• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제21권6호
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• pp.20-25
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• 2003

Various welding methods such as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding(GTAW), magnetic force electrical resistance welding and Laser Beam Welding(LBW) are now available for end cap closure of nuclear fuel rods. Even though the resistance and GTA welding processes are widely used in manufacturing commercial fuel rods, they can not be recommended for the remote seal welding of fuel rods in the hot cell Facility due to the complexity of the electrode alignment, the difficulty in replacing parts in a remote manner and the large heat input for the thin sheath. Therefore, the Nd:YAG laser system using optical fiber transmission was selected for the end cap welding of irradiation fuel rods in the hot cell. The remote laser welding apparatus in the hot cell Facility was developed using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser of 500 watt average power with an optical fiber transmission. The weldment quality such as microstructure and mechanical strength was satisfactory. The optimum conditions of laser welding for encapsulating irradiation fuel rods in the hot cell were obtained.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.85-95
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• 1997

This study is to investigate the optimum conditions of Nd:YAG laser beam welding for Zircaloy-4 end cap closure by optical fiber transmission. Laser welding parameters which affect the penetration depth and bead width were experimentally examined using the various beam radius by the beam quality analyzer, joint geometries of end cap and the laser parameters which mean pulse width, repetition rate and pulse energy. Also, an optimum welding speed and the effect of assistant gas with varying the flow rate of He were investigated. We found that the laser average power for the end cap welding will be 230W and rotation speed must not exceed 8 RPM, the best position of focus using optical fiber with 600.mu.m will be 2 to 3mm below the surface of the material.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.240-249
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• 1992

The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of welded joints on the Zircaloy-4 resistance upset welding for HWR(Heavy Water reactor)fuel rods. To estimate the characteristics of welded joints, the various tests were performed on the test coupons systematically with a wide range of each welding parameters in terms of a tensile test, burst test, knoop hardness test and metallography. Major results obtained in this study are as follows: 1. The tube and machined with 120.deg. projection was the reliable weld joint design for the nuclear fuel rod end cap welding. 2. As the weld current and the amount of upset increased linearly with increasing welding main heat input, it could make an estimate of their variation in accordance with the phase shift control. 3. It was found that an increase in squeeze force has an effect on the upset contour of welded joint because the amount of upset were increased by the change of squeeze force.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.81-92
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• 1996

This study is to compare the weldability of Zircaloy-4 end cap of nuclear fuel pin using by GTA and Nd :YAG LB. The welding parameters which affect bead width and penetration depth have been investigated. The effect of joint geometry of end cap for GTAW and LBW has been studied and optimum conditions of Zircaloy-4 endcap welding have been found. Microstructures and microhardness of GTA and LB welded zones have been also compared.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.175-183
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• 2001

Various welding processes are now available for end cap closure of nuclear fuel element such as TG(Tungsten Inert Gas) welding, magnetic resistance welding and laser welding. Even though the resistance and TIG welding processes are widely used for manufacturing commercial fuel elements, they can not be recommended for the remote seal welding of a fuel element at a hot cell facility due to the complexity of electrode alignment, difficulity in the replacement of parts in the remote manner and a large heat input for a thin sheath. Therefore, the Nd:YAG laser system using optical fiber transmission was selected for Zircaloy-4 end cap welding inside hot cell. The laser welding apparatus was developed using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser of 500 watt average power with optical fiber transmission. The weldability of laser welding was satisfactory with respect to the microstructures and mechanical properties comparing with TIG and resistance welding. The optimum operation processes of laser welding and the optical fiber transmission system for hot cell operation in a remote manner have been developed The effects of irradiation on the properties of the laser apparatus were also being studied.

• 대한용접접합학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한용접접합학회 2008년도 춘계학술발표대회 개요집
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• pp.24-24
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• 2008

• 대한용접접합학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한용접접합학회 1992년도 특별강연 및 추계학술발표 개요집
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• pp.186-189
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• 1992

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.60-69
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• 1989

The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of welding parameters such as welding current, electrode force(or squeeze force) and parts cleaning on the sound weld, and establishing the most reliable weld conditions for HWP(Heavy Water Reactor) fuel end capping with the resistance upset butt welding. Major results obtained are as follows. 1. The amount of sound weld was increased with increasing weld current(5.0-11KA) because the activated diffusion with increasing heat generation played an important role in eliminating the porosity and weld line in the weld interface. 2. It was found that weld current was not significantly influenced by the electrode force although the increase of it caused a slight increase of weld current and upset deformation. 3. Acetone rinsing before drying for the Zircaloy-4 end cap cleaning produced the reliable sound weld because it would remove the remaining solvent and surface films, and provided the uniform contact between the end cap and the tube. 4. The optimum welding conditions for fuel end capping by a resistance upset hytt welding are obtained as follows. weld current: 10-11KA, electrode force: 62-90KPa parts cleaning: vapor degreasing.rarw.water, acetone rinsing.rarw.drying.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.60-68
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• 1991

The weld quality of end cap welds in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) Fuel is extremely important for the fuel performance in the nuclear reactor. The quality of resistance upset welds is currently evaluated mainly by the metallographic examination although it reveals only two weld cross-sections in a circumference welds. This investigation was, firstly, carried out to determine whether the ultrasonic examination would be applied to detect weld defects in the end cap welds and, secondly, to measure the mechanical strength of upset butt welds as a function of phase shift percentage. The major results obtained in this study are as follows: 1. The weld current and amount of upset shrinkage linearly increased with increasing the phase shift percentage. 2. Above the phase shift 55%, the defects in the welds were completely eliminated with increasing the phase of sound weld was over the thickness of cladding tube. 3. The ultrasonic testing well detected such defects in the end cap welds as upset external crack, upset split, corner crack and irregular weld flash comparing with the results of metallography. 4. The micro-fissure in the corner of the end cap welds was reliably detected by ultrasonic testing. 5. The mechanical strength in the welds increased with increasing phase shift percentage but the fracture did't occur in the welds above 55%.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.282-296
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• 2008

기존의 자동차 부품 로봇 용접방법은 노즐을 통하여 $CO_2$ 가스가 확산되는 구조로 되어있어 용접대상물에 노즐간섭으로 인하여 로봇 용접이 불가능한 부위가 많고, 공간이 좁은 부분의 용접은 2차 수작업으로 완성하고 있어 생산성 향상에 걸림돌이었다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 이러한 용접과정을 분석하여 $CO_2$ 가스 소모량을 절약하고, 좁은 공간 부위를 로봇 용접할 수 있는 새로운 특수 용접 노즐을 개발하여 생산성을 향상시키고자 하였다. 본 연구개발에서 설계 제작된 협대역 자동차 부품 로봇 용접용 특수 용접 팁은 2단 구조로서 중단부에 직경 3mm의 구멍을 8개소로 제작하고 $CO_2$ 가스 소모량을 47%이상 절약한 형태로서 용접 결함율이 비교적 낮은 개발품이다. 본 연구의 결과는 국내 자동차 업계에서 사용되는 구형 용접 팁을 중간부에 구멍이 뚫린 2단 구조의 노즐로 대체하면 생산원가를 절감할 수 있다고 판단된다.