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O'Connor A, Park C, Bolch WE, Enqvist A, Manuel MV. Designing lightweight neutron absorbing composites using a comprehensive absorber areal density metric. Appl Radiat Isot 2024; 206:111227. [PMID: 38382134 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Efforts to lightweight neutron absorbing composites are limited by incomplete understandings of the interaction between absorbing particles and their matrices. In this study, analytical models and a more physically representative simulation evaluated the penalty to neutron absorbing performance due to neutron channeling between large absorbing particles. Models and simulation agreed that B4C particles smaller than 100μm and especially those smaller than 10μm did not cause excessive neutron channeling. A more comprehensive neutron absorbing composite design metric - boron-10 equivalent areal density, which considers the particle size penalty and the matrix contribution to absorptivity - was introduced and used to estimate lightweighting via matrix substitution. Calculations using this new metric showed that a non-absorbing Mg matrix reduced mass by up to 35% over Al, constrained by the difference in mass density, while an absorbing Mg-Li matrix reduced mass by up to 60%, exceeding the difference in mass densities alone. Measurement of apparent absorber areal density through two experimental techniques - foil activation and direct counting - validated estimated absorber areal density as a neutron absorbing composite design metric. This updated understanding of the particle size penalty, newly introduced design metric, and experimental validation demonstrate a path to lightweight neutron absorbing composites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cheol Park
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA.
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Li J, Wang F, Zhang C, Li Q, Chen T. A review of mesoscopic modeling and constitutive equations of particle-reinforced metals matrix composites based on finite element method. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26844. [PMID: 38439863 PMCID: PMC10909720 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Particle reinforced metal matrix composite (PRMMCs) has a complex mesoscopic structure, and the addition of particles can strengthen the metal matrix, which makes the deformation and failure behavior of PRMMCs under load very complicated. The finite element method can quantitatively describe the effect of PRMMCs microstructure parameters on the macroscopic properties of materials, but the key is to establish a representative volume element(RVE) model that can reflect the real mechanical properties of materials. This paper reports and discusses on the construction methods of the RVE model of PRMMCs from three aspects: the geometric modeling of PRMMCs microstructure, the construction of the matrix constitutive equation based on PRMMCs reinforcement mechanism and the interface module. In the end, Abaqus and some of its secondary development functions are introduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
| | - Fei Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
- Shandong Institute of Mechanical Design and Research, Jinan 250031, China
| | - Ce Zhang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
| | - Qifei Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Shandong Youjiang Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd, Rizhao, 276500, China
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Sun W, Hu G, Xu H, Li Y, Wang C, Men T, Ji F, Lao W, Yu B, Sheng L, Li J, Jia Q, Xiong S, Hu H. Study on the Influence of Reinforced Particles Spatial Arrangement on the Neutron Shielding Performance of the Composites. MATERIALS 2022; 15:ma15124266. [PMID: 35744325 PMCID: PMC9227434 DOI: 10.3390/ma15124266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Particle-reinforced composites are widely applied as nuclear radiation shielding materials for their excellent comprehensive properties. The work aimed to calculate the influence of the functional reinforced particles spatial arrangement on the neutron shielding performance of composites and attempted to explain the influence mechanism by investigating the neutron flux distribution in the materials. Firstly, four suitable physical models were established based on the Monte Carlo Particle Transport Program (MCNP) and mathematical software MATLAB, namely the RSA (Random Sequential Adsorption) Model with particles random arrangement and FCC Model, BCC Model and Staggered Arrangement Model (SA Model) with particle periodic arrangements. Later, based on these four physical models, the neutron transmittance of two kinds of typical B4C reinforced composites, 316 stainless steel matrix composite and polyethylene matrix composite, were calculated under different energy neutrons sources (0.0253 eV, 50 eV, 50 keV, fission spectrum, 241Am-Be spectrum and 14.1 MeV) and the neutron flux distribution in the 316 stainless steel composite was also analyzed under 0.0253 eV neutron and fission neutron sources. The results indicated that the spatial arrangement of B4C has an impact on the neutrons shielding performance of the composite and the influence changes with neutron energy and B4C content. It can be concluded that the RSA model and the periodic arrangement models can be used in different calculation cases in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Sun
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
| | - Guang Hu
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
- Correspondence: (G.H.); (H.H.)
| | - Hu Xu
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
| | - Yanfei Li
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
| | - Chao Wang
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
| | - Tingxuan Men
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
| | - Fu Ji
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
| | - Wanji Lao
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
| | - Bo Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Light Alloy Foundry Technology for High-End Equipment Shenyang Research Institute of Foundry Co., Ltd., Shenyang 110022, China;
| | - Liang Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Intense Pulsed Radiation Simulation and Effect, Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024, China;
| | - Jinhong Li
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, China; (J.L.); (Q.J.)
| | - Qinggang Jia
- Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094, China; (J.L.); (Q.J.)
| | - Songqi Xiong
- Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an 710054, China;
| | - Huasi Hu
- School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China; (W.S.); (H.X.); (Y.L.); (C.W.); (T.M.); (F.J.); (W.L.)
- Correspondence: (G.H.); (H.H.)
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Study on a High-Boron-Content Stainless Steel Composite for Nuclear Radiation. MATERIALS 2021; 14:ma14227004. [PMID: 34832404 PMCID: PMC8620793 DOI: 10.3390/ma14227004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In this research, a high-boron-content composite material with both neutron and γ rays shielding properties was developed by an optimized design and manufacture. It consists of 304 stainless steel as the matrix and spherical boron carbide (B4C) particles as the functional particles. The content of B4C is 24.68 wt%, and the particles’ radius is 1.53 mm. The density of the newly designed material is 5.17 g·cm−3, about 68.02% of that of traditional borated stainless steel containing 1.7 wt% boron, while its neutrons shielding performance is much better. Firstly, focusing on shielding properties and material density, the content and the size of B4C were optimized by the Genetic Algorithm (GA) program combined with the MCNP program. Then, some samples of the material were manufactured by the infiltration casting technique according to the optimized results. The actual density of the samples was 5.21 g cm−3. In addition, the neutron and γ rays shielding performance of the samples and borated stainless steel containing 1.7 wt% boron was tested by using an 241Am–Be neutron source and 60Co and 137Cs γ rays sources, respectively, and the results were compared. It can be concluded that the new designed material could be used as a material for nuclear power plants or spent-fuel storage and transportation containers with high requirements for mobility.
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