Influence of simulated fission products corrosion on room temperature burst strength extension of domestic stainless steel cladding tubes used for FBR

The room temperature burst strength and maximum circus expansion are measured respectively for non-attack and attacked 316-Ti cladding tubes at low and high oxygen potential and the fracture sections of the tubes are also analysed to understand the extent and mechanism of properties degradation after attack. Degradation of strength and expansion for attacked 316-Ti cladding tube at high oxygen potentials is considerably larger than that at low oxygen potential. The intergranular brittle fracture characteristic in the inner surface of fracture section at high oxygen potential is rather remarkable, and there are trace Cs and Te in the broken grain boundary. This result supports the point of view that the mechanism of the so-called Fuel Adjecency Effect (FAE) is synergetic Cs and Te fission product induced liquid-metal embrittlement