In the present work, the microstructure and mechanical properties of Gilsocarbon graphite have been characterized over a range of length-scales. Optical imaging, combined with 3D X-ray computed tomography and 3D high-resolution tomography based on focus ion beam milling has been adopted for microstructural characterization. A range of small-scale mechanical testing approaches are applied including an in situ micro-cantilever technique based in a Dualbeam workstation. It was found that pores ranging in size from nanometers to tens of micrometers in diameter are present which modify the deformation and fracture characteristics of the material. This multi-scale mechanical testing approach revealed the significant change of mechanical properties, for example flexural strength, of this graphite over the length-scale from a micrometer to tens of centimeters. Such differences emphasize why input parameters to numerical models have to be undertaken at the appropriate length-scale to allow predictions of the deformation, fracture and the stochastic features of the strength of the graphite with the required confidence. Finally, the results from a multi-scale model demonstrated that these data derived from the micro-scale tests can be extrapolated, with high confidence, to large components with realistic dimensions.

Mechanical property degradation due to an ordering phase transformation is a concern for alloys based on the Ni-Cr binary system (e.g., 690, 625), particularly in nuclear power applications, such as stream generator tubing, reactor pressure vessel and head control rod drive mechanism penetrations, where component lifetimes can exceed 40 years. In the present research, the disorder-order phase transformation has been studied in Ni-Cr model alloys with varying stoichiometry by experimental methods. In this paper, the effect of composition on ordering is characterized via X-ray diffraction.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a valuable methodology for investigating radiation-induced microstructural changes and elucidating the underlying mechanisms involved in the aging and degradation of nuclear reactor materials. However, the use of electrons for imaging may result in several inadvertent effects that can potentially change the microstructure and mechanisms active in the material being investigated. In this study, in situ TEM characterization is performed on nanocrystalline nickel samples under self-ion irradiation and post irradiation annealing. During annealing, voids are formed around 200 °C only in the area illuminated by the electron beam. Based on diffraction patterns analyses, it is hypothesized that the electron beam enhanced the growth of a NiO layer resulting in a decrease of vacancy mobility during annealing. The electron beam used to investigate self-ion irradiation ultimately significantly affected the type of defects formed and the final defect microstructure.