Proton irradiation damage of an annealed Alloy 718 beam window

Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis was performed on an Alloy 718 window that was in use at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) Isotope Production Facility (IPF) for approximately 5 years. It was replaced as part of the IPF preventive maintenance program. The window was transported to the Wing 9 hot cells at the Chemical and Metallurgical Research (CMR) LANL facility, visually inspected and 3-mm diameter samples were trepanned from the window for mechanical testing and microstructural analysis. Shear punch testing and optical metallography was performed at the CMR hot cells. The 1-mm diameter shear punch disks were cut into smaller samples to further reduce radiation exposure dose rate using Focus Ion Beam (FIB) and microstructure changes were analyzed using a Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Irradiation doses were determined to be ∼0.2-0.7 dpa (edge) to 11.3 dpa (peak of beam intensity) using autoradiography and MCNPX calculations. The corresponding irradiation temperatures were calculated to be ∼34-120 °C with short excursion to be ∼47-220 °C using ANSYS. Mechanical properties and microstructure analysis results with respect to calculated dpa and temperatures show that significant work hardening occurs but useful ductility still remains. The hardening in the lowest dose region (∼0.2-0.7 dpa) was the highest and attributed to the formation of γ″ precipitates and irradiation defect clusters/bubbles whereas the hardening in the highest dose region (∼11.3 dpa) was lower and attributed mainly to irradiation defect clusters and some thermal annealing.