Integrated neutron and surface-based characterization of stress/strain fields and microstructural evolution during fatigue crack growth in SUS304 stainless steel

Su, Y. H.; 篠原 武尚; Parker, J. D.*; 及川 健一; 甲斐 哲也; Gong, W.; 伊東 達矢; Harjo, S.; 相澤 一也; 鬼柳 善明*; et al.

Materials Science & Engineering A, 951, p.149607_1 - 149607_16, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2025.149607

Local variations in residual stress/strain and microstructure during fatigue crack growth in compact tension specimens of SUS304 austenitic stainless steel were investigated using complementary methods: pulsed neutron Bragg-edge imaging (NBEI), neutron diffraction (ND), digital image correlation (DIC) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Surface strain fields were evaluated using DIC and EBSD. NBEI provided two-dimensional averaged microstructure information, whereas ND yielded detailed three-dimensional distributions of residual lattice (elastic) strain and stress. This study particularly focused on how NBEI is helpful in understanding overall damage characteristics in the vicinity of a crack tip two-dimensionally. Distribution of microstructural parameters associated with crack growth, such as lattice constant, crystallite size, and texture, across the entire specimen was considered using Bragg-edge spectral analysis. The plastic zone in front of the crack tip, characterized by reduced crystallite size, was observed during crack propagation. After final fracture, two distinct zones with reduced crystallite size were identified: one caused by localized plastic deformation near the crack tip, and the other by bending at the back end of the specimen. This paper introduces the four experimental techniques and describes their respective features. Each method has its own advantages and limitations; However, by integrating their results, a more comprehensive understanding of the overall stress/strain field can be achieved.

Energy-resolved neutron imaging study of a Japanese sword signed by Bishu Osafune Norimitsu

及川 健一; 松本 吉弘*; 渡辺 賢一*; 佐藤 博隆*; Parker, J. D.*; 篠原 武尚; 鬼柳 善明*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.27990_1 - 27990_11, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79436-6

We are conducting research focused on elucidating the crystallographic structure of Japanese swords in a non-destructive manner using the neutron imaging instrument RADEN at J-PARC. In this study, we developed an analysis method that combines wavelength-resolved Bragg-edge imaging and a wavelength-selective neutron tomography with a new strategy, and applied it to an approximately 45 cm long Japanese sword signed by Bishu Osafune Norimitsu. Computed tomography was performed, and the analysis succeeded in clearly capturing the characteristic internal structure "Kobuse". Kobuse is most famous steel combining structure of Japanese swords, where a center steel with low carbon content is covered by an outer steel with high carbon content. The crystallite size distribution obtained through Bragg-edge analysis was able to explain without contradiction from the layered structure of two steels observed in neutron tomograms. Our non-destructive imaging also revealed that the quenching was quite deep, forming a wavy pattern more than 5 mm away from the cutting edge.

Update of Bragg edge analysis software "GUI-RITS"

及川 健一; 佐藤 博隆*; 渡辺 賢一*; Su, Y. H.; 篠原 武尚; 甲斐 哲也; 鬼柳 善明*; 長谷美 宏幸

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2605, p.012013_1 - 012013_6, 2023/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2605/1/012013

Spectral data of Bragg-edge imaging, which is one of the energy-resolved neutron imaging methods, can be analyzed by single-edge analysis and full-pattern analysis with the Bragg-edge analysis code RITS developed by Sato et al. This program has a function to generate neutron transmission data considering wavelength-dependent pulse-shape function, atomic number density, crystalline structure, etc., and to extract these parameters from the measured data by the nonlinear least-squares fitting. Last year, we worked on updating the operating environment of the platform Scientific Linux 6 and the language Python 2, which have been discontinued, to Windows 10 and Python 3, and added some functions to improve usability. GUI-RITS for the windows platform has been released to users. In this presentation, we will show concrete examples of the results of the analysis of the same data by the old and new programs, and compare the efficiency of data analysis.

Thermally altered subsurface material of asteroid (162173) Ryugu

北里 宏平*; Milliken, R. E.*; 岩田 隆浩*; 安部 正真*; 大竹 真紀子*; 松浦 周二*; 高木 靖彦*; 中村 智樹*; 廣井 孝弘*; 松岡 萌*; et al.

