Microstructural characterization and mechanical properties of mini specimen of research reactor fuel cladding

Mini specimens of 5052 alloy have been used to study the mechanical behaviour for cladding materials of research reactor. The problem that arises in the manufacture of the mini specimens is the deformation effect after shear cutting process. The objective of this research is to obtain characteristics of mini specimens of 5052 alloy, i.e. microstructure, hardness and tensile strength. The results have showen that microstructureof fresh 5052 alloy is not homogeneous, but that of as-rolled 5052 alloy is non-homogeneous for elongated flat along the roll direction. In the 250°C heat treatment, the grain structure of as-rolled 5052 alloys is increasingly homogeneous with slight grain size changes as the heating time increases. The hardness of 5052 alloy as-rolled after heat treatment ranges from 39.67 - 40.55 VHN. The hardness of as-rolled 5052 alloy is higher than that of fresh 5052 alloy without and post heat treatment. Tensile strength of as-rolled 5052 alloy after heat treatment is relatively the same, i.e. 159.50 – 160.27 MPa with a strain of 31.67 – 34.58%. Tensile strength of 5052 alloy after mechanical treatment has higher tensile strength than fresh and as-rolled 5052 alloys. The mechanical treatment of as-rolled 5052 alloy could eliminates the shear cutting effect on the surface of mini specimens.