| Abstract Scope |
Failure to accurately account for the effects of dose rate have inhibited the utilization of heavy ion beam induced accelerated radiation damage accumulation as a reliable engineering predictor of reactor neutron damage accumulation. We will outline an experimental methodology where heavy-ion induced swelling alone is a predictor of neutron induced swelling, yielding a swelling equation that is a function of dpa, dpa-rate, and temperature, and spanning 10^-2 to 10^-8 dpa/s. Moreover, we will show how the key experimentally measurable characteristics of the swelling curve (peak-temperature, shape, and swelling-per-dpa) are all tied to existing rate theory through log functions of the dpa-rate. The proposed methodology has the potential to reduce risks and uncertainties associated with life extension and new material development. |