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Conference Article: The correlation of hardness with Young's modulus and strengths of nuclear carbon materials

Oku, T.; Ohta, S. (Ibaraki Univ., Hitachi, Ibaraki (Japan). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering); Eto, M. (Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment)

Abstract

Since mechanical properties of carbon materials are, in general, necessary and important for the structural design of the components of HTGRs, much data on each candidate material has been obtained so far. A correlation between Vickers hardness and strengths of different grades of graphite has been examined and as a result a good correlation with compressive strength was found. According to recent results of the instrumented hardness test that enables to measure the load and the depth continuously, some parameters obtained from the load versus depth relation had good correlations with Young's modulus and strengths. Also correlations of the harness value with Young's modulus, bending strength and compressive strength were examined on the different kinds of carbon materials including the nuclear grades of graphite. As a result, the hardness values defined in the instrumented microhardness test, as well as the normal Vickers hardness value, had comparatively good correlations with Young's modulus, bending strength and compressive strength.

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key words: compression strength; correlations; graphite; htgr type reactors; materials testing; reactor components; vickers hardness; young modulus; carbon; gas cooled reactors; graphite moderated reactors
Reference:
Specialists' meeting on the status of graphite development for gas cooled reactors. Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). 9-12 Sep 1991
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
IAEA-TECDOC--690, pp:299-303