Abstract
The Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) behavior of short tubular Zircaloy-4 (Zry) specimens by the action of iodine was investigated out-of-pile between 600 and 1100°C under inert gas conditions. The Zry cladding tubes were used as-received, with an inner preliminary oxidation and pre-damaged, respectively. Moreover, the influence of the UO 2 oxygen potential on the SCC behavior was studied. The burst and creep-rupture tests (time-to-rupture ⩽15 min) clearly show that the deformation behavior of Zry cladding tubes below 850°C is influenced by the presence of iodine. A low ductility failure of Zry tubes takes place that is characterized by little deformation as compared to reference specimens without iodine. Moreover, in the isothermal, isobaric experiments, the time-to-failure of the iodine containing specimens is markedly shorter as compared to the iodine-free reference specimens. Internal preoxidation of the cladding tube or UO 2 in the specimens exert an additional influence on the mechanical properties of Zry. SEM examinations of the rupture surface of the cladding tubes show that in the presence of iodine and at burst temperatures below 850°C the cracks in the cladding material are mainly intergranular followed by ductile residual rupture.
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