Alpha-ray irradiation damage on diverse rubber materials applied to glove box for plutonium treatment

Saito, Kosuke; Nogami, Yoshitaka; Kodato, Kazuo; Matsuyama, Kazutomi; Endo, Hideo

This report is compilation of 4 years tests and experiments of simulated alpha-ray irradiation on diverse materials for glove box application at Plutonium Fuel Development Center, Tokai, JAEA. Specimens prepared from the materials are irradiated with He ion beam whose kinetic energy was 5 MeV and sent to exterior observation, optical microscopy and tensile tests. Experiments revealed ion-irradiation generally makes tens of micrometers of deteriorated layer which is hardened and discolored on the surface of the specimens. According to dose, tensile properties such as tensile strength and elongation at break decrease generally. Tensile strength decrease is expected to ascribe to stress concentration on cracks of irradiation-damaged surface and rupture. Lead-contained glove, which is ordinarily used on highly -radiative environments, saturates the decrease of its tensile strength around fluence of 1.4e+14 cm. In addition, deterioration was accelerated for tension-loaded material and the saturation is around 4.6e+13 cm for 100%-extended specimens. The candidates of alternative new materials are two kinds of developed chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSM) and conductive rubber, which were experimented and tested in like manner. From the results and inherent properties of these materials, one kind of CSM and conductive rubber are relatively promising. Gloves used at low-dose environments and vinyl chloride applied for glove ports were also experimented and tested, and quantitative data were which are useful for life-elongation measure obtained. The irradiation tests on this report are unprecedented ones with low-energy ion, and the obtained quantitative data of material properties and deterioration are scientifically rare and important.