METALLURGICAL SAMPLE PREPARATION AT THE INSTITUTE OF REFERENCE MATERIALS AND MEASUREMENTS

The Sample Preparation Group at IRMM provides targets for cross sectio n measurements and fission fragment studies using the accelerators on site, and also supplies targets to collaborators and other users from universities and other nuclear centres. In addition, reactor dosimetry reference materials, nux monitor capsules and reactor temperature mon itors are supplied to testing and power reactor facilities. The metall urgical activities in this field include a range of crucibleless and l evitation melting techniques giving alloys of closely controlled compo sition and good homogeneity, facilities for foil and wire fabrication with inert atmosphere processing for reactive metals and high value is otopes and canning techniques including laser and electron beam weldin g. Many of these fabrication techniques are applied to actinide metals using equipment installed in glove boxes. Several techniques includin g spectrophotometry, mass spectrometry, atomic absorption and gamma sp ectrometry are available for alloy characterization.