• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.50 no.7
• /
• pp.1138-1147
• /
• 2018

Delayed hydride cracking (DHC) is an important failure mechanism for Zircaloy tubes in the demanding environment of nuclear reactors. The threshold stress intensity factor, $K_{IH}$, and critical hydride length, $l_C$, are important parameters to evaluate DHC. Theoretical models of them are developed for Zircaloy tubes undergoing non-homogenous temperature loading, with new stress distributions ahead of the crack tip and thermal stresses involved. A new stress distribution in the plastic zone ahead of the crack tip is proposed according to the fracture mechanics theory of second-order estimate of plastic zone size. The developed models with fewer fitting parameters are validated with the experimental results for $K_{IH}$ and $l_C$. The research results for radial cracking cases indicate that a better agreement for $K_{IH}$ can be achieved; the negative axial thermal stresses can lessen $K_{IH}$ and enlarge the critical hydride length, so its effect should be considered in the safety evaluation and constraint design for fuel rods; the critical hydride length $l_C$ changes slightly in a certain range of stress intensity factors, which interprets the phenomenon that the DHC velocity varies slowly in the steady crack growth stage. Besides, the sensitivity analysis of model parameters demonstrates that an increase in yield strength of zircaloy will result in a decrease in the critical hydride length $l_C$, and $K_{IH}$ will firstly decrease and then have a trend to increase with the yield strength of Zircaloy; higher fracture strength of hydrided zircaloy will lead to very high values of threshold stress intensity factor and critical hydride length at higher temperatures, which might be the main mechanism of crack arrest for some Zircaloy materials.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.1192-1197
• /
• 2003

The aim of this study is to investigate the hydride embrittlement when the LBB evaluation is carried out for the integrity of PHWR Pressure Tubes. The transverse tensile and CCT tests were performed at three hydrogen concentrations while the test temperatures were changed (RT to $300^{\circ}C$). The specimens were directly machined from the pressure tube retaining original curvature. Both the transverse tensile and the fracture toughness tests showed the hydrogen embrittlement clearly at RT but this phenomenon was disappeared while the test temperature arrived over $250^{\circ}C$. Using the DHC test results, the CCL and LBB time were calculated and compared. The hydride embrittlement behavior at the LBB evaluation was definitely showed.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.610-616
• /
• 2004

The aim of this study was to investigate the hydride embrittlement when the LBB evaluation was carried out for the integrity of PHWR Pressure Tubes. The transverse tensile and CCT toughness tests were performed at three hydrogen concentrations while the test temperatures were changed (RT to 30$0^{\circ}C$). Both the transverse tensile and the fracture toughness tests showed the hydrogen embitterment clearly at RT but this phenomenon was disappeared while the test temperature arrived at 25$0^{\circ}C$. Using the DHC test results, the CCL and LBB time were calculated and compared. The hydride embrittlement at the LBB evaluation made the LBB time short definedly. If the operating temperature, DHCV and LBB deterministic parameters such as A and m were known, LBB time could be estimated without the calculation of CCL.