Properties of Compacts and Pellets Made Using Bimodal- Sized $UO_2$ Powder

The powder mixture which has a bimodal size distribution, with a large mode corresponding to AUC-UO$_2$ powder and a small one corresponding to ADU-UO$_2$ powder, was prepared, pressed into compacts, and sintered at 1680t for 4 hours in hydrogen gas. The compact density of the powder mixture increases with increasing ADU-UO$_2$content within a content of 20 wt %, since small ADU-UO$_2$ particles can fill interstices between large AUC-UO$_2$particles. The UO$_2$ pellet made using the powder mixture has a lower open porosity than that made using AUC-UO$_2$ powder alone. The mechanism for the formation of a flake-like pore is proposed, and the decrease in open porosity may be ascribed to the decrease in the number of flake-like pores.