PROPERTIES CONSIDERED WHEN SELECTING MATERIALS

DOE-HDBK-1017/2-93 Plant Materials PROPERTIES CONSIDERED WHEN SELECTING MATERIALS PROPERTIES CONSIDERED WHEN SELECTING MATERIALS There are many different kinds of materials used in the construction of a nuclear facility. Once constructed, these materials are subjected to environments and operating conditions that may lead to material problems. This chapter discusses considerations for selection and application of plant materials. EO 1.1 DEFINE the following terms: a. Machinability b. Formability c. Stability d. Fabricability EO 1.2 IDENTIFY the importance of a material property and its application in a reactor plant. Overview During the selection and application of materials used for construction of a nuclear facility, many different material properties and factors must be considered depending upon the requirements for each specific application. Generally, these consist of both non-fuel reactor materials, used for structural and component construction, and fuel materials. This chapter discusses some of the considerations used in the selection process for plant materials including material properties, fuel, fuel cladding, reflector material, control materials, and shielding materials. Material Properties The following properties are considered when selecting materials that are to be used in the construction of nuclear facilities. Machinability Components may be formed by removing metal "chips" by mechanical deformation. This process is referred to as machining. Machinability describes how a metal reacts to mechanical deformation by removing chips, with respect to the amount of metal effectively removed and the surface finish attainable. The mechanical properties of the metal will be the factors that influence the machinability of a metal. Many components used in nuclear reactor construction use machined parts that require very close tolerances and very smooth surfaces. Thus, machinability becomes an important consideration when choosing materials for manufacturing these parts. Rev. 0 Page 1 MS-05