Experiments have been carried out to vary the stress in the oxide layer during oxidation of Zircaloy-2. This was achieved by varying the thickness of the metal substrate, using a specimen with a tapered wedge-shaped cross-section. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed that the compressive stress level in the oxide was reduced when the metal substrate was thinner. The rate of oxidation was also slower for conditions where the stress was reduced. The results can be interpreted such that transitions in the growth result from sequential cracking of the oxide when sufficient elastic strain energy accumulates and that the cracks then enhance access of oxygen to the metal interface.

A model for plastic deformation in pure copper taking work hardening, dynamic recovery and static recovery into account, has been formulated using basic dislocation mechanisms. The model is intended to be used in finite-element computations of the long term behaviour of structures in Cu-OFP for storage of nuclear waste. The relation between the strain rate and the maximum flow stress in the model has been demonstrated to correspond to strain rate versus stress in creep tests for oxygen free copper alloyed with phosphorus Cu-OFP. A further development of the model can also represent the primary and secondary stage of creep curves. The model is compared to stress strain curves in compression and tension for Cu-OFP. The compression tests were performed at room temperature for strain rates between 5 × 10 -5 and 5 × 10 -3 s -1. The tests in tension covered the temperature range 20-175°C for strain rates between 1 × 10 -7 and 1 × 10 -4 s -1. Consequently, it is demonstrated that the model can represent mechanical test data that have been generated both at constant load and at constant strain rate without the use of any fitting parameters. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Around 1990 it was discovered that pure copper could have extra low creep ductility in the temperature interval 180-250 C. The material was intended for use in canisters for nuclear waste disposal. Although extra low creep ductility was not observed much below 180 C and the temperature in the canister will never exceed 100 C, it was feared that the creep ductility could reach low values at lower temperatures after long term exposure. If 50 ppm phosphorus was added to the copper the low creep ductility disappeared. A creep cavitation model is presented that can quantitatively describe the cavitation behaviour in uniaxial and multiaxial creep tests as well as the observed creep ductility for copper with and without phosphorus. A so-called double ledge model has been introduced that demonstrates why the nucleation rate of creep cavities is often proportional to the creep rate. The phosphorus agglomerates at the grain boundaries and limits their local deformation and thereby reduces the formation and growth of cavities. This explains why extra low creep ductility does not occur in phosphorus alloyed copper. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

In Sweden, spent nuclear fuel is planned to be disposed off by placing it in canisters which are made of oxygen free copper alloyed with 50 ppm phosphorus. The canisters are expected to stay intact for thousands of years. During the long term disposal, the canisters will be exposed to mechanical pressure from the surroundings at temperatures up to 100 °C and this will result in creep. To investigate the role of the complex stress conditions on the canisters, creep tests under multiaxial stress state are needed. In the present work, creep tests under multiaxial stress state with three different notch profiles (acuity 0.5, 2, and 5, respectively) at 75 °C with net section stresses ranging from 170 MPa to 245 MPa have been performed. To interpret the experimental results, finite element computations have been conducted. With the help of the reference stress, the rupture lifetime in the multiaxial tests was estimated. The prediction was more precise for the higher acuities than for the lower one. In order to predict the creep deformation of the canisters for the long service period, fundamental creep models are considered. Previously developed basic models are used to compute the creep deformation in the multiaxial tests. Although the scatter is large, the agreement with the experiments is considered as acceptable, indicating that the basic models which have been successfully developed for uniaxial creep tests can also be used to describe multiaxial creep tests. Notch strengthening was observed for copper.

In this work, the Cu clustering in Fe under irradiation is investigated using experiments, cluster dynamics and atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo (AKMC) simulations. In experiments, cast iron and model FeCu alloy samples were irradiated with 2 MeV electrons for 143 h at 140 °C. The post-irradiation microstructure was characterized using atom probe tomography. Cluster dynamics and AKMC methods were used to simulate the Cu clustering under the same irradiation conditions. Both simulation methods show satisfactory agreement with experiments, lending strength to the validity of the models. Finally, the Cu clustering in spent-fuel repository conditions for 105 years at 100 °C was simulated using both methods. The results indicate that potential hardening by Cu clustering is insignificant over 105 years.