Mechanical properties behaviour using PADBT for the nuclear reactor cladding (Aluminium alloy 6061) after irradiation.

Cladding is the outer layer of the fuel rods, standing between the coolant and the nuclear fuel. It is used to provide a combination of mechanical properties & corrosion resistance. The purpose of cladding in a nuclear reactor is two-fold. Cladding gives the physical configuration by housing fuel pellets and retains the fission products and prevents direct contact between coolant and fuel. The following materials are commonly used as the fuel cladding materials (zircaloy – stainless steels – magnesium (magnox) – Fe – Cr – Al alloys – SiC – aluminium alloys). The aim of the present work to probe the effect of radiation dose on the properties of nuclear reactor cladding 6061 Al alloys. Studied the depends of crystallite size, trapping rate, defect density, dislocation density and stored energy on the radiation dose. Cladding of nuclear fuel studied by using positron annihilation doppler broadening (DB) technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]