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Physical Property Changes in Plutonium Observed from Accelerated Aging using Pu-238 Enrichment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Brandon W. Chung ,
Bill Choi ,
Cheng Saw ,
Stephen Thompson ,
Conrad Woods ,
David Hopkins  and
Bartley Ebbinghaus
Brandon W. Chung
Affiliation:
chung7@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, MSTD/CMLS, 7000 East Avenue, P.O. Box 808, L-350, Livermore, CA, 94551, United States, 925-423-3896
Bill Choi
Affiliation:
choi3@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, United States
Cheng Saw
Affiliation:
saw1@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, United States
Stephen Thompson
Affiliation:
thompson21@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, United States
Conrad Woods
Affiliation:
woods7@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, United States
David Hopkins
Affiliation:
hopkins3@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, United States
Bartley Ebbinghaus
Affiliation:
ebbinghaus1@llnl.gov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94551, United States
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Abstract

We present changes in volume, immersion density, and tensile property observed from accelerated aged plutonium alloys. Accelerated alloys (or spiked alloys) are plutonium alloys enriched with approximately 7.5 weight percent of the faster-decaying 238Pu to accelerate the aging process by approximately 17 times the rate of unaged weapons-grade plutonium. After sixty equivalent years of aging on spiked alloys, the dilatometry shows the samples at 35°C have swelled in volume by 0.15 to 0.17 % and now exhibit a near linear volume increase due to helium in-growth. The immersion density of spiked alloys shows decrease in density, similar normalized volumetric changes (expansion) for spiked alloys. Tensile tests show increasing yield and engineering ultimate strength as spiked alloys are aged.

Keywords

Puradiation effectsactinide
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 986: Symposium OO – Actinides 2006 – Basic Science, Applications and Technology , 2006 , 0986-OO05-02
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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References

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