Nature Astronomy (Internet), 5(3), p.246 - 250, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-01271-2

2019年4月「はやぶさ2」ミッションは、地球に近い炭素質の小惑星(162173)リュウグウの人工衝撃実験を成功させた。これは露出した地下物質を調査し、放射加熱の潜在的な影響をテストする機会を提供した。はやぶさ2の近赤外線分光器(NIRS3)によるリュウグウの地下物質の観測結果を報告する。発掘された材料の反射スペクトルは、表面で観測されたものと比較して、わずかに強くピークがシフトした水酸基(OH)の吸収を示す。これは、宇宙風化や放射加熱が最上部の表面で微妙なスペクトル変化を引き起こしたことを示している。ただし、このOH吸収の強度と形状は、表面と同様に、地下物質が300Cを超える加熱を経験したことを示している。一方、熱物理モデリングでは、軌道長半径が0.344AUに減少しても、推定される掘削深度1mでは放射加熱によって温度が200Cを超えて上昇しないことが示されている。これは、リュウグウ母天体が放射加熱と衝撃加熱のいずれか、もしくは両方により熱変化が発生したという仮説を裏付けている。

Development of event-type neutron imaging detectors at the energy-resolved neutron imaging system RADEN at J-PARC

Parker, J. D.*; 原田 正英; 林田 洋寿*; 廣井 孝介; 甲斐 哲也; 松本 吉弘*; 中谷 健; 及川 健一; 瀬川 麻里子; 篠原 武尚; et al.

Materials Research Proceedings, Vol.15, p.102 - 107, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644900574-17

At the RADEN instrument, we take advantage of the accurate measurement of neutron energy by time-of-flight to perform energy-resolved neutron imaging using event-type neutron imaging detectors. We are continually working to improve these detectors for better spatial resolution and shorter measurement times and, as a user facility, to improve the ease-of-use of their control and analysis software. In particular, we are actively developing a He-based gaseous micropattern detector known as the Micro-pixel chamber based Neutron Imaging Detector ( NID). We have recently redesigned the NID control software to allow full integration into the automated experiment control system at RADEN, and we are carrying out optimization of the analysis algorithms for improved image quality and rate performance.

An Experimental setup for creating and imaging He excimer cluster tracers in superfluid helium-4 via neutron-He absorption reaction

Sonnenschein, V.*; 辻 義之*; 國立 將真*; 久保 渉*; 鈴木 颯*; 富田 英生*; 鬼柳 善明*; 井口 哲夫*; 松下 琢*; 和田 信雄*; et al.

Review of Scientific Instruments, 91(3), p.033318_1 - 033318_12, 2020/03

AA2022-0319.pdf:4.36MB

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5130919

For the purpose of future visualization of the flow field in superfluid helium-4, clusters of the triplet state excimer He are generated along the micro-scale recoil tracks of the neutron-absorption reaction n + He T + p. This reaction is induced by neutron irradiation of the He fraction contained in natural isotopic abundance liquid helium with neutron beams either from the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (J-PARC)/Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility or from the Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science. These He clusters are expected to be ideal tracers of the normal-fluid component in superfluid helium with several advantageous properties. Evidence of the excimer generation is inferred by detection of laser induced fluorescence emitted from the He clusters excited by a purpose-built short pulse gain-switched titanium:sapphire (Ti:sa) laser operating at a wavelength of 905 nm. The setup and performance characteristics of the laser system including the Ti:sa and two continuous wave re-pumping lasers are described. Detection at the fluorescence wavelength of 640 nm is performed by using optical bandpass filtered photomultiplier tubes (PMT). Electrical noise in the PMT acquisition traces could successfully be suppressed by post-processing with a simple algorithm. Despite other laser-related backgrounds, the excimer was clearly identified by its fluorescence decay characteristics. Production of the excimer was found to be proportional to the neutron flux, adjusted via insertion of different collimators into the neutron beam. These observations suggest that the apparatus we constructed does function in the expected manner and, therefore, has the potential for groundbreaking turbulence research with superfluid helium.

