• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.51 no.5
• /
• pp.435-441
• /
• 2014

Silicon carbide-based ceramics and their composites have been studied for application to fusion and advanced fission energy systems. For fission reactors, $SiC_f$/SiC composites can be applied to core structural materials. Multilayered SiC composite fuel cladding, owing to its superior high temperature strength and low hydrogen generation under severe accident conditions, is a candidate for the replacement of zirconium alloy cladding. The SiC composite cladding has to retain its mechanical properties and original structure under the inner pressure caused by fission products; as such it can be applied as a cladding in fission reactor. A hoop strength test using an expandable polyurethane plug was designed in order to evaluate the mechanical properties of the fuel cladding. In this paper, a hoop strength test of the multilayered SiC composite tube for nuclear fuel cladding was simulated using FEA. The stress caused by the plug was distributed nonuniformly because of the friction coefficient difference between the inner surface of the tube and the plug. Hoop stress and shear stress at the tube was evaluated and the relationship between the concentrated stress at the inner layer of the tube and the fracture behavior of the tube was investigated.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.259-264
• /
• 2004

Aluminum based metal matrix composite reinforced with SiC particles was fabricated by the powder-in sheath rolling method. A stainless steel tube with outer diameter of 12 mm and wall thickness of 1mm was used as a sheath. Mixture of aluminum powder and SiC particles of which volume content was varied from 5 to 20vol.% was filled in the tube by tap filling and then rolled to 75% reduction at ambient temperature. The rolled specimen was sintered at 56$0^{\circ}C$ for 0.5hr. The tensile strength of the (SiC)$_{p}$/Al composite increased with the volume content of SiC particles, and at 20vol.% it reached a maximum of 100㎫ which is 1.6 times higher than unreinforced material. The elongation decreased with the volume content of $Al_{2}$O$_{3}$ particles. The mechanical properties of the (SiC)$_{p}$/Al composite fabricated by the powder-in sheath rolling is compared with that of (Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$)$_{p}$/Al composite by the same process.ess.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.565-572
• /
• 2013

The fabrication methods and requirements of the fiber, interphase, and matrix of nuclear grade $SiC_f/SiC$ composites are briefly reviewed. A CVI-processed $SiC_f/SiC$ composite with a PyC or $(PyC-SiC)_n$ interphase utilizing Hi-Nicalon Type S or Tyranno SA3 fiber is currently the best combination in terms of the irradiation performance. We also describe important material issues for the application of SiC composites to LWR fuel cladding. The kinetics of the SiC corrosion under LWR conditions needs to be clarified to confirm the possibility of a burn-up extension and the cost-benefit effect of the SiC composite cladding. In addition, the development of end-plug joining technology and fission products retention capability of the ceramic composite tube would be key challenges for the successful application of SiC composite cladding.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.50 no.6
• /
• pp.359-363
• /
• 2013

Silicon carbide and its composites are being considered as a nuclear fuel cladding material for LWR nuclear reactors because they have a low neutron absorption cross section, low hydrogen production under accident conditions, and high strength at high temperatures. The SiC composite cladding tube considered in this study consists of three layers, monolith CVD SiC - $SiC_f$/SiC composite -monolith CVD SiC. The volume fraction of SiC fiber and surface roughness of the composite layer affect mechanical and corrosion properties of the cladding tube. In this study, various types of SiC fiber preforms with tubular shapes were fabricated by a filament winding method using two types of Tyranno SA3 grade SiC fibers with 800 filaments/yarn and 1600 filaments/yarn. After chemical vapor infiltration of the SiC matrix, the surface roughness and fiber volume fraction were measured. As filament counts were changed from 800 to 1600, the surface roughness increased but the fiber volume fraction decreased. The $SiC_f$/SiC composite with a bamboo-like winding pattern has a smaller surface roughness and a higher fiber volume fraction than that with a zigzag winding pattern.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.40-44
• /
• 2016

Nuclear fuel cladding used in a nuclear power plant must possess superior oxidation resistance in the coolant atmosphere of high temperature/high pressure. However, as was the case for the critical LOCA (loss-of-coolant accident) accident that took place in the Fukushima disaster, there is a risk of hydrogen explosion when the nuclear fuel cladding and steam reacts dramatically to cause a rapid high-temperature oxidation accompanied by generation of a huge amount of hydrogen. Hence, an active search is ongoing for an alternative material to be used for manufacturing of nuclear fuel cladding. Studies are currently aimed at improving the safety of this cladding. In particular, ceramic-based nuclear fuel cladding, such as SiC, is receiving much attention due to the excellent radiation resistance, high strength, chemical durability against oxidation and corrosion, and excellent thermal conduction of ceramics. In the present study, cladding with $SiC_f/SiC$ protective films was fabricated using a process that forms a matrix phase by polymer impregnation of polycarbosilane (PCS) after filament-winding the SiC fiber onto an existing Zry-4 cladding tube. It is analyzed the oxidation and microstructure of the metal cladding with $SiC_f/SiC$ composite protective films using a drop tube furnace for thermal shock test.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2000.02a
• /
• pp.213-213
• /
• 2000

