Irradiation Damage Studies in Solid Targets*

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 conducted to explore interesting new alloys and composites under the influence of protons and neutrons. Material irradiations were performed using the 200-MeV protons of the BNL Linac operating with an effective power of 18 kW. Selective results of the post-irradiation analysis of composites and “super” alloys depicting the effects on their physical and mechanical properties are presented. The post-irradiation analysis reveals interesting damage reversal by some of the promising candidate materials and unexpected low threshold of radiation resistance by others. Also included is a discussion of the correlation between protonand neutron-induced damage and of the associated experimental effort to unravel such correlations.