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 |
Characterization of the Impact of Transmutation Gases on Deformation Mechanisms of Spallation Neutron Source Component Materials |
| Author(s) |
Timothy G. Lach, Maxim Gussev, Soyoung Kang, Yichen Yang, Joshua Kacher, Olivier Pierron, David McClintock |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Timothy G. Lach |
| Abstract Scope |
Simultaneous high-energy proton and spallation neutron irradiation is unique from fission and fusion neutron irradiation but offers insights into material behavior in nuclear energy environments. In addition to recoil damage at moderate temperatures (~100°C), transmutation reactions produce large levels of He/H. The 316L SS target module and Inconel 718 or Al-6061 alloy proton beam window at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source are irradiated during operation. During mechanical testing with digital image correlation, the materials exhibited unique mechanical behavior in the form of travelling wave deformation and recovery of ductility with increasing dose. To develop a mechanistic understanding, advanced electron microscopy, thermal desorption spectrometry, and differential scanning calorimetry coupled with mechanical testing was used to probe how the materials’ mechanical behavior evolves with increasing radiation dose and increasing levels of transmutation He/H. The interaction of defects and stored transmutation gases at the nanoscale, and their effects on mechanical behavior will be discussed. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, Mechanical Properties |