About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Interrelated Extremes in Materials Degradation for Fission and Fusion Environments
|
| Presentation Title |
Accelerating Nuclear Materials Development Through Thermal Gradient Ion Irradiations |
| Author(s) |
Smeet Patel, Nate Eklof, Zack Rielley, Charles Hirst |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Smeet Patel |
| Abstract Scope |
Structural materials in nuclear reactors are subjected to gradients in temperature, stress, and dose. However, materials are currently tested in homogeneous environments, which may not accurately reflect the mechanisms driving behavior in operando. As an example, ion irradiation can be used to emulate neutrons, yet these tests are typically conducted under a constant temperature which requires multiple experiments to study microstructural evolution as a function of temperature. To address this, the UW Ion Beam Laboratory is developing an in situ ion irradiation mechanical testing facility which can create temperature gradients on the order of several hundreds of degrees Celsius across a specimen. This presentation will include preliminary testing results of 316SS foils, highlighting the facility’s potential to significantly accelerate the development of structural materials. Through this accelerated testing, performance maps of materials’ behavior across a 2D space of dose and temperature will be created to visualize materials’ optimal operating conditions. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, High-Temperature Materials, Iron and Steel |