The mechanism and kinetics of the fuel cladding failure during loading after high-temperature oxidation

Abstract Complex analysis of the acoustic emission (AE), load–strain diagrams and step-by-step metallographic analysis have been used to examine the sequence of damage accumulation under loading in tubular E110 zirconium alloy specimens, which were subjected to high-temperature oxidation ( T = 1100 °C, ECR = 10%). The ECR value was determined by weight gain measurements. The fracture of samples under loading begins with the formation of brittle microcracks 30–50 μm long in the α-layer. Further, the cracks propagate simultaneously into oxide and “prior β”-layer until the formation of a through-wall crack.