Metallurgy Commons^™

Investigation Of The Use Of Micro-Mechanical Testing To Analyze The Mechanical Anisotropy Of The Zr-2.5%Nb Pressure Tube Alloy, Richard O. Oviasuyi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Maintaining a safe operation of nuclear power plants is the primary requirement of nuclear power generating organizations worldwide. This necessitates the use of highly effective methods for assessing the mechanical properties of reactor materials and components. This is important since all components located in a nuclear reactor core experience high levels of neutron irradiation which cause defects to be formed in the metals’ crystal structure. The density of these crystal defects increases with increasing exposure to neutrons and cause the crystalline metal to become harder and simultaneously more brittle. This change in mechanical properties is potentially detrimental to the safe …