Examination of irradiated 304L stainless steel to 6061-T6 aluminum inertia welded transition joints after irradiation in a spallation neutron

The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) designed and fabricated tritium target/blanket assemblies which were irradiated for six months at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). Cooling water was supplied to the assemblies through 1 inch diameter 304L Stainless Steel (SS) tubing. To attach the 304L SS tubing to the modules a 304L SS to 6061-T6 Aluminum (Al) inertia welded transition joint was used. These SS/Al inertia weld transition joints simulate expected transition joints in the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) Target/Blanket where as many as a thousand SS/Al weld transition joints will be used. Materials compatibility between the 304L SS and the 6061-T6 Al in the spallation neutron environment is a major concern as well as the corrosion associated with the cooling water flowing through the piping. The irradiated inertia weld examination will be discussed