Microstructure and mechanical properties of eutectic B2O3–UO2 ceramic composites solidified at different cooling rates

Abstract The removal of nuclear debris from damaged reactors by drilling or cutting requires an understanding of various properties of the solidified debris, such as mechanical properties (hardness, fractural features, strength, etc.) and microstructural properties like porosity, which have a significant impact on the mechanical properties. In this study, B2O3–UO2 composites were prepared by the eutectic reaction as solidified samples of mock fuel debris with a wide variety of porosities, and the porosity dependence of the mechanical properties under compression were characterized to obtain fundamental data on the complicated fuel debris. The porous eutectic B2O3–UO2 (B2O3/UO2 atomic ratio = 0.225:0.775) samples were successfully prepared by solidification of the molten phase below 2073 K, and the porosity increased as the pore network developed as the cooling rate was decreased. The nano- and microhardness as well as Young's moduli of the eutectic B2O3–UO2 samples were higher than those of UO2. However, the compressive strengths of the eutectic B2O3–UO2 samples were lower than that of UO2, and they decreased as the porosity increased. All samples showed typical brittle fracturing behavior. The low-porosity samples showed a linear elastic step up to a sudden rupture, whereas the high-porosity samples exhibited two main regimes: a linear elastic region that can be attributed to pore-edge bending or face stretching; a zigzag step that is related to the progression of pore collapse.