Materials Testing on Radioactive Materials ("Hot Cell")

Nuclear power stations in Europe are generally designed to operate for approx. 40 years. Despite the change in energy policy and Germany's corresponding phase-out decision, nuclear power plants will still be required to operate for longer periods (60 to 80 years) worldwide. Longer operating periods and the associated aging effects on reactor materials must not jeopardize safety. ZwickRoell has supplied an automated pendulum impact tester and a tensile testing machine to Isotope Technologies Dresden (ITD) for an international research project. ITD delivers "hot cells" including testing machines to the Kharkow Institute of Physics and Technologies (Ukraine) where the tests are performed. The research project is being subsidized by the US Department of Energy and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is part of the department.

Due to longer operation periods of nuclear reactors, materials are subject to a higher neutron dose from a temporal perspective. How are the materials influenced by this? Are the procedures and prediction models used to observe brittleness suitable for the long-term operation of nuclear power stations or must they be adjusted? To better answer these questions and others, Charpy impact tests and tensile tests are performed to determine stiffness and tensile strength of the materials.