Ford nuclear reactor shim-safety rod replacement

The shim-safety rods in the Ford nuclear reactor core are borated stainless steel and were installed in 1962. Rod reactivities have decreased in the 10 to 20% range over the intervening 33 yr. Replacement rods of essentially identical metallurgical composition are not available. A boron-aluminum alloy replacement material was made available to the Ford nuclear reactor by Eagle-Picher, a leading supplier of boron enriched in {sup 10}B.