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High Pressure Burst Testing of SiCf-SiCm Composite Nuclear Fuel Cladding

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Advancement of Optical Methods in Experimental Mechanics, Volume 3

Abstract

Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiCf-SiCm) composite tube is being developed as an accident tolerant fuel cladding material for light water reactors. The mechanical robustness of the material is of critical importance to ensure that the nuclear fuel and fission products are contained during both normal operation and accident conditions, such as the loss of coolant accident (LOCA) encountered in Fukushima Daiichi Plant. We report the development and application of a high pressure burst testing method to evaluate the mechanical robustness of SiCf-SiCm composite cladding. The internal high pressure is generated using a rubber tubing placed within the SiCf-SiCm sample tube. A unique test rig was designed to seal the ends of the rubber tubing while pressurizing it up to 2,000 bar by hydraulic oil. The expanding rubber tubing confined by the SiCf-SiCm sample tube thus exerts a controlled uniform internal pressure to the SiCf-SiCm sample. The full-field strain distribution of the outside surface of the sample was captured by 3D digital image correlation (DIC) method. The acoustic emission (AE) technique was used to detect damage events during the high pressure burst testing.

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Abbreviations

LOCA:

Loss of coolant accident

DIC:

Digital image correlation

SiCf-SiCm :

Silicon carbide fiber–silicon carbide matrix

CVI:

Carbon vapor infiltration

O.D:

Outside diameter

I.D:

Inside diameter

MPa:

Mega Pascals, 10+6 Pascals

AJ:

Atta Joules, energy unit, 10−18 J

Psi:

Pounds per square inch

PLS:

Proportional limit stress

μ-strains:

Microstrains

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Acknowledgments

This work is performed at the University of South Carolina, Mechanical Engineering Department in collaboration with General Atomics. Funding was provided by the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy under the Accident Tolerant Fuel Program. We want to thank Dr. Michael Sutton, Dr. Li Ning, Mr. Patrick McNeill and Correlated Solutions Inc. for technical assistance in the DIC measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Carolina, 300 Main St., Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Luis H. Alva & Xinyu Huang

  2. General Atomics, San Diego, CA, 92186, USA

    George M. Jacobsen & Christina A. Back

Authors
  1. Luis H. Alva
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  2. Xinyu Huang
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  3. George M. Jacobsen
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  4. Christina A. Back
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xinyu Huang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, USA

    Helena Jin

  2. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Cesar Sciammarella

  3. Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, USA

    Sanichiro Yoshida

  4. Bari, Italy

    Luciano Lamberti

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© 2015 The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.

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Alva, L.H., Huang, X., Jacobsen, G.M., Back, C.A. (2015). High Pressure Burst Testing of SiCf-SiCm Composite Nuclear Fuel Cladding. In: Jin, H., Sciammarella, C., Yoshida, S., Lamberti, L. (eds) Advancement of Optical Methods in Experimental Mechanics, Volume 3. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06986-9_46

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06986-9_46

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-06985-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-06986-9

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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