Effect of Neutron Flux on Magnetic Hysteresis in Neutron-Irradiated Pressure Vessel Steels

• Published in: IEEE transactions on magnetics Vol. 50; no. 4; pp. 1 - 4
• Main Authors: Kobayashi, Satoru, Yamamoto, Takuya, Klingensmith, Doug, Odette, G. Robert, Kikuchi, Hiroaki, Kamada, Yasuhiro
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.04.2014; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Diffusion; Exact sciences and technology; Fluence; Hardening; Inductors; Irradiation; Magnetic hysteresis; Magnetic properties; Magnetism; Materials science; Neutron flux; Neutrons; Nuclear reactor components; Other topics in materials science; Physics; Pressure vessels; Radiation effects; Steel; Steels; steel; Magnetic hysteresis; neutron radiation effects; Neutron irradiation; Pressure vessels; Magnetic properties
• ISSN: 0018-9464; 1941-0069
• DOI: 10.1109/TMAG.2013.2286401

The effect of neutron flux on magnetic minor hysteresis loops has been investigated on nuclear reactor pressure vessel steels, which were irradiated to a fluence of 3.3 × 10 19 n/cm 2 . A minor-loop coefficient, which is an indicator of internal stress, exhibits a local maximum at a fluence of ~1 × 10 19 n/cm 2 , whose position shifts to a low-fluence regime with decreasing neutron flux. Introducing an effective fluence, used to correct the flux effect of irradiation hardening, the data obtained by different flux were found to almost fall on single curve for some alloys. This implies that the flux effect on magnetic property is dominated by efficiency of radiation-enhanced diffusion of solute atoms, such as Cu, as in the case of irradiation hardening.