Tensile mechanical properties of U₃Si₂-Al fuel plate

The fuel plate made of fuel meat, with the U₃Si₂-Al dispersion fuel center, and 6061 Al alloy cladding, is a new kind of fuel used in research reactors. The mechanical property data of the fuel meat is the basic data in the design of fuel group, but the mechanical property of this fuel meat has not been studied all over the world till now. In this paper, the mechanical properties of U₃Si₂-Al fuel meats of different sizes used in research reactors are investigated and analyzed, and at the same time the carrying capacity of tensile in different directions are also compared. In order to get more knowledge about the mechanical properties of the fuel meat, the tensile experiment has been carried out repeatedly. Considering the lower ratio of elongation and the brittleness, the microscope has been used to examine the zone of fracture after tensile test. (authors)