ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
November 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
October 2024
Latest News
UMich introductory engineering course aims to revolutionize nuclear energy through community engagement
A new course at the University of Michigan offered by the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) Department seeks to address the lack of community engagement in the design of energy technologies by pioneering a socially engaged approach.
Kimberly A. DeFriend Obrey, Robert D. Day, Doug Hatch, Brent F. Espinoza, Shihai Feng, Brian M. Patterson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 55 | Number 4 | May 2009 | Pages 490-498
Technical Paper | Eighteenth Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST55-4-490
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Aerogel is a material used in numerous components for inertial confinement fusion and high-energy density physics targets. In the past, these components were molded into the proper shapes. Artifacts left in the parts from the molding process, contour irregularities from shrinkage, and density gradients caused by the skin have caused Los Alamos National Laboratory to pursue machining as a way to make the components. The machining of aerogel is an involved process, and many manufacturing aspects need to be considered including holding the material for machining, achieving the desired surface roughness and the desired dimensional accuracy, conceivably producing a part with enhanced dimensional tolerance and minimal density variations. Therefore, an effort has been established to develop a method to more accurately determine density errors, perform machining experiments, acquire physical property data, and model the machining process.