Browsing by Author "Knott, J"

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    One layer at a time: unlocking novel materials and structures for neutron radiation environments through additive manufacturing
    (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2021-11-26) Knott, J; Rule, KC; Cortie, DL; Innis, P; Baldwin, C; Beirne, S; Allen, J
    The UOW-ANSTO Seed Funding program is an initiative aimed at encouraging new collaborations between researchers at the University of Wollongong and ANSTO - bringing together teams with diverse and complementary skillsets to tackle questions that require multi-disciplinary approaches. In 2019, a team of researchers from ANSTO’s Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS), UOW’s Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM) and the Translational Research Initiative for Cell Engineering and Printing (TRICEP) came together to tackle the question “Can the structures and materials made possible by additive manufacturing enable novel solutions for neutron radiation environments?” To explore this question, we undertook activities in three themes: • THEME 1 – Polymers for neutron shielding and collimation • THEME 2 – Low-hydrogen polymers for neutron sample environments • THEME 3 – Metals and alloys for neutron sample environments This presentation will discuss activities undertaken in these themes, including: • THEME 1: investigating novel boron nitride/polyurethane materials developed by the UOW for use in neutron shielding and collimation applications via experiments on the Taipan, Pelican, Bilby and Platypus facilities at ANSTO; • THEME 2: the development of a custom low-hydrogen polymer (FEP) printing apparatus and optimised print procedure, to our knowledge one of the first such facilities. This has resulted in the production of low-hydrogen sample holders for use in ANSTO neutron environments; and • THEME 3: leveraging the world-class facilities and expertise in metal additive manufacturing at TRICEP to produce ‘sample can’ components in titanium and aluminium for validation and as a platform for future customised sample environment devices. This presentation will also discuss possibilities and future plans for work in this exciting area. © 2021 The Authors
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    ‘One layer at a time’: unlocking novel materials and structures for neutron radiation environments through additive manufacturing
    (Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE), 2020-11-11) Allen, J; Baldwin, C; Khakbax, H; Beirne, S; Filippi, B; Innis, P; White, R; Wu, L; Cortie, DL; Rule, KC; Knott, J
    The fact that neutrons can penetrate deeply makes them an excellent tool for probing the inner structures of materials, however this property also means that effective management of neutron radiation is a central challenge in nuclear engineering, neutron beam science and in the electronics industry. Neutrons also form a significant proportion of space radiation, and therefore novel, lightweight materials and structures for space radiation shielding are at the forefront of Australian and international space science development. Additive Manufacturing provides opportunities for creating novel structures with often complex geometries – and in materials not otherwise possible with traditional manufacturing techniques. We have brought together a team through the ANSTO-UOW Seed Funding Scheme to focus on the question: “Can the structures and materials made possible by additive manufacturing enable novel solutions for neutron radiation environments?” THEME 1 – Polymers for neutron shielding and collimation: particularly focusing on boron nitride/polymer composites and the possibilities these composites, coupled with 3D printing techniques, can open for neutron shielding and collimation applications – both terrestrial- and space-based THEME 2 – Low-hydrogen polymers for neutron sample environments: focusing on 3D-printable polymers for additive manufacturing low-background components for neutron sample environments THEME 3 – Metals and alloys for neutron sample environments: investigating additive manufacturing of metals – particularly aluminium – and alloys for neutron environment components. This presentation discusses the opportunities and some of the promising approaches for neutron environment additive manufacturing and novel composite materials – with specific examples and initial results from this collaborative endeavour.