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.

Neutron transmission imaging system with a superconducting kinetic inductance detector

Vu, TheDang*; 宍戸 寛明*; 相澤 一也; 奥 隆之; 及川 健一; 原田 正英; 小嶋 健児*; 宮嶋 茂之*; 曽山 和彦; 小山 富男*; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2776, p.012009_1 - 012009_9, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2776/1/012009

We optimized the design and operating conditions of our superconducting neutron detector to improve spatial resolution. We obtained the best spatial resolution of 10 m when a Gd Siemens star pattern was mounted at close contact with the detector in the cryostat. We compared the effect of a different sample-detector distance on a spatial resolution when the samples were placed either at cryogenic temperature or at room temperature. We found the appearance of clear Bragg dips by the measurements of natural FeS single crystals and succeeded in mapping the distribution of differently-oriented crystals by choosing several Bragg dips of the FeS crystals to compose the transmission images.

Development of an areal density imaging for boron and other elements

土川 雄介; 甲斐 哲也; 阿部 雄太; 及川 健一; Parker, J. D.*; 篠原 武尚; 佐藤 一憲

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2605, p.012022_1 - 012022_6, 2023/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2605/1/012022

中性子断面積の大きいホウ素の面密度分布を、エネルギー分析型中性子イメージングにより取得する方法を開発した。一般に、中性子感度が非常に高い元素の測定では、元素量が多くなると中性子の自己遮蔽効果が無視できず、定量的な測定が困難になる。この効果を回避するために、既知の断面積データを用いたエネルギースペクトル解析を試み、J-PARCの物質・生命科学実験施設において、定量的な二次元イメージング像の取得を実証した。本発表では、一例として福島第一原子力発電所のシビアアクシデントの研究において得られた模擬溶融試験体デブリの測定結果を紹介する。この取り組みは、溶融過程における制御棒からのホウ素の挙動を調査するものである。ホウ素の中性子断面積は、広い範囲で中性子エネルギーの平方根に反比例し、模擬燃料集合体に含まれる他の物質とは大きく異なる。試料の中性子透過率を中性子イメージング検出器で測定し、二次元的なホウ素の面密度分布を得た。同様に、鉄やジルコニウム等比較的感度の低い他元素の面密度分布も導出することを試みた。

Residual stress relaxation by bending fatigue in induction-hardened gear studied by neutron Bragg edge transmission imaging and X-ray diffraction

Su, Y. H.; 及川 健一; 篠原 武尚; 甲斐 哲也; 堀野 孝*; 井戸原 修*; 三阪 佳孝*; 友田 陽*

International Journal of Fatigue, 174, p.107729_1 - 107729_12, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2023.107729

A novel procedure, double induction quenching (DIQ), effective for improving the fatigue strength of gear products, has been used for producing gears with steep gradients of compressive residual stress generated in the tooth surface. We performed a Bragg edge imaging experiment at a pulsed neutron source to determine the spatial distribution of the {110} lattice spacing (d) and the broadening of the {110} Bragg edge (w) on the DIQ gear product after tooth-bending fatigue tests to which different loading cycles were applied. No significant difference occurred in the d and the wat Hofer 's critical section of the teeth with different loading conditions within the accuracy of data analysis. However, we detected a decrease in the w and changes in the residual lattice strain distribution in the axial direction along the tooth root directions at the opposite side of Hofer 's critical section for both teeth after 310 and 810 cycles, relieving the compressive residual stresses during the fatigue process. The residual stress close to the gear tooth surface determined by X-ray diffraction using sequential polishing showed a slight relaxation and redistribution from the tensile side in the hoop direction, complementary to the neutron Bragg edge imaging.

Spatial distribution and preferred orientation of crystalline microstructure of lead-bismuth eutectic

伊藤 大介*; 佐藤 博隆*; 大平 直也*; 齊藤 泰司*; Parker, J. D.*; 篠原 武尚; 甲斐 哲也; 及川 健一

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 569, p.153921_1 - 153921_6, 2022/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153921

To develop a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled nuclear reactor, phase transition phenomena of LBE are very important. In the solidification of LBE, the crystalline structure is varied with the cooling process. The volumetric expansion of LBE must be clarified for the safety of an LBE cooled nuclear reactor. The time dependence of the volumetric expansion depends on the crystalline microstructure. In this study, the crystalline microstructure of the LBE samples solidified with the different cooling processes was investigated by the neutron Bragg edge imaging technique. Spatially integrated and local microstructure characteristics of LBE samples were analyzed. Characteristics of preferred orientation of LBE microstructure were clarified.

Determination of site occupancy of boron in 6H-SiC by multiple-wavelength neutron holography

林 好一*; Lederer, M.*; 福本 陽平*; 後藤 雅司*; 山本 裕太*; 八方 直久*; 原田 正英; 稲村 泰弘; 及川 健一; 大山 研司*; et al.

