This book is a revision of "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons" which was issued in 1957. It was prepared by the Defense Atomic Support Agency of the Department of Defense in coordination with other cognizant governmental agencies and was published by the U.S. Atomc Energy Commission. Although the complex nature of nuclear weapons effects does not always allow exact evaluation, the conclusions reached herein represent the combined judgment of a number of the most competent scientists working the problem. There is a need for widespread public understanding of the best information available on the effects of nuclear weapons. The purpose of this book is to present as accurately as possible, within the limits of national security, a comprehensive summary of this information.

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The irradiation-induced creep of graphite is being investigated in experiments that consist of loading parabolically shaped cantilever beams at the free end and measuring the resulting deflections with time. A series of stress analyses was made to verify the applicability of the elementary strength-of- materials approach for obtaining relations between stress and creep strain from the load-deflection data. The results of the analyses, which included a theory- of-elasticity solution, an evaluation of the effect of shear, and a bending analysis using an actual stress-strain diagram for graphite, show that an elementary strength-of-materials approach is adequate to predict the initial or elastic stresses. Preliminary results from the in-pile experiments indicate that the creep strains are linear with stress; thus the initially linear bending stress distribution given by the elementary theory remains unchanged during creep. (auth)

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Intergranular cracking of Type 304 stainless steel outlet nozzles in reactor moderator service prompted a broad program of laboratory studies to determine the cause of the failures. It was demonstrated that sensitized and pickled Type 304 stainless steel is extremely susceptible to both intergranular and transgranular chloride stress corrosion cracking in hot water of pH 4.5 to 5.0 which contains as little as 2 ppM chloride ion. Although the chloride content of moderator is only about 0.01--0.03 ppM, it was concluded that chloride concentrations sufficient to cause cracking occurred on the nozzle surfaces, either very gradually or as a result of a system change. This conclusion was substantiated later when chlorides were shown to be concentrated in a film of aluminum oxide (from fuel cladding corrosion) deposited on the moderator side of a failed nozzle. Circumstantial evidence suggested that initiation of moderator pH (pD) control with nitric acid and oxygen caused or contributed to cracking of the nozzles. Therefore, in recent laboratory work the effects of pH and oxygen concentration on cracking of sensitized and pickled Type 304 stainless steel were investigated. The effects of nitrate and sulfate ion concentrations were also investigated. Results of these laboratory investigations are summarized …

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The argular distributions and spectra for the neutron pickup reactions Mg/sup 26/(p,t)Mg/sup 24/ and Mg ( alpha ,He/sup 6/)Mg/sup 24/ at 28 and 40 Mev, respectively, are compared. The equality of the ground state pickup momentum transfers at 15 deg permits a study of the relative excitations for transitions to the discrete state observed. The ground ( theta +), 1.37-Mev (2/sup +/), 4.12- 4.23 Mev (4/sup +/--2/sup +/), 5.22-Mev (3/sup +/), and 6-Mev (4/sup +/) states are compared. Unresolved structure at higher energies is compared in terms of its gross properties. Higher charge particles-Li/sup 6/, Li/sup 7/, and perhaps Be/sup 7/-were also observed. The Li/sup 6/ and Li/sup 7/ yield was notably stronger than the He/sup 6/ yield, and the energy distribution showed marked structure. (auth)

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The mechanical properties of two aluminum alloys and a fuel dispersion have been investigated for the purpose of selecting a cladding material and supplying data for design evaluation of the Advanced Test Reactor fuel plates. The properties of the X8001, 6061, and the U/sub 3/O/sub 8/--Al dispersion were investigated. The creep properties of these materials in uniaxial tension were measured in the temperature range of 400 to 600 deg F for maximum strains of 1.0% and times of 450 hr. The tensile properties were measured from 70 to 600 deg F. The 6061-0 is stronger in short-time tension and creep than the X8001-0 material. The tensile strength of X8001 can be increased by cold working. Recovery of the cold-worked X8001 and 6061 alloys was investigated and compared with the kinetics of the overaging of the 6061 alloy in the T6 condition. The fuel dispersion is stronger in creep than the X8001-0 matrix material. The tensile strength of the fuel dispersion is approximately twice that of X8001-0. (auth)

A nondestructive technique was developed for evaluating carbon beds used in reactor containment applications. Freon-12 was used as a tracer to detect leak paths that would reduce the efficiency of carbon beds for removal of radioactive I/sub 2/ vapor. Leaks greater than 0.008% of the tothl flow were detected with an electron-capture-type instrument. The current method is suitable for testing dry carbon beds prior to field installation and at air velocities up to 20 ft/min. (auth)

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The outgassing characteristics of specimens of the EGCR moderator graphite stock were determined in vacuo to a maximum temperature of 1000 deg C using external resistance heating and to 1800 deg C by induction heating. The specimens examined were cut from several locations in two of the 18-in. x 18-in. x 20-ft graphite bars which had been prepared under fabrication conditions comparable to those used for the graphite columns present in the Experimental Gas- Cooled Reactor. Data are given which show the effect of the position of sampling of the bars on the density of the graphite. The volume and composition of desorbates obtained at 300, 600, and 1000 deg C as a function of specimen size and position of specimen within the bars also are given. The volume-time relationships at 300 and 600 deg C can be expressed satisfactorily by v = A log t + B over extended intervals of time. A linear relationship prevails at 1000 deg C only after heating for longer than approximates 800 min. The volume and composition of the desorbates obtained at 1000, 1400, and 1800 deg C using induction heating are tabulated. (auth)

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A survey was made of the literature which was published on the reduction of plutonium compounds to plutonium metal between 1950 and April 1963. This report is a summary of the information which was gathered during the survey. (auth)