SWAGING OF URANIUM DIOXIDE. Quarterly Report No. 3 (November 1, 1960 through March 31, 1961)

Technical Report · Sun Apr 30 04:00:00 EDT 1961

OSTI ID:4783521

The metallographic study of the Spencer melted UO/sub 2/ made clear a second phase which is present in the UO/sub 2/ matrix. A series of microhardness measurements were carried out on the UO/sub 2/ matrix and on the second phase, which proved to have the hardness of metallic uranium. Some analyses were made to characterize the special dense'' UO/sub 2/ powder. Some Zircaloy-2 core- length rods were fabricated, with a UO/sub 2/ density equivalent to (90 plus or minus 1)% T.D. A series of thermal conductivity measurements were carried out on three samples of swaged UO/sub 2/ with different densities (90%, 85%, 78% T.D.) at temperatures ranging from 150 to 500 deg C. When the thermal conductivity values of swaged UO/sub 2/ were compared with the values for pellets of the same density (90% T.D.), it was found that the value for the swaged UO/sub 2/ is approx. 30% lower at 150 deg C. When the temperatnre was increased, the thermal conductivity of the swaged UO/sub 2/ diminished less rapidly than that of the pellets, so that at 500 deg C, the latter becomes lower than the former by approx. 20%. (auth)

• Research Organization: FIAT. Sezione Energia Nucleare, Turin
• NSA Number: NSA-16-015155
• OSTI ID: 4783521
• Report Number(s): EURAEC-61
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

COLD WORKING
DEFORMATION
DENSITY
DISTRIBUTION
EXTRUSION
FABRICATION
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HARDNESS
MEASURED VALUES
METALLOGRAPHY
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
RODS
SWAGING
TEMPERATURE
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
URANIUM DIOXIDE
ZIRCALOY