Data Report on the Newest Batch of PCEA Graphite for the VHTR Baseline Graphite Characterization Program
This report details a comparison of mechanical and physical properties from the first billet of extruded PCEA nuclear-grade graphite from the newest batch of PCEA procured from GrafTech. Testing has largely been completed on three of the billets from the original batch of PCEA, with data distributions for those billets exhibiting a much wider range of values when compared to the distributions of properties from other grades. A higher propensity for extremely low values or specimens that broke while machining or handling was also characteristic of the billets from the first batch, owing to unusually large fissures or disparate flaws in the billets in an as-manufactured state. Coordination with GrafTech prior to placing the order for a second batch of PCEA included discussions on these large disparate flaws and how to prevent them during the manufacturing process. This report provides a comparison of the observed data distributions from properties measured in the first billet from the new batch of PCEA with those observed in the original batch, in order that an evaluation of tighter control of the manufacturing process and the outcome of these controls on final properties can be ascertained. Additionally, this billet of PCEA is the first billet to formally include measurements from two alternate test techniques that will become part of the Baseline Graphite Characterization database – the three-point bend test on sub-sized cylinders and the Brazilian disc splitting tensile strength test. As the program moves forward, property distributions from these two tests will be based on specimen geometries that match specimen geometries being used in the irradiated Advanced Graphite Creep (AGC) program. This will allow a more thorough evaluation of both the utility of the test and expected variability in properties when using those approaches on the constrained geometries of specimens irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor as part of the AGC experiment.