Middle East Technical University – Defocusing Beam Line (METU-DBL) project is an irradiation facility providing 15 MeV to 30 MeV kinetic energy protons for testing various high radiation level applications, ranging from Hi-Lumi LHC upgrade, space electronic components to nuclear material research. The project located inside the premises of the TAEA (Turkish Atomic Energy Agency) SANAEM (Saraykoy Nuclear Education and Research Center) close to Ankara, provides users a wide selectable flux menu (105–1010 p/cm2/s). The facility is now being commissioned and the facility will be providing a large test area (20 cm x 15 cm) for material, detector and electronics tests. The proton beam is monitored along the beamline using aluminum oxide screens and the flux and uniformity is measured using three detectors attached to the robotic system for cross- checks. A fiber scintillator detector scans the large irradiation area while small area diamond detector and Timepix3 detector are used for spot checks for calibration. Several samples can be radiated simultaneously inside the irradiation area and the robotic system provides 5 separate holders for samples which can be moved in or out, providing users flexibility for the desired fluence. This talk will first introduce METU- DBL as a radiation test facility, then discuss the radiation monitoring of the beam area and the radiation room, while highlighting how this facility can be used for future testing of materials for radiation tolerance.
This article explores the tensile deformation and failure characteristics of a hybrid composite where microscale shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers and nanoscale graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were used to reinforce a ductile epoxy matrix. First, the GNPs were incorporated into epoxy system using a hybrid dispersion technique at various weight percentages ranging from 0.25 to 2.50 wt%. The mechanical properties of GNP composites were investigated using monotonic uniaxial tensile tests to failure and were compared to neat epoxy. The GNP concentration that resulted in highest enhancement in tensile properties of the epoxy was identified. Then, the GNP/SMA/epoxy composites were fabricated using a vacuum assisted hand lay-up technique. The composites were reinforced with SMA fibers at 50% volume ratio and an optimal GNP concentration was added. The tensile response of the developed composites was characterized using full-field strain measurements captured by a digital image correlation system, while simultaneously the thermal response of the composites was monitored through measurements of an infrared camera. The tensile properties, superelastic response, and failure mechanisms of the developed composites were discussed. Results shows that the developed GNP/SMA/ epoxy composites exhibit excellent superelastic characteristics with a maximum strength of 533 MPa and failure elongation of 12.5%.
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