ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2026
Latest News
Breaking ground on a new approach to construction
The drive to Kairos Power’s reactor demonstration site in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is not only scenic—it’s historic. Nearly 85 years ago, roughly 30,000 construction workers transformed orchards and farmland into a key Manhattan Project site. Depending on your route, you may pass by one of the three gatehouses that were once military checkpoints controlling access to Atomic Energy Commission production facilities.
J. H. Kittel, S. H. Paine
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 3 | Number 3 | March 1958 | Pages 250-268
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE58-A25465
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Results are given from experiments in which unrestrained specimens of unalloyed natural uranium were irradiated to total atom burnups ranging up to 1.82% (15,500 Mwd/T) at temperatures from 50° to 220°C. A few specimens were also thermally cycled. The specimens represented material with four different fabrication histories: (1) rolled at 300°C, (2) rolled at 300°C and quenched from the beta phase, (3) rolled at 300°C, quenched from the beta phase, and recrystallized in the alpha phase, and (4) rolled at 600°C. It was found that the 300°C rolled specimens in the as-rolled condition grew in length at a rapid rate when subjected to irradiation, although they maintained relatively smooth surfaces. The growth rate of this material appeared to decrease with increasing irradiation temperature. The beta-quenched specimens were much more stable dimensionally but developed roughened surfaces. The 600°C rolled material showed intermediate behavior. It was concluded that 300°C rolled and beta-quenched uranium can withstand at least 2 atomic per cent burnup without disintegration due to irradiation damage. A qualitative similarity was found between the irradiation growth rates of the four materials and their growth rates under thermal cycling.