Improving estimates of wear rates in grid-to-rod fretting (GTRF) through microscale simulations
Areg Hayrapetian (MIT), Michael Demkowicz (MIT)
Contact Mechanics
Tue 9:00 - 10:30
Barus-Holley 163
Grid-to-rod fretting (GTRF) is a frequent cause of cladding failure and is extremely sensitive to the coefficient of wear between fuel rods and grids. Wear coefficients, in turn, vary by orders of magnitude for different operating conditions relevant to GTRF. We present an approach currently under development for estimating wear coefficients through simulations that account for the micromechanical state of contact between wearing surfaces. We use a variant of the discrete element method (DEM) to simulate wear mechanisms at the micron length scale, such as adhesive and sliding contact between asperities, generation of wear debris (third bodies) through brittle fracture of asperities, and third-body interactions. Calculations of wear coefficients through such simulations could be used to improve estimates of nuclear fuel lifetimes and to guide the design of future wear-resistant claddings. This project was supported by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL): a Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Innovation Hub.