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Travel to Battelle Memorial Institute to discuss the results of subcontract research on the extended surface fuel element program and to review progress on the consolidation of Horizons` electrolytic thorium. Nickel-plated uranium samples, press-clad with 30-mil thick aluminum at 6, 10, and 15 thousand psi, have been on corrosion test for periods of 10 to 31 days. Six specimens from the 6,000 psi group have failed by undercutting after 21 to 31 days; this is another good record. Pinch welds have proved very effective as a means of sealing corrosion samples. Two 9--10 pound virgin ingots and three smaller remelts were made by consumable electrode arc melting of Horizons` electrolytic thorium. Physical and chemical data on the remelts are being obtained. Diffusion coefficients have been determined, at two sets of time-temperature conditions, for two diffusion couples of aluminum and a 0.5 w/o thorium in aluminum alloy, after high temperature annealing. The data show that the rate of interdiffusion of thorium and aluminum is very slow. These results are discussed.

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This is the monthly report for the Hanford Atomic Products Operation, June, 1955. Metallurgy, reactor fuels, chemistry, dosimetry, separation processes, reactor technology, financial activities, visits, biology operation, physics and instrumentation research, and employee relations are discussed.

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The poor corrosion resistance of recent samples press-clad with 6,000 psi at 950 F is believed to have been due to the presence of a large number of stringers intersecting the surfaces of the uranium cores. A better quality metal and an improved pinch-weld will be used in the future. Machining of extrusion dies and mandrel tips by Moczik for the BMI extrusion cladding work is expected to be completed about mid-July. The first attempt to clad the internal surface of a tube by ``hot drawing`` has been completed. A plug was drawn through an aluminum billet placed in the tube and heated to 955 F. A weakly bonded cladding with a poor surface was produced. Several uranium-aluminum billets have been cast into a water-cooled steel mold as a means of varying the cooling rate of the alloy. Billets previously cast into a graphite mold are being examined by radiography in order to determine the effects of the rate of solidification on the segregation of the alloy.

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The following studies were approved: 8501 - non-destructive testing, 8502 - 300 Area process development, 8503 - new fuel element fabrication, 8504 - protective coatings for new fuel elements, 8505 - corrosion, 8508 - instrument development in 300 Area, 8514 - instrument development in 100 Area, 8515 - instrument development in 200 Area, and 8524 - new LM elements. Information and Safety agreements are listed, and information in appended on the following topics: financial status, instrument development program, metallurgical development program, and Technical Division study status.

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This document provides details of the radiation monitoring efforts of the Reactor Section during the month of December 1954.

A summary of research progress is given in this report. (1) Half-dollar size corrosion samples of aluminum-clad uranium, which were pressed with 3, 4, 5, and 6 thousand psi, have begun to fail by undercutting between 7 and 21 days. This behavior is contradictory to that of previous samples similarly pressed with 6,000 psi; corrosion of these samples was restricted to pimples, which grew slowly in diameter and did not undercut. (2) Moczik Tool and Die Co. has designed a streamlined die and a mandrel tip for use with the extrusion cladding equipment at BMI. Other methods of extrusion cladding are still under consideration. (3) Experiments on the internal cladding of tubes are awaiting the completion of tools. (4) Casting of uranium-aluminum alloy billets has begun for the purpose of determining the affects of the rate of solidification on segregation in the alloy. (5) An accurate determination of the uranium-aluminum constitution diagram in the range 16 w/o to 40% has been inconclusive to date. (6) Nickel-tin alloy plated over a flash coat of nickel did not provided to satisfactory bonding material on samples of uranium press-clad with aluminum at 950 C, 6,000 psi for 5 minutes.

W. J. O`Leary and R. R. Herries visited BMI to review the progress of subcontract research on extended fuel elements. 1. Three ``pinhole`` corrosion samples, bonded at ERL by fluid pressure, have been tested in boiling distilled water for, 624 hours with no evidence of undercutting corrosion. 2. A series of 30 samples is being prepared to investigate the effect of higher bonding pressures on resistance to undercutting corrosion. 3. A 25-pound lot of Horizons` thorium is analyzed and has been compacted in preparation for consumable electrode arc melting.

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This monthly document provides activities of the Radiation Monitoring Group of the Reactor Section during the month of December 1954.

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The Steering Committee approved 8 studies related to separation processes, analytical chemistry, waste handling, and recycle development. Safety and security issues were discussed. Appendices detail the financial status of the Technical Division and estimated man months for development studies approved for the Purex Process, tritium separations, thorium recycle, U-235 separations, and 100-, 200-, and 300-Area studies in analytical chemistry development. The status of 25 other Technical Division studies are listed along with their budget.

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