Effect of Composition and Radiation on the Hertzian Indentation Behavior of Nuclear Waste Glasses (77-MeV alpha Particles)

摘要

The Hertzian indentation technique has been used to determine the fracture toughness, K/sub Ic/ of two borosilicate glasses developed to contain high-level nuclear waste. For the product VG 98/12, adding selected groups of fission products leaves K/sub Ic/ unchanged, but addition of Pb lowers K/sub Ic/ by approx. 20%. Radiation with 77 MeV alpha -particles to a dose of approx. 10 exp 15 alpha /cm exp 2 increases K/sub Ic/ by approx. 75%. For the product SM 58 LW 11, the fracture toughness was measured on pieces taken from different parts of a large cylinder to investigate the effects of segregation phenomena and of partial crystallization and formation of small cristobalite inclusions which decrease K/sub Ic/ by approx. 25%. (ERA citation 08:041639)