2026-03-11 オークリッジ国立研究所（ORNL）
Mackenzie Ridley adjusts the out-of-cell digital image correlation testing rig at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The rig captures collected data during a loss of accident cooling test at four frames per second. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.ornl.gov/news/imaging-innovation-advances-nuclear-materials-qualification
- https://www.osti.gov/biblio/3002205
- https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1994713
LOCA過渡現象時の照射済み核燃料棒の現場ひずみ解析のためのデジタル画像相関法のセル内展開と初使用 In-Cell Deployment and First Use of Digital Image Correlation for In-Situ Strain Analysis of Irradiated Nuclear Fuel Rods During LOCA Transient
Doyle, Peter ; Ridley, Mackenzie ; Bell, Sam ; Yan, Yong ; Han, Jae-Kyung ; Capps, Nathan; Harp, Jason
OSTI.GOV Technical Report· 01 9月 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/3002205
Digital image correlation (DIC) is a noncontact, optical method increasingly used across industries and research environments for acquiring multidimensional strain data. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Severe Accident Test Station (SATS), DIC has been extensively applied to study the thermomechanical response of nuclear fuel claddings, yielding fundamental insights into material behavior. However, these efforts have focused exclusively on unirradiated materials and relied on the SATS out-of-cell infrastructure. Efforts over the past two years have been made to extend these capabilities to ORNL’s Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory SATS system within the hot-cells to enable testing of irradiated fuel cladding materials. Integrating DIC into the hot-cell SATS infrastructure presents unique challenges, including enabling remote operation of optical equipment and adapting auxiliary hot-cell systems for DIC implementation. This report discusses design, stand-up testing, and application of DIC to an irradiated nuclear fuel cladding segment. A DIC testing rig was successfully built and validated out-of-cell through extensive surrogate tests and calibrations. The rig and specialized DIC furnace were installed in the hot-cell, and a DIC test was successfully conducted. Results from that test correspond to expectations for Zr-based alloys and showed similar uncertainties compared to out-of-cell tests.
模擬LOCA過渡現象中の現場3次元DIC技術を用いた高温クリープモデルの開発 High temperature creep model development using in-situ 3-D DIC techniques during a simulated LOCA transient
Ridley, Mackenzie; Massey, Caleb; Bell, Sam; Capps, Nathan
OSTI.GOV Journal Article · 19 7月 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2023.110012
In-situ strain measurements of fuel cladding can enable high-throughput data collection and validation to support accelerated qualification of cladding materials. Here, in this work, 3D digital image correlation was used to map strain for both Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) and Cr-coated Zry-4 during two types of cladding rupture experiments: isobaric temperature ramp tests at 5 °C/s and isothermal pressure jump tests at 600 °C. Zry-4 strain data initially showed a temperature dependence expected for creep deformation, yet a shift to a new plastic deformation mechanism not reported in literature dominated during the finals seconds prior to rupture. Cr-coated Zry-4 did not show the change in deformation mechanism at the end of life and showed a delay in measurable creep deformation. Stress dependences were similar for Zry-4 and Cr/Zry-4 during pressure jump tests. Cr-coatings were found to decrease the strain rate during both testing scenarios. Creep parameters were calculated to support modelling efforts regarding design basis accidents.
