Advanced Mechanical Testing System for Highly Irradiated Materials

This project will research and develop an Advanced Mechanical Test (AMT) system to perform comprehensive, high throughput, automatic mechanical characterization using miniature tensile specimens for highly irradiated materials. The solution should aid in a dramatic reduction of irradiated material waste, remote operation within hot cell environments, and stochastic characterization. It can also be used for stochastic test of mechanical properties in various applications. An AMT prototype incorporated with full-field Digital Image Correlation (DIC) capability has been designed, prototyped, and validated with miniature tensile specimens and compared to ASTM standards. Radiation shielding, automatic specimen loading and unloading, modular design coupled to a control and data processing software will be implemented to facilitate remote operation. AMT system for other applications will also be explored in Phase II. The AMT is material and human involvement independent and can significantly reduce test, characterization and certification times for materials and processes. Its remote operation, modularity, and limited test material needs can significantly improve economics, minimize material waste and safely handle irradiated materials. It can also be employed in educational and research universities to economically teach the next generation of engineers and researchers the details of mechanical testing using a diverse mix of specimen sizes and designs.