Thermal Shock Fracture of Silicon Carbide and Its Application to LWR Fuel Cladding Performance During Reflood

Lee, Youho; McKrell, Thomas; Kazimi, Mujid S.

doi:10.5516/net.02.2013.528

Cited by 27 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Lee et al [22,23] studied the performance of sintered a-SiC tubes and CVD b-SiC bars under thermal shock (quenching test). During the thermal shock the specimens were heated in a furnace until they reached a constant temperature (up to 1533 K), then the hot specimen was quickly dropped into a water pool at room temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental study of thermo-mechanical behavior of SiC composite tubing under high temperature gradient using solid surrogate

Alva

Shapovalov

Jacobsen

et al. 2015

Journal of Nuclear Materials

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a b s t r a c tNuclear grade silicon carbide fiber (SiC f ) reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiC m ) composite is a promising candidate material for accident tolerance fuel (ATF) cladding. A major challenge is ensuring the mechanical robustness of the ceramic cladding under accident conditions. In this work the high temperature mechanical response of a SiC f eSiC m composite tubing is studied using a novel thermomechanical test method. A solid surrogate tube is placed within and bonded to the SiC f eSiC m sample tube using a ceramic adhesive. The bonded tube pair is heated from the center using a ceramic glower. During testing, the outer surface temperature of the SiC sample tube rises up to 1274 K, and a steep temperature gradient develops through the thickness of the tube pair. Due to CTE mismatch and the temperature gradient, the solid surrogate tube induces high tensile stress in the SiC sample. During testing, 3D digital image correlation (DIC) method is used to map the strains on the outer surface of the SiC-composite, and acoustic emissions (AE) are monitored to detect the onset and progress of material damage. The thermo-mechanical behavior of SiC-composite sample is compared with that of monolithic SiC samples. Finite element models are developed to estimate stressestrain distribution within the tube assembly. Model predicted surface strain matches the measured surface strain using the DIC method. AE activities indicated a progressive damage process for SiC f eSiC m composite samples. For the composites tested in this study, the threshold mechanical hoop strain for matrix micro-cracking to initiate in SiC f eSiC m sample is found to be~300 microstrain.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental study of thermo-mechanical behavior of SiC composite tubing under high temperature gradient using solid surrogate

Alva

Shapovalov

Jacobsen

et al. 2015

Journal of Nuclear Materials

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“…Silicon carbide (SiC) has excellent properties such as low density, high specific strength, high specific modulus, resistance to thermal shock, low activation, radiation tolerance and corrosion resistance [1]. However, like other ceramic materials, high brittleness of SiC has become disadvantage of its application as a structural material [2]. SiC matrix composites reinforced with continuous SiC fibers reduce the macroscopic brittleness of the material and are characterized by quasi-ductile behavior under mechanical loading [3,4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preceramic Paper-Derived SiCf/SiCp Composites Obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering: Processing, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

Kashkarov

Сыртанов

et al. 2020

Materials

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Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) based on silicon carbide (SiC) are promising materials for applications as structural components used under high irradiation flux and high temperature conditions. The addition of SiC fibers (SiCf) may improve both the physical and mechanical properties of CMCs and lead to an increase in their tolerance to failure. This work describes the fabrication and characterization of novel preceramic paper-derived SiCf/SiCp composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The sintering temperature and pressure were 2100 °C and 20–60 MPa, respectively. The content of fibers in the composites was approx. 10 wt.%. The matrix densification and fiber distribution were examined by X-ray computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy. Short processing time avoided the destruction of SiC fibers during SPS. The flexural strength of the fabricated SiCf/SiCp composites at room temperature varies between 300 and 430 MPa depending on the processing parameters and microstructure of the fabricated composites. A quasi-ductile fracture behavior of the fabricated composites was observed.

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“…When monolithic SiC is subjected to thermal shock above a critical temperature difference, ∆Tc, strength sharply decreases because there is no barrier to prevent crack propagation, resulting in catastrophic failure. It is known that the critical temperature for an onset of a crack is from 230°C to 450°C for monolith SiC, depending on the microstructure . In the case of dense monolithic SiC, it is generally known that cracks begin to initiate at around 400°C, and dense monolithic SiC was completely shattered above 1000°C.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is known that the critical temperature for an onset of a crack is from 230°C to 450°C for monolith SiC, depending on the microstructure. [9][10][11][12][13] In the case of dense monolithic SiC, it is generally known that cracks begin to initiate at around 400°C, and dense monolithic SiC was completely shattered above 1000°C.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal shock resistance and hoop strength of triplex silicon carbide composite tubes

Kim

Lee

et al. 2017

Int J Applied Ceramic Tech

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Multi‐layered SiC composites have been considered as a nuclear fuel cladding material of light water reactors, LWRs, because of their excellent high temperature strength and corrosion resistance under accident conditions. During a design basis accident of a LWR such as a loss‐of‐coolant accident, the peak temperature of the fuel clad rapidly increases as the production of decay heat continues. The emergency core cooling systems then automatically supply the reactor core with emergency cooling water. The fuel clad consequently suffers from thermal shock. In this study, the structural integrity of multi‐layered SiC composite tubes after thermal shock was investigated. Several kinds of multi‐layered SiC composite tubes consisting of CVD SiC and CVI SiCf/SiC were water‐quenched from 1200°C to room temperature. The triplex SiC composite tube retained its tubular geometry during quenching. The strength degradation after thermal shock was <13% for the specimens with a PyC interphase. The residual stress distribution within the tubes during thermal shock was evaluated by a finite element method.

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Thermal Shock Fracture of Silicon Carbide and Its Application to LWR Fuel Cladding Performance During Reflood

Cited by 27 publications

References 15 publications

Experimental study of thermo-mechanical behavior of SiC composite tubing under high temperature gradient using solid surrogate

Experimental study of thermo-mechanical behavior of SiC composite tubing under high temperature gradient using solid surrogate

Preceramic Paper-Derived SiCf/SiCp Composites Obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering: Processing, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

Thermal shock resistance and hoop strength of triplex silicon carbide composite tubes

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