Radiation exposure of materials

[BigAL]

Can anyone give me guidance on radiation exposure qualification of materials? I am looking for the relative levels allowed and how that refers to long and sure term accumulated doses.

 

[ChasBean1]

The Federal Register, 10 CFR 20 is one of the main sources for occupational exposure limits. It has allowable limits for whole body radiation exposure (5 rem per year, if I remember right) and exposure to limbs & extremities, etc. What is the radiation level of the substance you are concerned about (or is this just a general knowledge question)?

 

[tstead]

10CFR20 has ntohing to do with engienered materials - only occupational dose limits as you stated. I am not quite sure that the question was about biological materials so much as it is about materials such as metals, ceramics, etc.

Generally speaking, neutrons knock atoms out of their interstitial sites causing defects, shifting the S-T curve to the left thus decreasing the ductile to brittle transition temperature and making the material more brittle.

Of course, ceramics behave in a different way. Plastics behave differently also.

What materials are you talking about and what type of radiation are you interested in (e.g. alpha, beta, gamma, or neutron)? Generally speaking, alpha, beta, and gammas don't have too much of an effect on materials (well, they could heat it up and cause it to melt, in addition to other things like Brhemstrahlung radiation).

Your question is unfortunately too vauge to give a good answer. I have an entire textbook from college that deals specifically with the effects of fuel rods and ceramic fuel pellets. Kinda hard to paraphrase everything into a non-specific question. If this is a general knowledge type question, buy a textbook.

 

[ChasBean1]

Oops, tstead - I saw "dose" so I figured the materials were the radiators and the people were the radiatees(?)... I just noticed Al's post is old so he's probably done with the test by now!!

 

This may be moot, but....

A good all-round text is "Nuclear Power Plant Materials and Applications," B. Ma.

IEEE has some standards about "Enviromental Qualification" related to how much radiation levels to which various types of wires should not be exposed.

The Department of Energy has some basic, overviews of materials and material issues at:

http://tis.eh.doe.gov/techstds/standard/hdbk1017/h1017v1.pdf

With some focus on how radiation affects materials in:

http://tis.eh.doe.gov/techstds/standard/hdbk1017/h1017v2.pdf

 

[BigAL]

Sorry I haven't been able to be back in a while. Thank you for the responses, especially KSURx for the 2 DOE locations.