• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.1250-1258
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• 2021

In this paper, the mechanical performance of cracked surface-coated Zircaloy cladding, which has different coating materials, coating thicknesses and initial crack lengths, has been investigated. By analyzing the stress field near the crack tip, the safety zone range of initial crack length has been decided. In order to determine whether the crack can propagate along the radial (r) or axial (z) directions, the energy release rate has been calculated. By comparing the energy release rate with fracture toughness of materials, we can divide the initial crack lengths into three zones: safety zone, discussion zone and danger zone. The results show that Cr is suitable coating material for the cladding with a thin coating while Fe-Cr-Al have a better fracture mechanical performance in the cladding with thick coating. The Si-coated and SiC-coated claddings are suitable for reactors with low power fuel elements. Conclusions in this paper can provide reference and guidance for the cladding design of nuclear fuel elements.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.823-832
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• 2003

To define the causes of cladding degradation which can take place during the operation of nuclear power plants, it is required to develop the new fracture toughness test of spent fuel cladding. The fracture toughness of Zircaloy-4 cladding was estimated using the recently developed KAERI embedded Charpy (KEC) specimen. Axially notched KEC specimens cut directly from unirradiated fuel claddings, were tested in a way similar to the standard toughness test method of a Single Edge Bending (SEB) specimen. The results of KEC fracture toughness test at room temperatures were discussed and compared with those of the previous other studies. In conclusions, even though the KEC fracture toughness test of nuclear fuel claddings was easier and more reliable than those developed earlier, the results from the cladding fracture tests were not the material characteristics but the specific fracture parameters which were deeply related to the specification of claddings. In addition, the phenomenon of a thickness yielding was not observed from the fracture surface. It was closely related to the fact that the plane strain condition of the KEC specimen was changed to the plane stress condition during crack advancing. It was also supported by the fractographic evidence that the formation of ductile dimples at the crack initiation became the similar appearance such as a quasi-cleavage after the sufficient crack advancing.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.931-932
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.421-422
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.402-403
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.88-95
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• 2002

Fretting of fuel rod cladding material, Zircaloy-4 Tube, in PWR nuclear power plants must be reduced and avoided. Nowadays the introduction of surface treatments or coatings is expected to bean ideal solution to fretting damage since fretting is closely related to wear, corrosion and fatigue. Therefore, in this study the fretting wear experiment was peformed using TiAIN coated Zircaloy-4 tube as the fuel rod cladding and uncoated Zircaioy-4 tube as one of grids, especially concentrating on the sliding component. Fretting wear resistance of TiAIN coated Zircaloy-4 tubes was improved compared with that of TiN coated tubes and uncoated tubes and the fretting wear mechanisms were delamination and plastic flow following by brittle fracture at lower slip amplitude but severe oxidation and spallation of oxidative layer at higher slip amplitude.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.164-171
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• 2005

Iodine-Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking (ISCC) properties of Zircaloy-4 and HANA4 developed in KAERI for the high burn-up nuclear fuel cladding were evaluated. To confirm the effect of final heat treatment on ISCC resistance of Zr-alloy, stress relieved and recrystallized specimens were prepared and tested. With the pre-cracked specimen at internal surface, ISCC crack propagation rates and threshold stress intensity factor ($K_{ISCC}$) based on the fracture mechanics were measured by internal pressurization test at $350^{\circ}C$ in iodine environment. $K_{ISCC}$ of Zircaloy-4 and HANA4 cladding were $3.3MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$ and $4.4MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$, respectively. Pitting corrosion at the crack surface was observed and it seemed that TG crack propagation was derived from the pitting.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.1031-1043
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• 2017

A structural model for stress distributions of coated Zircaloy subjected to realistic incore pressure difference, thermal expansion, irradiation-induced axial growth, and creep has been developed in this study. In normal operation, the structural integrity of coating layers is anticipated to be significantly challenged with increasing burnup. Strain mismatch between the zircaloy and the coated layer, due to their different irradiation-induced axial growth, and creep deformation are found to be the most dominant causes of stress. This study suggests that the compatibility of the high temperature irradiation-induced strains (axial growth and creep) between zircaloy and the coating layer and the capability to undergo plastic strain should be taken as key metrics, along with the traditional focus on chemical protectiveness.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.22-33
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• 1987

The confirmed integrity of nuclear fuel cladding materials is an important object during steady state and transient operations at nuclear power plant. In this context, the clad material yielding behavior is especially important because of pellet-clad gap expansion. During the steep power excursion, the in-pile irradiation behavior differences between uranium-dioxide fuel pellet and zircaloy clad induce the contact pressure between them. If this pressure reaches the zircaloy clad yield pressure, the zircaloy clad will be plastically deformed. After the reactor power resumed to normal state, this plastic permanent expansion of clad tube give rise to the pellet-clad gap expansion. In this paper, the simple mandrel expansion test method which utilizes thermal expansion difference between copper mandrel and zircaloy tube was adopted to simulate this phenomenon. That is, copper mandrel which has approximately three times of thermal expansion coefficient of zircaloy-4 (PWR fuel cladding material) were used in this experiment at the temperature range from 400C to 700C. The measured plastic expansion of zircaloy outer radius and derived mathematical relations give the yield pressure, yield stress of zircaloy-4 clad at the various clad wall temperatures, the activation energy of zircaloy tube yielding, and pellet-clad gap expansion. The obtained results are in good agreement with previous experimental results. The mathematical analysis and simple test method prove to be a reliable and simple technique to assess the yielding behavior and gap expansion measurement between zircaloy-4 tube and uranium-dioxide fuel pellet under biaxial stress conditions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.2565-2571
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• 2020

Background: Understanding the behaviour of nuclear fuel claddings by conducting burst test on single cladding tube under simulated loss-of-coolant accident conditions and developing theoretical cum empirical predictive computer codes have been the focus of several investigations. The developed burst criterion (a) assumes symmetrical deformation of cladding tube in contrast to experimental observation (b) interpolates the properties of Zircaloy-4 cladding in mixed α+β phase (c) does not account for azimuthal temperature variations. In order to overcome all these drawbacks of burst criterion, it is reasoned that artificial intelligence technique may be a better option to predict the burst parameters. Methods: Artificial neural network models based on feedforward backpropagation algorithm with logsig transfer function are developed. Results: Neural network architecture of 2-4-4-3, that is model with two hidden layers having four nodes in each layer is found to be the most suitable. The mean, maximum, and minimum prediction errors for this optimised model are 0.82%, 19.62%, and 0.004%, respectively. Conclusion: The burst stress, burst temperature, and burst strain obtained from burst criterion have average deviation of 19%, 12%, and 53% respectively whereas the developed neural network model predicted these parameters with average deviation of 6%, 2%, and 8%, respectively.