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2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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Researchers use one-of-a-kind expertise and capabilities to test fuels of tomorrow
At the Idaho National Laboratory Hot Fuel Examination Facility, containment box operator Jake Maupin moves a manipulator arm into position around a pencil-thin nuclear fuel rod. He is preparing for a procedure that he and his colleagues have practiced repeatedly in anticipation of this moment in the hot cell.
K. Linga Murty
Nuclear Technology | Volume 67 | Number 1 | October 1984 | Pages 124-131
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT84-A33535
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Improvements in both the yield strength and ductility were noted in mild steel at elevated temperatures (≳315 K) following neutron irradiation to 2 × 1022 n/m2, in contrast to hitherto observed radiation hardening and embrittlement. This beneficial effect was shown to be due to the interaction of interstitial impurities with radiation-produced defects resulting in reduced concentration of interstitial carbon and nitrogen in solution, and thus blue brittleness is suppressed following radiation exposure. Consequently, the energy absorbed by the irradiated material (a measure of toughness) improved at these temperatures. In the temperature range examined, namely from 300 to 550 K, Lüders strain increased following neutron irradiation. While the Lüders strain of unirradiated material exhibited a peak at ∼460 K due to dynamic strain aging, it decreased continuously with test temperature following neutron irradiation. Radiation exposure resulted in decreased rates of work hardening at all of the test temperatures. Peaks in the temperature dependence of the work-hardening parameter are noted for the unirradiated material in the serrated flow regime. Thermal recovery of radiation damage resulted in increased rates of work hardening at elevated temperatures.