MSE 757 Radiation Effects on Materials

3 Credit Hours

(also offered as NE 757)

This is an advanced course on nuclear materials for students with background in fundamentals of materials, defects and dislocation theory, and mechanical properties. It is important for students to refer to various books, monographs, reviews and journal papers on many of the subject areas.

Prerequisite

NE/MSE 409/509 or equivalent.

Course Objectives

The objective of the course is to discuss the unique changes that occur in materials under irradiation, so to understand the limitations put on nuclear reactor operations and reactor design by materials performance. In the first part of the course we briefly review basic concepts of physical metallurgy necessary to develop an understanding of the relationship between microstructure and nuclear material properties outside of irradiation. In the second part of the course, we describe the process of radiation damage formation, present the methods to calculate atomic displacements produced by exposure to irradiation, and describe the microstructural evolution that results from irradiation both qualitatively, and quantitatively through the use of rate theory. In the third part, we show how irradiation-induced changes in the microstructure evolve into changes in macroscopic behavior of the material. The possible dimensional changes due to irradiation (swelling, creep and irradiation growth) are discussed, as well as the effects of irradiation on mechanical properties and irradiation-induced microchemistry changes and phase transformations. Note that the focus will be put on radiation damage and effects in metallic systems (cladding and structural alloys will serve for examples).

By the end of this course, the successful student be able to:

1) understand the basics of physical metallurgy and of the relationship between material microstructure and macroscopic properties, outside of irradiation.

2) understand rate theory applied to radiation damage in metals.

3) understand the basic mechanisms of materials degradation induced by irradiation, including radiation-induced phenomena such as irradiation growth, swelling, creep, embrittlement and hardening, phase transformations, and irradiation induced segregation.

Course Requirements

Assignment	Grading weight
Homework and quizzes	25%
Exam 1	25%
Exam 2	25%
Exam 3	25%

Course outline

I. Materials behavior outside irradiation (Brief review): Alloys used in nuclear applications; Crystallographic Structure of Materials; Lattice Defects; Transport Processes; Phase Stability and Phase Diagrams
II. Materials under irradiation: Radiation Interaction with Matter; Primary Damage Creation; Defect Annihilation; Rate Theory of Point Defect Balances Under Irradiation
III. Radiation Effects: Microstructural Evolution Under Irradiation; Dimensional changes under irradiation (swelling, creep and irradiation growth); Irradiation Hardening and Embrittlement; Phase transformations under irradiation (low of corresponding states); Grain growth under irradiation (if time permits).

Textbook

Required textbook:
Light Water Reactor Materials by D. R. Olander and A. T. Motta in addition to class notes.
Reference Books:
Fundamental of Radiation Materials Science, G. S. Was
An Introduction to Nuclear Materials, K.L. Murty and I. Charit
Fundamental Aspects of Nuclear Reactor Fuel Elements, D.R. Olander
Phase Transformations in Metals and Alloys, D.A. Porter and K.E. Easterling
Useful Books for Consultation:
Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, W. D. Callister
P. Haasen    Physical Metallurgy
C. Kittel    Introduction to Solid State Physics
M.W. Thompson    Defects and Radiation Damage in Metal
B.R.T. Frost    Nuclear Materials

Updated 8/9/2024