Physical Property Changes in Plutonium from Accelerated Aging using Pu-238 Enrichment

Conference · Wed Dec 20 00:00:00 EST 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-986-0986-OO05-02· OSTI ID:902342

Chung, B W; Choi, B W; Saw, C K; Thompson, S R; Woods, C H; Hopkins, D J; Ebbinghaus, B B

We present changes in volume, immersion density, and tensile properties observed from accelerated aged plutonium alloys. Accelerated alloys (or spiked alloys) are plutonium alloys enriched with approximately 7.5 weight percent of the faster-decaying {sup 238}Pu to accelerate the aging process by approximately 17 times the rate of unaged weapons-grade plutonium. After sixty equivalent years of aging on spiked alloys, the dilatometry shows the samples at 35 C have swelled in volume by 0.15 to 0.17 % and now exhibit a near linear volume increase due to helium in-growth. The immersion density of spiked alloys shows a decrease in density, similar normalized volumetric changes (expansion) for spiked alloys. Tensile tests show increasing yield and engineering ultimate strength as spiked alloys are aged.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 902342
• Report Number(s): UCRL-PROC-226996; TRN: US200717%%264
• Resource Relation: Journal Volume: 986; Conference: Presented at: Materials Research Society, Boston, United States, Nov 27 - Dec 01, 2006
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
AGING
ALLOYS
DILATOMETRY
HELIUM
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM ALLOYS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
ULTIMATE STRENGTH
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems