Modeling Early-Stage Processes of U-10 Wt.%Mo Alloy Using Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Concepts

Xiaowo Wang, Zhijie Xu, Ayoub Soulami, Xiaohua Hu, Curt Lavender, Vineet Joshi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Low-enriched uranium alloyed with 10 wt.% molybdenum (U-10Mo) has been identified as a promising alternative to high-enriched uranium. Manufacturing U-10Mo alloy involves multiple complex thermomechanical processes that pose challenges for computational modeling. This paper describes the application of integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) concepts to integrate three individual modeling components, viz. homogenization, microstructure-based finite element method for hot rolling, and carbide particle distribution, to simulate the early-stage processes of U-10Mo alloy manufacture. The resulting integrated model enables information to be passed between different model components and leads to improved understanding of the evolution of the microstructure. This ICME approach is then used to predict the variation in the thickness of the Zircaloy-2 barrier as a function of the degree of homogenization and to analyze the carbide distribution, which can affect the recrystallization, hardness, and fracture properties of U-10Mo in subsequent processes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2532-2537
Number of pages6
JournalJOM
Volume69
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2017
Externally publishedYes

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