US 12,288,320 B2
Experimental set up for studying temperature gradient driven cracking
Travis Knight, Blythewood, SC (US); Sobhan Patnaik, Columbia, SC (US); Theodore Besmann, Oak Ridge, TN (US); and Elwyn Roberts, Lugoff, SC (US)
Assigned to University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (US)
Filed by University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (US)
Filed on Oct. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/506,928.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/129,085, filed on Dec. 22, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0198649 A1, Jun. 23, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 21/88 (2006.01); G01J 5/00 (2022.01); G01N 25/20 (2006.01); G01N 25/72 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01); G21C 3/62 (2006.01)
CPC G06T 7/0006 (2013.01) [G01N 21/88 (2013.01); G01N 21/8803 (2013.01); G01N 25/20 (2013.01); G01N 25/72 (2013.01); G21C 3/623 (2013.01); G01J 2005/0077 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30132 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for capturing fracture initiation and growth in fuel pellets comprising:
employing inductive heating to raise a temperature of at least one fuel pellet;
after employing inductive heating employing direct resistance heating by, placing electrodes on at least two sides of the at least one fuel pellet to pass current transversely across the at least one fuel pellet;
after passing current transversely across the at least one fuel pellet, imaging a pellet surface of the at least one fuel pellet to observe crack formation intersecting the pellet surface to capture fracture initiation and growth in the at least one fuel pellet; and
after imaging the pellet surface of the at least one fuel pellet, generating at least one temperature profile for the at least one fuel pellet via receiving and measuring infrared thermal radiation from the at least one fuel pellet, wherein the infrared thermal radiation is generated by employing the inductive heating to raise the temperature of the at least one fuel pellet.