About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Spectroscopic Methods and Analysis for Nuclear Energy Related Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Three-Dimensional Characterization of Crack and Inclusion Networks in a Service-Exposed Baffle Former Bolt Using High-Energy X-Ray Microscopy |
| Author(s) |
Mahmud Hasan Ovi, Peter Kenesei, Xuan Zhang, Timothy Lach, Maxim Gussev, Xiang (Frank) Chen, Matthew Kasemer, James Stubbins |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Mahmud Hasan Ovi |
| Abstract Scope |
Baffle former bolts in pressurized water reactors experience prolonged neutron irradiation, sustained stress, and primary water exposure, making them susceptible to irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). This work characterized the as-received collar region of a service-exposed bolt, a curved geometry directly exposed to reactor water and showing visual evidence of oxidation, retrieved from a commercial PWR after 40 years of operation, using tomography, far-field high-energy diffraction microscopy (ff-HEDM), and near-field HEDM (nf-HEDM) at the Advanced Photon Source. Tomographic imaging revealed internal cracks and inclusions within the collar volume not visible from the surface, while ff-HEDM and nf-HEDM provided grain orientation, strain, and microstructural context surrounding these features. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the crack network and associated inclusions, correlated with local grain structure and crystallographic orientation, is underway to establish the spatial relationship between cracking, inclusion distribution, and microstructure in this safety-relevant degradation zone. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, High-Temperature Materials |