Publications
Showing 71 results for Author: Ben E. Garrison
Apr, 2024
Journal
In-situ determination of strain during transient burst testing and the temperature dependence of Zircaloy-4 claddings
Understanding fuel system behavior during postulated loss-of-coolant accidents is pertinent for continued safe and efficient operation of light water reactors, particularly as higher burnups are being pursued and safety margins re-evaluated. Conventional mechanical models for the incumbent Zr alloys typically rely on the assumption that steady-state creep is the dominant f…
Feb, 2024
Journal
The effect of powder feedstock and heat treatment on the thermal and mechanical properties of binder jet printed ZrC
Zirconium carbide (ZrC) disks were fabricated using binder jet printing to study the effect of powder feedstock, print parameters, and heat treatment on flowability and final materials properties. A median volumetric particle size smaller than 10 μm was shown to cause the powder to stop flowing during printing. Disks were printed using ZrC with suitable flowability and the…
Jan, 2024
Conference Paper
In-situ thermomechanical measurements during burst testing of Zr claddings using digital image correlation and infrared thermography techniques
Burst testing has long been a relied-on method for assessing fuel cladding materials in light-water reactor accident scenarios. However, burst testing historically provided minimal in-situ observations beyond a few thermocouple readings, pressure from transducers, and post-test deformation measurements. Acquisition of full cladding thermomechanical data throughout a burst…
Dec, 2023
Journal
Mechanical Behavior of Additively Manufactured and Wrought 316L Stainless Steels Before and After Neutron Irradiation
Fabrication of nuclear reactor components using additive manufacturing (AM) methods is now a practical option since the AM technologies have advanced to allow for building of complex parts with high quality materials. To assess the mechanical performance of printed components in reactor-relevant conditions and to build a property database for the AM 316L stainless steel (S…
Nov, 2023
Journal
A correlation-based approach for evaluating mechanical properties of nuclear fuel cladding tubes
The present work offers and evaluates a correlation-based approach to determine the tensile properties of nuclear fuel cladding tubes. A set of model materials with known properties (i.e., austenitic and ferritic steels, fcc- and hcp-alloys) were tested to build a correlation between conventional tensile tests and ring (hoop) and tube (axial) tests. It was shown that close…
Nov, 2023
Journal
Heterogeneous microstructure of yttrium hydride and its relation to mechanical properties
The goal of this study is to investigate the properties of yttrium hydride materials in relation to the microstructure, especially its homogeneity. High-throughput nanoindentation mapping was used to evaluate hardness distribution. Raman spectral imaging demonstrated its sensitivity to the presence of YH2 and impurities. Raman peak position maps were correlated with residu…