METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SiC COMPOSITE FUEL CLADDING WITH INNER Zr ALLOY LINER

Abstract

A method for making a fuel rod cladding tube and a cladding tube are described. The method includes wrapping ceramic fibers, for example, SiC fibers in a SiC matrix, around a tube formed from a metal alloy, such as a zirconium alloy. The interstices of the SiC wrappings on the tube are at least partially filled with SiC nano-sized particles. The surface of the filled tube is exposed by atomic layer deposition, at temperatures ranging from 25° C. to 600° C., to at least one cycle of alternating, non-overlapping pulses of gaseous precursors containing carbon and silicon to form a SiC monolayer. The step of filling the interstices of the SiC wrappings on the tube with SiC nano-sized particles fills large voids in the SiC wrapping. The step of exposing the surface of the particle filled SiC windings to at least one cycle of gaseous pulses fills small voids in the SiC wrapping.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.