Abstract
The vibration and buckling characteristics of the capsule for fuel irradiation test are studied. The natural frequencies of the capsule in air and under water are obtained by modal testing and finite element (FE) analysis using ANSYS program, and accelerations with flow are measured to estimate the compatibility with the operation requirement of the HANARO reactor. The experimental fundamental frequencies of the capsule in the x and z direction are 8.5 Hz and 8.75 Hz in air, and 7.5 Hz and 7.75 Hz under water, respectively. The maximum amplitude of accelerations under the normal operating condition is measured as 11.0 m/s$^2$ that is within the allowable vibrational limit(18.99 m/s$^2$) of the reactor structure. Also, the maximum displacement at 100% flow is calculated as 0.13 mm which is not interference with other nearby structures. FE analysis results show that the natural frequencies are found to be similar to those of the modal testing when three supporting parts are considered as simply supported conditions. From the buckling analysis, when the loading tool is applied, the critical buckling load of the capsule is 233 N.