Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) Target Material Radiation Damage from Energetic Protons of the Brookhaven Linear Isotope Production (BLIP) Facility

ii Executive Summary iii Acknowledgements vi 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Target Material and Requirements 1 1.2 Radiation Damage in Graphite 2 1.3 Radiation Damage in C/C Composite 7 1.4 Experimental Objectives 16 2.0 Irradiation of Target Materials 18 2.1 Pre-Irradiation Characterization of Graphite and 3D C/C Composite 18 2.2 BLIP Irradiation Target Set-Up and Environment 20 3.0 Post-Irradiation Examination Description 29 4.0 Results 33 4.1 LBNE Graphites – Post-Irradiation Assessment 33 4.1.1 Thermal conductivity assessment 33 4.1.2 Thermal stability and damage annealing 34 4.1.3 Damage reversal during annealing 41 4.1.4 Mechanical testing of irradiated LBNE graphite 43 4.1.5 Radiation-induced stiffness changes in graphite – ultrasound method 49 4.2 3D C/C Composite Post-Irradiation Assessment 54 4.2.1 Thermal annealing and dimensional changes 56 4.2.2 Weight loss measurements 59 4.2.3 Mechanical testing of 3D C/C composite 60 4.2.4 Ultrasonic testing of 3D C/C composite 62 4.2.5 Thermal conductivity 62 4.3 h-BN Post-Irradiation Assessment 62 5.0 Discussion of Results and Conclusions 67 6.0 Future Work 70 Appendices 71 Appendix A 72 Appendix B 81 Appendix C 90 References 100