| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Mechanical Behavior of Nuclear Reactor Materials and Components IV
|
| Presentation Title |
Shear and Delamination Behaviour of Basal Planes in Zr3AlC2 MAX Phase Studied by Micromechanical Testing |
| Author(s) |
Siyang Wang, Oriol Gavalda-Diaz, Jack Lyons, Finn Giuliani |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Siyang Wang |
| Abstract Scope |
The mechanical properties of layered, hexagonal-structured MAX phases often show the combined merits of metals and ceramics, making them promising for next-generation nuclear fuel cladding. While their unique mechanical performance largely arises from the crystal structure, the effect of chemistry on their micromechanical properties remains unclear. To study this, we employed two in situ electron microscope small-scale testing approaches to examine the micromechanical properties of Zr3AlC2, and compared the results with the properties of Ti3SiC2: we used micropillar compression tests to measure basal slip strength, and double cantilever beam splitting tests to evaluate fracture energy for basal plane delamination. We observed distinct and systematic differences in these measured properties between Zr3AlC2 and Ti3SiC2, where Zr3AlC2 appeared to be stronger but more brittle at the microscale. The implications of our results in the selection, design, and engineering of MAX phases for their applications in the nuclear industry will be discussed. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Mechanical Properties, Nuclear Materials, Characterization |