Assessment of thin-walled cladding tube mechanical properties by segmented expanding Mandrel test

This paper presents the principles of the segmented expanding mandrel test for thin-walled cladding tubes, which can be used as a basic material characterisation test to determine stress-strain curves and ductility or as a test to simulate mechanical pellet-cladding interaction. The paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the test method and it illustrates how the test can be used to simulate hydride reorientations in zirconium claddings and quantify how hydride reorientation affects ductility. (authors)