Structure-property relations of materials having complex microstructures generated by radiation damage and Additive Manufacturing

金属增材制造（AM）是一种新技术，可以显著提高定制部件的生产和传统方法无法制造的机械零件的3D打印。依赖于复杂精密结构的工程应用将从这些新功能中受益匪浅。拟议的研究计划旨在探索AM为核反应堆和用于识别暗物质的敏感天体物理探测器制造的组件如何在强度，可靠性和纯度方面与传统制造的部件进行比较。核技术和探测器技术的发展引起高度关注，并得到加拿大政府的大力支持。 该提案将研究AM核材料在辐照下如何劣化。随着核反应堆的老化，堆芯的结构被削弱，因为它暴露在高温和活性核燃料的高能辐射下。为了测试新型增材制造组件在反应堆条件下的耐久性和可靠性，我们将研究当受到辐射轰击时，金属合金中的缺陷如何积累，以及随后它们的强度如何变化。我们将通过电子显微镜检查微观缺陷的数量以确定它们的类型，并通过Balogh博士现代X射线实验室中的X射线散射来量化辐照过程中产生的缺陷量。我们将特别注意功率循环对缺陷积累的影响，因为它对未来加拿大反应堆设计具有很高的兴趣。这些信息对于理解不断积累的缺陷如何使机械部件恶化以及预测何时需要更换机械部件以及避免昂贵的计划外停机至关重要。 大型、灵敏的天体物理探测器依赖于由放射性纯铜制成的金属形状的结构部件，这意味着它们已经非常低的天然放射性通过各种纯化方法进一步降低。拟议的工作旨在找到AM工艺的最佳条件/设置，以获得机械可靠的零件，同时还保留铜的放射性纯度。4名博士，2名硕士和本科生的混合工作的拟议研究将沉浸在一个独特的跨学科和多样化的环境所培育的亚瑟B。加拿大麦克唐纳天体粒子物理研究所。他们将接受材料表征技术，AM和核技术的培训，这些都是学术界和工业界感兴趣的领域。这项研究将有助于天体粒子物理学家寻找直接探测暗物质的方法。它还将帮助加拿大核工业-每年为加拿大经济贡献超过60亿美元，并维持40，000多个工作岗位-新知识和未来招聘高素质人员。

Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metals is a novel technology which can significantly advance the production of custom-made components and 3D printing of mechanical parts not manufacturable by conventional means. Engineering applications relying on complex precision-made structures, would significantly benefit from these novel capabilities. The proposed research program aims to explore how components made by AM for nuclear reactors and for sensitive astrophysics detectors designed to identify dark matter will compare in strength, reliability and purity to conventionally manufactured parts. The development of both nuclear and detector technology are of high interest and strongly supported by the Government of Canada. This proposal will investigate how AM nuclear materials deteriorate under irradiation. As nuclear reactors age, the structure of the core is weakened because it is exposed to high temperature and energetic radiation by the active nuclear fuel. To test the durability and reliability of novel AM components under conditions found in a reactor, we will investigate how defects accumulate in metal alloys when bombarded with radiation, and subsequently how their strength changes. We will inspect the population of the microscopic defects by electron microscopy to determine their type, and by X-ray scattering in Dr. Balogh's modern X-ray laboratory to quantify the amount of defects produced during irradiation. We will give special attention to the effect of power-cycling on the accumulation of defects as it is of high-interest for future Canadian reactor designs. This information is key for understanding how the steadily accumulating defects deteriorate the mechanical components and for anticipating when they need replacement avoiding expensive unscheduled shutdowns. Large-scale, sensitive astrophysics detectors rely on uniquely-shaped structural components made from radiopure copper, meaning that their already very low natural radioactivity is reduced further by various purification methods. The proposed work aims to find the optimal conditions/settings for the AM process in order to obtain mechanically reliable parts while also preserving the radio-purity of copper. A blend of 4 PhD, 2 MSc and undergraduate students working on the proposed research will be immersed in a uniquely interdisciplinary and diverse environment fostered by the Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute. They will be trained in materials characterization techniques, AM and nuclear technology, areas of interest to both academia and industry. This research will contribute to the on-going search effort of astroparticle physicists for a method to directly detect dark matter. It will also help the Canadian nuclear industry-which contributes over $6 billion/year to the Canadian economy and sustains more than 40,000 jobs-with new knowledge and future recruitment of highly qualified personnel.