Design of a micro-nuclear-mechanical system for strain measurement

• Published in: Radiation physics and chemistry (Oxford, England : 1993) Vol. 155; pp. 209 - 212
• Main Authors: Laramore, Diego, McNeil, Walter J., Bahadori, Amir A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2019; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Alpha particles; Alpha rays; AmBe neutron source; Americium; Americium 241; Amplification; Beryllium; Deformation; Dependence; Failure analysis; Mechanical systems; Micro-fabrication; Micro-nuclear-mechanical system (MNMS); Neutrons; Strain; Strain Gauge; Strain gauges; Strain measurement; Strain Gauge; Micro-fabrication; Micro-nuclear-mechanical system (MNMS); AmBe neutron source
• ISSN: 0969-806X; 1879-0895
• DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2018.08.016

Mechanical strain gauges are frequently used in real-time load sensing for applications including failure analysis and machine maintenance. To address the dependence of an analog electrical signal for conventional strain gauge operation, a strain-sensitive neutron source is considered in this work. Such a device utilizes the short range of americium-241 α particles to interact in a beryllium target, producing neutrons. Applying strain to the device alters the source-target geometry, resulting in variation of neutron output. Several micro-nuclear-mechanical systems are considered. It is found that linear amplification is required to measure deformation below 1000 μ-strain. The most successful designs utilized chevron-style linear motion amplification, and gave a relative neutron output of 1.37 at 1000 μ-strain in tension, 0.73 at 1000 μ-strain in compression. Absolute neutron output at zero strain was determined to be about 3500 neutrons per second for this design.
•MEMS mechanical analysis, motion amplification.•Design of microscale neutron sources.•Monte Carlo Transport code used for alpha-n reactions.