Proton irradiation-induced cracking and microstructural defects in UN and (U,Zr)N composite fuels
Journal article, 2024
Proton irradiation with a primary ion energy of 2 MeV was used to simulate radiation damage in UN and (U,Zr)N fuel pellets. The pellets, nominally at room temperature, were irradiated to peak levels of 0.1, 1, 10 dpa and 100 dpa resulting in a peak hydrogen concentration of at most 1 at. %. Microstructure and mechanical properties of the samples were investigated and compared before and after irradiation. The irradiation induced an increase in hardness, whereas a decrease in Young's modulus was observed for both samples. Microstructural characterization revealed irradiation-induced cracking, initiated in the bulk of the material, where the peak damage was deposited, propagating towards the surface. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy was used to study irradiation defects. Dislocation loops and fringes were identified and observed to increase in density with increasing dose levels. The high density of irradiation defects is proposed as the main cause of swelling and consequent sample cracking, leading simultaneously to increased hardening and a decrease in Young's modulus.
Composite nuclear fuels
Irradiation induced cracking
Spark plasma sintering
Proton irradiation
Uranium nitride
Simulated burn-up structure
Author
Elina Charatsidou
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Maria Giamouridou
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Andrea Fazi
Chalmers, Physics, Microstructure Physics
Gyula Nagy
Uppsala University
Diogo Ribeiro Costa
Westinghouse Electric Company
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Sarmad Naim Katea
Uppsala University
Höganäs
Mikael Jolkkonen
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Gunnar Westin
Uppsala University
Mattias Thuvander
Chalmers, Physics, Microstructure Physics
Daniel Priemetzhofer
Uppsala University
P. Olsson
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Journal of Materiomics
23528478 (ISSN) 23528486 (eISSN)
Vol. 10 4 906-918Subject Categories
Metallurgy and Metallic Materials
DOI
10.1016/j.jmat.2024.01.014