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Sizing up mechanical testing: Comparison of microscale and mesoscale mechanical testing techniques on a FeCrAl welded tube

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2020

Jonathan G. Gigax Open the ORCID record for Jonathan G. Gigax [Opens in a new window] ,
Avery J. Torrez ,
Quinn McCulloch ,
Hyosim Kim ,
Stuart A. Maloy  and
Nan Li
Jonathan G. Gigax*
Affiliation:
Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545, USA
Avery J. Torrez
Affiliation:
MST-8, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545, USA
Quinn McCulloch
Affiliation:
Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545, USA
Hyosim Kim
Affiliation:
MST-8, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545, USA
Stuart A. Maloy
Affiliation:
MST-8, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545, USA
Nan Li
Affiliation:
Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545, USA
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: jgigax@lanl.gov
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Abstract

FeCrAl alloys are among the best and most mature accident tolerant fuel cladding candidates produced to date, due to their superior combination of mechanical properties and stability at elevated temperatures. For fuel cladding applications, these materials are drawn into tubes with plugs welded to the ends. The mechanical properties of such welds and the impact on cladding performance have not been fully investigated. A novel mesoscale mechanical test and a variety of microscale tests were performed to evaluate a range of properties including nanoindentation hardness, compression and shear yield strengths, and tensile strengths and elongations. Micromechanical testing generally matched the trends of the larger mesoscale testing, with nanoindentation reproducing the trend the best, although some discrepancies existed in regions with low dislocation content. Mesoscale tensile testing showed good correlation with macroscale tests and revealed that the plug heat-affected zone possessed the lowest strength and ductility. This indicated that failure would occur first in or near this region.

Keywords

weldingnuclear materialsmesoscale
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 35 , Issue 20 , 28 October 2020 , pp. 2817 - 2830
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2020

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References

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