Title: FFT-based model for irradiated aggregate microstructures in concrete

Abstract

The concrete biological shield of light water reactors is exposed to neutron and gamma irradiation throughout its lifetime, which results in the long-term degradation of the concrete’s mechanical properties. Under neutron irradiation, the concrete’s aggregates are subjected to radiation-induced volumetric expansion (RIVE), which strongly depends on the mineral content of the aggregate and exhibits the largest expansion in silicate-bearing minerals. In this work, the authors used the fast Fourier transform-based code Microstructure-Oriented Scientific Analysis of Irradiated Concrete (MOSAIC) in 2D to model the expansion of five different aggregates provided by the Japan Concrete Aging Management Program (JCAMP). Comparable rock specimens were irradiated at the JEEP-II test reactor. The model uses realistic aggregate microstructure reconstruction based on high-resolution characterization images. The model accounts for anisotropic RIVE, thermal expansion, and the associated initiation and propagation of damage. The RIVE models are calibrated based on expansion data in the literature. The authors assume that damage occurs exclusively at interfaces between the particles that compose an aggregate and that these interfaces also exhibit swelling. Using a micromechanical model, the evolution of Young’s modulus with RIVE is calculated for each aggregate and compared with Russian irradiation data. The modeled linear expansion agrees well with themore » experimentally measured expansion. Furthermore, the model also predicts that anisotropic RIVE and thermal expansion result in an earlier onset of damage with neutron fluence than in the isotropic case.« less

Authors:

Cheniour, Amani ^[1]; Li, Yujie  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Li, Yujie"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-3804-9593"

Sanahuja, Julien ^[2]; Le Pape, Yann  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Le Pape, Yann"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-5410-6546"

Rodriguez, Elena Tajuelo  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Rodriguez, Elena Tajuelo"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-2152-0067"

Anovitz, Lawrence M.  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Anovitz, Lawrence M."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-2609-8750"

Garg, Nishant ^[3]; Polavaram, Krishna C. ^[3]; Rosseel, Thomas M.  ^[1]

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Rosseel, Thomas M."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-9917-7073"

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Électricité de France (EDF) Lab. (France)
3. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)

Publication Date:

Tue Oct 04 00:00:00 EDT 2022

Research Org.:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

OSTI Identifier:

1897008

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Materials and Structures

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 55; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 1359-5997

Publisher:

Springer

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Irradiated concrete; Micromechanics; Fast Fourier transform; MOSAIC