Pressure-dependent evolution of He bubbles in a compressed metal matrix

Jason R. Jeffries (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

The bulk compressibility of a material can be modified in the presence of a dispersed second phase dissolved within the matrix. In the case of reactor fuels and structural materials in irradiating environment, the dissolved second phase is usually intert gas bubbles, often He. He concentrations can reach percent levels in these cases, and the He generally resides in small bubbles (He-filled voids) within the metal lattice. Because He is highly compressible, the composite matrix-bubble materials can exhibit strong deviations from the pure equation of state, but those deviations are ultimately defined by how the matrix and the bubbles "share" the compression. We have developed a platform at the Advanced Photon Source to measure the small-angle scattering signal from a distribution of He bubbles within a Au matrix. In this talk, I will summarize the technique and the results of these measurements.

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