Performance of the inductive force transducer Q11 under high-energy spallation neutron irradiation

Components used in nuclear engineering are subject to irradiation-induced structural changes as well as mechanical and thermal load.

Components used in nuclear engineering are subject to irradiation-induced structural changes as well as mechanical and thermal load. Rigs for materials testing under radiation conditions have been developed to allow tensile, creep or thermal-shock fatigue tests.

The present paper describes the performance test of the inductive force transducer Q11 which is a crucial component of the experimental set-up. Dynamic load tests have been performed in a corrosive environment under irradiation with spallation neutrons up to a fluence of 4.2 · 10¹⁸ n/cm² at operating temperatures between 15°C and 65°C (59°F and 149°F).
The irradiation-induced drift was always less than 1 % of the rated load.
The results indicate the applicability of this force transducer for complicated "in situ" or "in pile" experiments.