Mechanical Properties of Uranium Silicides by Nanoindentation and Finite Elements Modeling

Abstract

Three methods were used to measure the mechanical properties of $${\text{U}}_{3}{\text{Si}}$$ , $${\text{U}}_3{\text{Si}}_{2}$$ , and USi. Quasi-static and continuous stiffness measurement nanoindentation were used to determine hardness and Young’s modulus, and microindentation was used to evaluate the bulk hardness. Hardness and Young’s modulus of the three U-Si compounds were both observed to increase with Si content. Finally, finite elements modelling was used to validate the nanoindentation data calculated for $${\text{U}}_{3}{\text{Si}}_{2}$$ and estimate its yield strength.