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Evolution of Static Physical Properties in Plutonium by Self-irradiation Damage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Brandon W Chung ,
Kenneth Lema  and
David Hiromoto
Brandon W Chung
Affiliation:
chung7@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States
Kenneth Lema
Affiliation:
lema1@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States
David Hiromoto
Affiliation:
hiromoto1@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States
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Abstract

The alpha-decay of plutonium leads to the age-related change in physical properties. This paper presents updated results of age-related effects on enriched and reference alloys measured from immersion density, dilatometry, and mechanical tests. After nearly 100 equivalent years of aging, both the immersion density and dilatometry show that the enriched alloys are decreasing in density by less than 0.002% per year and now exhibit a near linear density decrease, without void swelling. The tensile tests show that the aging process increases the strength of plutonium alloys, followed by possible saturation past 70 equivalent years of age. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop capabilities to predict physical properties changed by aging effects.

Keywords

Puactinideradiation effects
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1264: Symposia Z/BB – Basic Actinide Science and Materials for Nuclear Applications , 2010 , 1264-Z08-10
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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References

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