Metal wire embrittlement monitoring by the measurement of wire oscillation frequency

Abstract

In the process of irradiation of materials by fluxes of heavy particles (protons, neutrons, alpha particles), damage to material structure is often observed. As a result of the accumulation of such damages, there is a subsequent change in the properties of materials, in particular, its embrittlement and hardening. Monitoring of the embrittlement process is important for nuclear reactor vessels exposed to high neutron fluxes. In this work, to observe the effect of heavy irradiation particles on the mechanical properties of metals, we propose to use vibrating wire resonators, in which the natural frequency of oscillations of the wire strongly depends on its tension. The change in the elastic characteristics of the wire alters the value of the natural frequency of wire oscillations. The natural oscillations are generated by a special circuit. Preliminary experiments to study the embrittlement effect of a stretched wire are performed by heating the wire with an electric current. In the case of short pulses, a significant increase in frequency is achieved, which is explained by the process of hardening of the material as a result of the thermal impact on the wire (rapid heating and cooling).