SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1994
STP15208S

Irradiation Effect on Fatigue Behavior of Zircaloy-4 Cladding Tubes

Source

Since nuclear electricity has a predominant share in French generating capacity, pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are required to fit grid load following and frequency control operating conditions. Consequently, cyclic stresses appear in the fuel element cladding. In order to characterize the possible resulting clad damage, fatigue tests were performed at 350°C on unirradiated material or irradiated stress relieved Zircaloy-4 tube portions, using a special device for tube fatigue by repeated pressurization.

It appears that, for high stress levels, the material fatigue life is not affected by irradiation. But the endurance fatigue limit undergoes a decrease from the 350 MPa value for unirradiated material to the 210 MPa value for the material irradiated for four cycles in a PWR. However, this effect seems to saturate with irradiation dose: no difference could be detected between the two cycles' results and the corresponding four cycles' results. The corrosion effect and the load following influence were also investigated: they do not appear to modify the fatigue behavior in our experimental conditions.

Author Information

Soniak, A
Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Lansiart, S
Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Royer, J
Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Mardon, J-P
Fragema, Lyon, France
Waeckel, N
Electricité de France/Septen, Villeurbanne, France
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Details
Developed by Committee: B10
Pages: 549–558
DOI: 10.1520/STP15208S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5286-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-2011-2