Generation of He clusters via neutron-He absorption reaction toward visualization of full velocity field in quantum turbulence

松下 琢*; Sonnenschein, V.*; Guo, W.*; 林田 洋寿*; 廣井 孝介; 広田 克也*; 井口 哲夫*; 伊藤 大介*; 北口 雅暁*; 鬼柳 善明*; et al.

Journal of Low Temperature Physics, 196(1-2), p.275 - 282, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-018-02112-3

For flow visualization study of quantum turbulence in superfluid He, He excimers are unique tracers which follow only normal-fluid component flow above 1 K. To generate detectable small He clouds (clusters) required for full-space velocity field measurements, we have adopted a new method based on neutron absorption reaction of He impurities in He and conducted proof-of-principle experiments. Generation of the He excimers was detected by laser-induced fluorescence using photomultiplier tubes. The fluorescence was observed to increase proportionally to the neutron flux, suggesting that a sufficient amount of He excimers were generated by neutrons. We also estimated the number of He excimers possibly generated by -rays and found that the relevant contribution was less than 40%. Thus, the majority of the He excimers was confirmed to be generated via n-He absorption reactions.

Study of the magnetization distribution in a grain-oriented magnetic steel using pulsed polarized neutron imaging

廣井 孝介; 篠原 武尚; 林田 洋寿*; Parker, J. D.*; Su, Y. H.; 及川 健一; 甲斐 哲也; 鬼柳 善明*

Physica B; Condensed Matter, 551, p.146 - 151, 2018/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2018.05.013

Grain oriented magnetic steel is widely used as a key material for magnetic industrial products. Since magnetic properties of steels are closely related to its magnetic domain structure, observation of the domain structure is important for understanding its magnetic properties. In this study, we attempted to observe the domain structure of a grain oriented steel using polarized pulsed neutron imaging. In the experiment, we first magnetized the sample by applying a magnetic field along the easy-to-magnetize direction via a coil, and confirmed the sample was magnetized almost uniformly from the obtained polarization distribution images. By analyzing the oscillatory behavior in the wavelength dependence of polarization, magnetization of the steel was estimated to be 1.82 T. Then, we removed the field and performed the same measurement. As a result, a striped domain structure was observed, with neighboring domains aligned anti-parallel to each other. From these results, it was demonstrated that our magnetic imaging method could visualize the magnetization and the direction of the domains in the practical steel.

Development of a polarization analysis method for visualization of the magnetic field distribution in a small electric transformer using pulsed polarized neutron imaging

廣井 孝介; 篠原 武尚; 林田 洋寿*; Parker, J. D.*; 及川 健一; Su, Y. H.; 甲斐 哲也; 鬼柳 善明*

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 22, p.011030_1 - 011030_7, 2018/11

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.22.011030

We have been developing magnetic imaging method for industrial products using polarized pulsed neutrons. In this presentation, we report observation results of magnetic field distribution in a small electric transformer as a demonstration of our magnetic imaging method. The polarized pulsed neutron imaging experiment was performed at BL22 RADEN at MLF of J-PARC. 9 polarization distribution images were obtained with changing incident polarization and analyzing direction in 3D. By analyzing wavelength dependent polarization position by position, distribution of field strength and direction around the core of the transformer were successfully visualized. Obtained field distribution images were well corresponded with that expected by the simulation and clearly demonstrated a leaked field from the gap of step lap.

Time-of-flight neutron transmission imaging of martensite transformation in bent plates of a Fe-25Ni-0.4C alloy

Su, Y. H.; 及川 健一; 篠原 武尚; 甲斐 哲也; 廣井 孝介; Harjo, S.; 川崎 卓郎; Gong, W.; Zhang, S. Y.*; Parker, J. D.*; et al.

Physics Procedia, 88, p.42 - 49, 2017/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2017.06.005

The influences of bending deformation and subsequent subzero treatment on the martensite transformation behaviors in a metastable austenitic alloy Fe-25Ni-0.4C were investigated by the time-of-flight (TOF) neutron Bragg-edge transmission (BET) imaging method. Two-dimensional (2D) maps of martensite phase volume fractions and texture variations due to residual stress and lowering the temperature of the bent samples before and after subzero treatment were obtained by Bragg-edge spectral analysis. The obtained phase volume fractions were quantitatively compared with those determined by neutron diffraction.