Thermomechanical loading applied on the cladding tube during the pellet cladding mechanical interaction phase of a rapid reactivity initiated accident

Calculations of the CABRI REP-Na5 pulse were performed with the ALCYONE code in order to determine the evolution of the thermomechanical loading applied on the cladding tube during the Pellet-Cladding Mechanical Interaction (PCMI) phase of a rapid Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) initiated at 280 °C that lasted 8.8 ms. The evolution of the following parameters are reported: the cladding temperature, heating rate, strain rate and loading biaxiality. The impact of these parameters on the cladding mechanical behavior and fracture are then briefly reviewed.