Thomas A. Sisneros

Residual Stress Characterization in a Dissimilar Metal Weld Nuclear Reactor Piping System Mock Up

Time-of-flight neutron diffraction, contour method, and surface hole drilling residual stress measurements were conducted at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) on a lab sized plate specimen (P4) from phase 1 of the joint U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Electric Power Research Institute Weld Residual Stress (NRC/EPRI WRS) program. The specimen was fabricated from a 304L stainless steel plate containing a seven pass alloy 82 groove weld, restrained during welding and removed from the restraint for residual stress characterization. This paper presents neutron diffraction and contour method results, and compares these experimental stress measurements to a WRS finite element (FE) model. Finally, details are provided on the procedure used to calculate the residual stress distribution in the restrained or as welded condition in order to allow comparison to other residual stress data collected as part of phase 1 of the WRS program.

Load partitioning between the bcc-iron matrix and NiAl-type precipitates in a ferritic alloy on multiple length scales

An understanding of load sharing among constituent phases aids in designing mechanical properties of multiphase materials. Here we investigate load partitioning between the body-centered-cubic iron matrix and NiAl-type precipitates in a ferritic alloy during uniaxial tensile tests at 364 and 506 °C on multiple length scales by in situ neutron diffraction and crystal plasticity finite element modeling. Our findings show that the macroscopic load-transfer efficiency is not as high as that predicted by the Eshelby model; moreover, it depends on the matrix strain-hardening behavior. We explain the grain-level anisotropic load-partitioning behavior by considering the plastic anisotropy of the matrix and elastic anisotropy of precipitates. We further demonstrate that the partitioned load on NiAl-type precipitates relaxes at 506 °C, most likely through thermally-activated dislocation rearrangement on the microscopic scale. The study contributes to further understanding of load-partitioning characteristics in multiphase materials.

Measured Biaxial Residual Stress Maps in a Stainless Steel Weld

Here, this paper describes a sequence of residual stress measurements made to determine a two-dimensional map of biaxial residual stress in a stainless steel weld. A long stainless steel (316L) plate with an eight-pass groove weld (308L filler) was used. The biaxial stress measurements follow a recently developed approach, comprising a combination of contour method and slitting measurements, with a computation to determine the effects of out-of-plane stress on a thin slice. The measured longitudinal stress is highly tensile in the weld- and heat-affected zone, with a maximum around 450 MPa, and compressive stress toward the transverse edges around ₋250 MPa. The total transverse stress has a banded profile in the weld with highly tensile stress at the bottom of the plate (y = 0) of 400 MPa, rapidly changing to compressive stress (at y = 5 mm) of ₋200 MPa, then tensile stress at the weld root (y = 17 mm) and in the weld around 200 MPa, followed by compressive stress at the top of the weld at around ₋150 MPa. Finally, the results of the biaxial map compare well with the results of neutron diffraction measurements and output from a computational weld simulation.

A Comparison of Residual Stress Measurements on a Linear Friction Weld Using the Contour Method and Neutron Diffraction

Linear Friction Welding (LFW) is a solid phase bonding process, which is being used commercially for fabrication of complex titanium parts. Like other welding processes, LFW joints contain tensile residual stresses that could negatively impact performance. This paper presents results from recent residual stress measurements on a test specimen containing a linear friction weld. Residual stress measurements were performed on the test specimen using the contour method and neutron diffraction. A comparison of the data from the two techniques is provided, which is favorable. In general, the residual stresses from the LFW process are shown to be high in magnitude and localized near the weld.

800-MeV magnetic-focused flash proton radiography for high-contrast imaging of low-density biologically-relevant targets using an inverse-scatter collimator

Proton radiography shows great promise as a tool to guide proton beam therapy (PBT) in real time. Here, we demonstrate two ways in which the technology may progress towards that goal. Firstly, with a proton beam that is 800 MeV in energy, target tissue receives a dose of radiation with very tight lateral constraint. This could present a benefit over the traditional treatment energies of ~200 MeV, where up to 1 cm of lateral tissue receives scattered radiation at the target. At 800 MeV, the beam travels completely through the object with minimal deflection, thus constraining lateral dose to a smaller area. The second novelty of this system is the utilization of magnetic quadrupole refocusing lenses that mitigate the blur caused by multiple Coulomb scattering within an object, enabling high resolution imaging of thick objects, such as the human body. This system is demonstrated on ex vivo salamander and zebrafish specimens, as well as on a realistic hand phantom. The resulting images provide contrast sufficient to visualize thin tissue, as well as fine detail within the target volumes, and the ability to measure small changes in density. Such a system, combined with PBT, would enable the delivery of a highly specific dose of radiation that is monitored and guided in real time.

