AFM-NANOINDENTATION STUDY OF AN IRRADIATED ALUMINUM ALLOY

In the present paper Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to capture the surface topography and then using a diamond tip mounted to a metal foil cantilever, to indent the surface and measure the material's hardness. Six aluminum alloy samples were measured. Five of them are part of the control system diaphragm from the primary circuit of the VVR-S nuclear research reactor. They stayed in the active zone of the reactor for more than 40 years (neutron flux 5.10(2) neutrons/cm(2) see), while the other one is an unirradiated aluminum alloy from the same period of time. In this experiment the hardness was obtained from direct area measurement of the AFM impression. The hardness values are different for each indentation made and also for each sample analyzed. Regarding the unirradiated sample this is slightly higher than those reported in literature.