About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2024 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Seaborg Institutes: Emerging Topics in Actinide Materials and Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Phase Transformations and Thermal Response in Plutonium-gallium Alloys |
| Author(s) |
Shane Mann, Najeb M. Abdul-Jabbar, Jeremy Mitchell |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Shane Mann |
| Abstract Scope |
Face-centered cubic delta-phase plutonium-gallium alloys are the predominant form of plutonium (Pu) used in engineering applications owing to their superior mechanical and thermal properties. Nevertheless, the kinetics and thermodynamics that drive delta-phase stabilization are still not fully understood. This is especially highlighted in the discrepancy that emerged between the Western and Russian versions of the Pu-Ga equilibrium phase diagram. It has been posited that local crystallographic distortions within the delta phase may act as initiation centers for eutectoid decomposition. Furthermore, monoclinic alpha-Pu can also be thermally induced in delta-phase alloys when exposed to cryogenic conditions. This presentation will highlight ongoing thermal analysis work at Los Alamos National Laboratory to characterize phase stability regimes of delta-phase alloys with varying gallium concentrations and understand effects of material defects on plutonium phase transformations. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Phase Transformations, |