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.
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Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program. Part of the research was performed at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396. The authors wish to thank Dr. Jordan Weaver at Los Alamos National laboratory and Dr. Bill Mook at Sandia National Laboratory for scientific input.
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Carvajal-Nunez, U., Elbakhshwan, M.S., Mara, N.A. et al. Mechanical Properties of Uranium Silicides by Nanoindentation and Finite Elements Modeling. JOM 70, 203–208 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-017-2667-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-017-2667-1