The application of the10B(n,α)7Li fission reaction to study boron behaviour in materials

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Abstract
The particle-tracking autoradiograph (PTA) technique based on the 10B(N, alpha )7Li fission reaction with a solid detector of cellulose acetate (CA) has become a powerful tool for studying the behaviour of trace boron in materials. It has been improved by a double-gluing method for the CA film, a quantitative measurement technique for the boron concentration profiles and adjustment of neutron irradiation flux for different purposes. By means of this improved PTA technique, the nonequilibrium segregation of boron at austenite grain boundaries has been investigated and an atomic model is proposed. In the light of these results, a new theory of the relationship between grain boundary segregation of boron and hardenability of boron steel is presented. The formation of boron constituents and their effects on the mechanical properties of steel, and the behaviour of boron during chemical heat treatment were also studied.