Applied Physics Letters, 120(13), p.132101_1 - 132101_6, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0080895

The local structure around boron doped in a 6H-type silicon carbide (SiC) was investigated using neutron holography. Three dimensional atomic images reconstructed from multiple-wavelength holograms revealed the boron substitution for both silicon and carbon. To determine the boron locations accurately, we calculated holograms with varying occupancies of six different sites and fitted the image intensities with those obtained from the experimental holograms by the steepest descent method. As a result, it was found that boron atoms were selectively located at the Si-C-cubic site layer. Furthermore, boundaries right above the boron locations were suggested from the absence of atomic images in the upper region of the reconstruction.

Monitoring residual strain relaxation and preferred grain orientation of additively manufactured Inconel 625 by in-situ neutron imaging

Tremsin, A. S.*; Gao, Y.*; Makinde, A.*; Bilheux, H. Z.*; Bilheux, J. C.*; An, K.*; 篠原 武尚; 及川 健一

Additive Manufacturing, 46, p.102130_1 - 102130_20, 2021/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.102130

Microstructures produced by Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques determine many characteristics of components where these materials are used. Residual stress and texture are among those characteristics, which need to be optimized. In this study, we employ energy-resolved neutron imaging to investigate, non-destructively, the uniformity of texture and to map the distribution of strain due to residual stress in Inconel 625 samples. The samples used in this study were printed by a direct metal laser melting additive manufacturing technique. Strain and texture variation are measured at room temperature as well as their changes during annealing at 700C and 875C in a vacuum furnace. The uniformity of crystalline plane distribution, from which texture can be inferred, is imaged with sub-mm spatial resolution for the entire sample area.

Practical tests of neutron transmission imaging with a superconducting kinetic-inductance sensor

Vu, TheDang; 宍戸 寛明*; 相澤 一也; 小嶋 健児*; 小山 富男*; 及川 健一; 原田 正英; 奥 隆之; 曽山 和彦; 宮嶋 茂之*; et al.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1006, p.165411_1 - 165411_8, 2021/08

AA2020-0482.pdf:3.12MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165411

We found that the sizes of the Gd islands determined from the transmission image correlated strongly with those determined from the SEM image. We demonstrated the CB-KID could be used to identify (1) tiny voids in a thermally sprayed continuous GdO film in and (2) various mosaic morphologies and different eutectic microstructures in Wood's metal samples. The fact that the CB-KID system could be used to identify features of samples with a wide distribution of sizes and thicknesses is promising for real application of the device for imaging samples of interest to material scientists. Operating the CB-KID at higher temperatures appreciably improved the efficiency for simultaneously identifying the X and Y positions of hotspots. We also compared the detection efficiency with the PHITS simulations. We now plan to improve the detection efficiency by increasing the thickness of the B neutron conversion layer

Experimental characterization of high-energy component in extracted pulsed neutrons at the J-PARC spallation neutron source

原田 正英; 勅使河原 誠; 大井 元貴; 及川 健一; 高田 弘; 池田 裕二郎

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1000, p.165252_1 - 165252_8, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165252

本研究では、箔放射化法を用いて、J-PARC核破砕中性子源からのパルス中性子ビームの高エネルギー成分を測定した。箔は、0.3MeVから79.4MeVまでのしきいエネルギーを持つAl, Au, Bi, Nb, Tmを用いた。実験はNOBORUで行われ、箔は減速材から13.4mの位置で照射された。照射実験への応用のために、高エネルギーの中性子スペクトルを変化させるBCスリット, Pbフィルター、それらがない場合の3ケースでも反応率を測定した。JENDL-3.2評価済みファイルとJENDLドシメトリーファイルを用いたPHITSコードによる計算データと比較をした。計算値と実験値の比(C/E)を比較したところ、エネルギー依存性がみられ、しきいエネルギーが100MeVまで増えるにつれ、C/Eは減少することが分かった。すべてのC/Eは1.00.2の範囲にあることを確認した。このことから、高エネルギーの中性子計算データは、NOBORUユーザーの実験データの分析に適切であることを示した。

Microstructure distribution of Japanese sword cross sections analyzed by the diffractometer TAKUMI at J-PARC

及川 健一; Harjo, S.; Pham, A. H.*; 川崎 卓郎; 森戸 茂一*; 鬼柳 善明*; 篠原 武尚; 甲斐 哲也; 大庭 卓也*; 伊藤 正和*

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 33, p.011062_1 - 011062_6, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.33.011062

The metallurgy of historic melee weapons is one of the most interesting topics in archaeometallurgy. In particular, Japanese swords are paid great admiration in the world as the honor of classical technology and of the art. There have been many reports in the past that tried to elucidate this Japanese sword's microstructure and/or manufacturing process scientifically. In this study, we tried to use neutron diffraction as the non-destructive testing method. TOF neutron diffraction experiment was performed at TAKUMI of J-PARC. The gauge volume for the mapping was limited to 2 2 2 mm. Data sets for the normal and transverse direction and the normal and axial direction were obtained for the four pieces of sliced Japanese sword. All diffraction data were analyzed by the Rietveld refinement program to obtain lattice constants, phase volume fractions, preferred orientation, the crystallite size and the microstrain from the line-broadening. Detailed analysis results will be presented.