Direct laser vaporization of transition-metal(Co, Ni)/graphite composite pellet produced single wall carbon naotubes(SWNT) in the condensing vapor in a heated flow cylinder-type tube furnace, Transition metal/graphite composite pellet target was made by mixing graphite, Co, and Ni in 98:1:1 atomic weight ratios, pressing the mixed powder, and curing it. The target was placed in a tube furnace maintained at 1200$^{\circ}C$ and Ar inert collision gas continuously flowed into the tube. The 2nd harmonic, 532nm wavelength light from Nd-YAG laser was used to vaporize the tube. The carbon nanotubes produced by the laser vaporization were accumulated on quartz tube wall. The raw carbon nanotube materials were purified with surfactants(Triton X-100) in a ultrasonicator. These carbon nanotubes were analyzed using SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopic method. The carbon nanotube growth on the Ni-patterned Si substrate was investigated by the CVD process. Transition-metal, Ni and CH4 gas were used as a catalyst and a reactant gas, respectively. The structure and the phonon frequencies of the carbon nanotubes formed on the patterned Si substrate were measured by SEM and Raman spectrometer.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.493-500
• /
• 1999

Squeeze casting was used for fabricating a light metal base composite having high strength and wearresistance. Reactive sintering was used to prepare the preform of Squeeze casting. To utilize Fe-Al intermetallic compounds and SiC particle as a reinforcement, there needs to prepare Fe-Al mixed powder at 50, 60, 70at.%Al, and add SiC powder to the above mixture at 4, 7, 16, 24wt.%. The prepared mixture with SiC was reactive sintered in a tube furnace at $660^{\circ}C$ to get a porous hybrid preform of intermetallic compound and SiC. The preform prepared above was placed in a metal mold, preheated at $660^{\circ}C$ AC4C matrix was injected into the mold with the temperature of the melt at $610^{\circ}C$ After these processes, 66MPa was applied to the mold for 5 minute to finish the whole procedure. The maximum reaction temperature was increased with the increased Al amount, but decreased with the increased SiC amount. The density of the preform was decreased with SiC amount increase in the compacts due to swelling of the preform. An optical microscope was applied to observe the micro structure and the dispersion of the reinforcements. To analyze phases, We utilized XRD, EDS. Hardness test were chosen to get the information of mechanical properties. There were no significant changes in micro structure between the composite and preform. However, it was shown that uniform dispersion of the reinforcers and complete infiltration of the melt into the preform were achieved through the procedure of the squeeze casting. It was observed that the hardness of the composite is decreased with increased SiC amount, resulting from the volumetric expansion of the preform.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.811-820
• /
• 2013

SiC has been under investigation as a potential cladding for LWR fuel, due to its high melting point and drastically reduced chemical reactivity with liquid water, and steam at high temperatures. As SiC is a brittle material its behavior during the reflood phase of a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) is another important aspect of SiC that must be examined as part of the feasibility assessment for its application to LWR fuel rods. In this study, an experimental assessment of thermal shock performance of a monolithic alpha phase SiC tube was conducted by quenching the material from high temperature (up to $1200^{\circ}C$) into room temperature water. Post-quenching assessment was carried out by a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image analysis to characterize fractures in the material. This paper assesses the effects of pre-existing pores on SiC cladding brittle fracture and crack development/propagation during the reflood phase. Proper extension of these guidelines to an SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) cladding design is discussed.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.450-456
• /
• 2017

Reaction-bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) is a SiC-based composite ceramic fabricated by the infiltration of molten silicon into a skeleton of SiC particles and carbon, in order to manufacture a ceramic body with full density. RBSC has been widely used and studied for many years in the SiC field, because of its relatively low processing temperature for fabrication, easy use in forming components with a near-net shape, and high density, compared with other sintering methods for SiC. A radiant tube is one of the most commonly employed ceramics components when using RBSC materials in industrial fields. In this study, the mechanical strengths of commercial RBSC tubes with different sizes are evaluated using 3-point flexural and C-ring tests. The size scaling law is applied to the obtained mechanical strength values for specimens with different sizes. The discrepancy between the flexural and C-ring strengths is also discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.821-835
• /
• 2016

The paper presents an experimental study of the structural behavior of circular flyash-concrete-filled steel tubular stub columns under axial compressive loads. In this study, 90% and 100% by weight of the cement in the concrete core was replaced with flyash. Twenty-seven specimens were tested to study the influence of flyash content, wall thickness of the steel tube, and curing age on the ultimate capacity and confinement effect. The experimental results were compared with the design values calculated using AISC-LRFD (1999), ACI (1999), AIJ (1997) and Eurocode 4 (1994). From the experimental study, it was determined that the confinement effect of circular steel tubes filled with high content flyash concrete was better than that of specimens filled with ordinary Portland cement concrete. The 5.88-mm-thick steel tube filled with 100% flyash concrete was equivalent in strength to a steel tube filled with C30 concrete at 28 days.