Inelastic deflexion of fuel plates due to coolant flow and compressive edge loads

Abstract

A fuel plate in a long parallel-plate assembly may be subjected to biaxial compressive forces in the plane of the plate, as well as to a deflexion-dependent transverse pressure induced by coolant flow. The resulting plate deflexions can be sufficiently large to cause thermal failure of the assembly. An approximate method, based on inelastic plate theory, is used to predict plate deflexions and to derive interaction equations for the combined system of loads causing a maximum allowable deflexion.