About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Special Topics in Nuclear Materials: Reproducibility and Uncertainty; Hydrogen Effects; Space and Microreactor Systems
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| Presentation Title |
Toward Rapid Emulation of Neutron Damage With Ions: Helium Effects on Microstructural Evolution in Ion-Irradiated Historic Heats of V-4Cr-4Ti Alloy (US832665, US832864) |
| Author(s) |
Alicia M. Elliott, Maxwell Rae, Angus P.C. Wylie, Kevin Woller, Charles A. Hirst, Zhexian Zhang, Smeet Patel, Lauren Garrison, Gary Was, Michael P. Short |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Alicia M. Elliott |
| Abstract Scope |
Vanadium-base alloys are promising candidate structural materials for modern fusion power plant designs due to their low activation, high-temperature strength (>600°C) and swelling resistance. However, concerns about lifetime structural integrity remain unresolved, particularly embrittlement. A precise neutron-ion “handshake” (microstructural match) to replicate neutron-irradiated microstructures using ions remains elusive; complex helium interactions during irradiation and heat-to-heat variability between studies introduce additional uncertainty in elucidating key mechanisms driving microstructural differences. This study investigates effects of helium on microstructural evolution of V-4Cr-4Ti under ion irradiation. Microstructures from multiple permutations of helium/ion irradiations (multi-stage sequential gas/ion steps, dual/triple beam) are characterized and compared with historic neutron irradiations of the same heats. Real-time elastic property changes are measured using in-situ ion irradiation transient grating spectroscopy (I3TGS) to characterize onset of void swelling, when observed. These findings contribute toward a systematic approach to emulate neutrons using ion-based screening methodologies for rapid qualification of nuclear materials. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, High-Temperature Materials |