Radiation damage to materials at SINQ facilities

SINQ (Swiss Spallation Neutron Source) was built to meet the surging demand for neutrons. It was the first continuous spallation neutron source. Taking advantage of SINQ facilities, the SINQ Target Irradiation Program (STIP) is an international collaboration among many well known laboratories and research agencies to study the microstructures and mechanical properties of structural materials in a spallation spectrum. Target 5 is the currently operating target at SINQ in STIP III. The radiation damage (displacement, hydrogen and helium production) calculations were performed for Target 5 and partly for Target 3. The results of the calculations provide an important basis for further experimental explorations. As a complete investigation, the cross sections were developed for some materials, the physics of spallation reactions was studied to explore the neutron production capability of the material, and a new method was conducted in addition to the conventional calculations. The errors of the calculations were analyzed and some of the calculations results were compared to the available experimental data.; The AlMg3 entrance windows of Target 5 received a displacement production of 5.2–5.4 dpa, which indicated a significant radiation-induced strengthening and hardening of the aluminum alloy and suggested further examination on the entrance windows for the working life time.