The thermal expansion behavior of unalloyed plutonium

Information and data concerning the thermal expansion characteristics of the solid and liquid phases of unalloyed plutonium have been collected from published and unpublished sources and evaluated, and are presented to provide increased availability in compact form

General-Purpose Heat Source Development: safety test program. Postimpact evaluation, Design Iteration Test 1

The General-Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) provides power for space missions by transmitting the heat of /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ decay to thermoelectric elements. Because of the inevitable return of certain missions, the heat source must be designed and constructed to survive re-entry and Earth impact. The Design Iteration Test (DIT) series is part of an ongoing impact test program. The first DIT used a full GPHS module containing two graphite impact shells (GISs); each GIS contained two iridium (0.3 wt%) capsules filled with /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/. It was impacted at 57 m/s and 930/sup 0/C. All four fuel capsules survived and none was breached. However, serious cracking of the iridium-alloy capsules was found; some cracks extended through approx. 70% of the wall thickness. Postimpact analyses of the unit are described with emphasis on weld structure and performance. 51 figures

General-Purpose Heat Source Development: safety test program. Postimpact evaluation, Design Iteration Test 5

The General-Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) provides power for space missions by transmitting the heat of /sup 238/Pu decay to thermoelectric elements. Because of the inevitable return of certain aborted missions, the heat source must be designed and constructed to survive both re-entry and Earth impact. The Design Iteration Test (DIT) series is part of an ongoing impact test program. The fifth test (DIT-5) was designed to compare the impact response of a GPHS fueled clad that had been welded with a four-pole arc oscillator with the impact response of a clad welded with a two-pole oscillator. In DIT-5 a partial GPHS module containing two fueled clads (one welded with a four-pole oscillator and one welded with a two-pole oscillator) was impacted at 60.5 m/s and 930/sup 0/C. The fuel capsules were severely deformed by the impact; both clads breached. The capsule welded with a four-pole oscillator failed extensively. Neither failure was related to the welding technique. Postimpact analyses of the test components are described, with emphasis on microstructure and impact response

General-Purpose Heat Source development: safety test program. Postimpact evaluation, Design Iteration Test 2

The General-Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) provides power for space missions by transmitting the heat of /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ decay to thermoelectric elements. Because of the inevitable return of certain missions, the heat source must be Designed and constructed to survive both re-entry and Earth impact. The Design Iteration Test (DIT) series is part of an ongoing test program. In the first Design Iteration Test (DIT-1), a full GPHS module ontaining four iridium-alloy capsules loaded with /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ was impacted at 57 m/s and 930/sup 0/C. All four capsules survived and none was breached. The capsules used in DIT-1 were loaded and welded at Los Alamos. The second Design Iteration Test (DIT-2) also used a full GPHS module and was impacted at 58 m/s and 930/sup 0/C. The four iridium-alloy capsules used in this test were loaded and welded at the Savannah River Plant (SRP). Postimpact examination revealed that two capsules had survived and two capsules had breached; a small quantity (approx. = 50 ..mu..g) of /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ was released from the breached capsules. Internal cracking similar to that observed in the DIT-1 capsules was evident in all four of the DIT-2 capsules. Postimpact analyses of the units are described with emphasis on weld structure and performance

General-Purpose Heat Source Development: Safety Test Program. Postimpact evaluation, Design Iteration Test 3

The General-Purpose Heat Source(GPHS) provides power for space missions by transmitting the heat of /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ decay to thermoelectric elements. Because of the inevitable return of certain aborted missions, the heat source must be designed and constructed to survive both re-entry and Earth impact. The Design Iteration Test (DIT) series is part of an ongoing test program. In the third test (DIT-3), a full GPHS module was impacted at 58 m/s and 930/sup 0/C. The module impacted the target at an angle of 30/sup 0/ to the pole of the large faces. The four capsules used in DIT-3 survived impact with minimal deformation; no internal cracks other than in the regions indicated by Savannah River Plant (SRP) preimpact nondestructive testing were observed in any of the capsules. The 30/sup 0/ impact orientation used in DIT-3 was considerably less severe than the flat-on impact utilized in DIT-1 and DIT-2. The four capsules used in DIT-1 survived, while two of the capsules used in DIT-2 breached; a small quantity (approx. = 50 ..mu..g) of /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ was released from the capsules breached in the DIT-2 impact. All of the capsules used in DIT-1 and DIT-2 were severely deformed and contained large internal cracks. Postimpact analyses of the DIT-3 test components are described, with emphasis on weld structure and the behavior of defects identified by SRP nondestructive testing