MEASUREMENT OF IRRADIATION EFFECTS IN PRECIPITATE HARDENED ALUMINUM USING NONLINEAR ULTRASONIC PRINCIPLES (IN-SITU)

Currently nuclear power plants are reaching the end of their initial design life. Yet, in order to meet the energy demands, twenty year extensions have been granted to many nuclear reactor facilities. These extensions will be ending by the year 2035, leaving a large gap in the available energy supply. In order to extend the life of these facilities it will imperative to develop techniques capable detecting damage in the aging nuclear facilities. However, the high temperature and high neutron flux environment limits the materials available for use in the nuclear reactor. Because of this limitation little NDE based inspection has been implemented in high radiation environments. Yet recent developments in the understanding of Aluminum Nitride (AlN) piezoelectric sensors high temperature and radiation dependent behavior have opened the door for in-situ experimentation. An experiment was designed to monitor the propagation of an ultrasonic wave in a precipitate hardened aluminum specimen while being subjected to radiation at the Pennsylvania State Universities Breazeale Reactor. Measurements of harmonic generation were made up to 1.85x10(18) fluence with significant spectral difference between the pre-irradiated state and the post irradiated state. The connection between micro-structural material changes and harmonic measurements are addressed.