About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Accelerated Qualification Methods for Nuclear Reactor Structural Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Using Digital Image Correlation to Accelerate Understanding of Fuel Cladding Performance under Accident Scenarios |
| Author(s) |
Mackenzie Ridley, Samuel Bell, Nathan Capps |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Mackenzie Ridley |
| Abstract Scope |
Transient burst testing has historically been the gold standard for evaluating the performance of fuel cladding during various accident conditions; particularly, loss-of-coolant accidents. Standard burst testing yields valuable metrics such as cladding rupture temperature, rupture pressure, and changes in cladding diameter. Traditionally, developing empirical curves for the balloon and burst phenomena required extensive testing, while yielding limited insight into thermomechanical response. To enhance the understanding of cladding behavior in these scenarios, digital image correlation was integrated into the Severe Accident Test Station (SATS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This improvement enabled in-situ strain data collection during simulated accident conditions facilitating mechanistic model development, reducing the number of experiments needed, and enabling novel test methods to accelerate characterization of high temperature fuel cladding creep behavior. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Mechanical Properties, |