Irradiation Effects on the Physio-mechanical Properties of Super-alloys Characterized by Low Thermal Expansion

In an effort to address the limitations on high power accelerator target performance prompted by the elevated dose levels and the associated irradiation damage, an experimental study has been undertaken to evaluate the potential applicability of super alloys characterized by low thermal expansion over certain thermal regimes. The intriguing properties associated with materials such as super-Invar and the “gum” metal (Ti-12Ta-9Nb-3V-6ZrO) are observed in their un-irradiated state. Irradiations were performed using the 200 MeV protons of the BNL Linac and/or a neutron flux generated by the stopping of the primary 112 MeV protons upstream of the exposed super-alloys. The paper presents the post-irradiation analysis results which reveal interesting damage reversal by the super-invar and unexpected low threshold of radiation resistance by the “gum” metal.