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

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Xiaowo Wang, Zhijie Xu & Xiaohua Hu

  2. Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Ayoub Soulami, Curt Lavender & Vineet Joshi

Authors
  1. Xiaowo Wang
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  2. Zhijie Xu
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  3. Ayoub Soulami
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  4. Xiaohua Hu
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  5. Curt Lavender
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  6. Vineet Joshi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhijie Xu.

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Wang, X., Xu, Z., Soulami, A. et al. Modeling Early-Stage Processes of U-10 Wt.%Mo Alloy Using Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Concepts. JOM 69, 2532–2537 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-017-2608-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-017-2608-z

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