The Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) cladding serves as the first barrier that prevents the release of radioactive materials. It is very important to maintain cladding integrity in SNF management. It is known that the pinch load applied to the cladding can lead to Mode-3 failure and the cladding becomes more vulnerable to this failure mode with the existence of radial hydrides and other forms of mechanical defects. In this study, a numerical analysis process was proposed to scientifically and systematically evaluate the fracture resistance of cladding with reoriented hydrides under pinch load. The mechanical behavior and fracture of the irradiated cladding under pinch load can be evaluated by Ring Compression Test (RCT). Under the stress field generated by RCT, the cracks propagate more easily through radial hydrides than circumferential hydrides. The δ-hydride which form within the α-zirconium matrix causes a large expansion strain due to the volume difference and voids form at the interface between the hydride and the zirconium matrix. Chan demonstrated that the load needed to form voids and separate the hard hydride precipitates from the Zr matrix is considerably lower than that which initiates brittle fracture of hydrides using a micro-cantilever test. Therefore, we propose a microstructure crack propagation analysis method based on Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) that can simulate fracture of hydride, zirconium matrix, and Zr/hydride interface. CDM is possible to simulate the hydride, zirconium matrix, and interface cracking in a continuum model based on cladding deformation. The RCT simulation model was constructed from the microscopic images of irradiated cladding. A pixel-based finite element model was created by separating the hydride, zirconium matrix, and interface using the image segmentation method on a morphology operation basis. The appropriate element size was selected for the efficiency of the analysis and crack propagation using CDM. The force-displacement curves and strain energy from RCT were compared and analyzed with the simulation results of different element sizes. The finalized RCT simulation model can be used to evaluate the fracture resistance of the irradiated cladding under the quantified pinch load and to establish the failure criterion of fuel rods under pinch load. The advantages and limitations of the proposed process are discussed.

The damage ratio of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is a very important intermediate variable for dry storage risk assessment which require an interdisciplinary and comprehensive investigation. It is known that the pinch load applied to the cladding can lead to Mode-3 failure and the cladding becomes more vulnerable to this failure mode with the existence of radial hydrides and other forms of mechanical defects. In this study, a sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the importance of the damage parameters that need to be calibrated for the simulation of zircaloy-4 cladding failure using computational mechanics. The simulation model was generated from a microscopic image of the cladding with hydride. The image segmentation method was used to separate the Zircaloy-4, hydride, and hydride- Zircaloy matrix interfaces to create a pixel-based finite element model. The ring compression test (RCT) was simulated because the resistance of the cladding under pinch load can be evaluated by this test. It was assumed that the damage starts with the formation and growth of voids or small cracks in the material, which grow and combine to form larger cracks, eventually leading to the complete fracture of the material. Therefore, the ductile damage criterion was applied to all materials to simulate crack formation and propagation. The sensitivity analysis was performed based on the design of experiments using L8 orthogonal array. The effects of five factors on the fracture resistance of hydrided cladding were quantified, and they are the fracture strains describing the damage initiation in zircaloy-4 matrix, hydride, and hydride-zirconium matrix, and yield stress and Young’s modulus for hydride-zirconium matrix. Information on those parameters are hardly available in literature and experimental data which enable the estimation of those are also very rare. It is planned to build a computational model which can accurately simulate the fracture behavior of hydrided cladding by calibrating significant fracture parameters using reverse engineering. The results of this study will help to figure out those significant parameters.

PURPOSES : In this study, a fracture-based finite element (FE) model is proposed to evaluate the fracture behavior of fiber-reinforced asphalt (FRA) concrete under various interface conditions. METHODS: A fracture-based FE model was developed to simulate a double-edge notched tension (DENT) test. A cohesive zone model (CZM) and linear viscoelastic model were implemented to model the fracture behavior and viscous behavior of the FRA concrete, respectively. Three models were developed to characterize the behavior of interfacial bonding between the fiber reinforcement and surrounding materials. In the first model, the fracture property of the asphalt concrete was modified to study the effect of fiber reinforcement. In the second model, spring elements were used to simulated the fiber reinforcement. In the third method, bar and spring elements, based on a nonlinear bond-slip model, were used to simulate the fiber reinforcement and interfacial bonding conditions. The performance of the FRA in resisting crack development under various interfacial conditions was evaluated. RESULTS : The elastic modulus of the fibers was not sensitive to the behavior of the FRA in the DENT test before crack initiation. After crack development, the fracture resistance of the FRA was found to have enhanced considerably as the elastic modulus of the fibers increased from 450 MPa to 900 MPa. When the adhesion between the fibers and asphalt concrete was sufficiently high, the fiber reinforcement was effective. It means that the interfacial bonding conditions affect the fracture resistance of the FRA significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The bar/spring element models were more effective in representing the local behavior of the fibers and interfacial bonding than the fracture energy approach. The reinforcement effect is more significant after crack initiation, as the fibers can be pulled out sufficiently. Both the elastic modulus of the fiber reinforcement and the interfacial bonding were significant in controlling crack development in the FRA.

Three point bending tests of single edge notched beam (SENB) specimens were carried out to evaluate the fracture behavior of the fine-grain isotropic nuclear grade graphite, IG-11. To measure the crack initiation point and the subsequent crack growth, the direct current potential drop (DCPD) method and a traveling microscope were used. The effects of test variables like initial crack length, specimen thickness, notch type and loading rate on the measured fracture toughness, KQ, were investigated. Based on the test results, the ranges of the test variables to measure the reliable fracture toughness value were proposed. During the crack growth, the rising R-curve behavior was observed in IG-11 graphite when the superficial crack length measured on the specimen surface was used. The increase of crack growth resistance was discussed in terms of crack bridging, crack meandering, crack branching, microcracking and crack deflection, which increase the surface energy and friction force.