15 to about 9 percent. At 423/sup 0/K (0.45 T/sub m/) there was a similar degree of hardening, but ductility fell to about 5 percent. The alloy in the ''0'' condition was softer, by 125 to 150 MPa, than the irradiated ''T6'' alloy, and its elongation remained above 10 percent. In all cases the loss in ductility occurred principally through reduction in uniform strain. Fractures were ductile.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6886356
• Report Number(s): CONF-780722-9; TRN: 78-018803
• Resource Relation: Conference: 9. symposium on effects of radiation in structural materials, Richland, WA, USA, 10 Jul 1978
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
FAST NEUTRONS
FRACTURES
HEAT TREATMENTS
MICROSTRUCTURE
SWELLING
TENSILE PROPERTIES
ALLOYS
BARYONS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FAILURES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
NEUTRONS
NUCLEONS
RADIATION EFFECTS
360106* - Metals & Alloys- Radiation Effects