Anisotropic biaxial creep of textured zircaloy: Application to in-reactor life prediction

Journal Article · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:552452

Murty, K L ^[1]

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1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)

Zirconium alloys are commonly used in light water reactors as thin-walled tubings to prevent coolant-fuel contact and to retain fission gases. These alloys have hexagonal close-packed crystal structure with low c/a ratio at and below the reactor operating temperatures and exhibit preferred orientations or textures. The anisotropic mechanical properties in turn affect their in-service behavior such as in-pile creep-down of the cladding tubes. Creep anisotropy was characterized using biaxial creep tests and the creep-loci constructed at constant energy dissipation deviated from isotropy. The anisotropy parameters derived from the loci agreed with those obtained from the strain-rate ratios at varied stress ratios. Effects of cold work were clearly revealed in that the relatively strong hoop direction for the recrystallized (R{sub x}) material became far weaker.

• OSTI ID: 552452
• Report Number(s): CONF-971125--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 77; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CREEP
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ISOTROPY
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
STRAIN RATE
TUBES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
ZIRCALOY