Comparison of a Fuel-Sheath Failure Model with Published Experimental Data

摘要

A fuel sheath failure model has been compared with the published results of experiments in which a Zircaloy-4 fuel sheath was subjected to a temperature ramp and a differential pressure until failure occurred. The model assumes that the deformation of the sheath is controlled by steady-state creep and that there is a relationship between tangential stress and temperature at the instant of failure. The sheath failure model predictions agree reasonably well with the experimental data. The burst temperature is slightly overpredicted by the model. The burst strain is overpredicted for small experimental burst strains but is underpredicted otherwise. The reasons for these trends are discussed and the extremely wide variation in burst strain reported in the literature is explained using the model. (ERA citation 07:053934)