Deformation Behavior of UO2 Above 2000°C.

Abstract

The creep of UO2 under uniaxial, compressive loads was measured in the temperature range from 2100°C to 2600°C at stresses from 2 to 21 MPa. For T > 2100°C, the results indicate an enhancement in creep rate over that predicted from an extrapolation of reported lower‐temperature data. The high‐temperature creep data can be described by an Arrhenius relationship with an activation energy of 1250 kJ/mol. The stress dependence of the creep rate can be expressed as a logarithmic relationship with a stress exponent that decreases from 6.5 at 2100°C to 3.5 at 2600°C.