INTERIM REPORT ON THE HYDROSTATIC DESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF ZIRCALOY-2 PRESSURE TUBING

Technical Report · Thu Oct 15 04:00:00 EDT 1959

OSTI ID:4221839

Kahle, V E

This investigation was undertaken to: obtain ultimate strength and creep rupture data on Zircaloy--2 tubing to be used in conjunction with other considerations for the establishment of safe operating limits for the PRTR and NPR; study the fracture characteristics of Zircaloy-2 tubing and deterenine if there is a correlation between tensile strength, as determined from standard tensile specimens made from strip, and actual burst strengths of tubing. Burst test equipment, instrumentation, and end closures were developed to make possible the testing of Zircaloy pressure tube sections at elevated temperatures. This equipment has evolved to the point where it is now possible to obtain reproducible and accurate ultimate strength data on tube sections up to 30 inches in length. Pictures, sketches, and a discussion of the equipment are presented. Burst test data on 20 Zircaloy-2 tubes are included and discussed. A short discussion of fracture characteristics and strength of tubing as opposed to strip is presented. The following conclusions were reached. The equipment, instrumentation, and test procedures were developed to the point where reasonably accurate data now may be obtained. The Zircaloy-2 tubes have a higher ultimate strength than predicted on the basis of tensile data obtained from Zircaloy-2 strip. Zircaloy-2 tubing in the annealed, asextruded and 5 to 17.8% cold-worked conditions fails in a ductile manner at 300 deg C when an internal pressure is applied. The fractured surfaces are inclined approximately 45 degrees to the direction of the principal stress indicating the mode of fracture is shear. The increase in ultimate strength of tube sections over tensile specimens may be due to the biaxial stress conditions and the crystallographic preferred orientation present in the tubes. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(45-1)-1350
• NSA Number: NSA-14-003725
• OSTI ID: 4221839
• Report Number(s): HW-61272(Rev.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ANNEALING
CREEP
DUCTILITY
EXTRUSION
FAILURES
HIGH TEMPERATURE
INSTRUMENTS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MATERIALS TESTING
METALS, CERAMICS, AND MATERIALS
PRESSURE
SAFETY
SURFACES
TENSILE PROPERTIES
TUBES
ZIRCALOY