Open AccessFABRICATION OF ALUMINUM CLAD PLUTONIUM-ALUMINUM ALLOY PIN ELEMENTS
Author(s) -
L.C. Lemon,
W.T. Ross
Publication year - 1960
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/4102458
Subject(s) - materials science , cladding (metalworking) , fabrication , alloy , aluminium , metallurgy , welding , inert gas , graphite , core (optical fiber) , composite material , tungsten , mold , fixture , mechanical engineering , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering
Specifications are given for the fabrication of Al--Pu alloy pins clad in aluminum. The cladding components were loy pins clad in alummum. The cladding components were fabricated from 1100 aluminum, 1/16 in. in diameter. End caps were fabricated from the same material by a series of passes through draw plates to 0.035-in. diameter. The core material was cast as cylinders 0.375 in. in diameter and approximately 2 in. long in a heated graphite mold. The alloy composition was 15.75 wt.% plutonium. Billets 1/4 in. long were cut from the cylinders. These were extruded through an 87 to 1 reduction in area to a final size of 0.032 plus or minus 0.001 in. For loading, the cans were inserted in a lucite fixture and placed in an open-front hood, the cores dropped in, and the can opening scrubbed with ethyl alcohol. The 0.035-in. diameter end cap wire was then pressed into the can opening until it contacted the core and was cut off level with the top of the can. Sealing of the final end was done by fusion welding using alternating current with the tungsten inert gas process. (W.L.H.