| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Mechanical Behavior of Nuclear Reactor Materials and Components IV
|
| Presentation Title |
Failure Behavior of Nuclear Composite Materials Revealed Through In-Situ Testing |
| Author(s) |
Tianyi Chen, Spencer Doran, Pierre-Alexandre Juan, Brandon Haugh, David Frazer, George Jacobsen |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Tianyi Chen |
| Abstract Scope |
Composite materials have wide-ranging applications in nuclear reactors, from graphite used as moderator and structural materials to SiC-SiC composites for accident-tolerant cladding and beyond. The mechanical behavior of composites is complicated by their hierarchical microstructure. Understanding the connections between the macroscopic performance of composites under service conditions and their micromechanical behavior under certain local strain and stress states is key to interpreting lab-scale testing results and predicting the mechanical performance of nuclear components made from these composites.
Primarily using in-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) mechanical testing, we study the fracture behavior of fine-grained nuclear graphite and SiC-SiC composites. The fracture behavior, as related to the local strain, reveals the connection between mechanical performance and micromechanics. The similarities between different testing and service conditions will be analyzed and discussed to illustrate the value of in-situ testing for nuclear-materials licensing and qualification. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Mechanical Properties, Composites |