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Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
S. L. Robinson, N. Y. C. Yang
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 2 | March 1992 | Pages 856-860
Material; Storage and Processing | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29856
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The effects of internal tritium and helium on the tensile properties of two austenitic stainless steels and an iron-based superalloy have been studied. The materials tested were, forged 21Cr-6Ni-9Mn and 304L (tested in the annealed condition and two forged conditions), and a modified A-286 alloy. The accumulation of 3He from the radioactive decay of tritium caused an increase in the yield strength and a continuous decrease in the ductility in almost all materials tested. Increased 3He concentrations also caused a change in fracture mode from ductile rupture to predominantly intergranular fracture. The property changes resulted from 3He bubble-induced strengthening, which produced a change in deformation mode from long-range dislocation activity to deformation twinning. In the deformation-twinning mode, the 3He-accelerated fracture initiated at the intersections of deformation twins with grain boundaries. High-strength forged 304L was most resistant to 3He effects, owing to the redistribution of 3He on dislocations.
