Abstract
This study investigates the transient mechanical response of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding candidates to provide information on potential PCMI-induced deformation and failure of candidate cladding materials. The mechanical testing is applied t to Gen-I FeCrAl and triaxially-braided SiC fiber SiC matrix composite materials under loading conditions like the PCMI during a postulated design basis reactivity insertion accident. To achieve the specific loading conditions, a modified burst test instrument with accurate mechanical pulse control has been designed and constructed. The mechanical response of FeCrAl, SiC-SiC composite tubes were compared with the pre-hydrided zirconium alloy cladding. The specimens subjected to mechanical pulses were investigated in a strain-controlled manner deformation.
