The Response of Dispersion-Strengthened Copper Alloys to High Fluence Neutron Irradiation at 415⁰C

Various oxide-dispersion-strengthened copper alloys have been irradiated to 150 dpa at 415°C irl tile Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF}. The AI2O3- strengthened GlidCop IN alloys, followed closely by a HfO2-strengthened alloy, displayed the best swelling resistance, electrical conductivity, and tensile properties. The conductivity of tile HfO2-strengthened alloy reached a plateau at the higher levels of irradiation, instead of exhibiting the steady decrease in conductivity observed ill the other alloys. A high initial oxygen content resulted in significantly higher swelling for a series of castable oxide- dispersion-strengthened alloys, while a Cr2O3 strengthened alloy showed poor resistance to radiation