NSUF 20-3091: In situ High Temperature UO2 Grain Boundary and Bulk Mechanics under Irradiation
The overarching goal of the proposed work is to develop fundamental chemistry-structure-property relationships for UO2 grains and grain boundaries that serve as a basis for optimizing chemistry and engineering microstructure for damage tolerant fuels. Small scale testing will be employed in combination with in situ laser heating and ion irradiation with a goal of understanding and isolating the mechanical properties of individual microstructural features, e.g. the fracture toughness along specific crystallographic directions in the bulk and along grain boundaries, under conditions intended to model those experienced by fuels, T>1200 oC. The work builds on prior collaborations between the PI and Khalid Hattar’s group at Sandia National Laboratories where we have previously developed capabilities to perform in situ ion irradiation induced creep at high temperatures as well as in situ transmission electron microscopy based ultrahigh temperature, T>2000 oC, in situ mechanical testing. Experiments performed as a function of dopant chemistry, dose, and temperature will be used to develop fundamental structure-property relationships that will inform continuum scale mechanical models of fuels.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | University of Illinois |
| Embargo End Date | 2024-05-09 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Christopher Smyth |
| Irradiation Facilities | SNL Ion Beam Laboratory |
| NSUF Call | FY 2020 RTE 2nd Call |
| PI | Shen Dillon |
| Project Member | Brent Heuser - University of Illinois |
| Project Member | Dr. Andrew Nelson, Section Head / Distinguished Staff Scientist - Oak Ridge National Laboratory (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4071-3502) |
| Project Member | Professor Shen Dillon, Professor - University of California-Irvine (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6192-4026) |
| Project Notes | Awarded on 07/14/2020 |
| Project Type | RTE |
| Publication | Using in situ UO2 bicrystal sintering to understand grain boundary dislocation nucleation kinetics and creep Shen Dillon Journal of the American Ceramic Society None 2024-07-01 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381546426_Using_in_situ_UO2_bicrystal_sintering_to_understand_grain_boundary_dislocation_nucleation_kinetics_and_creep |
| RTE Number | 3091 |