Grain-Orientation-Dependent Mechanical Behavior in FeCrAl Nuclear Fuel Cladding Alloys
April 5, 2021
The in-situ neutron measurement of industry grade FeCrAl by using a 300mm in length, 10 mm in diameter, thin-walled tube mounted on the VULCAN load frame with induction heating.
Scientific Achievement
GE Research gained new insights into micromechanical tensile behavior of highly textured FeCrAl fuel cladding tubes with enhanced oxidation, corrosion and mechanical properties.
Significance and Impact
Understanding this anisotropic information is required for predicting the material’s behavior in applications, especially as a replacement of Zircaloy-2 in cladding of nuclear fuel.
Research Details
- Neutron diffraction was done on 300L x10D mm thin-walled fuel cladding tubes while under mechanical pulling at room and elevated temperature.
- Evolutions of the grain-orientation-dependent lattice strain, elastic and plastic behaviors are revealed by single peak fitting of diffraction lines.
