• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.576-580
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• 2017

A dynamic nanoindentation method was applied to study an Fe-18 at.% Gd alloy as a neutron-absorbing material prepared by vacuum arc-melting and cast in a mold. The Fe-18 at.% Gd cast alloy had a microstructure with matrix phases and an Fe-rich primary dendrite of $Fe_9Gd$. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray spectra showed that the Fe-18 at.% Gd cast alloy consisted of 35.84 at.% $Fe_3Gd$, 6.58 at.% $Fe_5Gd$, 16.22 at.% $Fe_9Gd$, 1.87 at.% $Fe_2Gd$, and 39.49 at.% ${\beta}-Fe_{17}Gd_2$. The average nanohardness of the primary dendrite phase and the matrix phases were 8.7 GPa and 9.3 GPa, respectively. The fatigue limit of the matrix phase was approximately 37% higher than that of the primary dendrite phase. The dynamic nanoindentation method is useful for identifying local phases and for analyzing local mechanical properties.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.24-31
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• 2016

CD4MCU duplex stainless steel with gadolinium was fabricated as a neutron absorbing material by the air induction melting method. The gadolinium formed intermetallic compounds of Cu-Gd-Fe. There were no significant differences in hardness or ultimate tensile strength between experimental alloys. With the addition of gadolinium the yield strength of the cast alloy significantly increased, from $478.8{\pm}11.6$ to $514.2{\pm}29.9MPa$, whereas elongation of the cast alloy decreased with the addition of gadolinium, from $26.0{\pm}7.1$ to $7.0{\pm}2.5%$ due to the formation of gadolinium based intermetallic compounds.