Analysis of mechanical strength in ceramic pellets of nuclear fuel

The mechanical strength of sintered uranium oxide (UO 2 ) pellets was determined by subjecting them to Brazilian testing. The results showed that the sintering time, the sintering atmosphere as well as the annealing process after grinding all had a great influence on the mechanical strength of the p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation effects and defects in solids 2009-05, Vol.164 (5-6), p.313-318
Main Authors: Santana, H. H.S., Maier, G., Scherer, U. W., Ródenas, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annealing
ceramic pellets
Ceramic sintering
Mechanical properties
mechanical strength
Nuclear fuels
Radiation
sintering
Uranium
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Summary:The mechanical strength of sintered uranium oxide (UO 2 ) pellets was determined by subjecting them to Brazilian testing. The results showed that the sintering time, the sintering atmosphere as well as the annealing process after grinding all had a great influence on the mechanical strength of the pellets. Pellets sintered for the longest time reached the highest density among four pellet types, even though their mechanical resistance was not the highest. Annealed pellets, sintered in a dry atmosphere, had a resistance of about 10% higher than the annealed pellets sintered in a wet atmosphere. For the pellets with similar densities ('B' and 'D'), the difference in their mechanical strength was due to differences in the sintering atmosphere, which influenced the porosity distribution. All annealed pellets had superior properties compared with those that were only ground and not annealed, proving that annealing does indeed improve the mechanical strength of UO 2 pellets.
ISSN:1042-0150
1029-4953
DOI:10.1080/10420150902809247