• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.16-25
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• 2016

In severe loss of coolant accidents (LOCA), similar to those experienced at Fukushima Daiichi and Three Mile Island Unit 1, the zirconiumalloy fuel claddingmaterials are rapidlyheateddue to nuclear decay heating and rapid exothermic oxidation of zirconium with steam. This heating causes the cladding to rapidly react with steam, lose strength, burst or collapse, and generate large quantities of hydrogen gas. Although maintaining core cooling remains the highest priority in accident management, an accident tolerant fuel (ATF) design may extend coping and recovery time for operators to restore emergency power, and cooling, and achieve safe shutdown. An ATF is required to possess high resistance to steam oxidation to reduce hydrogen generation and sufficient mechanical strength to maintain fuel rod integrity and core coolability. The initiative undertaken by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing an ATF cladding with capability to maintain its integrity in $1,200-1,500^{\circ}C$ steam for at least 24 hours. This ATF cladding utilizes thin-walled Mo-alloys coated with oxidation-resistant surface layers. The basic design consists of a thin-walled Mo alloy structural tube with a metallurgically bonded, oxidation-resistant outer layer. Two options are being investigated: a commercially available iron, chromium, and aluminum alloy with excellent high temperature oxidation resistance, and a Zr alloy with demonstratedcorrosionresistance.Asthese composite claddings will incorporate either no Zr, or thin Zr outer layers, hydrogen generation under severe LOCA conditions will be greatly reduced. Key technical challenges and uncertainties specific to Moalloy fuel cladding include: economic core design, industrial scale fabricability, radiation embrittlement, and corrosion and oxidation resistance during normal operation, transients, and severe accidents. Progress in each aspect has been made and key results are discussed in this document. In addition to assisting plants in meeting Light Water Reactor (LWR) challenges, accident-tolerant Mo-based cladding technologies are expected to be applicable for use in high-temperature helium and molten salt reactor designs, as well as nonnuclear high temperature applications.

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.8-14
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• 2023

In order to broaden the range of application of light weight aluminum alloys, it is necessary to enhance the mechanical properties of the alloys and combine them with other materials, such as cast iron. In this study, the effects of adding small amounts of Cu and Zr to the Al-Si-Mg based alloy on tensile properties and corrosion characteristics were investigated, and the effect of the addition on the interfacial compounds layer with the cast iron was also analyzed. Although the tensile strength of the Al-Si-Mg alloy was not significantly affected by the additions of Cu and Zr, the corrosion resistance in 3.5 %NaCl solution was found to be somewhat lowered in this research. The influence of Cu and Zr addition on the type and thickness of the interfacial compounds layer formed during compound casting with cast iron was not significant, and the main interfacial compounds were identified to be Al₅FeSi and Al₈Fe₂Si phases, as in the case of the Al-Si-Mg alloys.

• 한국해양공학회지
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• 제13권3호통권33호
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• pp.36-48
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• 1999

Fatigue life and crack retardation behavior after penetration were experimentally examined using surface pre-cracked specimens of aluminium alloy 5083. The Wheeler model retardation parameter was used successfully to predict crack growth behavior after penetration. By using a crack propagation rule, the change in crack shape after penetration can be evaluated quantitatively. Advanced, waveform-based acoustic emission (AE) techniques have been successfully used to evaluate signal characteristics obtained form fatigue crack propagation and penetratin behavior in 6061 aluminum plate with surface crack under fatigue stress. Surface defects in the structural members are apt to be origins of fatigue crack growth, which may cause serious failure of the whole structure. The nondestructive analysis on the crack growth and penetration from these defects may, therefore, be one of the most important subjects on the reliability of the leak before break (LBB) design. The goal of the present study is to determine if different sources of the AE could be identified by characteristics of the waveforms produced from the crack growth and penetration. AE signals detected in four stages were found to have different signal per stage. With analysis of waveform and power spectrum in 6061 aluminum alloys with a surface crack, it is found to be capabilities on real-time monitoring for the crack propagation and penetration behavior of various damages and defects in structural members.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제29권6호
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• pp.591-602
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• 2009

The Compton backscatter technique has been applied to lap-joint in aircraft structure in order to determine mass loss due to exfoliative corrosion of the aluminum alloy sheet skin. The mass loss of each layer has been estimated from Compton backscatter A-scan including the aluminum sheet, the corrosion layer, and the sealant. A Compton backscattering imaging system has been also developed to obtain a cross-sectional profile of corroded lap-splices of aging aircraft using a specially designed slit-type camera. The camera is to focus on a small scattering volume inside the material from which the backscattered photons are collected by a collimated scintillator detector for interpretation of material characteristics. The cross section of the layered structure is scanned by moving the scattering volume through the thickness direction of the specimen. The theoretical model of the Compton scattering based on Boltzmann transport theory is presented for quantitative characterization of exfoliative corrosion through deconvolution procedure using a nonlinear least-square error minimization method. It produces practical information such as location and width of planar corrosion in layered structures of aircraft, which generally cannot be detected by conventional NDE techniques such as the ultrasonic method.

