Fabrication and characterization of U-Zr foils for the DISECT project

The DISECT device will allow for a large test matrix, of roughly 80 samples, to be examined under unique conditions. The experiment utilizes new fabrication techniques and a new irradiation vehicle to achieve a truly separate effects test matrix. The irradiation vehicle design is reusable and can be adapted to serve other experimental purposes. Each sample is to be fabricated to meet certain target conditions and be individually characterized both pre and post-irradiation. This allows for the deconvolution of composition, fission rate, fission density, and temperature effects from one another. There are a wide variety of parameters of interest that could be identified and decoupled using this technique. This study aims to focus on grain structure and fission gas evolution, but has been designed in manner that allows for re-approaching these samples to investigate other phenomena.