The INCHAMEL facility – a new device for in-situ neutron investigations under defined temperatures with applicable mechanical load

Abstract

In order to in-situ quantify the hydrogen diffusion in metals or more precisely in zircaloy cladding tubes with the influence of an applied stress field, a new device was constructed in cooperation with the company ZwickRoell - the transportable INCHAMEL facility. It is a modification of ZwickRoell’s Kappa Mini 1 kN tensile testing machine. The facility is equipped with all features of a tensile testing machine, additionally a defined temperature can be applied. The machine’s design was dedicated in detail to fulfil the requirements for the usage in facilities with neutron radiation. In this manner, neutron radiography investigations can be performed in-situ with the neutron beam passing through the sample without any disturbances by installations like beam windows, thermo-couples, furnace tubes, heater wires, clamps for strain measurements, etc.