• 마이크로전자및패키징학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.79-85
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• 2016

It is imperative to find environment-friendly coatings as an alternative to the currently used hexavalent chromate conversion coatings for the purpose of improving the anti-corrosion properties of aluminum alloys. Hence, in this study, the corrosion properties of a trivalent chromate conversion coating solution are analyzed and measured. Because of the presence of multiple components in trivalent chromate conversion coating solutions, it is difficult to control plating, attributed to their mutual organic relationship. It is of significance to determine the concentrations of the components present in these coatings; hence, qualitative and quantitative analysis is required. The coating solution contained not only an environment-friendly component chromium(III), but also zirconium, fluorine, sulfur, and potassium, in the coating film. These metals are confirmed to produce a film with improved corrosion resistance to form a thin layer. The excellent corrosion resistance for the trivalent chromate solution is attributed to various inorganic and organic additives.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.53-57
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• 2003

The MarM247 based superalloy (8wt.%Cr- 9wt.%Co- 3wt.%Ta- 1.5wt.%Hf- 5.6%wt.Al- 9.5wt.%W- Bal. Ni) specimens were diffusion aluminized by for types of pack cementation methods, and their coating structure and their high temperature oxidation resistance were investigated. The coated specimens treated at 973K in high aluminum concentration pack had a coating layer containing large hafunium rich precipitates, which were originally included in substrate alloy. After the high temperature oxidation test in air containing 30 vol.% $H_2O$ at 1273K ~ 323K, the deep localized corrosion which reached to the substrate were observed along with these hafnium rich precipitates. On the other hand, the coated specimens treated at 1323K using low aluminum concentration pack showed the coating layer without the large hafunium rich precipitates, and after the high temperature oxidation test at 1273K for 1800 ksec, it did not show the deep localized corrosion. The nickel electroplating before the aluminizing forms thick hafnium free area, and its high temperature oxidation resistance were comparable to platinum modified aluminizing coatings at 1273K.

• 한국주조공학회지
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.130-135
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• 2014

Efforts have been made to develop new silicon-free aluminum casting alloys that possess high electrical and thermal conductivity. In this research Al-Fe-Cu-Mg alloys with various Cu and Mg contents were investigated for their various properties. As the Cu or Mg content was increased, the electrical conductivity gradually decreased, while the tensile strength of the Al-Fe-Cu-Mg alloy tended to be improved. It was found that fluidity was generally inversely proportional to the Cu content, but the alloys containing 1%Mg showed considerably low fluidity, regardless of the Cu content.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권6호
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• pp.2288-2297
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• 2023

Current designs of both large reactor units and small modular reactors utilize a nuclear fuel with increasing enrichment. This increasing demand for better nuclear fuel utilization is a challenge for nuclear fuel handling facilities. The operation with higher enriched fuels leads to reduced reserves to legislative and safety criticality limits of spent fuel transport, storage and final disposal facilities. Design changes in these facilities are restricted due to a boron content in steel and aluminum alloys that are limited by rolling, extrusion, welding and other manufacturing processes. One possible solution for spent fuel pools and casks is the burnup credit method that allows decreasing very high safety margins associated with the fresh fuel assumption in spent fuel facilities. This solution can be supplemented or replaced by an alternative solution based on placing the neutron absorber material directly into the fuel assembly, where its efficiency is higher than between fuel assemblies. A neutron absorber permanently fixed in guide tubes decreases system reactivity more efficiently than absorber sheets between the fuel assemblies. The paper summarizes possibilities of fixed neutron absorbers for various nuclear fuel and fuel handling facilities. Moreover, an absorber material was optimized to propose alternative options to boron. Multiple effective absorbers that do not require steel or aluminum alloy compatibility are discussed because fixed absorbers are placed inside zirconium or steel cladding.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제24권5호
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• pp.532-537
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• 2004

전자기장을 유도하는 원리를 기초로 한 새로운 비파괴탐상법인 FEF법을 개발하였다. 이 탐상법은 전자기장을 유도하는 유도선과 이를 감지하는 감지부로 구성되어 있고, 비접촉 방식으로 탐상을 실시한다. 본 연구는 알루미늄합금, 스테인레스강과 인코넬 합금강의 재료에 방전 가공한 결함에 대하여 결함 검출 및 결함 깊이에 대한 평가를 실시하였다. 결함이 없는 영역에서의 측정전압은 lift-off에 의존한다. 결함영역에서 탐촉자가 결함에 가까이 접근할수록 전압은 증가하고, 결함위치에서 최고전압으로 측정되며, 이 최고치는 결함의 깊이에 따라 변화한다. 각 재료에 대한 전압분포 같은 경향으로 측정된다.

• 한국주조공학회지
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.127-132
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• 2012

Al-Zn-Mg alloys, being high strength aluminum alloys, have attracted attention as a material of automobile parts that require higher mechanical properties and lightness. Automobile parts with complex shapes are manufactured by low-priced casting method, but Al-Zn-Mg alloys are difficult to cast because of its poor hot cracking, feeding, and fluidity. Thus fluidity experiments on Al-Zn-Mg alloys were conducted for the castability evaluation. The effects of Mg and Zn, representative elements of Al-Zn-Mg alloys, on fluidity were observed. Spiral mold was used for fluidity experiments and the lengths of solidified specimens were measured after melting and gravity casting. Correlation between microstructures and fluidity length based on the alloy composition was considered. According to the experimental results, as the amount of Mg and Zn increased, fluidity decreased. Also, it was confirmed that fluidity change by the variation of Mg composition was greater than that of Zn.