| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Mechanical Behavior of Nuclear Reactor Materials and Components IV
|
| Presentation Title |
Size Effect Investigation of Nuclear Grade ETU-10 Graphite |
| Author(s) |
Spencer Doran, Jacob Whisler, Ian Ferguson, Johnathan Gonyaw, Pierre Alexandre Juan, Brandon Haugh, Tianyi Chen |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Spencer Doran |
| Abstract Scope |
Graphite has been an important component in the history of nuclear reactors, both as a structural element and moderator in various reactor designs. Ensuring the safety of graphite components under different irradiation, loading, coolant, and reactor failure conditions requires thorough analysis and proof of safety to regulators. Separate effects testing has been conducted for the qualification of these components. However, a challenge arises from the fact that testing samples are typically orders of magnitude smaller than the actual reactor component, which affects the data’s applicability This work investigates the fracture mechanics of ETU-10 graphite at different length scales. The size effect is then studied using Dynamic Systems Scaling techniques to analyze the mechanistic similarities, employing 3-point bending tests of samples of different sizes with in-situ scanning electron microscopy and digital image correlation. This study provides valuable insights for future irradiation studies and aims to expedite the qualification of nuclear-grade graphite. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, Mechanical Properties |