Design and mechanical properties of SiC reinforced Gd2O3/6061Al neutron shielding composites

This paper presented a new type of neutron absorption material used in the storage and transportation of spent fuel in nuclear power plants as SiC/Gd2O3/6061Al composites (SGAC). The optimal component proportion of composites was designed by neutron shielding simulation with MCNP5 software and mechanical property simulation with LAMMPS software. The influence of SiC content on the neutron shielding performance and mechanical properties of the composites was explored by numerical simulation. SGAC with different content of SiC were prepared by SPS technology. The thermal neutron shielding properties, microstructure and mechanical properties for SGAC were analyzed by neutron shielding tests, XRD, typical SEM, TEM, and tensile tests. The neutron shielding test shows that the neutron shielding performance of (0 wt%-25 wt%) SiC/5 wt% Gd2O3/ 6061Al SGAC with a thickness of 5 mm all reach above 99.5%. Nanometer Gd2O3 particles and micron SiC particles play intragranular and intergranular reinforcement effects on Al matrix respectively. A new phase Al4SiC4 is generated at the interface of the two phases, facilitating the connection of interfaces. (15 wt% SiC+5 wt% Gd2O3)/6061Al shows superior mechanical properties with the tensile strength of 196 MPa and the elon-gation of 11%.

Automated summary

This paper introduces a new type of neutron absorption material, SiC/Gd2O3/6061Al composites (SGAC), used for the storage and transportation of spent fuel in nuclear power plants. The optimal composition of the composites was determined through neutron shielding and mechanical property simulations. The study investigates the effect of SiC content on neutron shielding performance and mechanical properties through numerical simulations. SGAC samples with varying SiC content were prepared using SPS technology, and their thermal neutron shielding properties, microstructure, and mechanical properties were analyzed through tests and characterization techniques. The results demonstrate that (0 wt%-25 wt%) SiC/5 wt% Gd2O3/6061Al SGAC with a thickness of 5 mm exhibits neutron shielding performance above 99.5%. Nanometer Gd2O3 particles and micron SiC particles provide reinforcement effects within the Al matrix. Furthermore, the interface between the two phases generates a new phase Al4SiC4, facilitating the connection of interfaces. (15 wt% SiC+5 wt% Gd2O3)/6061Al shows superior mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 196 MPa and an elongation of 11%.