Abstract
The effect of storage on the track registration property of CR-39 has been studied. Pieces of CR-39 plate were irradiated with normally incident α particles and fission fragments by using a 252Cf source before and after their storage in air for one to six months at different temperatures of -80°C, -23°C, 4°C, 23°C and 35°C. The bulk etch rate and α-track sensitivity were obtained from the etch pit diameters of α and fission tracks. It was shown that the bulk etch rate and the α-track sensitivity both tend to decrease during storage time and from the effect of storage temperatures. The most significant effect was observed on α-track sensitivity at 35°C, which was reduced 55% for six months. It was also shown that the storage effect is attributed not to a fading of latent tracks, but to changes in the detector itself.
