Experiments on the response of hexagonal subassembly ducts to internal pressure pulses

The safety of Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors depends in part on the ability of the hexagonal subassembly ducts (hexcans) to withstand accidental internal radial loads so that damaged hexcans can be removed from the reactor core. To predict deformations and strains in hexcans subjected to these internal loads and in hexcans surrounding the damaged hexcan, Argonne National Laboratory has developed the finite-element, two-dimensional structural code STRAW (Structural Transient Response of Assembly Wrappers). The experiments described here were performed to verify the modeling techniques used in STRAW and to determine the effects of material properties on hexcan response. Pressure pulses were applied in 12-inch-long hexcans of annealed, 20% CW, and 50% CW 316 stainless steel. The results of these experiments are presented in a form suitable for verifying two-dimensional structure codes designed to predict the response of hexagonal subassembly ducts to internal pressures. (Auth.)