Fabrication of tubed functionally graded material by slurry dipping process

To fabricate a long life fuel cladding tubes for the fast breeder reactor, the concept of functionally graded material was applied for the material combination of molybdenum/stainless steel/titanium, in which titanium is placed at the inner side to withstand against fission products and neutron irradiation, and molybdenum at the outer side to withstand corrosion by liquid sodium coolant. Slurry dipping method was employed for the processing because of its capability of shape forming and microstructural control. The graded layers of titanium and molybdenum were formed on both sides of stainless steel substrate according to an optimum composition profile for the thermal stress reduction. Such graded layers were successfully formed by slurry dipping. Dispersion, sedimentation, viscosity, rheology, as well as yield value, of the slurries were investigated in detail in connection with properties of dispersion medium, dispersion reagent, binder and raw powders. Low- and high-viscosity slurries were investigated to enlarge a possibility of film thickness control. For the low-viscosity slurry it is necessary to suppress the sedimentation of dispersion particles, while for the high-viscosity slurry it turned out to be important to clarify the flow characteristics of the slurry for the determination of the yield value, which is needed for the precise control of the dip-coated layer thickness. The forming conditions were determined for the low-viscosity slurry in taking sedimentation rate and sedimentation height as measures of slurry stability and dispersion, respectively. If was confirmed that slow sedimentation and low sedimentation height gave reproducible film forming. The high-viscosity slurry was free from sedimentation, and the control of the film thickness with viscosity and yield value was rather easier. (J.P.N.)