| Abstract: | Uranium monocarbide is of interest as a possible nuclear fuel and material for nuclear thermoelectrical transformations. In order to accurately define the effect of the conditions for preparing uranium monocarbide (UC) on its composition, studies were made which established the optimum regime for preparing UC with a stoichiometric composition.Studies were made of the conditions for sintering and hot pressing of UC powder and also conditions for sintering UC + U alloys, giving specimens with a porosity of about 5%. The specific gravity of UC powder determined by a pycnometer is 12.97 ± 0.09 g/cm3, microhardness of the phase-923 ± 56 kg/mm2.The thermal conductivity of UC in the range 100–700 °C varies from 0.028 to 0.04 cal/cm. sec.deg; the mean thermal coefficient of linear expansion in the range 20–1500 ° is 11.6 · 10–6. Specimens of UC subjected to cyclic heat-treatment in the range 200–1000 ° withstood 500 cycles without failure. Specimens of UC + U withstood more than 1000 cycles. |
