Small Scale Testing of Ion and Neutron Irradiated Materials

This book discusses the use of micro-mechanical testing and nano-indentation for assessing the mechanical property changes due to ion and neutron irradiation. First, it describes the types and mechanisms of radiation damage, and its effects on the mechanical properties of materials subjected to high radiation doses, such as in nuclear reactors and spacecrafts. It then discusses the need for small-scale testing, the advantages and limitations of various methods, and the evolution of the technology to the present day. In the following chapters, the various methods of small-scale testing, including nano-indentation, micro-tensile, micro-compressive, and micro-cantilever testing are described in the context of radiation damage studies, along with experimental setups and modelling methods for the analysis of results. Thus, this book acts both as an introduction to micro-mechanical testing in irradiated materials, as well as a reference book for researchers interested in using these methods.

About the Author :

Dr. Dhriti Bhattacharyya did his B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT-BHU, Varanasi, India, and after a stint as Engineer in BHEL, India, completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University, USA in 2004. He then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at OSU and at Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA till 2010. There his work focused on the microstructure, deformation behaviour and radiation tolerance of nanoscale metallic multilayers and nanostructured steels. Subsequently, he moved to ANSTO, Australia, and has been working as a senior scientist leading the investigations on the effects of radiation damage on structural materials, including microstructural and mechanical property changes. He established the facilities for in situ micro-mechanical testing and made many advances in the field there. Dr. Bhattacharyya is currently working as Principal Radiation Damage Scientist at ANSTO and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UNSW, Sydney.

Dr. Michael Saleh is currently a Science and Engineering director in the Department of Defence, Australia. He holds a Ph.D. in Material Science (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) and a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering (RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia). His Ph.D. focused on multi-scale simulations and testing of irradiation damage using CPFE, FE, instrumented nano-indentation and micro-tensile testing. Prior to his current position Dr. Saleh worked at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) for over 12 years as part of various research groups focused on structural integrity, multi-scale modelling, analysis of the nuclear fuel cycle and the utilisation of neutron diffraction techniques. Dr.Saleh then worked for Rheinmetall Defence Australia (a subsidiary of Rheinmetall AG) for a period of 3 years carrying out modelling activities that spanned non-linear FEA, R&D into material performance, mechanical testing and validation, field trials, fracture mechanics and fatigue.