Temperature dependence of elastic moduli of polycrystalline β plutonium

Abstract

The elastic moduli of pure polycrystalline beta plutonium were measured over its full range of existence (417--491 K) using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. The Debye temperature (138 K), Poisson's ratio (0.28), Gruneisen parameter (2.3), and the zero-temperature atomic volume (21.2 \AA{}${}^{3}$) were computed from the measurements. Both bulk and shear moduli decrease smoothly on warming with expected discontinuities at the phase boundaries. The shear modulus is surprisingly nearly the same for beta and gamma Pu. The temperature dependence of bulk moduli for beta Pu is, like gamma Pu, unusually small. Poisson's ratio shows very strong differences among alpha, beta, and gamma Pu indicating they are entirely different metals. The zero-temperature elastic moduli were computed for the three phases as well as for gallium-stabilized delta Pu (also measured by us) and compared to calculations.