Characterization of beryllium deformation using in-situ x-ray diffraction

Beryllium’s unique mechanical properties are extremely important in a number of high performance applications. Consequently, accurate models for the mechanical behavior of beryllium are required. However, current models are not sufficiently microstructure aware to accurately predict the performance of beryllium under a range of processing and loading conditions. Previous experiments conducted using the SMARTS and HIPPO instruments at the Lujan Center(LANL), have studied the relationship between strain rate and texture development, but due to the limitations of neutron diffraction studies, it was not possible to measure the response of the material in real-time. In-situ diffraction experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Source have allowed the real time measurement of the mechanical response of compressed beryllium. Samples of pre-strained beryllium were reloaded orthogonal to their original load path to show the reorientation of already twinned grains. Additionally, the in-situ experiments allowed the real time tracking of twin evolution in beryllium strained at high rates. The data gathered during these experiments will be used in the development and validation of a new, microstructure aware model of the constitutive behavior of beryllium.

Load-Sharing in δ-Processed Inconel 718

Time-of-flight neutron measurements have been made at 20, 400 and 650oC on δ-processed Inconel 718 in order to measure the load sharing between the γ-phase matrix and the orthorhombic δ-phase. The strain response parallel and perpendicular to the applied stress was measured for seven γ-phase reflections and five δ-phase reflections. The latter were about 50 times weaker than the former suggesting a 2.0% concentration of the δ-phase. At all temperatures the δ-phase strain becomes strongly tensile parallel to the loading direction but also exhibits plastic deformation. However, the nature of the three orthorhombic strains changes with temperature.

Microstructural Evolution of Monolithic Fuel Foils During Processing

Residual stresses are expected in monolithic, aluminum clad uranium 10 weight percent molybdenum (U-10Mo) nuclear fuel plates because of the large mismatch in thermal expansion between the two bonded materials. Previous high energy x-ray diffraction measurements successfully profiled the residual stresses in the U-10Mo, but were unable to probe either the Al cladding or the 15micron Zr diffusion prevention barrier due to poor grain statistics. Neutron diffraction, with its inherently more divergent incident be alleviates this problem and, moreover, allowed for the determination of the dislocation density and texture in all three phases. Several samples were examined as a function of processing step and the phase stresses, dislocation density and texture are monitored with respect to the processing conditions.

D-58 IN SITU NEUTRON DIFFRACTION MEASUREMENTS DURING CREEP TESTING OF BERYLLIUM

Recent residual stress measurements of welded beryllium parts have shown that residual stresses relaxed considerably during a thermal cycle of the material. Relaxation was not expected and the only viable mechanism seems to be creep. In situ time-of-flight neutron diffraction was used during constant-load tensile creep of beryllium at room temperature, 200 oC and 450 oC. The macroscopic and lattice strains were measured simultaneously during creep using a high temperature extensometer and neutron diffraction, respectively. Measuring the hkl-specific lattice strains with time was done to gain insights into the plastic anisotropy at various stages of creep deformation (i.e., primary, secondary, and tertiary regimes). During constant-load tensile creep test, specimens were held at loads up to the yield strength. Results show an increase in peak breadth with plastic strain however, after subsequent heating it is clear that recovery (or annealing) of damage (dislocations) is achieved between 450 oC and 500 oC. CONTACT INFORMATION Thomas A. Sisneros E-mail: tsisneros@lanl.gov Donald W. Brown E-mail: dbrown@lanl.gov Michael Prime E-mail: prime@lanl.gov Michael Steinzig E-mail: steinzig@lanl.gov Steven Abeln E-mail: abeln@lanl.gov