COLUMBIUM ALLOY CLAD URANIUM CARBIDE FUEL ELEMENT. Final Report, May 1, 1959-April 30, 1960. Metals Research Laboratories Technical Report 60-46

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4003305

Finley, J J; Korchynsky, M; Sarian, S

The formation of uranium carbide by the reaction of uranium metal with methane was investigated in detail. The conditions necessary to attain a stoichiometric composition are outlined, and the possible mechanisms of compound formation are discussed. The progress of carburization can be controlled by matching the particle size of uranium (produced by thermal decomposition of UH/ sub 3/), reaction temperature and time, and methane concentration. Several powder metallurgical techniques were employed to form dense uranium monocarbide compacts. Starting with fine powders (mean particle size of several microns), densities between 92 and 95% of theoretical were obtained by coldpressing and sintering at 1700 to 1900 deg C. Compacts with zero porosity were produced by vacuum hot-pressing below 1600 deg C uranium carbide powders in tungsten dies. Similar densification was observed after hot-swaging uranium carbide powder canned in a columbium-base alloy. The applicability of slip casting was evaluated in a series of preliminary experiments. The compatibility of uranium monocarbide with several columbium-base alloys, contemplated as cladding material, was studied using a pictureframe technique. No interaction was detected metallographically and by microhardness measurements after 100 hours exposure at llOO deg C in an argon atmosphere. Various analytic procedures are presented. (auth)

• Research Organization: Union Carbide Metals Co., Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-026554
• OSTI ID: 4003305
• Report Number(s): ORO-366
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ARGON
CASTING
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COLD WORKING
COMPACTING
DECOMPOSITION
DENSITY
DIES
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GRAIN SIZE
HARDNESS
HOT WORKING
MECHANICS
METALLOGRAPHY
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
METHANE
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
PREPARATION
PRESSURE
REPORT
SINTERING
TEMPERATURE
TUNGSTEN
URANIUM
URANIUM CARBIDES
URANIUM HYDRIDES
VACUUM