In situ neutron diffraction analysis of microstructural evolution-dependent stress response in austenitic stainless steel under cyclic plastic deformation

Kumagai, Masayoshi*; Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Matsuno, Takashi*; Harjo, S.; Akita, Koichi*

Materials & Design, 221, p.110965_1 - 110965_8, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2022.110965

A Statistical approach for modeling the effect of hot press conditions on the mechanical strength properties of HTGR fuel elements

Aihara, Jun; Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Tachibana, Yukio

Proceedings of 28th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 28) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE28-64507

To maintain the structural integrity of fuel elements for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) under disaster conditions, strong and oxidation-resistant fuel elements should be further developed. The HTGR fuel elements employ a hot-pressed silicon carbide (SiC)/carbon (C) mixed matrix to improve the oxidative resistance. Hot-press conditions such as pressure, temperature, and duration would be one of the factors that affect the strength of the HTGR fuel elements. To identify the optimal hot-press conditions for preparing the high-strength fuel elements, modelling their effects on the mechanical-strength properties of the HTGR fuel elements should be evaluated quantitatively. In this study, the response surface model, which represents the relationship between the hot-press conditions and the mechanical-strength properties, has been constructed by introducing statistical design-of-experiment approaches.

Detection of fatigue damage in stainless steel by EBSD analysis; Applicability of EBSD pattern quality

Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Kamaya, Masayuki*; Yamada, Teruaki*; Akita, Koichi

Nihon Kikai Gakkai Rombunshu (Internet), 83(852), p.17-00072_1 - 17-00072_7, 2017/07

https://doi.org/10.1299/transjsme.17-00072

In order to assess the fatigue damage of austenitic stainless steels by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) method more simply and easily, it should be more preferable to use a commercially available general-purpose EBSD analysis software rather than to employ an in-house developed EBSD analysis programme. In the present study, EBSD measurement was performed for Type 316 austenitic stainless steels subjected to cyclic loading, and the applicability of the EBSD parameter relevant to the pattern quality, which could be obtained by the commercial software, to the fatigue damage assessment was discussed by comparing the other EBSD parameter of the averaged local misorientation (Mave), which could be calculated by the in-house developed programme. As a result, the EBSD parameter relevant to the pattern quality, which signified the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the histogram distribution of the image quality (IQ), was saturated at the beginning stage of the fatigue cycles, while Mave was increased monotonically with the cycles. This suggested that the FWHM of IQ could be useful to detect the initial stage of the fatigue damage, while Mave was suitable for the quantitative evaluation of the fatigue damage. XRD measurement was also carried out for the same samples employed in the EBSD measurement, and the XRD data was compared with the EBSD data to discuss the crystallographic mechanism of the change in the FWHM of IQ. As a result, it was found that the FWHM of the (111) XRD peak correlated well with the FWHM of IQ. Because the (111) plane in fcc metal such as austenitic stainless steel was most preferable for slip system, this implied that the change in the distribution of the pattern quality generated by the fatigue loading could be due to the slip deformation.

Evaluation of fracture toughness of fine-grained isotropic graphites for HTGR

Yamada, Teruaki*; Matsushima, Yuki*; Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Sumita, Junya; Shibata, Taiju; Fujita, Ichiro*; Sawa, Kazuhiro

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 271, p.323 - 326, 2014/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2013.11.055

In order to investigate the effects of the experimental methodology and the notch angle on the fracture toughness of the fine-grained isotropic nuclear graphites IG-110 and IG-430, the three-point-bending test, which has been recently proposed as the methodology to evaluate the fracture toughness of graphite for high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), was performed using two types of the specimens with different notch angles. The results obtained in this study could be summarized as follows: (1) The values of the fracture toughness of IG-110 and IG-430 measured in this study were 0.890 MPa m and 1.031 MPa m, respectively. It was also found that the value of the fracture toughness of IG-110 was nearly equal to or smaller than the values obtained by the other method reported previously. (2) The values of the fracture toughness of the fine-grained isotropic graphites were not affected between the notch angles introduced by the incisive razor blade. (3) The ratio of the tensile strengths of IG-110 and IG-430 was estimated from Griffith Theory using the experimental data obtained in this study. The estimated strength ratio was in good agreement with the strength ratio obtained from the supplier's data.

Analysis of the fracture behavior of hydrided fuel cladding by fracture mechanics

Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Yamanaka, Shinsuke*; Nagase, Fumihisa; Uetsuka, Hiroshi

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 203(2-3), p.185 - 194, 2001/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0029-5493(00)00323-X

no abstracts in English

Pre-irradiation sample size validation on the compressive strength of nuclear graphite for HTGRs

Kunimoto, Eiji; Konishi, Takashi; Eto, Motokuni*; Sumita, Junya; Shibata, Taiju; Sawa, Kazuhiro; Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Kato, Yutai*

no journal, , 

no abstracts in English

Research on advanced fuel element for upgrading safety of high temperature gas-cooled reactors, 4; Modeling for casting oxidation resistant fuel element reactors

Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Tojo, Takuya*; Yamamoto, Takenori*; Aihara, Jun; Tachibana, Yukio

no journal, , 

High temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is a fourth generation nuclear reactor with inherent safety. In recent years, fuel elements with oxidation resistance has been developed for use in HTGR. In order to maintain the structural integrity of the oxidation resistant fuel element under accident conditions, a technique to fabricate a high-strength fuel should be required. In the present study, hot pressing conditions have been considered as the parameters which affect the strength of the oxidation resistant fuel compact, and a model has been created to predict the strength of the fuel compact from the hot pressing conditions by applying statistical approaches. The hot pressing conditions which can fabricate the high-strength oxidation resistant fuel element were also predicted by the model.

A Study on X-ray stress measurement for polygranular graphite

Kumagai, Masayoshi*; Iwata, Saori*; Akita, Koichi; Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Oya, Shinichi*

no journal, , 

no abstracts in English

Effect of surface condition on X-ray stress measurement

Matsuo, Takeshi*; Akita, Koichi; Kuroda, Masatoshi*

no journal, , 

no abstracts in English

Consideration of the hot pressing conditions of the high-strength fuel compact for high-temperature gas-cooled reactor

Yamamoto, Takenori*; Tojo, Takuya*; Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Sumita, Junya; Aihara, Jun; Tachibana, Yukio

no journal, , 

R&D on SiC/C mixed matrix fuel element of high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) to improve oxidation resistance of fuel has been started. In this R&D, Young's modulus of fabricated SiC/C mixed matrix dummy fuel elements was measured. In addition, set of fabrication conditions of SiC/C mixed matrix dummy fuel elements was decided for modeling of relationship between fabrication condition and strength of fabricated SiC/C mixed matrix dummy fuel elements to estimate fabrication condition for SiC/C mixed matrix fuel elements with high strength.