About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Accelerated Qualification Methods for Nuclear Reactor Structural Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Investigating the Mechanisms Driving Irradiation Induced Grain Subdivision |
| Author(s) |
Sadie A. Wicks, Brandon Bohanon, Assel Aitkaliyeva, Michael Tonks, Michenna Allen, Benjamin Mejia Diaz, Alec Pfundheller, Lin Shao, Zhihan Hu |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Sadie A. Wicks |
| Abstract Scope |
Irradiation-induced grain subdivision (IIGS) detrimentally impacts the mechanical and thermal properties of nuclear fuels. The fundamental mechanisms driving IIGS remain ambiguous. It’s hypothesized that subgrains form either through dislocation accumulation leading to low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), through grain nucleation resulting in high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), or via a combination of both. In this study, IIGS is induced in pure aluminum irradiated with helium ions under various fluences, both in situ and ex-situ. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is employed to examine how radiation damage leads to dislocation network formation and how LAGBs evolve into HAGBs. In situ irradiations equipped with TEM and precession electron diffraction (PED) are performed at fluence levels corresponding to the onset and peak of grain subdivision, enabling real-time observation of grain and grain boundary evolution. Quantification of grain size, misorientation angles, and defect structures within grain boundaries establishes a foundation for understanding the mechanisms of IIGS. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, Phase Transformations |