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Title: Effect of irradiation on silicate aggregates’ density and stiffness

Abstract

When exposed to high-energy radiations, the silicate aggregates used in concrete can exhibit some swelling. This, in turn, can result in some internal stress, which can lead to micro-cracks or de-bonding along the cement–aggregate interface. However, there is presently some uncertainty regarding the long-term effect of such high-energy irradiation on aggregates and the associated risk of cracking and failure. Here, based on atomistic simulations, we investigate the effect of neutron irradiation on eight silicate minerals belonging to three different mineralogical families. We demonstrate that the irradiation-induced alterations do not depend on the silicate family but rather on the inherent structure and composition of each mineral. Interestingly, we show that vitrification can be used as a surrogate to assess the upper limit of irradiation-induced swelling. Further, we observe that this swelling potentially leads to high internal stresses, which can result in the initiation and propagation of cracks. These findings can guide the selection of optimal aggregate minerals for which the risk of concrete failure upon irradiation is minimized.

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi (India)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
OSTI Identifier:
1490604
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1635911; OSTI ID: 1826051
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725; 4000132990; 4000143356
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Nuclear Materials
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 512; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Radiation damage; Silicate minerals; Molecular dynamics; Swelling; Concrete

Citation Formats

Krishnan, N. M. Anoop, Le Pape, Yann, Sant, Gaurav, and Bauchy, Mathieu. Effect of irradiation on silicate aggregates’ density and stiffness. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2018.10.009.
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Krishnan, N. M. Anoop, Le Pape, Yann, Sant, Gaurav, & Bauchy, Mathieu. Effect of irradiation on silicate aggregates’ density and stiffness. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2018.10.009
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Krishnan, N. M. Anoop, Le Pape, Yann, Sant, Gaurav, and Bauchy, Mathieu. Tue . "Effect of irradiation on silicate aggregates’ density and stiffness". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2018.10.009. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1490604.
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@article{osti_1490604,
title = {Effect of irradiation on silicate aggregates’ density and stiffness},
author = {Krishnan, N. M. Anoop and Le Pape, Yann and Sant, Gaurav and Bauchy, Mathieu},
abstractNote = {When exposed to high-energy radiations, the silicate aggregates used in concrete can exhibit some swelling. This, in turn, can result in some internal stress, which can lead to micro-cracks or de-bonding along the cement–aggregate interface. However, there is presently some uncertainty regarding the long-term effect of such high-energy irradiation on aggregates and the associated risk of cracking and failure. Here, based on atomistic simulations, we investigate the effect of neutron irradiation on eight silicate minerals belonging to three different mineralogical families. We demonstrate that the irradiation-induced alterations do not depend on the silicate family but rather on the inherent structure and composition of each mineral. Interestingly, we show that vitrification can be used as a surrogate to assess the upper limit of irradiation-induced swelling. Further, we observe that this swelling potentially leads to high internal stresses, which can result in the initiation and propagation of cracks. These findings can guide the selection of optimal aggregate minerals for which the risk of concrete failure upon irradiation is minimized.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2018.10.009},
journal = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},
number = C,
volume = 512,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Oct 09 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Tue Oct 09 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
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Journal Article:
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Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2018.10.009
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Cited by: 17 works
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Figures / Tables:

Table 1 Table 1: Neutron cross-sections of the elements present in the aggregate minerals considered herein.
All figures and tables (13 total)
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Irradiation‐induced brittle‐to‐ductile transition in α‐quartz
    journal, December 2019

    • Ravinder, R.; Kumar, Abhishek; Kumar, Rajesh
    • Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 103, Issue 7
    • DOI: 10.1111/jace.16951

    The effect of irradiation on the atomic structure and chemical durability of calcite and dolomite
    journal, October 2019

    • Hsiao, Yi-Hsuan; Wang, Bu; La Plante, Erika Callagon
    • npj Materials Degradation, Vol. 3, Issue 1
    • DOI: 10.1038/s41529-019-0098-x
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